River Rats Struggles In Glens Falls Continue

Published on February 11, 2008 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany River Rats News Release


In their only one-game week of the season the River Rats made their temporary home again at the Glens Falls Civic Center, this time battling the Syracuse Crunch. The visitors took the upper hand early in the game, scoring twice in the first period and their stifling forecheck held Albany to just nine shots on goal over the first two periods. The River Rats tried to mount a comeback, but could not provide any goal support for Michael Leighton, who put on another fantastic goaltending display, yet was tagged with the 3-1 loss.

Week 19 Preview:

The River Rats will be looking for redemption after a lackluster performance in Glens Falls last Saturday. Albany hosts three East Division rivals this week, starting with the Binghamton Senators on Wednesday night. Albany is a perfect 3-0 against the B-Sens and boast an 8-4-0-1 home record against the rest of the Division. Friday and Saturday the River Rats will face back-to-back home games against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and the Philadelphia Phantoms. All three games could make a significant impact in the clustered East Division standings.

Week 19 Schedule: (Home Games in Bold)

(All games are broadcasted LIVE on ESPN Radio 104.5 FM The Team and on the Internet at www.albanyriverrats.com)

Wednesday, February 13th - 7:00 pm - Times Union Center

vs. Binghamton Senators (24-19-4-4, 56 pts)

Tied-Fourth Place, East Division

Binghamton pulled themselves back into contention in the East Division during the middle of January where they rattled of a five game winning streak. Last week the Senators beat Division-leading Philadelphia 4-2, then split a two-game weekend in Norfolk to pull into a fourth place tie with the River Rats. Albany has not lost to Binghamton this year, out-scoring the B-Sens 8-2 in three games.

Leading Scorer: Josh Hennessy (C) - 36 points (13 goals, 23 assists) & Lawrence Nycholat (D) - 36 points (10 goals, 26 assists) both in 48 games played.

Leading Goaltender: Jeff Glass (G) - 2.58 GAA, 0.921 save pct., 14-9-3-4 record in 32 GP.

Who's Hot: Denis Hamel (LW) - 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) in last ten games played. Brian Lee (D) - 4 points (1 goals, 3 assists) and +1 rating in last five games played. Alexander Nikulin (C) - 9 points (2 goals, 6 assists) in last nine games played. Justin Mapletoft (C) - 8 points (4 goals, 4 assists) and a +2 rating in last ten games played.

Friday, February 15th - 7:00 pm - Times Union Center

vs. Bridgeport Sound Tigers (25-24-1-0, 51 pts)

Sixth Place, East Division

Bridgeport has won eight of their last twelve games, including winning back-to-back games against Philadelphia in late January. Last week the Sound Tigers split a two-game home stand, beating Lowell 3-2 Friday and losing to Portland 5-2 Saturday.

Leading Scorer: Jeff Tambellini (C) - 56 points (28 goals, 28 assists) in 43 games played.

Leading Goaltender: Joey MacDonald (G) - 2.74 GAA, 0.911 save pct., 9-13-1-0 record in 24 GP.

Who's Hot: Jeff Tambellini (C) - 12 points (6 goals, 6 assists) and a +4 rating in last eight games played. Kyle Okposo (RW) - 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists) and +2 rating in last five games played. Ben Walter (C) - 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) in last ten games played.

Saturday, February 16th - 7:00 pm - Times Union Center

vs. Philadelphia Phantoms (33-17-1-2, 69 pts)

First Place, East Division

The Phantoms completed a five-game road trip with four road games this past week. They split the four games last week and finished the trip with a record of 3-0-0-0. Albany is 1-1 against Philadelphia at the Times Union Center this year and will face the Phantoms three times in the next three weeks.

Leading Scorer: Jared Ross (C) - 40 points (14 goals, 26 assists) in 42 games played.

Leading Goaltender: Brian Boucher (G) - 2.50 GAA, 0.916 save pct., 21-13-1-1 record in 38 GP.

Who's Hot: Kyle Greentree (LW) - 12 points (6 goals, 6 assists) and +5 rating in last ten games played. Jonathan Matsumoto (C) - 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists) and +6 rating in last ten games played. Jared Ross (C) - 5 points (2 goals, 2 assists) in last five games played.

Week 19 Game Results:

2/9/08 Syracuse 3 @ Albany 1

GLENS FALLS, NY - The River Rats were looking to pick up their first win in five games at the Glens Falls Civic Center, spanning back to their 2007 Calder Cup Playoff series with Hershey. But Syracuse got a power play from Derek Dorsett and another goal from Adam Pineault to take a 2-0 lead after the first period. Bryan Rodney scored his third goal of the season late in the second period to pull the River Rats back within a goal, but the Albany offense could not muster anything to trouble goaltender Dan LaCosta, who finished with 20 saves. Michael Leighton kept the River Rats close with 27 saves on 29 shots, but the Crunch iced the game with an empty net goal in the final minute of the third period for a 3-1 victory. 1st Star - Adam Pineault, 2nd Star - Bryan Rodney, 3rd Star - Michael Leighton.

