News & Notes

• Brett Bellemore may not rack up the points, but his smart defensive game is evident in his plus/minus tally. The Albany Times Union has more on Bellemore, who proudly leads the team with a +4. 

• Justin Peters has developed into a highly skilled goaltender and solidified himself as the Rats' go-to starter. The Troy Record catches up with the fourth-year netminder. 

• The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins took over first place in the East Division Thursday with a win over the Manitoba Moose. Former River Rat Ryan Bayda scored 39 seconds into overtime to break the 0-0 tie. The Penguins have a one-point lead and a game-in-hand on the Rats heading into the weekend.

• Injured players should soon be returning in waves. Mike Angelidis, Steven Goertzen, Michael Ryan and Brett Carson should be coming back in the next few weeks. 

• Erik Cole of the Carolina Hurricanes, who fractured a bone in his leg earlier this month, is expected to return to action as early as this weekend. Cole, along with injured Canes' D-man Tim Gleason, are back at practice in Raleigh. Forward Brandon Sutter and defenseman Jay Harrison are Carolina's only healthy two-way players. Forward Stephane Yelle, who recently cleared waivers, is also eligible for reassignment. Yelle will become ineligible on November 26th at noon or after ten games of NHL play, whichever comes first.
  

Injured Rats getting better

Steven Goertzen, who suffered a concussion last Friday, was back on the ice today practicing with the team. He wore a yellow no-contact jersey. Goertzen will probably miss both games this weekend and shoot for a return next week. 

Brett Carson, Mike Angelidis and Michael Ryan were also on the ice today. All have been practicing in yellow for about a week. Coach Jeff Daniels said he expects all three to return to action by mid-November. 

The Albany Times Union has more.

News & Notes

• Defenseman Zack FitzGerald is spotlighted in the Troy Record.

• Injured leader Mike Angeldis is the focus of the Albany Times Union.

• Goaltender Mike Murphy will get the first start of his pro career this weekend. Coach Jeff Daniels says Murphy will likely play against Rochester on Saturday.

• Forward Harrison Reed will play in his first contest of the 2009-10 season tonight against the Portland Pirates. Reed was impressive at training camp and in the preseason. Expect him to skate hard. Phil Janack has more.

• Fans in Albany can forget about seeing defenseman Jay Harrison in the short-term. Carolina D-man Joni Pitkanen remains day-to-day. Pitkanen, who underwent knee surgery in September, skated in his first contest of the season Tuesday night, but did not play in the third period because of soreness in his knee. Pitkanen also sat out of practice the last two days. That means Harrison will be back in the line-up for Carolina this weekend. 

• Coach Jeff Daniels tells Phil Janack that the injury to Carolina's Erik Cole should not affect things in Albany, at least not for the time being. Former River Rat Tim Conboy filled in for the Canes Tuesday night in a 2-1 shootout win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Conboy had a fight in the first period, but did not play a regular shift. He registered only 3:25 of ice-time. Conboy will likely play again tonight in the Canes' contest against the Florida Panthers. 

• Portland tonight will be without blueliner Joe DiPenta, who was recently handed a one-game suspension for taking a two-handed chop at Kip Brennan of the Springfield Falcons.
  

Angelidis out 4-6 weeks with separated shoulder

Albany River Rats' forward and alternate captain Mike Angelidis suffered a separated shoulder when he crashed into the end-boards during the second period of Saturday night's game. Angelidis missed the end of last season with a similar injury. He went in for MRI testing yesterday. Still no timeframe on his return. Update: Angelidis is expected to miss four to six weeks. Phil Janack has more. 

Mike Angelidis

(Photo by Jennifer Bock)

Angelidis tells the Schenectady Daily Gazette: "I felt good, got my first fight, got my legs going, I felt pretty good out there, and then .. it's just been a bad year for me right now. Two shoulder separations and a bus crash. It's tough."

Rats fall in sloppy opener

Pat Dwyer, David Kolomatis

(Photo by J.S. Carras, Troy Record)

Hockey season has officially started. 

Last night a crowd of 6,507 gathered at the Times Union Center for game #1 of the Albany River Rats 2009-10 season. 

The River Rats showed spirit, but defensive breakdowns quashed any chance of victory against the opportunistic Manchester Monarchs. Albany was defeated 6-3. 

The Rats controlled most of the second and third periods, outshooting the Monarchs 38 to 31, but Manchester netminder Jonathan Bernier was sharp and Albany failed to convert on several key chances. 

