Playing morning game changes River Rats' preparations

TROY — Whether it’s for practice or a pregame skate, the Albany River Rats are used to being on the ice in the late-morning hours almost every day during the season.

Still, with referees and an arena full of people, today will have a completely different feel.

The Rats face the Philadelphia Phantoms at 11:05 a.m. at the Spectrum in what is believed to be an Albany franchise first. The game is part of the Cool Fun 101 program, which introduces elementary school pupils to hockey and incorporates the trip into the school curriculum.

“Playing or coaching, I’ve never done it,” Rats head coach-GM Jeff Daniels said following practice Tuesday morning at RPI’s Houston Field House. Daniels played 12 of his 15 pro seasons in the NHL, and was assistant coach for another five.

“The guys just get up, get to the rink and get into it. There’s no overthinking. You don’t have all day to think about what’s going

to happen; you just get up and play.”

Albany (3-8-2-1) snapped a four-game losing streak by beating Lowell in a shootout Saturday. The Rats have yet to win two games in a row this season.

“Any little bit of momentum we can get, we’re going to try and build on that,” said goaltender Justin Peters, who will get the start today. “We practice every day at 11, and I show up every day in practice like it’s a game, so I’ll just treat it the same as that.

“Having a pregame meal at 7:30 in the morning will be a little different, but we’ll get back to Albany at a decent hour, I guess.”

Following the team meal, players will

report to the Spectrum by 9 a.m. The biggest change will be in the pregame routine.

“Obviously, you have to adjust your eating,” Daniels said. “You’ve got to get some food in you, but not too much to have it sitting in you throughout the game. Hopefully, they get up around 7, get a little bite to eat and get right into it.”

Known for their almost superstitious-like routines, players will need to make other minor tweaks to their preparation.

“It should be good, just a different

routine,” alternate captain Mike Angelidis said. “No pasta before the game, no pregame nap, just wake up, have breakfast and play the game.

“If we all get a good night’s rest, we should be fine. We practice every day at that time, so it shouldn’t matter. Guys have to get up and get ready to go, right off the start. Hopefully, we have a good warmup before the game. It’s going to be crucial.”

The Rats had lost 10 of 11 games before the victory in Lowell, where they rallied to tie it before converting three of five shootout attempts.

“It was a huge win,” Angelidis said. “Confidence gets low after so many losses, and that can spark the guys, to know that we can win games. We just have to play the full 60 [minutes]. We’re getting better each game. Hopefully, we can get on a roll here, and start putting a few games together.”

NOTEBOOK

Peters picked up his first win of the season against Lowell, after four regulation losses, one shootout loss and one overtime loss. He has started four of the last five games. …

Alternate captain Pat Dwyer will be back in the lineup for Albany for the first time since returning from a seven-game NHL stay with the Carolina Hurricanes. …

With an assist vs. Lowell, defenseman Mark Flood took over the team scoring lead with nine points (2-7) in 14 games. …

Linemates Stefan Chaput (2-4-6) and Jerome Samson (2-4-5) are each on four-game point streaks.