River Rats Weekly

Published on March 29, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany River Rats News Release


Albany swept its three game road trip last week and needs just one point in its final four games to clinch a 2010 Calder Cup Playoff berth. The River Rats can also clinch a playoff spot with a Norfolk loss in regulation. Albany opened its week on Wednesday night in Adirondack, where Jerome Samson scored his first career hat trick to lift the River Rats to a 6-2 win in Game 10 of the Time Warner Cable Cup series. Rookie Zack Dalpe cashed in for his first career hat trick on Saturday night in Syracuse, as the River Rats downed the Crunch 5-2. Samson, Dalpe, Chris Terry and Jacob Micflikier each enjoyed multi-point games the following afternoon in Springfield to lead Albany to a 5-1 victory over the Falcons.

Week 27 Preview:

The River Rats play the final two regular season home games in franchise history this weekend, beginning on Friday, April 2nd with a 7:00 p.m. faceoff against the Norfolk Admirals. Albany then hosts game 11 of the Time Warner Cable Cup series on Saturday, April 3rd for the club's home finale at 7:00 p.m.

Week 27 Rats Game Schedule:

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

Friday, April 2nd - 7:00 pm - Times Union Center - Albany, NY

vs. Norfolk Admirals (36-32-3-3, 78 pts)

4th Place, East Division

- Norfolk dropped three straight home games last week, including a pair against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and the Penguins overtook the Admirals in the standings for the East Division's final guaranteed playoff spot. Brad Thiessen posted a 31-save shutout and the Baby-Pens scored three goals in the third period to earn a 3-0 victory in Norfolk on Wednesday night. The teams played again on Friday, when Tim Wallace scored two goals to lead Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to a 3-1 road victory. Norfolk out-shot the Atlantic Division-leading Worcester Sharks 46-25 on Sunday, but goalie Alexander Stalock was perfect for the Sharks to earn a 2-0 road win. The River Rats are 5-0-1-1 against the Admirals this season and have out-scored Norfolk 19-14. Friday night will be the eighth and final game of the season series.

- Leading Scorer: Ryan Craig (C) - 42 points (22 goals, 20 assists) in 67 GP.

- Leading Goaltender: Dustin Tokarski (G) - 2.49 GAA, .916 save pct., 24-22-3 in 49 GP.

- Who's Hot: Ryan Craig (C) and Adam Hall (RW) each have six points (2-4-6) in their last five games. Dustin Tokarski (G) has allowed two goals or fewer in six of his last eight starts.

Saturday, April 3rd - 7:00 pm - Times Union Center - Albany, NY

vs. Adirondack Phantoms (31-26-3-4, 69 pts)

6th Place, East Division

- Adirondack dropped three straight games last week and fell to within one point of the last place Syracuse Crunch. Jerome Samson's hat trick led Albany past the Phantoms on Wednesday night in Glens Falls, as the Rats cruised to a 6-2 victory. Adirondack looked to rebound on Friday in Hartford and led 2-0 midway through the game, but the WolfPack scored two unanswered goals and then won the ensuing shootout 2-0 for a 3-2 final. David Laliberte scored twice to bring his club to within a goal on Saturday night in Manchester, but the Monarchs held off the Phantoms 4-3 to give Adirondack its third straight loss. Saturday night will mark Game 11 of the 12-game Time Warner Cable Cup series. Albany is 8-1-1-0 this season against the Phantoms and has out-scored Adirondack 29-18. The club's close-out their season series next week on Saturday, April 10th in both teams' season finale.

- Leading Scorer: Jon Matsumoto (C) - 58 points (27 goals, 31 assists) in 74 GP.

- Leading Goaltender: Johan Backlund (G) - 2.79 GAA, .906 save pct., 21-17-2 in 41 GP.

- Who's Hot: David Laliberte (RW) has four points (3-1-4) in his last three games. Jon Matsumoto (C) is on a three-game goal-scoring streak and shows five points (3-2-5) over that stretch. Andreas Nodle (RW) is on a three-game point streak, with a goal and two assists during that span.

