AHL Quick Hits

LOOKING BACK:
In Thursday’s only action, defensemen accounted for all four goals as Hamilton cruised to a 4-1 win at Milwaukee…. On Wednesday, Patrick Maroon notched two goals and an assist to help Adirondack past Binghamton, 5-3… Curtis Sanford posted a 25-save shutout in Hamilton’s 5-0 win at Rockford… Brett Sterling scored twice and Jason Krog had three points (1-2-3) as Chicago downed Houston, 5-2.

Wed 1/27
San Antonio 4, TORONTO 3 (SO)
Norfolk 5, HARTFORD 4
Adirondack 5, BINGHAMTON 3
WORCESTER 3, Manitoba 1
CHICAGO 5, Houston 2
Hamilton 5, ROCKFORD 0

Thu 1/28
Hamilton 4, MILWAUKEE 1


LOOKING AHEAD:
Albany takes its five-game points streak (4-0-1-0) on the road this weekend for match-ups with Rochester on Friday and league-leading Hershey on Saturday… The River Rats have won eight of their last 11 road contests (8-3-0-0) after beginning the year 1-6-1-1 away from Times Union Center… Jerome Samson paces the Rats with 16 goals and 36 points in 44 games and has registered a point in seven of his last eight contests (5-4-9)… Samson (1-3-4) and Drayson Bowman (1-3-4) each show a team-high four points vs. Rochester this year, as the clubs split a pair of October games in Albany… The Americans are 5-1-0-0 in their last six outings since suffering a five-game losing skid from Dec. 30 to Jan. 9… Amerks leading scorer Jamie Johnson (18-28-46) is currently riding a six-game scoring streak (4-7-11), while Michal Repik has notched a goal in five of his last six contests (6-1-7).

Showing a 17-1-0-0 mark in its last 18 games, Hershey visits Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday in the rivals’ seventh meeting of the season… Hershey has outscored opponents 37-14 during its current five-game winning streak… Bears forwards Keith Aucoin (25-36-61) and Alexandre Giroux (20-35-55) rank first and second in the AHL in scoring, and both players bring league season-high 13-game scoring streaks into the weekend, combining for 51 points in that span… Chris Bourque has notched a goal in five of his last six games (5-8-13) for the Bears… Wilkes-Barre, which is opening a five-game homestand, is just 1-5-0-0 in its last six contests… Chris Conner shows five goals and eight points in his last three games for the Penguins, while Luca Caputi has registered four points (1-3-4) in two contests since returning from an NHL stint with Pittsburgh… Hershey is 28-0-0-0 this season when taking a lead into the third period.

San Antonio continues its 14-game road trip this weekend with visits to Syracuse on Friday and Lake Erie on Saturday… The Rampage have collected a point in four straight games (2-0-0-2), and each of their last three contests has extended to a shootout… AHL All-Star defenseman Sean Sullivan has a point in five of his last six games (3-2-5) for the Rampage, and Gavin Morgan has found the scoresheet in three of his last four (2-2-4)… Chad Kolarik notched a goal and an assist in San Antonio’s 3-2 home-ice win over Syracuse on Dec. 30… Syracuse is 6-4-0-1 in its last 11 games and sits just five points out of a playoff spot in the crowded East Division race… The Crunch are trying to snap a three-game losing skid on home ice… Derek MacKenzie has netted a goal in five straight games (5-3-8) and has a point in six straight (5-4-9) for the Crunch… Jared Aulin paces Syracuse with 11 goals (11-14-25) but has not scored in his last seven outings.

(all times Eastern)
Fri 1/29
Chicago @ Grand Rapids, 7:00
Lowell @ Hartford, 7:00
Bridgeport @ Portland, 7:00
Manchester @ Providence, 7:05
Albany @ Rochester, 7:05
Hershey @ W-B/Scranton, 7:05
Manitoba @ Worcester, 7:05
Binghamton @ Adirondack, 7:30
Toronto @ Lake Erie, 7:30
Norfolk @ Springfield, 7:30
San Antonio @ Syracuse, 7:30
Houston @ Milwaukee, 8:00
Peoria @ Rockford, 8:05
Abbotsford @ Texas, 8:30

Sat 1/30
Rochester @ Toronto, 4:00
Norfolk @ Adirondack, 7:00
Rockford @ Grand Rapids, 7:00
Manchester @ Hartford, 7:00
Albany @ Hershey, 7:00
Bridgeport @ Portland, 7:00
Manitoba @ W-B/Scranton, 7:05
San Antonio @ Lake Erie, 7:30
Providence @ Springfield, 7:30
Binghamton @ Syracuse, 7:30
Hamilton @ Chicago, 8:00
Houston @ Peoria, 8:00
Abbotsford @ Texas, 8:00

Sun 1/31
Norfolk @ Bridgeport, 3:00
Lowell @ Worcester, 3:00
Manitoba @ W-B/Scranton, 3:05
Lake Erie @ Toronto, 4:00
Binghamton @ Hershey, 5:00
Hamilton @ Milwaukee, 5:00
Adirondack @ Rochester, 5:00
Texas @ Peoria, 7:00

Mon 2/1
Abbotsford @ Houston, 8:05

Tue 2/2
Manchester @ Portland, 11:00
Texas @ Milwaukee, 8:00


ALUMNI WATCH:
On Thursday, Troy Brouwer notched two goals – including the overtime game-winner – as Chicago took a 4-3 win at San Jose… In Wednesday’s NHL action, 2005 Calder Cup Playoffs MVP Antero Niittymaki registered a 33-save shutout to backstop Tampa Bay past Montreal, 3-0.


AHL CHATS:
Worcester Sharks rookie forward and 2010 AHL All-Star Logan Couture enters the AHL Chat Room on Tuesday, Feb. 2, to answer fans’ questions. Visit theahl.com for details.


AHL LIVE:
Watch live games, highlights and features, get video on demand and more all season long with AHL Live. Visit ahllive.com for more information.