River Rats Player of the Week: (Week 19)

Bryan Rodney - D - #33 1 GP, 1 goal, 0 assists, 1 point, +1, 2 PIMs

Defenseman Bryan Rodney was one of Albany's few bright spots in the River Rats disappointing return to the Glens Falls Civic Center. In Albany's only game during Week 19, Rodney not only scored the team's only goal, his third of the year, but he was also the only player to have a plus rating in the game. Rodney has scored in his last three games, scoring four points (2 goals, 2 assists) in that span. The London, Ontario native has ten points (3 goals, 7 assists) in 21 games since making his Albany debut on December 16th.

Rat Bites:

- CLIMBING THE LADDER - For the first time this season, Albany has two players ranked in the AHL's Top 20 in scoring. Captain Keith Aucoin, currently called up to Carolina, is 15th in the league with 45 points (8 goals, 37 assists) and LW Brandon Nolan is 16th with 44 points (21 goals, 23 assists).

- STILL LEADING THE LEAGUE - Goaltender Michael Leighton has not had a shutout since his December 7th blanking of Portland, but he is still on top of the AHL in that category, tied with Houston's Nolan Schaefer with 5 shutouts this year.

- RACKING UP THE MILES - Many River Rats players are approaching career milestones in games played. C Greg Rallo needs 1 GP to record his 100th pro game, D Mark Flood needs 3 GP for his 150th pro game and 100th AHL game, LW Brandon Nolan needs 4 GP for his 200th AHL game, C Jamie Johnson needs 8 GP for his 350 pro game, LW Trevor Gillies needs 9 GP for his 500th pro game and LW Ryan Bayda needs 10 GP for his 400th pro game.

- NO LUCK IN HOME AWAY FROM HOME - The River Rats have had some "home" games in the last two seasons up at the Glens Falls Civic Center, however they have not had the home-ice advantage. Albany is 0-5-0-0 in Glens Falls, spanning three 2007 Calder Cup Playoff games against Hershey and two regular season games this year. The River Rats have one more game scheduled at the Civic Center, March 8th against Binghamton.

- BACK IN THE MIX - Left wing Ryan Bayda returned to the River Rats lineup on Saturday against Syracuse, making his first appearance in the 2008 calendar year. Bayda had missed 22 straight games due to an injury suffered on December 14th in Lowell.

River Rats Recent Transactions

February 11 - ADD Milan Maslonka (D) - Signed to PTO, called up from Youngstown Steelhounds (CHL). February 7 - DELETE J.D. Forrest (D) - Traded by Carolina (NHL) to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for future considerations. February 4 - DELETE Keith Aucoin (C) - Recalled from loan by Carolina (NHL).

Albany River Rats Team Leaders:

Games Played: Jamie Johnson (51)

Goals: Brandon Nolan (21)

Assists: Keith Aucoin (37)

Points: Keith Aucoin (45)

Plus/Minus: Casey Borer & Brandon Nolan (+11)

Penalty Minutes: Tim Conboy (189)

Power Play Goals: Jerome Samson (9)

Short Handed Goals: Keith Aucoin, Nicolas Blanchard, Pat Dwyer (1)

Game-Winning Goals: Brandon Nolan (5)

Shots: Jerome Samson (140)

Shooting Percentage: Brandon Nolan (16.8%)

Saves: Michael Leighton (984)

Wins: Michael Leighton (16)

GAA: Michael Leighton (2.17)

Save Percentage: Michael Leighton (0.928)

East Division Standings:

EAST GP RECORD PTS

Philadelphia 53 (33-17-1-2) 69

Hershey 49 (28-17-0-4) 60

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 49 (28-18-0-3) 59

Albany 51 (27-22-0-2) 56

Binghamton 51 (24-19-4-4) 56

Bridgeport 50 (25-24-1-0) 51

Norfolk 51 (17-28-2-4) 40

The River Rats will take their show to Glens Falls, NY on Saturday, February 9th against the Syracuse Crunch for a 7:00 pm face off at the Glens Falls Civic Center. Albany will return to the Times Union Center on Wednesday, February 13th as they host the Binghamton Senators at 7:00 pm.

Partial season tickets packages and flex tickets for the 2007-08 River Rats season are on sale now. For more information please contact the Albany River Rats at (518) 487-2244 or online at www.albanyriverrats.com.

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American Hockey League Stories from February 11, 2008


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