HERSHEY, Pa. --- The River Rats head into the second round of the playoffs against the Hershey Bears looking to defy recent history.
Not only did Albany lose six of eight regular-season meetings against Hershey, it lost all four games in Chocolate Town.
The Rats swept Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in four games to earn a berth against the Bears in the East Division final, which opens tonight at 7, with Game 2 on Sunday at 5 p.m.
Three years ago, Albany faced Hershey in an East Division final and after the Rats gained a split in the first two games in Pennsylvania, the Bears won the next three games at the Glens Falls Civic Center to win the series.
Last year, Hershey faced a stiff challenge in the division final round as they lost the first two games to Wilkes-Barre, but won the next three to take command of the series and went on to win the Calder Cup title.
Albany scratches for Game 1: Defensemen Zack Fitzgerald, Jonathan Paiement, Kyle Lawson and Michal Jordan again sitting out, along with left wing Brad Herauf.
Albany goalie Justin Peters (4-0, 2.25, .927) faces Michal Neuvirth (3-0, 1.67, .924) again.
ALBANY
Forwards
Jerome Samson/Mike Angelidis/Zach Boychuk
Chris Terry/Nick Dodge/Steven Goertzen
Oskar Osala/Jiri Tlusty/Jacob Micflikier
Nicolas Blanchard/Zac Dalpe/Drayson Bowman
Defensemen
Bryan Rodney/Jamie McBain
Jay Harrison/Brett Bellemore
Casey Borer/Tim Conboy