SPRINGFIELD, MA - The American Hockey League announced today the 2007-08 recipients of the James H. Ellery Memorial Awards, presented annually by the league in recognition of outstanding media coverage of the AHL in three categories.

This year's winners are Lindsay Kramer of the Syracuse Post-Standard (in the newspaper category); Manchester Monarchs play-by-play broadcaster Ken Cail (radio); and sports anchor Tim Doty of WXMI-TV (FOX 17) in Grand Rapids, Mich. (television).

Covering the American Hockey League in Syracuse since 1994, Lindsay Kramer provides in-depth stories on the Syracuse Crunch and the AHL throughout the year in the Post-Standard, one of the United States' best-read newspapers. His work also extends to the internet, where his Crunch Hockey blog is one of the most popular reads on syracuse.com, and his twice-weekly columns on NHL.com offer insightful features and analysis of the American Hockey League and its players and teams. Kramer is now a two-time winner of the Ellery Award, having also received the honor in 1996-97.

Ken Cail has enthusiastically served as the radio play-by-play voice of the Manchester Monarchs since the team's inception in 2001, calling every one of their 607 regular-season and playoff games on the Monarchs Radio Network and flagship station WGIR-AM 610. Along with providing his energetic description of AHL action, Cail is also a morning-show host on WTPL-FM 107.7 and he hosts Monarchs Insider, which airs on public access television stations throughout New Hampshire. The veteran sportscaster is a regular contributor to the Monarchs' Web site (manchestermonarchs.com), offering weekly previews and features all season long.

Tim Doty is a sports anchor on the News at Ten on Grand Rapids' FOX 17 (WXMI-TV). He is the creator and producer of "On the Ice," a 20-week series of in-depth Griffins profiles and features for the station's Sunday night sports show, delving behind the scenes and into the personal lives and interests of Griffins players. A Michigan native and former amateur hockey player himself, Doty authors a regular in-season blog for the Griffins' Web site (griffinshockey.com) and is a regular at Griffins practices and community events.

The James H. Ellery Memorial Awards, which were first presented in 1964, honor the late Mr. Ellery, who served the American Hockey League for 17 years as league secretary and publicity director.

In operation since 1936, the AHL continues to serve as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 84 percent of today's NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and the 2007-08 season marked the seventh consecutive year in which more than 6 million fans attended AHL games across North America.

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2008-09 Albany River Rats season ticket packages are on sale now for the River Rats 16th season of operations in the American Hockey League. For more information please contact the Albany River Rats at (518) 487-2244 or online at www.albanyriverrats.com.


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