Sports stats



River Rats Win Two Of Four Games In Return To Action

March 2, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany River Rats News Release


Albany retook the ice for four games this week, their first action since the team's February 19th bus crash on the Mass Pike. There may have been some wary travelers on the first bus ride from Albany to Bridgeport, but armed with five new players, including four ECHL call-ups and Hurricanes 2007 first round draft pick Brandon Sutter on a conditioning loan from Carolina, the River Rats gutted out a 3-2 shootout win over the Sound Tigers. Friday night the River Rats had a lot more energy and chemistry with their new roster members. The team battled down to the wire with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, but could not hang on to a 3-2 third period lead as they lost 4-3. Saturday night in Syracuse the Rats dominated the opening period, but their finishing was not there and the Crunch turned it around for a 5-2 win over Albany. But the River Rats did not fold up shop on Sunday as they returned to the Times Union Center for their first home game since the accident and beat the Norfolk Admirals 4-2.

Other positive news during Week 21 was the release of Nicolas Blanchard from Berkshire Medical Center, the last of the five players and staff that were hospitalized after the crash. Seven players involved in the accident were held out of the first two games of the week due to injuries suffered on the bus. On Saturday, defenseman Brett Carson returned to action against Syracuse, marking the first of the seven players to return to the lineup; Carson scored the game-winning goal in Sunday's 4-2 win over Norfolk.

Week 22 Preview:

Albany is hopeful that one or two more players injured in the bus crash will be able to return to action this week, following a day off Monday and three full days of practice. Friday the Rats will travel to Springfield, driving by the crash site for the first time since the ordeal, looking to make it two-straight wins over the Falcons. In one of their shortest mileage trips of the year, the River Rats will drive from Springfield to Worcester after the game and will face the Sharks on Saturday night at 7:05 pm at the DCU Center. Albany completes the long weekend on Sunday, March 8th with a 5:00 pm face off against the Syracuse Crunch at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The River Rats have won their last three games in Glens Falls, but are 2-3-0-1 against the Crunch this year.

Week 22 Schedule:

(All games are broadcast LIVE on 104.5 FM "The Team" ESPN Radio, are streamed free over the Internet at www.albanyriverrats.com and can be watched via internet pay-per-view video on www.ahllive.com)

Friday, March 6 - 7:30 pm - MassMutual Center - Springfield, MA

@ Springfield Falcons (19-34-7-2, 47 pts)

Seventh Place, Atlantic Division

Springfield is 17 points outside of the Atlantic Division's fourth and final playoff spot, and with Lowell, Manchester and Worcester all within a point of each other occupying fourth, fifth and sixth place respectively, it seems Springfield will be left out of the 2009 post season. The Falcons lost their last three games, which came against those same divisional opponents, and have won just three of their last 19. Goaltender Devan Dubnyk's once firm grasp on the starting job has loosened, as he and Dany Sabourin have rotated over the team's last 11 starts. Albany and Springfield have played twice this season and both games were decided by just one goal: the Falcons won 3-2 on October 24th in Springfield and the River Rats won 5-4 on February 13th in Albany. The teams' fourth and final meeting will be on March 28th in Albany. Leading Scorer: Ryan Potulny (C) - 41 points (24 goals, 17 assists) in 52 GP. Leading Goaltender: Devan Dubnyk (G) - 2.95 GAA, .905 save pct., 15-33-1-2 in 50 GP. Who's Hot: Ryan Stone (C) - 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist) in his last three games played. Charles Linglet (LW) - 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists) in his last four games played. Geoff Paukovich (C) - 2 goals in his last two games played. Saturday, March 7 - 7:05 pm - DCU Center - Worcester, MA

@ Worcester Sharks (30-26-1-2, 63 pts)

Sixth Place, Atlantic Division

The Sharks find themselves in the heart of a tightly contested battle for the Atlantic Division's final playoff spot. They are just one point behind both fifth place Manchester and fourth place Lowell, but have played two more games than the Monarchs and one more than the Devils. The Sharks had dropped six of seven games heading into last week, but then rebounded to win two of their last three. Worcester and Albany have faced-off twice this season and the teams split the series. On October 17th in their second game of the season the River Rats beat the Sharks 5-4 at the Glens Falls Civic Center and on January 9th Albany lost 4-1 in Worcester. Leading Scorer: Ryan Vesce (RW) - 61 points (20 goals, 41 assists) in 55 GP. Leading Goaltender: Thomas Greiss (G) - 2.70 GAA, .898 save pct., 20-17-2-0 in 40 GP. Who's Hot: P. J. Fenton (F) - 4 points (3 goals, 1 assist) in last game played. Ryan Vesce (RW) -6 points (3 goals, 3 assists) in his last 4 games played. Lukas Kaspar -5 points (2 goals, 3 assists) in his last 3 games played. Sunday, March 8 - 5:00 pm - Glens Falls Civic Center - Glens Falls, NY

vs. Syracuse Crunch (27-25-3-2, 59 pts)

