Rats take down Rochester, 4-3

Post-game coverage:

• Rats topple Amerks 4-3, AlbanyRiverRats.com
  
• Rats rally past Rochester, Troy Record
  
• Rodney's power-play goal lifts Rats past Rochester, Albany Times Union
  
• Rats never back down and defeat Amerks, LetsGoAmerks.com
  
• Albany snaps Amerks' 4-game winning streak, Rochester Messenger Post
  
• Amerks' win-streak ends at four games, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
• Rats get last jab in 4-3 win over Amerks, Amerks.com
  
• Official scoresheet, TheAHL.com
  

Watch tonight's game on TW-1

Tonight's game in Rochester will be broadcast on Time Warner Cable Channel 1. Puck drops at 7:05 pm. 

Rats top Amerks, 4-3

Post-game coverage:

• Rats hold off Amerks 4-3, AlbanyRiverRats.com
  
• Bowman sparks River Rats, Troy Record
  
• River Rats hold off Amerks 4-3, WNYT-13
  
• Rats win on late flurry, Albany Times Union
  
• Bellemore banks in winner, Rats head to Hershey, Schenectady Daily Gazette
  
• Amerks lose on another frustrating Friday, Let's Go Amerks
• Amerks frustrated after loss to Albany River Rats, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
• River Rats slide by Amerks for 4-3 win, Amerks.com
  
• Official scoresheet, TheAHL.com
  

Weekend news & notes

Friday post-game coverage:

• Salak, Rochester defeat Rats 2-1, AlbanyRiverRats.com
  
• Missed chances hurt Rats, Albany Times Union
  
• Rats notes 'n quotes: Rodney's stick, PK streak broken, Albany Times Union
  
• Rats comeback bid falls short, Troy Record
• River Rats offense stymied by Amerks' Salak, Schenectady Daily Gazette
• Official scoresheet, TheAHL.com

Saturday post-game coverage:

• Video highlights, AHLLive.com
• Rats edge Phantoms 3-2, AlbanyRiverRats.com
  
• Rats win crowd pleaser, Albany Times Union
  
• Rats notes 'n quotes: Goertzen sidelined, Albany Times Union
  
• Rats can be both pretty and ugly, Albany Times Union
• Micflikier doesn't waste any time after joining River Rats, Schenectady Daily Gazette
• Official scoresheet, TheAHL.com

Sunday post-game coverage:

• Rats' penalty-killing stumbles in loss at Bridgeport, Albany Times Union
  
• Rats fall in Bridgeport 4-1, AlbanyRiverRats.com
• Official scoresheet, TheAHL.com

More news:

• River Rats weekly, AlbanyRiverRats.com
• Hurricanes recall Sutter, AlbanyRiverRats.com
  
• Rats recall Micflickier, AlbanyRiverRats.com
• Hurricanes organizational depth analysis, Fall 2009, Hockey's Future
  
• Murphy's Mailbag Episode Two, AlbanyRiverRats.com, YouTube
• Canes place Yelle on waivers, Raleigh News & Observer

Notes:

• Brandon Sutter was called up to Carolina Saturday after the Canes' Tuomo Ruutu was suspended for three games by the NHL for a hit on Darcy Tucker of the Colorado Avalanche. Sutter centered the Hurricanes' third line and played a regular shift in his first NHL appearance of the season on Saturday against the Minnesota Wild. Sutter will likely play for the Canes again on Wednesday and next Saturday. 

• Sutter may never be coming back, even after Ruutu returns. The Hurricanes placed fourth-line center Stephane Yelle on waivers. Yelle's ice-time has been limited and now he could be on the way out the door. That would open up a permanent space for Sutter on the NHL roster.

• Steven Goertzen suffered a concussion Friday night against Rochester. He did not play Saturday or Sunday. His status for next weekend is questionable. He was playing fantastic up until the injury. 

• The Rats called up Jacob MicFlickier from the ECHL's Florida Everblades on Saturday. MicFlikier, who was signed by the Rats during the offseason, is currently the Blades' top scorer with two goals and three assists after four games. He attended the Rats' training camp and skated well during the preseason. He did not arrive at the Times Union Center in time for warm-ups on Saturday, but was on the bench when the puck dropped. MicFlickier scored a goal against the Phantoms 13:49 into the first period. Watch it here.

• The Rats collected only two of six possible points over the weekend. It was undoubtedly a tiring and mostly disappointing three-day stretch. But all things considered, the Rats played solid. Not perfect, but solid. When the chips were down, they never gave up. They pushed Friday night's game to the last seconds, and despite being down 4-1 on Sunday they showed true spirit and poured on the pressure late in the game. The team is showing character and several players are stepping up in the wake of injuries and call-ups. 

• Justin Peters continues to play phenomenal hockey. His ability to stay focused under pressure is most impressive. His puck-handling skills are also much improved. After six games, Peters has registered four wins, a GAA of 2.33 and a SV% of .923. He has been named a star-of-the-game in three of his six contests. 

• Captain Pat Dwyer is playing as passionate as ever. You can tell he takes the role of captain very seriously. He is always coming through when it counts. His hunger for the puck gets the whole team going. He is possibly the Rats' most valuable player. 

• There is little doubt Zach Boychuk will be a future NHL star. He is the pure definition of raw talent. He is always moving his legs, creating opportunities and drawing penalties. His game-winner against Adirondack was an absolute beauty. He's a natural. 

• After six home games, Zack FitzGerald is already a fan favorite. His physical style of play is a valued commodity for the Rats' young and undersized club. The opposition fears his presence. He was punishing the Phantoms all night on Saturday. If anyone is fired up for the rivalry, it's him.  

• There is no telling where the Rats would be without the services of Jonathan Paiement. His willingness to block shots has been invaluable.

• Attendance at the Times Union Center has been less than spectacular. In six games, the Rats have averaged 3,332 people a contest. Only four AHL teams are drawing smaller crowds. Adirondack is in the middle of the pack with an average attendance of 4,238. Time to step it up Albany!

• The East Division is extremely tight. Less than four points separate the first and last place teams. Albany and Hershey are tied with 10 points. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Adirondack have nine a piece (the Penguins have two games in hand, the Phantoms have one). Binghamton and Syracuse have eight points each. Norfolk has six with a game in hand.

Rats clobber Amerks, 6-1

Superior special teams, dynamic offense, solid defense and spectacular goaltending. That pretty much sums up the River Rats' win Saturday night against the Rochester Americans. Albany dominated the game, 6-1. 

Rookie netminder Mike Murphy had a stellar professional debut, stopping 28 of 29 shots and proving almost invincible. His chance at a shutout was spoiled with only 6:03 remaining in the third period. 

Speedy playmaker Jerome Samson took home a goal and three assists. Samson, who led the River Rats in scoring last year, is now approaching the top of the league with seven points in three games. 

Samson is gifted at finding and creating passing lanes. If someone is open with room to shoot, chances are Samson will find him. Last night he made several smart plays under pressure, including a no-look pass to Drayson Bowman, who ripped it home.

Bowman last night maintained his goal-per-game pace and also picked up two assists. Bowman now has five points in three games. 

Captain Pat Dwyer continues to lead by example, creating opportunities out of sheer will. Dwyer tallied two points with a goal and an assist. 

Center Stefan Chaput, who was assigned a larger role after Mike Angelidis was injured, had a three-point night with a goal and two assists. 

Forward Nick Dodge and rugged defenseman Zack FitzGerald also scored. 

Zach Boychuk and Harrison Reed picked up an assist each. 

The Rats' energetic offense had Rochester's back against the wall. The Americans were simply too slow to keep up with Albany's youthful talent. 

Meanwhile, in their own zone, the Rats looked more focused than ever. 

Despite the loss of top D-man and alternate captain Brett Carson to a broken wrist, the Rats played a solid defensive game, perhaps the best of the season thus far. 

Albany forced Rochester's forwards to the outside and did a good job of covering the traffic in front of Murphy. 

The Americans stayed even on shots, but lacked genuine opportunities. 

When the Americans did break through, Murphy was there to respond. 

When the shutout was lost, nobody was more disappointed than rookie defenseman Jamie McBain, who made an uncharacteristic turnover in his own zone that led to the goal.

McBain knew his mistake cost Murphy the doughnut. You would have thought the game was on the line the way McBain smashed his stick in anger afterwards. The giveaway was a bad slip, but the emotion McBain showed for his teammate was good to see. The boys are truly pulling for each other. 

