Tue. roundup: Samson helps Rats roll

Tuesday’s AHL Boxscores

ALBANY 6, BINGHAMTON 1
Albany struck for three first-period goals and never looked back on its way to a 6-1 win over Binghamton on Tuesday afternoon at the Times Union Center. Jerome Samson registered four points (1-3-4) for the River Rats, extending his scoring streak to eight games (7-6-13).

It marked the second four-point game of the season for Samson, who also posted a goal and three helpers back on Oct. 10 vs. Rochester. A third-year pro, Samson has now established a new career high with a team-leading 56 points (28-28-56) in 61 contests for Albany this season.

River Rats forward Stefan Chaput recorded two goals and an assist in the victory for his first three-point effort since that Oct. 10 tilt against Rochester.

Rookie Zach Boychuk also enjoyed a three-point afternoon (1-2-3), Nick Dodge rounded out Albany’s offense, and defenseman Jay Harrison chipped in two helpers.

The River Rats have now defeated Binghamton by a combined score of 13-1 in the teams’ last two meetings, having previously captured a 7-0 decision on Feb. 13.

Albany goaltender Mike Morrison earned the victory in net with 32 saves on 33 shots, helping the River Rats move two points up on idle Norfolk for second place in the East Division race.

Ryan Keller notched his team-leading 26th goal of the season for the Senators, who are now winless in eight straight outings overall (0-6-1-1).

Binghamton is 0-10-1-1 in its last 12 road games since taking a 5-4 victory at Norfolk on Dec. 19.

HERSHEY 6, BRIDGEPORT 3
Alexandre Giroux (2-1-3) and Chris Bourque (1-2-3) each tallied three points as Hershey doubled up host Bridgeport by a 6-3 count at the Arena at Harbor Yard on Tuesday.

The Bears swept their two-game season series over the Sound Tigers, which was played in a span of four days, and outscored Bridgeport 15-5 in the two contests. Hershey collected a 9-2 victory in Chocolatetown on Saturday.

Hershey scored twice in the first period and four more times in the second to put this one away. Andrew Gordon and Steve Pinizzotto each posted a goal and an assist for the Bears, while Francois Bouchard rounded out the offense.

Defenseman John Carlson chipped in a pair of assists, and Bears goaltender Michal Neuvirth earned the win with 30 saves in net.

Recent acquisition Dylan Reese recorded a goal and an assist in his Sound Tigers debut, and Greg Mauldin also had a goal and a helper. Defenseman Jake Gannon also scored for Bridgeport, and Trevor Smith posted two assists.

MANITOBA 3, WORCESTER 1
Manitoba climbed out of a 1-0 hole after the first period to score three straight goals and take a 3-1 win over Worcester before 6,027 fans at the MTS Centre on Tuesday.

Rookie Sergei Shirokov and Pierre-Cedric Labrie registered second-period goals for the Moose, and Matt Pope’s first AHL goal of the season provided insurance with 4:06 to play in regulation.

Moose defenseman Tom Galvin was plus-3 and chipped in an assist, while four other Manitoba skaters each posted a single assist on the night.

Manitoba goaltender Cory Schneider (26-18-1) earned the victory with 34 saves on 35 shots, helping the Moose to their first win in three tries against Worcester this season (1-2-0-0).

T.J. Trevelyan initially gave the Sharks a 1-0 with lead with a power play tally in the first period, giving him four goals in his last three games (4-1-5).

Worcester, now winless in three straight games (0-2-0-1) for the first time since a seven-game losing skid from Nov. 7-20, will seek revenge in a rematch against Manitoba on Wednesday.

PROVIDENCE 4, ABBOTSFORD 3 (SO)
Jordan Knackstedt scored the only shootout goal for either side as Providence emerged with a 4-3 shootout win over Abbotsford at the Entertainment & Sports Centre.

Knackstedt beat Heat goaltender David Shantz in the third round. Bruins netminder Kevin Regan denied all five of Abbotsford’s attempts after making 29 saves through the first 65 minutes.

Craig Weller, Knackstedt, and 2010 AHL All-Star Mikko Lehtonen notched regulation goals for Providence, which took leads of 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2 on the tallies.

But the Heat responded each time, as David Van der Gulik, Brett Sutter, and Shawn Weller all found the back of the net. Weller’s goal with 3:53 to play in regulation ultimately sent the contest to overtime.

With the shootout loss, Abbotsford five-game winning streak came to an end. The Heat and Bruins will square off for a rematch on Wednesday night.