LOOKING BACK:
In Tuesday’s action, Benoit Mondou notched a hat trick and added an assist while Olli Malmivaara chipped in three points (2-1-3) as Lowell dropped Manchester, 7-3… Hours after being traded from Tampa Bay to Anaheim, former Admirals defenseman Jay Leach lit the lamp against his ex-mates in Portland’s 5-1 victory over Norfolk.
Mon 2/25
No games scheduled
Tue 2/26
PORTLAND 5, Norfolk 1
Lowell 7, MANCHESTER 3
LOOKING AHEAD:
Hershey kicks off a nine-game road trip – the longest in franchise history – with a two-game series against Manitoba at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg… The Bears enter Wednesday’s game with points in 12 of their last 15 contests (8-3-1-3), while the Moose are winners of four of five (4-1-0-0), and both teams rank second in their respective divisions… Alexandre Giroux, who notched a team-high 42 goals and 70 points for Hershey last season, returns to the Bears after being reacquired by Washington from Atlanta on Tuesday… Hershey’s Kyle Wilson has a goal in four of his last five outings (5-2-7), and rookie Jay Beagle boasts a three-game scoring streak (2-1-3)… Brad Moran paces the Moose with 47 points (15-32-47), and his 15 goals are tied for the team lead with Alexandre Bolduc (15-15-30) and 2006 first-round pick Michael Grabner (15-14-29)… Reigning Rbk/AHL Player of the Week Drew MacIntyre is 12-5-1 with a 1.88 GAA in 18 home appearances this season for Manitoba.
Chicago makes its first visit of the season to the AT&T Center to take on San Antonio on Wednesday and Friday… The teams haven’t met since Nov. 18, when the Rampage handed the Wolves their first regulation defeat of the season after a 13-0-1-0 start… Fast-forward three months, and the Wolves are 9-0-1-0 in their last 10 games and have allowed only 11 goals during the streak (32-11)… Goaltender Ondrej Pavelec is 8-1-0 with a 1.10 GAA and .958 save percentage over his last nine games… Brett Sterling has nine points (5-4-9), including four game-winning goals, during his current six-game scoring streak… Two-time AHL All-Star Joe Motzko joins the Wolves after notching team highs in goals (21) and points (48) in 48 games for Hershey this year… Bill Thomas has a goal in three straight games (3-2-5) and six of eight (6-5-11) for San Antonio, and a team-high 20 for the season (20-20-40)… Jon DiSalvatore is riding a five-game scoring streak (3-3-6)… Al Montoya (16-8-3), who won his last five decisions with Hartford, was acquired by Phoenix on Tuesday from the N.Y. Rangers.
Syracuse, five points out of a guaranteed playoff spot in the North Division, travels down I-81 on Wednesday for a clash with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, which has fallen to fourth in the East Division… The Crunch had lost five straight to the Penguins before posting a 1-0 win behind ex-Pen goaltender Karl Goehring when the teams met in Syracuse on Saturday… Rookie center Derick Brassard, a 2006 first-round draft pick who has 25 points (5-20-25) in 21 AHL games this season, was reassisgned to the Crunch from parent-club Columbus on Tuesday… 2008 AHL All-Star Joakim Lindstrom leads Syracuse with 49 points (21-28-49) in 41 games… Syracuse boasts a league-high 17 shorthanded goals on the campaign… Dave Gove has a goal in three of his last four games for the Penguins, who have lost four of their last six… Nathan Smith leads all scorers with nine points (3-6-9) and a plus-6 rating in five games against the Crunch this season… The Penguins are 21-3-0-1 when scoring the game’s first goal.
(all times Eastern)
Wed 2/27
Binghamton @ Albany, 7:00
Houston @ Lake Erie, 7:00
Springfield @ Worcester, 7:05
Syracuse @ W-B/Scranton, 7:05
Grand Rapids @ Hamilton, 7:30
Chicago @ San Antonio, 8:00
Milwaukee @ Rockford, 8:05
Hershey @ Manitoba, 8:30
Thu 2/28
Hershey @ Manitoba, 8:30
ALUMNI WATCH:
Three AHL graduates tallied their first career NHL goals in Tuesday’s action: 2008 AHL All-Star defenseman Jonathan Ericsson scored in Detroit’s 4-3 shootout loss at Edmonton… Recalled earlier in the day from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Connor James lit the lamp in Pittsburgh’s 4-2 win over the N.Y. Islanders… David Krejci, who notched a team-high 31 goals and 74 points in 69 AHL games for Providence last season, scored to help Boston past Ottawa, 4-0.
BY THE NUMBERS:
33 — Consecutive shorthanded situations killed off by Houston over its last six games… The Aeros, who now rank second in the AHL in penalty killing at 86.5 percent, conclude a four-game road trip on Wednesday at Lake Erie.
AHL ON B2 NETWORKS:
