WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON 4, CHARLOTTE 3
Tim Wallace netted a pair of goals as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton overcame a 3-1 deficit at first intermission to post a 4-3 road win over Charlotte on Sunday at the Time Warner Cable Arena. The Penguins earned a sweep of their weekend set in North Carolina and improved to an East Division-best 4-0-0-0 on the season.
The Checkers quickly jumped out to a 2-0 lead when Zach Boychuk and Jerome Samson scored just 19 seconds apart in the first period. After Brett Sterling brought Wilkes-Barre within 2-1, Boychuk restored Charlotte’s two-goal edge with a goal at the 19:40 mark.
Wallace made it a 3-2 game late in the second period and then pulled the Penguins even with his second of the day, third of the season, at 13:12 of the final frame. Dustin Jeffrey earned assists on both of Wallace’s goals and finished with three helpers on the afternoon.
Penguins defenseman Steve Wagner made the rally count when he buried the game-winning goal with 3:10 left in regulation. Nick Johnson (0-2-2) and defenseman Corey Potter earned the helpers.
John Curry earned the victory with 18 saves in net, while Mike Murphy stopped 35 shots for the Checkers, who dropped to 1-4-0-0 on the season.
Charlotte embarks on a five-game road trip on Wednesday with a visit to Albany.
BINGHAMTON 3, TORONTO 1
Binghamton scored once in each period and came away with a 3-1 road win over Toronto on Sunday afternoon at Ricoh Coliseum in a game seen live on CBC and NHL Network U.S.
Ryan Keller, Colin Greening, and Erik Condra netted goals for the Senators, who halted a three-game losing skid and moved to 2-3-0-0 on the young season. Greening’s goal marked the first of his professional career.
Senators goaltender Barry Brust, a former AHL All-Star, stopped 41 of 42 shots to pick up his first victory of the season after back-to-back losses.
Rookie Brayden Irwin netted the Marlies’ lone goal of the afternoon.
BRIDGEPORT 4, PORTLAND 1
Justin DiBenedetto scored a pair of goals as Bridgeport handed Portland its first loss of the season, a 4-1 final on Sunday at the Arena at Harbor Yard.
DiBenedetto registered both of his goals on the power play, scoring early in both the first and third periods for his first two goals of the young season. David Ullstrom earned an assist on both markers.
Jesse Joensuu (1-1-2) and Rhett Rakhshani added goals in the victory, and 20-year-old rookie Bridgeport goaltender Kevin Poulin earned his first pro win with 31 saves on 32 shots in net.
With the triumph, the Sound Tigers snapped a three-game losing skid and moved to 2-3-0-0 on the year, with each of their next three games on the road.
Rookie Luke Adam notched his fourth goal of the season for Portland, which suffered its first loss of the campaign (4-1-0-0).
SPRINGFIELD 3, MANCHESTER 1
Springfield built a 3-0 lead early in the third period and cruised to a 3-1 road win over Manchester on Sunday at the Verizon Wireless Arena.
Falcons forward Trevor Frischmon put his team on the board 11:28 into the contest, and rookie defenseman Cody Goloubef, a second-round draft pick by parent-club Columbus in 2008, made it 2-0 at 10:18 of the second period.
First-year forward Tyler Murovich extended Springfield’s lead to 3-0 early in the third frame before Manchester rookie Ray Kaunisto finally broke the shutout with just 4:03 left to play.
Ex-Monarchs goaltender Dan Taylor earned the victory with 34 saves on 35 shots for the Falcons, who improved to 3-1-0-0 on the road in the early going.
Erik Ersberg took the loss for the Monarchs after stopping 23 of 26 shots.
HARTFORD 3, PROVIDENCE 0
Making his season debut, Hartford goaltender Cameron Talbot turned in an impressive 41-save shutout performance as the Wolf Pack blanked host Providence by a 3-0 count on Sunday at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
Talbot, an undrafted rookie out of the University of Alabama-Huntsville, stopped 12 shots in the first period 17 in the second, and 12 more in the third. Hartford was outshot 29-12 over the final 40 minutes, after the Wolf Pack had built their 3-0 advantage.
