LAKE ERIE 2, GRAND RAPIDS 1
Lake Erie netminder Mike Wall stopped 49 of 50 shots and posted an assist to help the Monsters eke out a 2-1 road win over division-rival Grand Rapids at the Van Andel Arena.
Eric Healey and Johnny Boychuk proved the Lake Erie offense, with both players scoring on the power play. Wall picked up an assist on Boychuk’s eventual game-winner at 5:49 of the second period.
Ryan Oulahen pulled the Griffins within one score at 14:20 of the third with a power play goal of his own.
Despite a 50-25 shots advantage for the game, including 16-4 in the third period, Grand Rapids could not get another one by Wall, who improved to 10-12-4 for the season.
MANITOBA 5, HERSHEY 0
Rookie goaltender Cory Schneider (pictured) made 33 saves for his second shutout in nine days and seventh straight win overall as Manitoba blanked Hershey, 5-0, on Saturday at the Giant Center.
Brad Moran and Mike Brown tallied two goals apiece for the Moose, who captured their fifth consecutive victory and moved to 6-0-0-1 in their last seven games.
Moran gave Manitoba a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes, and the Moose then scored three times in the middle stanza. Brown lit the lamp at 1:48 and 5:31, and Moran did the honors at 14:10. Greg Classen picked up two assists in the period.
Moose captain Mike Keane added a third-period marker to account for the final margin.
It was more than enough for Schneider, who won his seventh straight start and moved to 12-3-1 since Dec. 15. Schneider has stopped 96 of 98 shots (.980) over his last four starts alone.
Hershey and Manitoba will square off for a rematch on Sunday.
WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON 2, ALBANY 0
Rookie goaltender John Curry pitched a 25-save shutout as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton won its seventh straight game, a 2-0 road decision over Albany at the Times Union Center.
Kurtis McLean notched a first-period goal for the Penguins, and Ryan Lannon scored unassisted in the second period.
Penguins forward Dave Gove, who began the season with Albany, picked up an assist against his former teammates.
With the win, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton moved one point up on the River Rats for second place in the East Division. The Penguins sit just two points back of first-place Philadelphia.
TORONTO 4, HAMILTON 1
Bates Battaglia tallied the game-winning goal and added an assist as Toronto snapped a five-game winless skid (0-4-1-0) with a 4-1 win over Hamilton at Ricoh Coliseum.
Tyler Doig and Battaglia put the Marlies on top 2-0 with a pair of first-period markers. Hamilton’s Kyle Chipchura made it 2-1 at 19:29 of the first.
Max Taylor and Alex Foster netted goals in the second period for the Marlies, and neither team scored in the final stanza.
Marlies goaltender Scott Clemmensen picked up the win with 25 saves on 26 shots.
The Bulldogs lost their sixth straight game.
BRIDGEPORT 4, PHILADELPHIA 2
Colton Fretter netted a pair of goals to lead Bridgeport over visiting Philadelphia by a 4-2 count at the Arena at Harbor Yard.
Fretter scored the eventual game-winner on the power play 2:34 into the second period after also tallying a first-period marker. Jamie Fraser and Sean Bentivoglio rounded out the Sound Tigers’ offense.
Jeremy Colliton and Matt Keith each chipped in a pair of helpers for Bridgeport, and goaltender Mike Morrison picked up the win with 30 saves.
Jared Ross and Boyd Kane scored for the Phantoms, who dropped to 1-5-0-0 in their last six games.
SPRINGFIELD 4, WORCESTER 1
Springfield dealt Worcester’s playoff hopes a hit with a 4-1 win over the visiting Sharks at the MassMutual Center.
Viacheslav Trukhno posted a goal and an assist for the Falcons, extending his goal-scoring streak to five games (5-3-8). Stephane Goulet, Ben Simon, and Colin McDonald also lit the lamp in the win.
Dennis Packard scored the Sharks’ lone goal in the second period, which at the time made it a 2-1 game. But Springfield scored twice in the third to seal the victory.
Falcons goaltender Jeff Deslauriers earned the win with 28 saves on 29 shots. He improved to 23-19-5 on the season and helped Springfield reach the 30-win mark overall (30-26-5-5) for the first time since the 2002-03 campaign.
With the loss, the Sharks fell eight points back of Springfield for the Atlantic Division’s final playoff spot.
MANCHESTER 3, HARTFORD 1
Manchester kept pace in the Atlantic Division playoff race with a 3-1 road win over Hartford at the XL Center.
The win allowed the Monarchs to remain three points behind Springfield for the division’s fourth and final postseason berth.
David Meckler notched the eventual game-winner and added an assist for the Monarchs, who also received goals from Matt Moulson and Lauri Tukonen.
Manchester goaltender Daniel Taylor stopped 31 of 32 shots in his first start since Feb. 26.
