LOOKING BACK:
In Tuesday’s action, rookie Ben Maxwell notched a hat trick to pace Hamilton past San Antonio, 6-1… First-year pro P.J. Fenton netted a pair of goals as Worcester downed Bridgeport, 5-3… Rookie Maksim Mayorov scored twice to give Syracuse a 2-1 win at Manitoba… On Monday, rookie Pete MacArthur broke a 1-1 tie in the third period to lift Rockford past Milwaukee, 2-1.
Mon 3/23
ROCKFORD 2, Milwaukee 1
Tue 3/24
Manchester 3, LOWELL 0
Worcester 5, BRIDGEPORT 3
HAMILTON 6, San Antonio 1
Peoria 3, IOWA 2
Syracuse 2, MANITOBA 1
LOOKING AHEAD: 
Division rivals Binghamton and Philadelphia conclude their season series with a key battle on Wednesday at the Broome County Arena… The Senators have won six of their last eight games (6-2-0-0) and are eight points up on the Phantoms for the East Division’s final playoff spot, but Philadelphia holds two games in hand… Peter Regin’s 12-game scoring streak (7-14-21) ended in Binghamton’s 2-1 shootout win over the Phantoms on Saturday… Greg Mauldin has netted a goal in five of his last six outings (6-3-9), and Senators captain Denis Hamel is one point shy of 500 for his AHL career… Jared Ross shows a point in seven of his last eight tilts (4-5-9) for the Phantoms, and rookie Patrick Maroon has a team-high four goals and seven points against Binghamton this season… Philadelphia’s Danny Syvret ranks second among AHL defensemen with 48 points (11-37-48), while Senators rookie blueliner Mattias Karlsson’s 47 points (7-40-47) are tied for third… Binghamton owns the AHL’s top power play (23.6 percent), and Philadelphia is fifth (19.3 percent).
Toronto kicks off a three-game East Division road swing at Hershey on Wednesday looking to keep its slim hold on a playoff spot in the North Division… The Marlies, winless in three straight (0-1-1-1), are just one point up on Syracuse for fourth place… Tim Stapleton continues to pace Toronto in scoring with 67 points (22-45-67) and has found the scoresheet in eight of his last nine contests (4-5-9)… Jiri Tlusty has a team-high 24 goals (24-39-63) for the Marlies but has been held to one in his last 10 games… Jeremy Williams has recorded 20 points (13-7-20) in his last 19 games for Toronto… The Bears enter Wednesday’s action one point back of Bridgeport for the East Division lead and can clinch a playoff spot with a win and any Philadelphia loss… Alexandre Giroux paces the AHL with 50 goals; both Giroux and rookie Francois Bouchard scored twice in Hershey’s 6-1 win at Toronto on Mar. 7… Bears defenseman Staffan Kronwall had 7-18-25 in 42 games with the Marlies earlier this season… Hershey has picked up a point in six straight home games (5-0-0-1) since a 5-4 loss to Norfolk on Feb. 14.
Milwaukee looks to close in on the West Division title when its hosts second-place Houston on Wednesday… The Admirals are 17 points up on the Aeros, who themselves are just one point ahead of Peoria for the second slot… Houston has not pulled away from the field despite winning three straight and 13 of its last 17 games (13-4-0-0)… Corey Locke is on a nine-game scoring streak (4-7-11) for Houston – the longest active run in the AHL – and ranks among the league’s top 10 in scoring with 70 points overall (24-46-70)… Aeros rookie Matt Beaudoin is on a four-game scoring run (2-2-4)… Krys Kolanos leads the Aeros with 25 goals (25-18-43), including a team-high four in five games against Milwaukee… Mike Santorelli has 15 points (7-8-15) in his last 11 games for the Admirals, and defenseman Cody Franson is averaging a point per game (2-9-11) thus far in March… Milwaukee goaltender Drew MacIntyre is tied for the league lead with a career-high 30 wins (30-13-3)… Houston’s second-ranked power play (20.9 percent) will square off with Milwaukee’s top-ranked penalty kill (87.0 percent).
(all times Eastern)
Wed 3/25
Toronto @ Hershey, 7:00
Philadelphia @ Binghamton, 7:05
Albany @ Rochester, 7:05
Grand Rapids @ W-B/Scranton, 7:05
Houston @ Milwaukee, 8:00
Chicago @ Quad City, 8:05
Iowa @ Rockford, 8:05
Syracuse @ Manitoba, 8:30
Thu 3/26
San Antonio @ Lake Erie, 8:00
ALUMNI WATCH:
On Tuesday, defenseman Michael Sauer, who has 22 points and a plus-19 rating in 59 AHL games for Hartford this season, made his NHL debut for the N.Y. Rangers in a 2-1 win over Minnesota… Phil Oreskovic scored his first career NHL goal in Toronto’s 3-2 shootout triumph over Washington… 2008 AHL All-Star Jonathan Ericsson netted his first NHL goal of the campaign to help Detroit past Edmonton, 3-2.
BY THE NUMBERS:
6 — Consecutive victories for Syracuse goaltender Kevin Lalande since taking the loss in his Crunch debut on Mar. 7… The Crunch, one point out of a playoff spot in the North, conclude a two-game trip to Manitoba on Wednesday.
AHL LIVE:
Don’t miss a step on the road to the 2009 Calder Cup Playoffs. AHL Live brings AHL action to your computer all season long with live video webcasts and highlights of every AHL game, as well as behind-the-scenes features and interviews in the Video On Demand section… Visit theahl.com or ahllive.com for details.
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