It’s really hard to believe that tonight is the last regular season home game of the 2009-2010 season for the Rochester Americans. It really does feel like just a few weeks ago that everyone was excited about the start of the season. It’s been a long roller coaster of a season but the bottom line is that the Amerks have spent the majority of it in second place and considered a top team in the league.
The Amerks are undefeated in regulation this season against tonight’s opponent the Toronto Marlies. The Marlies did win the last game between the two teams in a shootout on March 28th. The magic number for first round home advantage is one point in one of these final two games. The other possible scenario is that the Abbotsford Heat need to lose one of their final two games.
Clay Wilson will be back in the lineup for the Amerks after playing in two games for the Florida Panthers. Wilson has been the teams leading scorer against the Marlies this season with 4 goals and 6 assists in 7 games played. The return of Wilson also meant that Matt Duffy was sent back to the Everblades for their playoff series against the Elmira Jackals.
I’ll try and post an update after practice today noting who the starting goalie will be. Plante is 4-0-1 and Salak is 2-0 against the Marlies. It could very well be a coin toss for Benoit Groulx to see who starts after both goalies had a poor performance on Wednesday in Grand Rapids.
Rory Fitzpatrick (groin), John de Gray (upper body) and Mathieu Roy (ankle) have been out with injuries. I’ll try and find out more about them later today as well.
Based on the Ticketmaster web site there’s still a couple thousand tickets available for the game. Visit Amerks.com to get your tickets!
The Amerks will show their support for breast cancer awareness and will don the traditional pink jerseys and socks as part of the annual celebration for the cause. The Amerks will auction off the game-worn items and fans can place their bids up until the start of the third period of the game. Those paying with cash can take their jerseys right off the players’ backs after the game. The funds raised will go to the Knighthawks/Amerks Charitable Foundation, Inc., which will distribute the money to local cancer-related charities. The Amerks will also showcase their pink dashers, which will be the first of their kind in AHL history.
The Amerks will also have their annual awards night prior to the game, honoring the best performances of the season. Friday’s game falls on the final installment of the Amerks Dollar Dogs ‘N’ Drafts promotion. Friday night will be the last chance for fans to take part in the “Dollar Dogs ‘N’ Drafts†promotion and purchase Zweigle’s Hot Dogs and Draft Beers for just $1 each!
