PORTLAND 5, BRIDGEPORT 0
Drew Miller and Geoff Platt each scored two goals and added an assist to lead Portland over visiting Bridgeport, 5-0, on Friday at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
Miller provided all the offense the Pirates would need with a pair of first-period markers, and goaltender Jean-Sebastien Aubin made 23 saves for his second straight shutout.
Portland used a 21-6 advantage in shots to take a 3-0 lead after the first period. The Pirates outshot Bridgeport by a final margin of 37-23 and moved to 4-1-0-0 against the Sound Tigers this season. The teams will meet again on Saturday night.
Bruno St. Jacques also lit the lamp in the victory, his goal coming on the power play late in the first period. St. Jacques added a helper for a multiple-point night.
Aubin, who blanked Hartford last Sunday, has stopped all 61 shots sent his way over the past two games after dropping a 4-2 decision to Springfield in his Pirates debut.
The loss halted Bridgeport’s three-game winning streak.
HERSHEY 4, MANCHESTER 3
Hershey netted a trio of third-period goals to rally past host Manchester by a 4-3 count before 8,355 fans at the Verizon Wireless Arena. It marked the teams’ first meeting since the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals, won by the Bears in a four-game sweep.
Danny Syvret, Jay Beagle, and Kyle Wilson all scored in the third period for the Bears, turning a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 lead. Wilson’s team-leading 22nd goal of the season at 16:09 was the game-winner.
Hershey’s Jason Morgan also scored, and goaltender Daren Machesney picked up the win with 28 saves. Hershey remains in fourth place in the East Division, one point back of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and four ahead of Bridgeport.
Marc-Andre Cliché notched a pair of goals for the Monarchs, and Kevin Westgarth also lit the lamp.
BINGHAMTON 4, PROVIDENCE 3 (SO)
Lawrence Nycholat netted a goal in regulation and added the decisive shootout marker as Binghamton edged host Providence, 4-3, at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
The Senators initially took a 2-0 lead on first-period goals by Jim McKenzie – his first career AHL marker – and Nycholat.
But the B’s came right back to tie it before the period ended, as Matt Hendricks scored at 17:07 and 2008 AHL All-Star Pascal Pelletier followed at 19:55.
Jonathan Sigalet gave Providence a 3-2 edge with a power play goal midway through the second, and the lead held until Binghamton rookie Alexander Nikulin scored unassisted at 14:40 of the third.
The Senators received shootout goals from Niko Dimitrakos, Josh Hennessy, and Nycholat, making a winner of goaltender Brian Elliott, who finished with 30 saves through regulation and overtime.
The shootout loss extended Providence’s season-high winless skid to five games (0-3-1-1).
WORCESTER 5, ALBANY 3
Worcester captain Graham Mink netted a pair of goals and added an assist as the Sharks cooled off Albany with a 5-3 victory at the DCU Center.
Rookie defenseman Derek Joslin also had three points (1-2-3) for the Sharks. Fellow rookie T.J. Fox and defenseman Dennis Packard netted Worcester’s other goals.
Sharks goaltender Thomas Greiss made 19 saves in the victory, which moved Worcester to 4-1-0-1 in its last six outings.
Jeff Hamilton and Jamie Johnson tallied a goal and two assists for the River Rats, who had won their previous eight games.
NORFOLK 4, PHILADELPHIA 2
Norfolk received goals from four different players and a 42-save effort by goaltender Marc Denis on its way to a 4-2 win over visiting Philadelphia at the Scope Arena.
The Admirals, playing their first home game since Feb. 16, jumped out to a 3-0 lead by the early part of the second period and never looked back.
Blair Jones and Radek Smolenak each had a goal and helper for the Admirals, while Brandon Segal and Adam Henrich also scored.
Denis has made 74 saves on 76 shots (.974) over his last two outings.
Rookies David Laliberte and Jonathan Matsumoto posted a goal and an assist apiece for the division-leading Phantoms, who have lost three straight games in regulation for just the second time all season.
SPRINGFIELD 4, LOWELL 2
Viacheslav Trukhno had a goal and an assist to help Springfield double up visiting Lowell, 4-2, at the MassMutual Center.
Troy Bodie, Stephane Goulet, and Rick Berry also lit the lamp for the Falcons, and goaltender Jeff Deslauriers secured the win with 37 saves on 39 shots.
