Rochester Kills Barons Opening Night

October 8, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Cleveland Barons News Release


CLEVELAND, OH - Rochester's Michael Leighton kicked away 30-shots and the Amerks killed off 10 power play chances to spoil the Cleveland Barons 2005-2006 opening game. Craig Valette scored the Barons only goal and Steve Bernier tallied his first professional point with an assist in the Barons 4-1 loss on home ice.

The opening period was dominated by the Barons, who out-shot Rochester 10-6 and scored the session's only goal. Valette was the recipient of a highlight pass play that was started by Bernier for the game's opening goal at the 5:40 mark. Mike Iggulden also registered an assist on the goal as the Barons beat Leighton just as a Cleveland power play came to a close. Nolan Schaefer started in net for the Barons and handled all six Rochester shots.

The second period began with more of the same as the Barons dominated but could not solve Leighton. The Rochester goaltender kept the Barons offense at bay and allowed the Amerks power play to begin the comeback. Michael Ryan scored his second goal of the year with a deflection tally at the 14:21 mark of the second period. Nathan Paetsch and Brandon Smith assisted on the goal. Rochester then secured their first lead of the night with a late goal by Kamil Kreps with 1:19 remaining in the period. Paetsch earned his second assist of the game on Krep's first goal of the year.

The game's back-breaking goal occurred just 12-seconds into the final frame when Anthony Stewart scored his second professional goal for a Rochester 3-1 lead with assists from Doug Janik and Kreps. Former Barons defenseman, Brandon Smith, finished the scoring with an even strength tally at the 9:32 mark of the third period. Ryan and Chris Thorburn assisted on the game's final score. The Barons failed on four power play chances in the third period, including a lengthy 5-on-3 advantage.

Rochester was penalized 13 times for 26 minutes but went 10-for-10 on the penalty kill. Rochester has now began the season with a perfect 19 penalty kills in a row. The Barons out-shot the Amerks 31-26 in the game, including a game high 5 shots on goal from Barons defenseman Tim Conboy.

The Barons seek their first win on Wednesday night when they host the Grand Rapids Griffins at 7:05pm at National City Rink in The Q. Tickets are on sale now and group discounted tickets are available by calling the Barons at 216-420-0000. Schedule and promotional information is found online by Crashing The Net at www.clevelandbarons.net.



American Hockey League Stories from October 8, 2005


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