HERSHEY 10, ALBANY 4
Hershey broke its own AHL season high by scoring 10 goals on Friday in a 10-4 pounding of Albany at the Times Union Center. Alexandre Giroux led the way with three goals and two assists for the Bears, who moved to 13-1-0-0 in their last 14 games.
Giroux, who scored once in the first period and twice in the third, tallied his first hat trick of the season and extended his scoring streak to nine games (6-8-14). His five points matched an individual AHL high for a single game.
Keith Aucoin also stretched his scoring streak to nine games with a goal and two assists on the night, and Chris Bourque also put up a goal and two helpers in the victory.
Andrew Gordon (1-1-2), Jay Beagle (1-1-2), Kyle Wilson, Mathieu Perreault, and Boyd Kane rounded out the Bears’ offense. Francois Bouchard chipped in two assists.
Hershey, which previously registered a 9-2 win vs. Hartford on Dec. 6 and an 8-1 triumph at Binghamton on Oct. 10, tallied the most goals in an AHL game since Toronto took a 10-5 win over Grand Rapids on Feb. 8, 2009.
Bears goaltender Jason Bacashihua earned the victory with 19 saves on 23 shots between the pipes.
Brad Herauf paced the River Rats with two goals and an assist, while Jerome Samson and 2010 AHL All-Star defenseman Bryan Rodney also found the back of the net.
PROVIDENCE 3, BRIDGEPORT 2
Providence scored twice in the third period to rally for a 3-2 road win over Bridgeport at the Arena at Harbor Yard on Friday.
Trailing 2-1 entering the final 20 minutes, the Bruins received the tying goal from Lane MacDermid just 16 seconds into the period and the game-winner unassisted off the stick of Kirk MacDonald at 13:41.
The rally made a winner of Bruins goaltender Dany Sabourin, who turned aside 35 of 37 shots in net.
Drew Larman also scored for Providence, which moved back to the .500 mark on the season at 20-20-2-0.
Bridgeport took 1-0 and 2-1 leads on the strength of goals by Trevor Smith and Greg Mauldin, but the Sound Tigers still dropped to 2-4-0-1 in their last seven contests.
PEORIA 3, GRAND RAPIDS 2
A trio of second-period goals lifted Peoria to a 3-2 road win over Grand Rapids on Friday before 9,969 fans at Van Andel Arena.
Pascal Pelletier factored into all three goals for the Rivermen, scoring twice and adding an assist. Pelletier, who joined Peoria from the Syracuse Crunch earlier this season, registered a pair of power play goals just 1:50 apart midway through the second period.
After Evan McGrath cut the Griffins’ deficit in half 1:02 after Pelletier’s second marker, Barry Tallackson restored Peoria’s two-goal edge with 2:12 to play in the frame. Pelletier picked up an assist, and defenseman Bryce Lampman earned his second helper of the night on the play.
Griffins defenseman Doug Janik potted the lone goal for either side in the third period, but it wasn’t enough to stop Grand Rapids from falling to 2-9-0-0 in its last 11 outings.
Rivermen goaltender Ben Bishop picked up the win in net with 27 saves on 29 shots.
PORTLAND 7, WORCESTER 1
Kyle Rank led the way with two goals and an assist as Portland breezed past visiting Worcester by a 7-1 count on Friday before 4,740 fans at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
Derek Whitmore also put up three points with a goal and two helpers for the Pirates, who built a 4-0 lead before the game was half over. Travis Turnbull, Mark Mancari, and 2010 AHL All-Star Tyler Ennis each posted a goal and an assist, and defenseman T.J. Brennan also potted a goal.
Defenseman Matt Generous (0-3-3) and 2010 AHL All-Star Nathan Gerbe (0-3-3) each posted multiple assists in the victory, and goaltender Jhonas Enroth stopped 33 of 34 shots in net.
The Pirates avenged last Sunday’s game in Worcester, in which they grabbed a 5-1 lead only to lose by a 6-5 count in overtime.
Rookie Brandon Mashinter notched the Sharks’ lone goal of the night.
BINGHAMTON 3, WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON 0
Binghamton goaltender Chris Holt registered a 28-save shutout, backstopping the Senators to a 3-0 win over visiting Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at the Broome County Arena.