Fifth Place, North Division

The Crunch have won three of their last four games to pull within four points of Toronto for the final playoff spot in the North Division. Sunday's match-up with the River Rats will be Syracuse's fourth game of the week and comes just eight days after the teams last clash in Syracuse, a 5-2 Crunch win. The contest is the seventh of eight match-ups this season between Albany and Syracuse; Albany has won 2-of-3 at home against the Crunch but dropped all three of their road games in Syracuse. Sunday marks the third of four River Rats home games being played this season at the Glens Falls Civic Center; Albany has won both of its games so far this year in its northern "home-away-from-home." Leading Scorer: Mike York (RW) - 45 points (10 goals, 35 assists) in 56 GP. Leading Goaltender: Dan LaCosta (G) - 2.81 GAA, .909 save pct., 17-15-2-2 in 38 GP. Who's Hot: Alexandre Picard (LW) - 4 points (3 goals, 1 assist) in his last 2 games played. Mike York (RW) - 6 points (1 goal, 5 assists) in his last four games played. Nick Holden (D) - 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist) in his last 2 games played. Week 21 Game Results:

February 25, 2009 Albany 3 @ Bridgeport 2 - (3-1 in shootout)

February 27, 2009 Albany 3 @ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 4

February 28, 2009 Albany 2 @ Syracuse 5

March 1, 2009 Norfolk 2 @ Albany 4

River Rats Player of the Week: (Week 21)

Brandon Sutter - C - #23 4 GP, 4 Points (3 goals, 1 assist), +1, 0 PIMs

Rookie Brandon Sutter made his first appearance for Albany this season, after joining the team as an amateur last spring for the final few weeks of the year and the 2008 Calder Cup Playoffs. Born in Huntington, New York, but raised in Red Deer, Alberta, Sutter scored a goal in his first game with the River Rats, the team's first game since their bus crash on February 19th. Sutter doubled his tally in his second game, scoring twice against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Friday night; one power play goal and one short-handed goal. He added an assist on Sunday to tally four points in four games; his production demonstrating why he was Carolina's first round draft pick in 2007 and maybe headed back to Raleigh sooner than Rats fans would like.

River Rats Goalie of the Month: (February)

Jerome Samson - RW - #17 10 GP, 10 Points (4 goals, 6 assists), Even, 8 PIMs

Right wing Jerome Samson has been a consistent part of the River Rats offense for the last two season. The Greenfield Park, Quebec native tallied a team-leading ten points in February (4 goals, 6 assists), with eight penalty minutes and an even plus-minus rating in ten games played. Samson's consistency was epitomized by his seven-game point streak (9 points) to finish the month, passing All-Star Michael Ryan for the longest River Rats point streak of the 2008-09 season. On the year Samson is third on Albany with 36 points (16 goals, 20 assists), he ranks second on the team in goals (16) and third in points per game (0.73).

River Rats Goalie of the Month: (February)

Justin Peters - G - #35 10 GP, 5-4-1 Record, 3.10 GAA, 0.833 Sv. Pct, 227 Saves

River Rats goaltender Justin Peters numbers in February do not reflect just how well the third year pro has played for Albany. The Blyth, Ontario native finished the month with a 3.10 goals-against average, a 0.833 save percentage and a 5-4-1 record in ten games played; but was impressive by winning four straight starts and won three of four shootouts in February. On the season Peters has a 14-21-3 record in 40 appearances, with a 2.72 GAA, a 0.911 save percentage and two shutouts in 2,293:38 minutes of action.

River Rats Rookie of the Month: (February)

Nick Dodge - C - #8 10 GP, 10 Points (4 goals, 6 assists), -1, 4 PIMs

Rookie center Nick Dodge has not looked, acted or played like a first year pro all season and his ten points (4 goals, 6 assists) in February was no different. The Oakville, Ontario native started the month with a five-game point streak (8 points), including six points in his first three games in February. Dodge posted his first career two-goal game on February 10th against Portland at HSBC Arena in Buffalo and then did it again with two goals the next night in Binghamton. On the season Dodge ranks fourth on the River Rats with 32 points (9 goals, 23 assists) and is second on the team in assists. His offensive statistics have continued to rise higher and higher, but perhaps Dodge's best quality is his ability seamlessly shift between a scoring line and a checking line without dropping production.

