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Rochester Americans Game Preview - October 4 vs. Syracuse

October 4, 2019 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


TONIGHT'S GAME OVERVIEW - The Rochester Americans open their historic 64th season in the American Hockey League - and 38th as the primary affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres - tonight when they host the North Division rival Syracuse Crunch at The Blue Cross Arena. Game time is slated for a 7:05 p.m. start and can be heard live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM ESPN Rochester as well as AHLTV. AMERKS PRESESASON WRAP-UP - The Amerks begin the 2019-20 regular season after closing out their preseason schedule with a 4-3 win over the Toronto Marlies this past Sunday night at Ray Twinney Complex in Newmarket, Ontario. Rochester posted a 2-1-0-0 record during the preseason, which included a two-game sweep against the Marlies. - Third-year winger C.J. Smith led all Amerk skaters with a pair of goals in two games while Tobie Bisson (0+2), Pascal Aquin, Justin Baudry and Tyler Randell each registered a multi-point effort (1+1) during the exhibition contests. Goaltenders Andrew Hammond and Jonas Johansson both recorded a win in Rochester's goal crease. ROAD AHEAD FOR ROCHESTER - Following tonight's matchup, the Amerks hit the road for a three-game trek through New England beginning on Friday, Oct. 11 against the Springfield Thunderbirds at the MassMutual Center. After the 7:05 p.m. tilt with the Thunderbirds, the Amerks will then face the Providence Bruins on Saturday night at 7:05 before concluding the weekend with a 3:00 p.m. matinee versus the Harford Wolf Pack. All of the action will be carried live on The Sports Leader AM 950/95.7 FM ESPN Rochester as well as AHLTV.

OPENING THE SEASON - The Amerks enter the new campaign with a 38-19-6 all-time home-opening record and have outscored their opponents 260-201 dating back to when the puck first dropped on Rochester's inaugural season in 1956. Additionally, Rochester enters with a 32-24-7 all-time record in season-opening games, outscoring its opponents 237-217 over the past 63 years. - Tonight's Home Opener is the eighth straight year the Amerks have opened the season on home ice. The Amerks have scored six or more goals in six of their last eight home-opening wins dating back to an 8-5 victory over Toronto to begin the 2005-06 season. THE CAPTAIN - Veteran forward Kevin Porter was named team captain for a third straight season and fourth time in his 12-year career. In 222 career games with the club, Porter has helped lead Rochester to four Calder Cup Playoff appearances while registering 161 points (61+100). AMERKS BEGIN NEW SEASON UNDER DINEEN - Earlier this week, Amerks assistant coach Gord Dineen was named Rochester's interim head coach. Chris Taylor joined the Buffalo Sabres coaching staff in the absence of Sabres assistant coach Don Granato, who took a medical leave from the team. - Dineen enters his 18th season as an AHL coach and third with the Amerks in 2019-20. He becomes the 33rd head coach in franchise history and the very first to start the season behind the bench on an interim basis. Dineen begins his third stint as an AHL head coach having previously served in the same capacity with the Toronto Marlies in 2014-15 and as the first head coach of the Iowa Chops for their inaugural season in 2008-09. He holds a 73-64-19 all-time head coaching record, including a 40-win season with Toronto.

RETURNERS READY TO ROC - Rochester returns five of its top eight scorers from the 2018-19 season, including Rasmus Asplund, Taylor Leier, Zach Redmond, Kevin Porter and C.J. Smith. - Redmond, who became just the third defensemen in team history to win the Eddie Shore Award as AHL's outstanding defenseman for the 2018-19 campaign, returns for this third season with the club. Redmond led all AHL defensemen with a franchise-record 21 goals and 200 shots while ranking third with a career-high 50 points in 58 games. He was also named to the 2018-19 AHL First All-Star Team, becoming the first defenseman to earn AHL year-end honors in back-to-back seasons since Terry Hollinger (1995-96 and 1996-97). - Porter, who returns for his fifth season in the Flower City and 12th overall, ranked eighth in points (39) and tied for fourth in assists (29) in 58 games last season. - Smith finished second among all Amerks in both goals (28) and points (58) while his 31 assists finished third on the team in 62 games. The Des Moines, Iowa, native also skated in a career-high 11 games with the Buffalo Sabres and recorded a pair of goals, including his first-career goal at the NHL level. - In his first stint in North America, Rasmus Asplund, who was named the team's Rookie of the Year and Most Improved Player last season, ranked second on the team with 31 assists in 75 contests.

NEWCOMERS TO THE FLOWER CITY - Among the incoming wave of newcomers for the Amerks this season includes a pair of veterans in Jean-Sebastien Dea and Jarrett Burton, both whom spent parts of last season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. - Dea registered 22 points (6+16) in 26 contests with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton while Burton appeared in a career-high 66 games with the Penguins, adding six goals and 15 assists. - New to the Amerks this season is forward Curtis Lazar, a sixth-year pro with close to 250 games of NHL experience under his belt. He played all last season with the AHL's Stockton Heat, scoring a career-high 20 goals with 21 assists for 41 points in just 57 appearances.

SERIES NOTABLES - The Amerks have scored a power-play goal in 11 of the last 22 games against Syracuse, going 15-for-94 (16.0%) with the man-advantage over that span. - After going just 3-5-1-0 against the Crunch during the 2017-18 campaign, the Amerks posted a 6-3-1-0 against Syracuse last season. - The Amerks are facing a familiar name in goaltender Scott Wedgewood tonight. Wedgewood went 28-16-1 with five shutouts in 48 games last season for Rochester, ranking second in the AHL in wins.

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