River Rats Player of the Week: (Week 26)

Jerome Samson - RW - #17

Day Opponent G A Pts. +/- Notable

Wed @ Adirondack 3 1 4 +2 First hat trick, fourth four-point game of season

Sat @ Syracuse 0 1 1 E Extended his point streak to three games

Sun @ Springfield 0 3 3 +3 Fourth three-assist game of the season

Totals 3 Games 3 5 8 +5

Right wing Jerome Samson stayed hot last week with eight points and a plus-five rating in three games to earn his club's Player Of The Week nomination. The third-year forward opened the week with his first career hat trick on Wednesday night in Glens Falls, and also chipped in an assist for his third four-point game of the month. Samson then extended his point streak to three games with an assist on Saturday in Syracuse, before racking up three more helpers on Sunday afternoon in Springfield for a four-game point streak. The Greenfield Park, QC., native's 76 points rank fourth in the AHL scoring race, while his 37 goals are second best in the league. Samson also leads the league with 327 shots en route to his second consecutive River Rats scoring title.

Rat Bites:

- BACK-TO-BACK RAT TRICKS - After netting just one hat trick in the first 73 games of the season, the River Rats scored two-in-a-row this week. Jerome Samson scored the first hat trick of his career in Wednesday night's 6-2 win at Adirondack, and rookie Zac Dalpe netted his first trick in just his fourth professional game on Saturday night in the Albany's 5-2 win in Syracuse. The River Rats now have 47 hat tricks in the franchise's 17-year history.

- DALPE FINDING THE NET - Rookie forward Zac Dalpe has five goals with one assist in his first five professional games. Carolina's second round pick (45th overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft signed with Albany on March 18th after completing his sophomore campaign at Ohio State.

- IRON MEN DOWN TO TWO - Rookie Stefan Chaput dropped out of the "Iron Man" race last week by missing his first game of the season on Sunday due to an undisclosed injury suffered on Saturday. Rookie Chris Terry and second year forward Nick Dodge are the only River Rats to have played in all 76 games this season. Dodge was Albany's only "Iron Man" last season during his rookie campaign.

- LEAGUE LEADERS - Jerome Samson ranks fourth in the AHL with 76 points, while his 37 goals are second best in the league. Samson also leads the league in shots, with 327. Zach FitzGerald tops the circuit with 291 penalty minutes, including a league-high 72 minor penalties. Nicolas Blanchard's 23 major penalties are tied for fourth in the AHL. Justin Peters' 2.54 goals against average is 17th in the AHL, while Justin Pogge's 2.55 is tied for 18th.

- ROOKIE LEADERS - Chris Terry's 46 points (17 goals, 29 assists) are tied for seventh in the league among rookie scorers, while Jamie McBain's 40 (7 goals, 33 assists) points have him in a 10th place tie. Stefan Chaput is tied for 13th among first year players with 38 (10 goals, 28 assists) points, and Zach Boychuk is tied for 16th with 36 points (15goals, 21 assists). Drayson Bowman is tied for the AHL rookie lead with five shootout goals.

River Rats Recent Transactions

March 2010March 26 ADD - Justin Peters (G) - Returned on loan from Carolina (NHL)

DELETE - Parker Van Buskirk (G) - Released from ATO

March 24 DELETE - Cedric McNicoll - Loaned to Florida (ECHL)

DELTE - Matthew Pistilli - Returned on loan to Florida (ECHL)

DELETE - Drayson Bowman - Recalled from loan by Carolina (NHL)

March 23 ADD - Mike McKenzie (F) - Signed ATO

March 19 DELETE - Bryan Rodney (D) - Recalled from loan by Carolina (NHL)

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

March 18 ADD - Zac Dalpe (F) - Signed ATO

Promotional Information

Fan Appreciation Weekend Presented By Capitaland Motors GMC-Subaru

Date: Friday April 3rd vs. Norfolk Admirals and Saturday, April 4th vs. Adirondack Phantoms

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

Promotions: Commemorative Prizes, Give-Aways and Post Game Autograph Session**

**Autograph Session Is Saturday Only

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: Dodge & Terry (76)

Goals: Jerome Samson (37)

Assists: Jerome Samson (39)

Points: Jerome Samson (76)

Plus/Minus: Nick Dodge (+17)

Penalty Minutes: Zack FitzGerald (291)

Power Play Goals: Jerome Samson (10)

Short Handed Goals: Pat Dwyer (2)

Game-Winning Goals: Jerome Samson & Zach Boychuk (5)

Shots: Jerome Samson (327)

Shooting Percentage: Jacob Micflikier (0.207%)

Saves: Justin Peters (1,176)

Wins: Justin Peters (24)

GAA: Justin Peters (2.54)

Save Percentage: Justin Pogge (0.921)

####

River Rats 2010 Calder Cup playoff 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.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Hockey League Stories from March 29, 2010


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.

OurSports Central