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River Rats rolling through February

February 22, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany River Rats News Release


The Albany River Rats continue their four-game homestand against the Binghamton Senators on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. WWE Superstar John Bradshaw Layfield will sign autographs at the game before his WWE Smackdown appearance on March 1st! The Senators (30-19-4-4, T-1st East) are coming off a 7-2 road victory over the Manchester Monarchs on Saturday. LW Brandon Bochenski has seven (5-2) points in his last five games and leads AHL rookies with 24 goals and 47 points for the top affiliate of the Ottawa Senators. Albany holds a 7-13-3-2 record in the all-time regular season series against Binghamton, including a 4-6-1-1 record on home ice. The River Rats are 4-3-0-0 against the Sens this season, having been outscored 27-20 in the previous seven games. Albany RW Aleksander Suglobov leads with eight (5-3) points, while Binghamton D Brian Pothier tops the club with eight (1-7) points as well. The teams face-off another two times on March 5th in Binghamton and finally on March 12th in Albany.

Albany closes the home stay on Saturday in a 7:30 p.m. face-off against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at Pepsi Arena. Team Heelys will be at the game with one-of-a-kind sneaker giveaways! The Sound Tigers (23-26-1-1, 6th East) defeated the Worcester IceCats 4-1 at home on Sunday for their third straight win and will host Hershey on Wednesday before visiting Hartford on Friday. G Dieter Kochan is the reigning CCM/Vector AHL Player of the Week after stopping 102 of 105 shots in three wins last week. Albany holds a 6-14-5-3 record in the all-time season series against Bridgeport, including a 5-5-3 mark at Pepsi Arena. The River Rats are 1-1-1-1 against the Sound Tigers this season, being outscored 11-10 in the four previous games. Albany's Dean McAmmond (1-3), Suglobov (3-1) and Aaron Voros (2-2) each have four points, while Bridgeport's Ryan Kraft is alone with four (1-3) points this year. The East Division rivals square off another three times on March 20th in Albany, April 6th in Bridgeport and finally on April 13th in the Capital District.

The River Rats hit the road for a 5:00 p.m. face-off against the Hershey Bears at the GIANT Center. The Bears (29-25-1-0, 5th East), who are coming off a 3-1 home victory over the Syracuse Crunch on Sunday, visit Bridgeport Wednesday night and Philadelphia on Friday before hosting Wilkes-Barre Saturday evening. C Eric Perrin has five (3-2) points in the last five games and paces the top affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche with 49 (18-31) points this season. Albany shows a 29-25-1-4 record in the all-time regular season series against Hershey, including a 13-12-0-4 road record. The River Rats are 0-5-2-0 against the Bears this season, having been outscored 24-12 in the previous seven games. Albany C Zach Parise leads the club with four (2-2) points, while Hershey LW David Masse shows nine (7-2) points in six games for the only remaining AHL club without a shootout loss.

River Rats this week:

* Practice times are subject to change, please call the River Rats office to confirm dates and times.

Wednesday, February 23rd - Practice at Pepsi Arena, 10:00 a.m.

Thursday, February 24th - Practice at Bethlehem Area YMCA, 8:00 a.m.

Friday, February 25th - Game Day Skate at Pepsi Arena, 10:00am; Binghamton Senators @ RIVER RATS, 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, February 26th - Game Day Skate at Pepsi Arena, 10:00am; Bridgeport Sound Tigers @ RIVER RATS, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, February 27th - Game Day Skate at GIANT Center, TBD; RIVER RATS @ Hershey Bears, 5:00 p.m.

Monday, February 28th - OFF DAY

Tuesday, March 1st - Practice at Bethlehem Area YMCA, 10:00am

Rat Bites:

* C Zach Parise shows six (1-5-6) points in his last two games and leads all AHL rookies with 28 assists, while placing second with 40 (12-38) points in 50 games during the 2004-05 campaign.

* RW Aaron Voros, who broke a 30-game goal-scoring drought on Monday, has points (1-5-6) in three straight games and is tied for eighth among AHL rookies with 27 (10-17) points this season.

* The River Rats have scored 17 goals in their last three games in matching the season-high for consecutive victories. Albany has won six of the last seven games and eight (8-2-1-0) of their last 11 match-ups since the last week of January.

Over the Air:

Fri., February 25th vs. Binghamton Senators, 7:00 p.m. (6:45 p.m. Capitaland Motors GMC Pre-Game Show, AM 1160 WABY)

Sat., February 26th vs. Bridgeport Sound Tigers, 7:30 p.m. (7:15 p.m. Capitaland Motors GMC Pre-Game Show, AM 1160 WABY)

Sun., February 27th @ Hershey Bears, 5:00 p.m. (4:45 p.m. Capitaland Motors GMC Pre-Game Show, AM 1160 WABY)

** Hear all the action LIVE at www.albanyriverrats.com**

Community Outreach Appearances:

Mon., February 28th @ 9:45 a.m. - "Rowdy" the Rat will be at the Division Street School in Saratoga to read to an assembly of youngsters as a part of the "Reading with Rowdy" program. The Division Street School is located at 220 Division Street in Saratoga.

Tue., February 29th @ 4:30 p.m. - LW Brett Clouthier will assist a Special Olympics New York Volleyball Clinic at the Capital District Psychiatric Center, which is located at 75 New Scotland Avenue in Albany.

Fri., March 4th @ 6:00 p.m. - "Rowdy" The Rat will visit Schalmont Elementary School to sign autographs and mingle with fans at Schalmont annual carnival. The Schalmont Elementary School is located at 721 Curry Rd in Schenectady.

River Rats Rewind: Week 19 - February 14-21, 2005 (3-0-0-0, 6pts)

February 18th - ALB 4 @ PRO 1 - LW Ahren Nittel scored twice and G Scott Clemmensen stopped 45 of 46 shots on goal in the River Rats' second straight road victory. Albany LW Tuomas Pihlman & RW Aleksander Suglobov scored the third period goals, while RW Aaron Voros chipped in two assists.

February 19th - HAM 3 @ ALB 6 - C Zach Parise totaled three (1-2) points and RW Aaron Voros chipped in three assists as the River Rats posted their first win over Hamilton at Pepsi Arena since February 19, 2001. LW Ahren Nittel scored for the second straight game and G Ari Ahonen made 46 saves in a game that saw Albany go 3/9 on the power play.

February 21st - NOR 5 @ ALB 7 - The River Rats set a season-high with seven goals in their first victory over the Admirals since October of 2002. LW Dean McAmmond posted four (1-3) points, while LW Kenny Magowan added two points, including the game-winner. G Scott Clemmensen made 35 saves for his third straight win and RW Aaron Voros added his 10th goal of the season.

Upcoming Promotions:

Fri., February 25th vs. Binghamton Senators @ 7:00pm - Meet WWE Superstar & Champion JBL!

WWE Superstar John Bradshaw Layfield will sign autographs at the game!

Win tickets to WWE Smackdown at Pepsi Arena on March 1st!

Sat., February 26th vs. Bridgeport Sound Tigers @ 7:30pm - Team Heelys @ The Game!

Team Heelys at the game with sneaker demos & Heelys Sneaker Giveaways!



American Hockey League Stories from February 22, 2005


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