Tuesday's Matinee

While Tuesday's exhibition game may be lacking in star power, it won't be without some interesting story lines. For the visiting Amerks, the only names that may ring a bell are Mark Mancari, Stefan Meyer and Brandon Smith, but a number of other players are worthy of some attention.

For starters Rochester sports a trio of talented goaltenders starting with Adam Berkoel. Berkoel ran the gambit last season by appearing in games in the ECHL with Gwinnett, the AHL with Chicago and the NHL with Atlanta.

Former Mississauga Ice Dog David Shantz is also fighting for a spot with the Amerks. Shantz rose to prominence prior to the 2004 Entry Draft after leading the Ice Dogs to the OHL Eastern Division Championship. He was selected by Florida in the second round that year and quickly fell out of favor in Mississauga. The following season he was dealt to Peterborough, where he rebounded nicely with a 31-14-3 record.

Rochester also boasts Adam Dennis, the reigning Goaltender of the Year in the OHL after winning 44 games for London last season. Dennis, however, has yet to come to terms with the Sabres.

Up front look out for center Marek Zagrapan. Selected 13th overall in 2005, Zagrapan is rated as the Sabres second best prospect by The Hockey News and first overall by HockeysFuture.com. A native of Slovakia, Zagrapan is loaded with talent, but also sports a slight temper, which should lend itself quite well to the Syracuse, Rochester rivalry.

For the Crunch be sure to check out the tandem of Petr Pohl and Olivier Labelle. Linemates last season in the "Q" with Acadie-Bathurst, the duo accounted for 77 goals and 93 assists on the season. New Crunch head man Ross Yates is sure to pair them up a some point to see if they can rekindle some of their old chemistry.

Defenseman Trevor Hendrikx also should get a long look in the preseason. Hendrikx rounded out his game quite nicely last season after earning a reputation early on as more of a fighter. Hendrikx will still throw and he could emerge as a decent middleweight to help Brandon Sugden give the Syracuse forwards plenty of room to operate.

Look for a few others to drop the gloves on Tuesday. Fighting is a staple in the preseason with plenty of players literally fighting for jobs. Wes Rypien is a possible candidate along with rookie Kelly Thompson and former Wheeling Nailer Luis Tremblay.

One highlight could be a revenge bout between Jeff Szwez and the recently demoted Stefan Meyer. Meyer, at Rochester head coach Randy Cunneyworth's urging, jumped Szwez at the end of a Crunch blowout win last season. Szwez more than held his own, but was injured during the bout. Round two may be in the works.