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River Rats Weekly

December 29, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany River Rats News Release


Albany lost back-to-back games to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last week, but remains five points ahead of the third-place Baby Pens in the East Division standings. Stefan Chaput broke goaltender John Curry's shutout bid with less than two minutes remaining in regulation, but Wilkes-Barre/Scranton fought off Albany's late comeback effort to earn a 2-1 win Saturday at Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza. The River Rats came within inches of tying the game in the final seconds of action, but leading-scorer Jerome Samson batted a bouncing puck just wide of an open goal as the final horn sounded. Albany hosted the Penguins the following night and dropped another one-goal decision to their division rivals, as forward Mark Letestu scored two goals and added an assist to end the River Rats' seven game home-winning streak with a 3-2 final on Sunday.

Week 14 Preview:

Albany plays Game's Five and Six of the Time Warner Cable Cup Series this week in a home-and-home affair against the Phantoms, beginning on Wednesday, December 30th with a 7:00 p.m. start at the Times Union Center. The teams then travel to the Glens Falls Civic Center Thursday afternoon for a 3:00 p.m. clash in the River Rats' final game of 2009. Albany finishes its week with another East Division match-up on Saturday, January 2nd when they battle the Syracuse Crunch at 7:30 p.m. in Central New York. Saturday's game will be televised locally on TW3.

Week 14 Game Schedule:

(All games are broadcast LIVE on WROW 590 AM "Newstalk 590," are streamed free over the Internet at www.wrow.com and can be watched via internet pay-per-view video on www.ahllive.com)

Wednesday, December 30th - 7:00 pm - Times Union Center - Albany, NY

Thursday, December 31st - 3:00 pm - Glens Falls Civic Center - Glens Falls, NY

vs. Glens Falls Phantoms (14-14-2-0, 30 pts)

Sixth Place, East Division

- The Phantoms began a challenging five games in seven days, all against East Division opponents, with a 4-3 road loss Monday in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Penguins scored the game's first three goals, including a pair from Dustin Jeffrey, while Eric Tangradi scored the game-winner with less than seven minutes remaining in regulation to hold-off Adirondack's late comeback bid. Last week the Phantoms earned their second straight come-from-behind victory in their only game with a 3-2 final in Binghamton. Adirondack trailed 2-0 after two periods of play, but the visitors stormed back in the final frame on goals from Ryan Dingle, Patrick Maroon and Matt Clackson for their fifth win in seven games. The River Rats hold a 4-0 lead in the Time Warner Cable Cup Series and have out-scored the Phantoms 12-5 through the first fourg games this season. The club's next meet on January 23rd in Glens Falls.

- Leading Scorer: Jon Matsumoto (C) - 25 points (13 goals, 12 assists) in 29 GP.

- Leading Goaltender: Johan Backlund (G) - 2.77 GAA, .907 save pct., 8-8-0 in 17 GP.

- Who's Hot: Stefan Legein (RW) has four points (2-2-4) in his last two games. Patrick Maroon (LW) has four points (2-2-4) and a plus-3 rating in his last three games. Jared Ross (C) is on a three game point streak (1-2-3).

Saturday, January 2nd - 7:30 pm - Onondaga County War Memorial at Oncenter - Syracuse, NY

vs. Syracuse Crunch (10-18-3-2, 24 pts)

Seventh Place, East Division

- The Crunch suffered their sixth straight loss Monday night with a 5-4 overtime decision in Houston. Syracuse's 19 losses this season lead the league and they sit six points below the sixth place Adirondack Phantoms in the East Division standings. The Crunch continue their grueling three-in-three road trip against a trio of Texas opponents before hosting the River Rats Saturday night. Albany holds a 3-1 lead in the four game season-series against Syracuse. The Crunch earned a 4-3 come-from-behind shootout victory in the first match-up on November 11th at home, but Albany won the next three games with a 5-2 decision on November 18th and a 4-2 win on November 25th at the Times Union Center. The team then turned in a 5-2 final on December 19th in Syracuse. The clubs next meet on February 3rd in Albany.

- Leading Scorer: Dan Fritsche (C) - 20 points (8 goals, 12 assists) in 30 GP.

- Leading Goaltender: Kevin Lalande (G) - 3.38 GAA, .898 save pct., 6-8-1 in 18 GP.

- Who's Hot: Brendan Bell (D) scored two goals in his last gamem while Grant Clitsome (D) tallied three assists in his last game. Brent Regner (D) also had a multi-point night in Houston, with a goal and an assist.

River Rats Player of the Week: (Week 13)

Nicolas Blanchard - LW - #26

Day Opponent G A Pts. Notable

Sat. @ WBS 0 1 1 Assisted on Albany's only goal

Sun.. vs. WBS 0 1 1 Extended his assist streak to three games

Totals 0 2 2 Plus-2 rating

River Rats forward Nicolas Blanchard assisted on two of Albany's three goals last week and recorded a plus-2 rating to earn his club's Player Of The Week nomination. The fourth year forward's first helper came on Albany's only goal Saturday night in a 2-1 loss to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Carolina's sixth round pick (192nd overall) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft extended his assist streak to three games the following night in Albany, setting up Chris Terry's third period tally in the River Rats' 3-2 loss to the Baby Pens. Blanchard has nine points (4-5-9) through 33 games this season and he ranks fourth in the league in fighting majors with 14.