Jordan Owens scored the Wolf Pack’s lone goal in the closing minute of the second period.
PROVIDENCE 6, SAN ANTONIO 2
A night after becoming the first team to clinch a playoff spot, Providence rolled on with a 6-2 win over visiting San Antonio in front of 7,615 fans at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
Jeff LoVecchio notched a goal and an assist in his professional debut for the Bruins, who also received a goal and a helper from Pascal Pelletier and Byron Bitz.
Jeff Hoggan, Aaron Slattengren, and Sean Curry rounded out the Providence offense, as the B’s scored two goals in all three periods.
Bruins goaltender Jordan Sigalet earned the victory with 22 saves, helping Providence to its fourth consecutive win.
David Spina and Matt Murley scored for the Rampage, who fell to 1-2-0-0 on their four-game New England trip, which concludes on Sunday in Springfield.
BINGHAMTON 4, ROCHESTER 3 (OT)
Greg Mauldin’s shorthanded goal 1:16 into overtime propelled Binghamton to its third straight win, a 4-3 decision over Rochester at the Broome County Arena.
The Senators took a 3-1 lead by the game’s mid-point on a first-period goal by Justin Mapletoft and a pair of second-period markers from Denis Hamel.
But the Amerks clawed back to a draw. Dylan Hunter’s power play goal at 13:12 of the second made it a 3-2 game, and 2008 AHL All-Star Mark Mancari notched the equalizer with 6:35 left in regulation.
Mauldin’s overtime winner was Binghamton’s 17th shorthanded goal of the season, which ranks second in the AHL behind Syracuse’s 18.
B-Sens goaltender Brian Elliott made 26 saves in the win, while Amerks netminder Adam Dennis made 40 saves in the losing effort.
PORTLAND 5, NORFOLK 3
Tyler Bouck scored two goals and added an assist as Portland dropped Norfolk by a 5-3 count at the Scope.
The win earned the Pirates a split of their two-game set with the Admirals in Virginia. Norfolk posted a 4-3 victory on Friday.
Bruno St. Jacques had a goal and an assist for the Pirates, while Jason King and Michal Birner also scored. Goaltender Mike McKenna stopped 22 of 25 shots in the victory.
Kyle Wanvig scored his 20th goal of the season for the Admirals. Adam Henrich and 2008 AHL All-Star Justin Keller rounded out the home team’s scoring.
PEORIA 5, CHICAGO 3
Trent Whitfield notched a pair of special-team goals to give Peoria a 5-3 win over red-hot Chicago in front of 10,366 fans at the Allstate Arena.
With the Rivermen holding a 4-3 lead, Whitfield scored on the power play at 15:36 of the second period. After Chicago’s Jason Krog made it 5-4 with just 43 seconds left in the period, Whitfield netted a shorthanded marker only 41 seconds into the third.
Peoria also received goals from Nikolay Lemtyugov, Jean-Guy Trudel (1-2-3), and 2008 AHL All-Star Micki DuPont (1-1-2) in the victory, while Chris Porter chipped in with three assists.
Goaltender Marek Schwarz stopped 38 of 41 shots in the Peoria net.
Kevin Doell and Brian Fahey also scored for the Wolves, who had been 15-1-1-2 in their previous 19 games.
QUAD CITY 5, IOWA 2
Quad City scored four times in the third period to run away with a 5-2 win over host Iowa at the Wells Fargo Arena.
The Flames entered the third period with a 1-0 lead after Grant Stevenson scored on a penalty shot at 3:23 of the opening stanza.
Krys Kolanos made it a 2-0 game at 1:22 of the third. But Iowa’s Marty Sertich and Francis Wathier scored at 4:57 and 9:53, respectively, to tie it.
The Flames netted three unanswered goals from that point on, as Kris Chucko scored once and David Van der Gulik twice, the latter going into an empty net at 18:49.
Quad City goaltender Curtis McElhinney only had to make 16 saves in the win, as the Flames held a final shots advantage of 39-18.
With the win, which avenged a 4-1 loss to the Stars on Friday, Quad City jumped a point ahead of Iowa for seventh place in the West Division.
HOUSTON 3, ROCKFORD 2
Defenseman Brandon Rogers scored a pair of goals as Houston eked out a 3-2 win over visiting Rockford on Saturday at the Toyota Center.
Rogers scored at 4:09 of the first period and on the power play at 13:53 of the second, the latter turning out to be the game-winner.
Clayton Stoner also scored for Houston, and goaltender Barry Brust earned the win with 25 saves on 27 shots. The Aeros won for the eighth time in their last nine games, the one loss coming to Rockford on Thursday.
Defensemen Justin Fletcher and Tyson Marsh scored for the IceHogs in the losing effort. Marsh’s goal was the first of his AHL career.
