River Rats work away from home

Published on February 3, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany River Rats News Release


The Albany River Rats make their third visit to the GIANT Center for a face-off with the Hershey Bears on Wednesday night at 7:30pm. The River Rats then take on the Philadelphia Phantoms at the Wachovia Spectrum on Friday at 7:05pm. Albany closes out the three-game road trip against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in a 7:05pm face-off on Saturday night.

Rat Bites:

C Craig Darby became the 69th player in AHL history to score 500 points on Wednesday night at Bridgeport. He will appear in his fourth AHL All-Star Classic next Monday in Grand Rapids.

D Raymond Giroux leads all AHL defenders with 10 goals and is the only Rat to skate in all 45 games played this season.

LW Ilkka Pikkarainen broke a 29-game scoreless drought with his first two AHL goals on Wednesday against Bridgeport.

LW Rob Skrlac earned his 1,200th career penalty minute on Friday night as Albany picked up a season-high 71 penalty minutes vs. Binghamton.

River Rats Roster Moves

LW Rob Skrlac returned on loan from New Jersey, January 30, 2004. Over the Air:

*Sun., Feb. 8th – AHL All-Star Skills Competition @ Grand Rapids, 7:00pm (Empire Network)

*Mon., Feb. 9th – 2004 Pepsi AHL All-Star Classic @ Grand Rapids, 7:00pm (Empire Network & Fox Sports Net NY)

* Television Coverage only!

Hear all the action LIVE at www.albanyriverrats.com

Community Calendar:

Mon., February 2nd @ 5pm – LW Greg Crozier & D Alex Brooks will be Frear Park Ice Rink assisting a Troy Albany Youth Hockey team practice. The Frear Park Ice Rink is located on Lavin Court Road, in Troy.

Mon., February 2nd @ 7pm – C Craig Darby & D Tyler Hanchuck will be at the Knickerbacker Arena assisting a Troy Albany Youth Hockey team practice. The Knickerbacker Arena is located on 103rd 8th Avenue, in Troy.

Sat., February 7th @ 10am - "Rowdy the Rat" will be at Greenville Middle School for the grand re-opening of their gymnasium.

Sat., February 7th @ 12pm - "Rowdy the Rat" will be at Cohoes' Winter Festival from 12:00pm throughout the day ending at 4:00pm.

Sun., February 8th @ 3:30pm - "Rowdy the Rat" will be at the B.I.G. Arena for the annual Albany Cougars fundraising skate. The B.I.G. Arena is located at 900 Delaware Avenue in Delmar and can be reached at (518) 439-2211.

River Rats Rewind: Week 17 – January 26, 2004 (0-1-1-1, 2pts)

January 28th – ALB 2 @ BRI 2 F/OT – River Rats LW Ilkka Pikkarainen scored his first two AHL goals and G Ari Ahonen made 35 saves to earn second star of the game honors. C Craig Darby posted two assists including his 500th AHL point, while LW Joe Hulbig chipped in two helpers as the River Rats snapped a nine-game road losing streak.

January 30th - BNG 6 @ ALB 0 – LW Rob Skrlac returned to Albany and recorded his 1,200th career penalty minute in the club's worst loss of the season. The River Rats earned a season-high 71 penalty minutes and were stopped on all 22 shots on goal by Binghamton G Ray Emery, who would be ejected from the game.

January 31st – ROC 3 @ ALB 2 F/OT – River Rats D Raymond Giroux notched a goal and an assist, including a power play marker at 18:41 of the third period that forced overtime. C Craig Darby added a goal and an assist in front of G Ari Ahonen, who made 15 saves on a season-low 18 shots against.

Upcoming Promotions:

Fri., February 13th vs. Hershey Bears @ 7:00pm – GO RED NIGHT w/AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION!

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE AHA BY WEARING RED AT THE GAME!

The first 500 women through the doors will receive a FREE red carnation!

Sat., February 14th vs. Manchester Monarchs @ 4:00pm – 2,000,000TH FAN CELEBRATION!

Scooby-Doo will be at the game for pictures and fun!

The first 2,000 kids 12 & under receive a FREE Kinko's Trading Card Set!

Six (6) lucky fans get a chance to win $30,000 towards a brand new car from Wedekind Pontiac!

Other prizes: A Pro Dynamics Home Theater System & a trip to the set of ESPN's SportsCenter!

$10,000 Perfect Wedding Guide Honeymoon Package giveaway!

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American Hockey League Stories from February 3, 2004


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