Springfield finished 9-1-0-0 against the intra-state rival Devils this season.
Stephen Gionta notched a pair of third-period goals for Lowell.
MANITOBA 2, HAMILTON 0
Manitoba rookie goaltender Cory Schneider made 24 saves for his fifth straight win and first professional shutout as the visiting Moose blanked Hamilton by a 2-0 final at Copps Coliseum.
Colby Genoway and Jason Jaffray lit the lamp for the Moose, both goals coming as part of a 17-shot attack in the second period. Shaun Heshka assisted on both markers.
The victory moved second-place Manitoba four points up on both Hamilton and Syracuse in the North Division race.
The Moose and Bulldogs will square off for a rematch on Sunday.
WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON 6, LAKE ERIE 3
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton netted two goals in each period and doubled up host Lake Erie by a 6-3 final at the Quicken Loans Arena.
2008 AHL All-Star Alex Goligoski notched a game-high three points (1-2-3) for the Penguins, while Ned Havern, Kurtis McLean, Ryan Stone, and Tim Wallace each posted a goal and a helper.
Nathan Smith rounded out the Penguins’ scoring, and rookie John Curry made 24 saves, improving his season record to 15-8-2.
The Monsters received a pair of goals from rookie Chris Stewart and one from Brent Kelly.
SYRACUSE 3, TORONTO 2
Zenon Konopka lit the lamp twice as Syracuse eked out a 3-2 win over visiting Toronto at the Onondaga County War Memorial.
Konopka scored in the first period to make it a 1-1 game at the time, and with the contest square at 2-2, he netted the eventual game-winner with just under 12 minutes left in regulation.
Crunch rookie Derick Brassard also recorded a goal, scoring unassisted on the power play midway through the second period.
Syracuse goaltender Karl Goehring stopped 28 of 30 shots, helping the surging Crunch to their season-high fourth straight win. The team is 9-1-0-4 in its last 14 games.
Toronto’s Max Taylor scored his first career AHL goal, and Brent Aubin also found the twine.
SAN ANTONIO 3, ROCHESTER 2
San Antonio overcame a 2-0 deficit to post a 3-2 victory over visiting Rochester at the AT&T Center.
The Americans jumped to a quick 1-0 lead on Stefan Meyer’s 18th goal of the season just 1:06 after the opening face-off. Clarke MacArthur made it 2-0 at 7:22 of the second, scoring in his first game with Rochester since Jan. 4
San Antonio defenseman Dylan Reese notched his first career AHL marker later in the second period, pulling the Rampage within a goal.
Bill Thomas tallied the equalizer exactly ten minutes into the third stanza, and Matt Murley potted the eventual game-winner at 13:38. Both third-period goals came on the power play.
Rampage goaltender Josh Tordjman picked up the victory with 26 saves on 28 shots.
HOUSTON 1, HARTFORD 0
Houston’s stingy defense and winning ways continued with a 1-0 squeaker over visiting Hartford at the Toyota Center.
The Aeros captured their sixth straight win and have allowed only seven goals in that span, four of them coming in one game.
Goaltender Barry Brust made 23 saves, posting his third shutout in his last four starts. Brust has been between the pipes for all six games of Houston’s winning streak and shows a 1.13 GAA over the run.
Ryan Hamilton scored the game’s lone goal in the first period, his 10th marker of the campaign.
The Wolf Pack suffered their second consecutive shutout and third straight regulation loss, marking a season high.
IOWA 4, CHICAGO 3 (SO)
Iowa rallied for a pair of late goals to tie the game and eventually prevailed in a shootout over host Chicago, 4-3, at the Allstate Arena.
With the Stars down 3-1, James Neal scored on the power play at 12:19 of the third, and B.J. Crombeen notched the equalizer with just 1:15 left in regulation.
Iowa’s Perttu Lindgren scored the lone shootout goal for either side. Stars goaltender Tobias Stephan denied all five Chicago tries after making 26 saves through regulation and overtime.
Joe Motzko scored his first goal as a member of the Wolves and now has a point in each of his first four games in a Chicago uniform (1-5-6).
Brett Sterling tallied his league-leading 32nd goal for the Wolves, and 2004 first-round draft pick Boris Valabik notched his first goal of the campaign.