All three Hartford goals came in the first period, as Dane Byers and Tim Kennedy connected on the power play 27 seconds apart before Jeremy Williams scored at even strength later in the frame.
Kris Newbury assisted on all three Hartford goals, and defenseman Wade Redden earned a helper to run his scoring streak to five games (1-5-6) to begin the season.
The Bruins are now winless in three straight games (0-2-0-1) and fell to 1-3-0-1 overall.
ROCHESTER 5, ADIRONDACK 2
Veteran forward Michael Nylander scored twice and added a pair of assists as Rochester cruised to a 5-2 win over visiting Adirondack on Sunday at the Blue Cross Arena.
Nylander, who entered the game with two goals and a minus-3 rating in Rochester’s first four games, assisted on goals by Michael Duco (first period) and Scott Reynolds (second period) before scoring two of his own in the final frame.
Michal Repik chipped in a trio of assists for the Americans, who won back-to-back games this weekend to improve to 3-2-0-0 overall.
Rochester rookie goaltender Jacob Markstrom earned the win in this one with 25 saves on 27 shots in net.
Patrick Maroon and defenseman Joonas Lehtivuori each posted a goal and a helper for the Phantoms, who dropped to 2-3-1-0 on the young season.
OKLAHOMA CITY 8, HOUSTON 2
Oklahoma City used a five-goal third period to turn a close game into a laugher as the Barons prevailed in their first road game by an 8-2 final over Houston on Sunday at the Toyota Center.
The Barons had dropped back-to-back games to Houston last weekend in Oklahoma prior to breaking through in this one.
Former AHL MVP and two-time Calder Cup champion Alexandre Giroux notched a pair of goals for the Barons, while Chris Vandevelde, Linus Omark, and defenseman Jeff Petry each contributed a goal and an assist.
Teemu Hartikainen and Colin McDonald rounded out Oklahoma City’s offensive attack, as the Barons wound up with one more goal in this one than they had scored in their first four games combined.
Defenseman Shawn Belle contributed with four assists on the evening, and Brad Moran and Matt Marquardt had two helpers apiece. Oklahoma City goaltender Bryan Pitton, making his season debut, stopped 29 of 31 shots to earn the win in net.
Petr Kalus and Robbie Earl netted goals for the Aeros, who dropped two straight games this weekend to begin the home portion of their schedule.
SAN ANTONIO 3, LAKE ERIE 2 (SO)
Tim Stapleton and Mikkel Boedker scored shootout goals to lift San Antonio past visiting Lake Erie by a 3-2 count on Sunday at the AT&T Center.
With the victory, the Rampage snapped a three-game winless skid (0-2-1-0) and earned their first triumph since a 6-3 win over Chicago on opening night Oct. 8.
After surrendering a goal to Ryan Stoa in the first shootout round, Rampage goaltender Matt Climie shut the door with four consecutive stops. Climie finished with 31 saves on 33 shots through the first 65 minutes.
The teams played scoreless hockey until Matthew Ford put the Monsters on top at 5:41 of the second period with a power play goal. Alexandre Picard pulled San Antonio even 8:49 into the third, and Mathieu Beaudoin registered a power play goal of his own less than three minutes later to make it 2-1 Rampage.
Monsters rookie defenseman Colby Cohen then netted his first professional goal with 3:21 left in regulation, preserving a standings point for the visitors.
PEORIA 5, TEXAS 2
A four-goal second period proved decisive as Peoria rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to post a 5-2 road win over Texas on Sunday at the Cedar Park Center.
Nicholas Drazenovic took over the Rivermen team lead with his fourth and fifth goals of the season, with both tallies coming in the second frame.
Dave Scatchard also scored twice for Peoria, and Phil McRae rounded out the offense with his third goal of the season. Chris Porter chipped in a pair of assists in the winning effort.
The Stars, coming off a 5-4 overtime win over San Antonio in their home opener a night earlier, grabbed a 2-0 edge in this one when Travis Morin (2:58) and Scott McCulloch (7:48) scored in the early going.
But Rivermen goaltender Ben Bishop closed the door after that and finished with 40 saves in the win. Peoria moved to a West Division-leading 5-1-0-0 on the campaign and finished its three-game tour of the AHL’s Texas teams this weekend at 3-0-0-0.