Holt improved to 6-4-0 in the AHL this season, and three of his six victories have come via the shutout.
2010 AHL All-Star Ryan Keller had a hand in all three goals for the Senators. After assisting on a Max Gratchev tally in the opening period, Keller potted two of his own, one in the second frame and one in the third.
Gratchev finished with a goal and a helper on the night, and captain Denis Hamel chipped in two assists for Binghamton.
The Penguins were blanked for the third time this season, all on the road.
ADIRONDACK 3, NORFOLK 2
2010 AHL All-Star Jon Matsumoto broke a 2-2 tie with 2:55 left in regulation, and Adirondack held on for a 3-2 road win over Norfolk on Friday at the Scope.
Matsumoto poked home a loose puck in the crease for his 17th goal of the season, with assists going to Krys Kolanos and David Laliberte.
Kolanos and Josh Beaulieu also scored for the Phantoms, and goaltender Johan Backlund earned the victory with 35 saves on 37 shots between the pipes.
Adirondack, which captured a 3-2 shootout decision over Bridgeport on Wednesday, has earned back-to-back wins for the first time since Dec. 19-26.
Defenseman Ty Wishart notched both goals for the Admirals, who fell to 2-7-1-0 in their last 10 outings.
LOWELL 5, MANCHESTER 2
Tim Sestito tallied two goals and added an assist as Lowell cruised to a 5-2 road win over division rival Manchester at the Verizon Wireless Arena.
With their 11th win in 16 games (11-5-0-0), the Devils moved two points back of the Monarchs for first place in the Atlantic Division race.
Sestito scored in the first and third periods for the Devils, who also received markers from Nick Palmieri, Rob Davison, and an empty-netter by Ben Walter late in the third stanza.
Lowell goaltender Jeff Frazee earned the win with 38 saves on 40 shots in net.
Tom Cavanagh and Bud Holloway notched goals for the Monarchs, who fell to 2-4-0-2 in their last eight contests.
ROCHESTER 6, HAMILTON 5 (SO)
Evgeny Dadonov, Daniel Steiner, and Jeff Taffe notched shootout goals as Rochester escaped with a 6-5 road win over Hamilton before 7,120 fans at Copps Coliseum.
The Americans coughed up leads of 3-2 and 5-3 in regulation before finally prevailing in the tiebreaker. Rochester goaltender Alexander Salak, a 2010 AHL All-Star, made 27 saves through the first 65 minutes before stopping three of five Hamilton tries in the shootout.
Amerks forwards Shawn Matthias and Michael Duco each posted a goal and an assist in regulation, and Rochester also got goals from Taffe, Michal Repik, and defenseman Clay Wilson. Steiner and Jamie Johnson each chipped in two assists.
Rochester has now tallied six goals in back-to-back victories on the heels of a five-game losing skid.
Brock Trotter racked up two goals and an assist to pace the North Division-leading Bulldogs, who are now winless three straight games (0-1-1-1) for the first time all season.
SYRACUSE 6, SPRINGFIELD 3
Syracuse defenseman Dylan Reese, who entered the night with one goal in 34 games for the season, scored twice to pace the red-hot Crunch to a 6-3 road win over Springfield at the MassMutual Center.
The Crunch captured their fourth straight win and have earned a point in six straight outings (5-0-0-1) to move four points back of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the final guaranteed playoff spot in the East Division.
Trevor Frischmon registered a goal and an assist for Syracuse, while Tomas Kana, Mike Radja, and 2010 AHL All-Star Dan Fristche rounded out the offense.
Jonathan Sigalet (0-3-3), Brendan Bell (0-2-2), and Michael Blunden (0-2-2) all chipped in multiple assists, and Syracuse goaltender Dan LaCosta stopped 27 shots in net.
Marc Pouliot (1-1-2), Liam Reddox, and Viacheslav Trukhno all scored for the Falcons.
CHICAGO 2, SAN ANTONIO 1
Tim Stapleton snapped a 1-1 deadlock at 11:57 of the third period and surging Chicago held on for a 2-1 road win over San Antonio on Friday night.
The Wolves swept their two-game set at the AT&T Center this week, secured their fifth straight victory overall, and moved to 10-2-0-0 in their last 12 contests.
