It's a beautiful, spring-like day here in Glens Falls, a perfect day for hockey (aren't they all?) as the River Rats get ready for their game this afternoon with Syracuse, the third of four trips to the Civic Center this season.
Albany (27-28-3-3) has won three consecutive "home" games here, including both this season. The Rats beat Worcester, 5-4, on Oct. 17 and edged Portland in a shootout, 3-2, on Feb. 7, before a sellout crowd of 5,462.
The team estimates today's crowd will top 5,000, which is outstanding. Albany's average attendance here this season is 4,625, which is 96 percent of capacity (listed at 4,806).
Today is rookie Brandon Sutter's last game in his two-week conditioning stint from the Carolina Hurricanes. He has four points (3g, 1a) and is plus-2 in six games with the Rats.
While Pat Dwyer will continue to wear the 'C' in the absence of Rats captain Tim Conboy, on recall to Carolina, defenseman Bryan Rodney has joined Mike Angelidis as one of two alternates. Until he was summoned by the Canes last week, Dwight Helminen had been wearing the second 'A.'
Former Adirondack Red Wings legend Glenn Merkosky is in the house today. He'll be honored next weekend with induction into the Binghamton Hockey Hall of Fame. Merk is joined in the press box "luxury suite" by Columbus scout Pete Dineen, his Calder Cup-winning teammate in 1989, and New Jersey Devils head coach Brent Sutter.
Ex-Rat forward Steve Kelly is scoreless and plus-2 in three games against Albany this season. The Rats are 2-3-0-1 vs. the Crunch in 2008-09.
To the game. Daniel Manzato is getting the start in goal today for Albany, his first since beating Norfolk last Sunday in the Rats emotional return to the former Knickerbocker Arena following their Feb. 19 bus crash. It is just Manzato's seventh start in 2009, but he is 5-1 in the previous six. He'll be opposed by Dan LaCosta.
The Rats continue to play with 17 skaters, one under the limit, meaning a player from one of top three lines will rotate through on the fourth line. From warmups, here are Albany's combinations:
Jakub Petruzalek-Nick Dodge-Harrison Reed; Pat Dwyer (C)-Brandon Sutter-Jerome Samson; Aaron Clarke-Mike Angelidis (A)-Ryan Weston; Brad Herauf-Yannick Tifu.
Defense pairings: Bryan Rodney (A)-Brett Carson; Ryan McGinnis-Mark Flood; Benn Olson-Noah Babin.
Scratches: Stefan Chaput, Bobby Hughes, Joe Jensen, Nicolas Blanchard, Jonathan Paiement, Casey Borer, Trevor Gillies.
For Syracuse, lines were: Steve Kelly-Craig MacDonald (A)-Michael Blunden; Mike York-Derek MacKenzie (A)-Alexandre Picard; Tom Sestito-Trevor Frischmon-Maksim Mayorov; Kevin Harvey-Brian McGuirk-Stefan Legein.
Defense pairings: Andrey Plekhanov-Nick Holden; Dan Spang-Dan Smith (C); Johann Kroll-Grant Clitsome.
Scratches: Jonathan Sigalet, Kyle Wharton, Ryan Garlock, Jon Mirasty, Nikita Filatov.
