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Archive for November, 2009

Weekend Recap and Plante vs Spencer Video

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November 30, 2009 - By

Rochester Americans goalie Tyler Plante became involved in a rare goalie fight on Saturday night vs Tim Spencer of the Binghamton Senators.  If you watch at the beginning of the clip you’ll see Tim Spencer try and take a run at Clay Wilson on the back boards.  As Spencer skated past the left hand side of the net you’ll see Plantes’ stick oh so gently hang loose and hit Spencer as he skated by.  Whether or not he intentionally tried to give Spencer a butt end is up for debate.

(weekend recap in links is below the video)

Apparently Plante shared a few words after Spencer had completely missed Wilson along the back boards.  You can barely see Spencer turn and skate towards Plante as the play comes down the ice.  Clay Wilson should have found a way to jump in and help his goalie.  Jimmy Bonneau was quick into the mix and whether or not he was on the ice at the time or part of a “line change” is something that will probably be reviewed by the league.

I’d say Plante stood up for himself pretty well against known tough guy Tim Spencer.

[...]Read More

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Crunch Talk Trash, Salak Has the Last Laugh

November 29, 2009 - By

Alexander Salak picked up his 14th win of the season Sunday afternoon in Syracuse and in doing so he made some new friends.  I’m sure there are a lot of goalies that are vocal, Martin Biron being the most popular, but Alexander Salak is making a name for himself with every game that he plays.

Below is a recap of an incident that happened during the game along with the Crunch trash talking to the media about the Amerks.  The Amerks ultimately have the last laugh.  They’ve won all six games against the Crunch this season outscoring them 26-12.  Four of those 12 goals were scored in Sundays game.

Bates Battaglia tipped a shot at 10:10 of the second period on a power play that was a disputed goal.  Referee Jean Hebert waived it off as no goal but the goal judge flicked on the light indicating that it was.

Alexander Salak says that the puck went from post to post never crossing the goal line.

The play went on and as it ended Hebert reviewed the call with the goal judge and indicated that yes it was a goal.  That was the first goal of [...]Read More

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McArdle Injured, Another Callup Expected

November 29, 2009 - By

Kenndal McArdleKenndal McArdle has injured his shoulder and will not play on Monday for the Florida Panthers when they play in Atlanta.  He flew back to Florida on Sunday morning to have his shoulder evaluated.

McArdle was called up on October 26th and has been playing well for the big club ever since.

It’s likely that someone from Rochester has already or will be boarding a flight for Atlanta to join the big club.  The only way there will not be a callup is if Gregory Campbell is able to play.  It will not be the end of the world for the Amerks and callups are something they’ll have to deal with all season, yet another test for a strong team heading into a long trip.

My guess would be that Michal Repik will be called up again.  For all of the latest news and updates you can follow or just bookmark Twitter.com/LetsGoAmerks.  If you have a mobile phone you can bookmark http://m.twitter.com/LetsGoAmerks for a scaled down version of the page.

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Amerks Coast Again, Third Period Collapse Leads to Loss

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November 28, 2009 - By

Tyler Plante tried to set the tone early in the game Saturday night by telling Tim Spencer of the Binghamton Senators that no one is allowed in his crease.  Only four minutes into the game as Spencer skated through part of the crease Plante gave him a nice shove and next thing we know they’re trading punches.  The game was Plantes first since October 21st against the Binghamton Senators when he hurt his knee after being run into multiple times.

He sent the message that it’s his crease, his home, and he does not need anyone else to stick up for him.

Unfortunately Jimmy Bonneau got thrown out of the game for being the third man in as he jumped in to help out Plante, even though it wasn’t needed.

**** UPDATE: All I had to go on was the replays shown, but apparently more happened.  Earlier in the play as Spencer skated by close to the net he caught the butt end of Plantes stick.  Spencer also took a run at an Amerks player but missed completely which led to Plante making some wise cracks (which he’s well known for).  That’s when things broke loose.  [...]Read More

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Bonneau and Duco Fight Videos vs Penguins

November 28, 2009 - By

Jimmy Bonneau vs WBS PenguinsAfter Clay Wilson scored in the first period to give the Amerks a commanding (at the time) 3-0 lead over the Penguins it was only a matter of time before we saw a fight.  The Penguins were going to be looking for a way to change the momentum of the game and sometimes a fight can help make that happen.

It only took three seconds after that Wilson goal for Jimmy Bonneau and Aaron Boogard to drop the gloves.

At 6:17 of the second period with the Amerks still leading 4-0 we saw Mike Duco go at it with Tim Wallace.

Neither fight changed the momentum for either team.  The Penguins were clearly the team trying harder in the 2nd and 3rd periods but the fight had nothing to do with that, it was more like an Amerks team on cruise control.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhoZcU7xypc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaNkaxvX9Qw

Enjoy the videos and share!

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Amerks Coast to a 4-3 Win Over the Baby Pens

November 27, 2009 - By

The Amerks had a repeat performance Friday night of a game against Syracuse, they played to not lose instead of playing to win.

“It was a good first and we coasted after that,” Benoit Groulx said in his short 45 second press conference.

Its easy to tell when Groulx is not happy versus when he is to put it bluntly pissed off.

The thoughts of the players in the locker room was that they know they coasted. They held back. They were saving themselves thinking of the stretch ahead.

A dangerous mindset to have but luckily they have Alexander Salak in net to keep them in the game.

But hey, they won the game. They picked up two more points. This was their fourth win in a row. The team also has not lost in regulation this season when scoring first.

It was also the biggest crowd in the Styres era even if the numbers appear off (meaning it seemed like a lot more).

And did you see the play Andrew Sweetland made to setup Jordan Henrys game winning goal? Awesome!