San Antonio jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Stefan Meyer scored 3:40 after the opening face-off, with 2010 AHL All-Star defenseman Sean Sullivan picking up the lone assist.
But Wolves forward Brett Sterling, also a 2010 AHL All-Star, tied it up midway through the third period with an unassisted marker, his league-leading 22nd of the season.
Stapleton’s decisive marker was assisted by Joey Crabb and Matt Anderson. It made a winner of Wolves goaltender Peter Mannino, who turned aside 32 of 33 shots sent his way on the night.
The Rampage dropped their third straight contest.
ROCKFORD 5, HOUSTON 1
Rockford scored twice before the game was a minute old and never looked back en route to a 5-1 win over visiting Houston at the MetroCentre on Friday.
2010 AHL All-Stars Mark Cullen and Jack Skille scored 24 and 51 seconds into the contest, respectively, for the IceHogs. It marked the 14th goal of the season for both players.
Kyle Greentree extended Rockford’s advantage to 3-0 before the first period was out, and Richard Petiot made it 4-0 with a power play strike midway through the second frame.
Houston finally got on the board courtesy of a Jamie Fraser goal at 10:57 of the third period, but IceHogs rookie Akim Aliu iced the victory with an unassisted empty-netter in the closing minute.
Rockford goaltender Corey Crawford picked up the victory in net with 34 saves on 35 shots.
TEXAS 5, TORONTO 1
Texas’s offense snapped out of its slump with five goals on Friday en route to a 5-1 win over stumbling Toronto before 6,863 fans at the Cedar Park Center.
Five different players found the back of the net in the victory. Greg Rallo and defenseman Maxime Fortunus each posted a goal and an assist, while Travis Morin, Warren Peters, and Francis Wathier also beat Marlies goaltender Joey MacDonald.
Defenseman Garrett Stafford chipped in two assists for the Stars, who had not scored as many as five goals since a 5-2 win at Houston on Dec. 18.
Texas goaltender Matt Climie secured the win with 23 saves on 24 shots, snapping a personal two-game losing skid.
Richard Greenop notched the lone goal for the Marlies, who are now winless in five straight games (0-3-2-0) and are just 2-7-2-0 in their last 11 outings.
MILWAUKEE 7, MANITOBA 2
Just two nights after suffering a 7-2 loss at the hands of Chicago, Milwaukee turned the tables and posted a 7-2 road win over Manitoba on Friday in the first of a two-game weekend set at the MTS Centre.
Seven different Admirals scored in the victory, with Hugh Jessiman, Chris Mueller, Triston Grant, Colin Wilson, and Wacey Rabbit all recording a goal and an assist.
Defensemen Jonathan Blum and Mark Matheson rounded out the offense, while forward Peter Olvecky and rearguard Reid Cashman (0-2-2) each contributed multiple assists.
Milwaukee goaltender Mark Dekanich earned the win with 30 saves on 32 shots between the pipes, helping his club move to 3-0-0-0 against Manitoba on the season.
Matt Pettinger and defenseman Mathieu Schneider potted goals for the Moose, who will seek revenge when they host Milwaukee again on Saturday night in Winnipeg.
LAKE ERIE 3, ABBOTSFORD 2
Ryan Stoa’s power play goal at 10:06 of the third period broke a 2-2 tie and sent surging Lake Erie to a 3-2 road win over Abbotsford at the Entertainment & Sports Centre.
Stoa assisted on the Monsters’ other two markers for a three-point, and the rookie now shows six points (3-3-6) in his last three contests.
Brian Willsie recorded a goal and an assist in the victory, and 2010 AHL All-Star T.J. Hensick also scored. Goaltender Tyler Weiman stopped 32 of 34 shots in net for the Monsters, who extended their winning streak to four games, matching a season high attained from Dec. 19-27.
Lake Erie is 11-2-0-1 in its last 14 contests and has pulled two points back of Abbotsford for the North Division’s fourth and final playoff spot.
Riley Armstrong and defenseman Staffan Kronwall notched second-period goals for the Heat, who are now winless in three straight tilts (0-2-1-0) on the heels of a four-game winning streak.