Bryan Rodney and Jonathan Paiement had a great game. Hard to believe Paiement spent so much time in the ECHL. 

Big Benn Olson played in his first contest of the season. His physical stay-at-home defense and enforcer mentality kept the Americans in check. 

Matthew Pistilli skated in his first professional game. He had a couple of good shots and played well. 

The River Rats went 2-for-8 on the power play, with Bowman and Samson hooking up for both goals. The Rats' penalty kill remained flawless, going 6-for-6 and standing at 12-for-12 on the season.

Brad Herauf was a healthy scratch. 

The Rats' record now stands at 2-1-0-0, good for second place in the East Division. Albany trails Hershey by two points and has a game in hand. 

The Rats play Wednesday night at home against the Norfolk Admirals.

More post-game coverage:

• Albany unloads six straight on Rochester, AlbanyRiverRats.com
• Rookie sparks Rats, Troy Record
• Rookies lead way for Rats, Albany Times Union
• Rats notes 'n quotes: Carson out 4-6 weeks, Albany Times Union
• Murphy, River Rats put it all together, Schenectady Daily Gazette

Gillies Planning On Camp with Rochester

Rumor has it Trevor Gillies is talking with a few NHL clubs, including the Buffalo Sabres, in search of a two-way deal. With time running out, he accepted an invite to training camp with the Rochester Americans. The news comes from Kevin Oklobzija at the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. "Nothing has been done to this point because Gillies was holding out hope for a two-way contract," Oklobzija writes. "That didn’t happen, so he accepted the invitation to camp from the Amerks."

Rumor: Rats Sign Jacob Micflikier

Keith Wozniak, who covers the Rochester Americans, has heard through the grapevine that the Rats' have signed forward Jacob Micflikier.

Last season Micflikier spent time with the Amerks and the Florida Everblades. Rochester shares their ECHL affiliate with the Rats.

A couple of weeks ago, Malcolm Cameron, coach of the Blades, told the Naples Daily News that Micflikier had "received interest from a few AHL teams, as well as a couple of options in Europe."

Wozniak writes: "Supposedly Jacob Micflikier has/is signing with the Albany River Rats but I have not been able to confirm it."

If we hear anything official, we'll let you know.

Crunch Back in Rats' Division UPDATED

The American Hockey League has announced the official conference and division alignment for the 2009-10 season. The River Rats will again be part of the East Division of the Eastern Conference. There will, however, be some slight changes.

The Rats will welcome their old rival, the Syracuse Crunch, back to the division. Albany and Syracuse are now guaranteed to face-off eight times.

The Crunch will take the place of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, who are set to move to the Atlantic Division. Last year Syracuse was part of the North Division of the Western Conference, which will now include the first-year Abbotsford Heat, formally known as the Quad-City Flames.

The Atlantic Division will be the only division with eight teams. The rest will hold seven.

The Adirondack Phantoms, formally of Philadelphia, will remain in the East Division alongside Albany. The Rats and Phantoms will square off twelve times.

The Rochester Americans are the only opponent the River Rats will play from the Western Conference.

Here is the complete breakdown of the divisions and games against:

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division
Bridgeport Sound Tigers (2 H, 2 A)
Hartford Wolf Pack (1 H, 1 A)
Lowell Devils (1 H, 1 A)
Manchester Monarches (2 H, 2 A)
Portland Pirates (2 H, 2 A)
Providence Bruins (1 H, 1 A)
Springfield Falcons (2 H, 2 A)
Worchester Sharks (1 H, 1 A)

East Division
Adirondack Phantoms (6 H, 6 A)
Albany River Rats
Binghamton Senators (4 H, 4 A)
Hershey Bears (4 H, 4 A)
Norfolk Admirals (4 H, 4 A)
Syracuse Crunch (4 H, 4 A)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (4 H, 4 A)

Western Conference

North Division
Abbotsford Heat
Grand Rapids Griffins
Hamilton Bulldogs
Lake Erie Monsters
Manitoba Moose
Rochester Americans (2 H, 2 A)
Toronto Marlies

West Division
Chicago Wolves
Houston Aeros
Milwaukee Admirals
Peoria Rivermen
Rockford Icehogs
San Antonio Rampage
Texas Stars