In the end, it was poor defensive coverage that cost the Rats the game. 

Throughout the night the Monarchs created opportunities on Albany's mistakes. 

The River Rats gambled in the offensive zone, giving up far too many odd-man rushes. 

Manchester was allowed space coming over the blue line, which gave their speedy forwards the jump on the Rats' defenders. 

The Monarchs were also allowed to move the puck down low and across the crease on more than one occasion. 

Suffice it to say, the Rats have some work to do at practice this week. 

Still, the night wasn't all bad. 

The Rats left open some defensive holes, but they dominated large portions of the game with an impressive forecheck. In the future, if the Rats can close the defensive gap and maintain the same offensive pressure, they should be a very powerful team.

The most thrilling moment of the night came at the end of the second. The Rats, having trailed 3-1 since the first, controlled the period but had nothing to show for it. They were finally rewarded with just 0.4 seconds on the clock. Pointman Brett Carson took a pass from Zach Boychuk and roofed it blocker-side. The building was filled with hope.

Bryan Rodney, Brett Carson, Zach Boychuk

(Photo by Jennifer Bock)

The Rats tied the game early in the third, but any chance of finishing on top was erased by three consecutive Manchester goals. 

Scoring for the Rats in addition to Carson were rookies Drayson Bowman and Chris Terry (see videos here and here). It was the first professional goal for both. Bowman played exceptionally well and earned second star honors.

First-year forward Zach Boychuk again displayed unbelievable offensive determination. He helped generate numerous opportunities. He is always dangerous and pursues the puck like a bloodhound.

Zack Fitzgerald deserves accolades for having the courage to go toe-to-toe with Manchester heavyweight Kevin Westgarth. Fitzgerald gave up several inches in height and roughly 40 pounds in weight, yet still held his own (barely). At the time, the Rats were playing sluggish and had just gone down two goals. The fight put the bench back on its feet. The effort was appreciated by Fitzgerald's teammates and by the fans. That's what counts. 

Justin Peters stopped 25 of 31 shots. He allowed six goals, but none were particularly soft. 

Alternate captain Mike Angelidis was injured in the second period after going hard into the boards. He left the ice favoring his shoulder and did not return. 

Harrison Reed, Matthew Pistilli and Benn Olson were scratched. 

The River Rats play again next Friday at home against the Portland Pirates.

Captains featured in Troy Record

Forwards Pat Dwyer and Mike Angelidis are spotlighted in the Troy Record today. Read the stories here and here. 

Captains named

Team captains were officially named today at practice. Phil Janack has the story.

Canes Training Camp Insider, Day 3

The River Rats' website has their daily recap from training camp. Interviews with Justin Peters and Mike Angelidis are posted below. Nick Dodge also has a new blog posting.

River Rats Welcome Back Mike Angelidis

Mike Angelidis

(Photo by Jennifer Bock)

Forward Mike Angelidis will be back in a River Rats' uniform for the 2009-10 season. The 24-year-old native of Woodbridge, Ontario, just signed up for a fourth year with the Carolina Hurricanes' organization.

In three seasons with the Rats, Angelidis, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound scrappy power forward, has played 179 AHL games, scored 33 goals, earned 30 assists and landed a whopping 353 minutes in penalties. Last year he was named an alternate captain.

An undrafted prospect originally picked up by Carolina in 2006, Angelidis split his first professional season between the Rats and the ECHL's Florida Everblades. In 2006-07, he played 27 games with Albany and scored a respectable four goals and five assists.

Angelidis earned a full-time gig with the Rats in 2007-08. In his first full year with the club, he tallied 27 points (11 G, 16 A) in 74 games.

Angelidis returned better than ever in 2008-09. In 67 games, he scored 15 goals and 10 assists, and led the team with 142 penalty minutes. Unfortunately his season came to an early end when he suffered a separated shoulder in a March 20 contest against the Providence Bruins.

Angelidis is now scheduled to return to Albany for his fourth season with the River Rats. While announcing today's signing, Jason Karmanos, VP and assistant GM of the Hurricanes, described Angelides as a "gritty" forward and "key member" of the Rats' club.

Although Angelidis went undrafted, Carolina scooped him up after he scored 78 points (53 G, 25 A) in 68 games his final season in juniors. Angelidis was a first-team OHL All-Star and earned the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy as the OHL Humanitarian of the Year in 2006.