Rat Bites:

- RATS GAIN A LINE - Albany added a full line to its depth-chart last week, beginning with the return of wingers Michael Ryan and Drayson Bowman from injuries. Forward Jiri Tlusty joined the lineup for the first time since early December, while defensemen Jay Harrison and Bryan Rodney filled-out Albany's back-end after returning from lengthy stints with the Carolina Hurricanes.

- DECEMBER TO REMEMBER - The River Rats have out-scored their opponents 29-15 and show a 7-3-0-0 record this month, with two more game to play before the New Year. Albany has already accrued more standings points (14) than they did in either of the first two months of the season, and the team has a chance to match or surpass last year's single-month season-high of 16 points, which came in January 2009 when the club posted an 8-6-0-0 record.

- AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR - Defenseman Zach FitzGerald missed his first game of the season last weekend due to travel complications, ending his bid to play in all 80 regular season River Rats games this year. Jerome Samson, Stefan Chaput, Nick Dodge and Chris Terry are the only players to have skated in all 34 games to date during the 2009-10 regular season.

- TWCC Double-Header - Albany and Glens Falls meet for Games Five and Six of the Time Warner Cable Cup series this week. In addition taking home the hardware, the winning team of the 12-game series will designate a local non-profit group to receive a $5,000 grant from Time Warner Cable. Local organizations can apply for the award by completing an online submission process at www.timewarnercablecup.twalbany.com no later than February 1, 2010. All Time Warner Cable customers receive a $3 discount on tickets to all TWCC games at both the Times Union Center and the Glens Falls Civic Center.

- LEAGUE LEADERS - Jerome Samson continues to lead the league in shots with 150, while Zach FitzGerald's 28 minor penalties also top the circuit. Nicolas Blanchard's 14 major penalties rank fourth in the league and Jacob Micflikier is fifth in the league in shooting percentage with a 0.238 mark (5-for-21). Justin Peters' 2.12 GAA is good for sixth in the league and his 0.929 save percentage is tied for fourth. Stefan Chaput and Zach Boychuk are tied for 7th place in the rookie scoring race with 21 points each.

River Rats Recent Transactions

December 2009 December 27 DELETE - Matthew Pistilli (RW) - Returned on loan to Florida (ECHL)

December 23 ADD - Jay Harrison (D) - Returned on loan from Carolina (NHL)

December 20 ADD - Bryan Rodney (D) - Returned on loan from Carolina (NHL)

DELETE - Elgin Reid (D) - Returned on loan with Florida (ECHL)

December 18 ADD - Michael Ryan (LW) - Loaned by Carolina (NHL)

ADD - Elgin Reid (D) - Recalled from loan to Florida (ECHL)

December 15 DELETE - Bryan Rodney (D) - Recalled from loan by Carolina (NHL)

DELETE - Michael Leighton (G) - Recalled from loan by Carolina (NHL)

DELETE - Pat Dwyer (RW) - Recalled from loan by Carolina (NHL)

December 13 ADD - Pat Dwyer (RW) - Returned on loan from Carolina (NHL)

ADD - Jiri Tlusty (LW) - Returned on loan from Carolina (NHL)

December 12 ADD - Michael Leighton (G) - Loaned by Carolina (NHL)

Promotional Information

Dora At Game 5 of the TWCC Series

Date: Wednesday, December 30, 2009 vs. Adirondack Phantoms

Time: 7:00 p.m. at Times Union Center

Dora: Dora The Explorer will be on the concourse for pictures and fun.

TWCC: All Time Warner Cable customers will receive a $3 discount with their TWC bill at the Times Union Center Box Office.

Ticket Info: Tickets can be purchased by calling the Times Union Center box office at 487-2000, by visiting or calling www.tickets.com at 1-800-30-EVENT, or by visiting select Price Chopper Outlets.

Albany River Rats Team Leaders:

Games Played: Four Players Tied (34)

Goals: Pat Dwyer & Jerome Samson (11)

Assists: Jerome Samson (15), Stefan Chaput (14)

Points: Jerome Samson (26)

Plus/Minus: Nick Dodge (+10)

Penalty Minutes: Zack FitzGerald (106)

Power Play Goals: Pat Dwyer & Jerome Samson (3)

Short Handed Goals: Pat Dwyer (2)

Game-Winning Goals: Zach Boychuk & Jerome Samson (3)

Shots: Jerome Samson (150)

Shooting Percentage: Jacob Micflikier (0.238%)

Saves: Justin Peters (587)

Wins: Justin Peters (11)

GAA: Justin Peters (2.12)

Save Percentage: Justin Peters (0.929)

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River Rats 2009-10 season and flex ticket packages are now on sale at the River Rats executive offices at the Times Union Center, by calling (518) 487-2244 or by logging onto www.albanyriverrats.com.



American Hockey League Stories from December 29, 2009


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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