Rat Bites:

- LONG SHORT-HANDED GAP - Albany scored three short-handed goals in their first two games of the 2008-09 season, but were held without a shorty over their next 54 games. On Friday in Wilkes-Barre, Brandon Sutter's second period short-handed goal ended the drought, but it was also almost a year to the date since the River Rats last shorty on the road. The Rats last road short-handed goal came on February 29, 2008 when scored short-handed at 6:09 of the third period, the eventual game-winning goal, in a 4-3 win at Springfield.

- STREAK SNAPPED - RW Jerome Samson had his seven-game point streak snapped on Sunday against Norfolk. Samson had tallied nine points (4 goals, 5 assists) in his previous seven games, beginning on February 13th vs. Springfield. It was the longest point-streak of the season by an Albany player. All-Star Michael Ryan's current six-game point streak was put on hold with his recall to Carolina on February 16th.

- MILESTONE NIGHT - Four Albany players reached significant statistical milestones on Friday night in Wilkes-Barre. LW Brad Herauf played in his 300th career Pro game, C Dwight Helminen recorded his 250th career AHL game, RW Jakub Petruzalek skated in his 200th career Pro game and G Justin Peters notched his 3,000th career Pro save.

- NEW CAPTAIN - With captain Tim Conboy on recall with Carolina for the second time this season, the River Rats have been playing with three Assistant Captains: RW Pat Dwyer, C Mike Angelidis and C Dwight Helminen. But on Sunday Dwyer had the "C" on his shoulder, marking the second time this season he had that letter on his jersey.

- THREE-POINT MILESTONE - D Bryan Rodney had a three-point game on Sunday vs. Norfolk (1 goal, 2 assists) and recorded his 100th career pro assist on Albany's empty net goal in their 4-2 win. Rodney leads all River Rats defenseman in points and is seventh on the team with 25 points (3 goals, 22 assists) in 43 games played this season; he ranks third on the squad in assists.

- AND THEN THERE WERE TWO - C Mike Angelidis and C Nick Dodge are the only two River Rats players to have skated in all 59 games for Albany this season. The two iron men have provided a very stable force in the middle the River Rats lineup. RW Pat Dwyer and C Dwight Helminen are the only other Albany players to not miss action due to injury or a healthy scratch; the two have missed Rats games due to several NHL call ups to Carolina.

- THE 30 AND OVER CROWD - C Dwight Helminen became the fifth Albany player to reach the 30 point mark this season with an assist during the River Rats 4-2 win over Norfolk on Sunday. Helminen has 15 goals and 15 assists this season, joining RW Jakub Petruzalek (45 points), LW Michael Ryan (42 points), RW Jerome Samson (36 points) and C Nick Dodge (32) points. RW Pat Dwyer is the next player with a chance at the 30-point mark; the Rats newly appointed captain has 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) in 48 games this year.

River Rats Recent Transactions

March 1 - DELETE Mitch Ganzak (D) - Released from PTO, returned to Wheeling (ECHL).

February 25 - ADD Brandon Sutter (C) - Assigned by Carolina (NHL) on Conditioning Loan.

February 25 - ADD Aaron Clarke (LW) - Signed PTO, called up from Wheeling (ECHL).

February 25 - ADD Ryan Cruthers (RW) - Signed PTO, called up from Reading (ECHL).

February 25 - ADD Mitch Ganzak (D) - Signed PTO, called up from Wheeling (ECHL).

February 24 - ADD Ryan McGinnis (D) - Recalled from loan with Florida (ECHL).

Albany River Rats Team Leaders:

Games Played: Mike Angelidis & Nick Dodge (59)

Goals: Michael Ryan (25)

Assists: Jakub Petruzalek (30)

Points: Jakub Petruzalek (45)

Plus/Minus: Josef Melichar (+7)

Penalty Minutes: Mike Angelidis (133)

Power Play Goals: Michael Ryan (8)

Short Handed Goals: Pat Dwyer, Mark Flood, Dwight Helminen & Brandon Sutter (1)

Game-Winning Goals: Michael Ryan (4)

Shots: Jerome Samson (166)

Shooting Percentage: Michael Ryan (20.5%)

Saves: Justin Peters (1,066)

Wins: Justin Peters (14)

GAA: Justin Peters (2.72)

Save Percentage: Justin Peters (0.911)

####

The River Rats begin a three-game road trip this week on Wednesday, February 25th as they travel to Connecticut for a 7:00 pm face off with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at the Arena at Harbor Yard. Albany's next home game is scheduled for Sunday, March 1st against the Norfolk Admirals; a 5:00 pm face off at the Times Union Center.

River Rats flex ticket packages and individual game tickets are on sale now at the River Rats office and the Times Union Center Box Office. For more information please contact the Albany River Rats at (518) 487-2244 or online at www.albanyriverrats.com.



American Hockey League Stories from March 2, 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.

Other Recent Albany River Rats Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central