Sorry about the short post game writeup, decided to head out after the game instead [...]Read More

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Koistinin to Amerks, Ticket Sales for Tonight

November 27, 2009 - By

The Florida Panthers assigned defensemen Ville Koistinin to the Amerks on Friday morning. This should be a great addition to an already great Amerks lineup.

Koistinin was put on waivers by the Panthers on Wednesday in hopes another team would pick him up, no one did. They made the decision today to send him here to get some playing time.

Based on reports it sounds as if Koistinin was not given much of a chance in Florida. He has always played defense but was moved up to play winger. Not sure at this time if he will play tonight.

Also wanted to mention that ticket sales have been busy all day for the game tonight. Early reports said the lower bowl was near a sell out but you can still get tickets in the 100′s.

Talking about ticket sales is a big deal as fans in recent years have been able to walk up on game night and easily get tickets and walk right in. This season there has been long lines and people have missed the start of the game. Just a heads up so no one misses the action!

Puck drops at 7:05pm, see ya there!

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Gameday: Big Crowd and Big Game Expected for Amerks vs Penguins Tonight

November 27, 2009 - By

The Rochester Americans game tonight could be something special if everything goes as planned.  The team has had a major focus on ticket sales for the game tonight against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and it could be the biggest in recent memory.

About a year ago at this time I had wrote that it was, “up to ownership and management to improve the product on the ice,” and I think it’s safe to say they answered the call and have done everything needed.  Curt Styres opened his wallet, put an awesome team on the ice, now it’s time to the fans to continue proving the theory that winning improves attendance.  If everything goes as planned it’s going to be a packed house.

If you don’t have tickets or know anyone who does not make sure they call the Amerks office at (585) 454-5335.  Some fans who stood in line last Friday for tickets did not get to their seats until the first period was almost over.

It has to be easier to sell tickets when the team is one of the best in the American Hockey League and has been since the start of the season.  [...]Read More

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Amazing Save by Rochester Americans Goalie Alexander Salak

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November 26, 2009 - By

On this day I’m thankful for a lot of things in life, since I write about the Rochester Americans on this web site one of the things that I will be thankful for is goaltender Alexander Salak and what he brings to this team.

Salak continues to impress us every game that he plays.  Just when you think he’s made an amazing save he makes yet another one.  On Friday November 20 against the Syracuse Crunch he made this spectacular save with his blocker hand.  The puck was passed across the ice to Jared Aulin of the Syracuse Crunch and Salak dropped his stick, dove across the crease and caught the puck with his blocker hand.

My first reaction was that he did an amazing job covering up the puck and “tricking” the ref and goal judge into thinking the puck did not cross.  After watching the replay it’s obvious he made the save.

Not only did he catch the puck with his hand but he also managed to tuck it under his stomach as he fell to the ice and kept it from crossing the line.

After the game Amerks head coach Benoit Groulx talked [...]Read More

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Amerks Overpowered the Dogs in the Third to Win 5-2

November 24, 2009 - By

The Rochester Americans won their 15th game of the season and third in a row defeating the Hamilton Bulldogs by the final score of 5-2.  I think that’s it is safe to say that this Amerks team is for real.  It is still early in the season with only 18 games played but the way this team is playing no one can call them a fluke any longer.

It was a good game by both teams through two periods of play before the Amerks stepped up their game to light up the scoreboard by overpowering the Bulldogs in the third.  Goals scored by Graham Mink, Andrew Sweetland, David Brine, and Jeff Taffe all in the third period secured the win for the Amerks.

This is the recipe that has led the Amerks to success this season.  The mix of scoring from vets and returning players is a lethal mix.  Toss in superb goaltending from Alexander Salak every game and there’s reason to stay excited.

The Amerks killed off three penalties in the first period in what was a back and forth period.  Some great scoring chances by each team but solid defense and goaltending kept the [...]Read More

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Amerks Tuesday Morning Practice in Pictures

November 24, 2009 - By

Jason Cipolla Gameday 11-24-2009The Amerks had a light game day skate this morning at Blue Cross Arena prior to the road game tonight in Hamilton.  The only items worthy of noting from practice was that it was all of the “non vets” and minus tonights starting goalie Alexander Salak.

Healthy scratches for tonight will be Brady Calla, Peter Aston, and James DeLory.

Steve MacIntyre is a beast in front of the net.  It was amusing watching him stand there as Clay Wilson and Keaton Ellerby tried to defend against him.  Mac pushes those guys around like they’re rag dolls.

Game is at 7:05pm and you can watch it live on AHLLive.com for $6.99, listen at WHTK 1280 AM/107.3 FM, whtk.com or watch it elsewhere online if you know where to look.

Clicking the pictures will take you to flickr:

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Gameday: Amerks Travel to take on the Hamilton Bulldogs

November 24, 2009 - By

The Amerks will be getting on a bus to head north of the border later this afternoon to play against the Hamilton Bulldogs in the second of ten games between these two teams this season.  The Amerks defeated the ‘Dogs on November 10 by the final score of 4-1.

That game featured Chris Taylor, David Brine, Jamie Johnson, Mike York, Evgeny Dadonov, and of course Alexander Salak.  The turning point in that game was the Amerks ability to kill of a two minute 5 on 3 advantage for the Bulldogs (read the recap of that game).

The key to the game will be the same as the other 14 games the Amerks have won.  A solid team effort, goal tending, and making the least amount of mistakes in the game.

Rochester is coming off of a huge 5-2 win over the Syracuse Crunch this past Friday night.  Looking back at the game it was probably the best hockey game played in Blue Cross Arena in at least four years.  There was some great fights, awesome goals by Matthias and Sweetland, a hat trick from Keaton Ellerby, outstanding goaltending, and a huge crowd.

What made that [...]Read More

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