AHL Quick Hits — December 6-7, 2006

LOOKING BACK:
On Tuesday, rookie Brett Sterling became the AHL’s first 20-goal scorer this season, finding the net twice in Chicago’s 5-2 win over Iowa… Mark Mancari scored twice in the third period to lead Rochester to a 3-2 victory at Manitoba.

Mon 12/4
No games scheduled

Tue 12/5
CHICAGO 5, Iowa 2… Rochester 3, MANITOBA 2


LOOKING AHEAD:
Hershey and Norfolk went two months of the season without a head-to-head matchup, but the teams will get to know each other very well with three meetings in the next five days, beginning Wednesday night at Scope… The teams’ last get-together came in April, when the Bears swept the Admirals in four straight in their division semifinal playoff series… This year, the teams are a combined 29-8-5-4 on the season, and own two of the league’s top five marks overall… Hershey has won just one of its last five games, but has managed points in four of them (1-1-2-1)… Eric Fehr has scored a goal in each of the Bears’ last two contests, and has found the scoresheet in 19 of his 21 AHL games played this season… Norfolk remains without top scorers Brandon Bochenski and Martin St. Pierre, but former Bear Carl Corazzini, with 19 points in 16 AHL games this year, is back from an NHL recall to Chicago.

Rochester got back in the win column with a come-from-behind victory over Manitoba on Tuesday night; the Amerks look to extend their 10-point lead atop the North Division in Wednesday’s rematch in Winnipeg… With his two goals on Tuesday, Mark Mancari has 13 points in his last nine games for Rochester… Craig Anderson needed just 12 saves as the Amerks finished with a 27-14 edge in shots on goal… The Moose, who have lost four of their last five at the MTS Centre, got power-play goals from Patrick Coulombe and Brandon Reid in defeat… Reid’s goal ended a nine-game drought… Brad Moran recorded an assist, giving him 13 points (5g, 8a) in his last eight contests… Manitoba’s current slide marks the first time since Apr. 6-10, 2005, that they have been dealt three straight regulation losses.

Milwaukee visits San Antonio on Thursday night in the ninth game of a 10-game road trip… Six of the Admirals’ nine wins this season have come in extra time, including all four on this trip (three overtime, one shootout)… Rich Peverley has five points (1g, 4a), Ville Koistinen has four assists and Jason Guerriero has added two goals and an assist in Milwaukee’s last two games, both wins… The Rampage have won five of their last seven at the AT&T Center as they kick off a six-game homestand… Yanick Lehoux extended his scoring streak to seven games (5g, 5a) with a pair of goals in Saturday’s 5-4 loss to Chicago… David LeNeveu made 55 saves in that game, his first back with San Antonio after spending the previous month on NHL recall to Phoenix… This is the first of eight meetings this season between the teams.

(all times Eastern)
Wed 12/6
Lowell at Springfield, 7:05… Hershey at Norfolk, 7:15… Binghamton at Bridgeport, 7:30… Hamilton at Toronto, 7:30… Rochester at Manitoba, 8:30

Thu 12/7
Milwaukee at San Antonio, 8:00… Omaha at Houston, 8:05

Fri 12/8
Springfield at Albany, 7:00… Toronto at Grand Rapids, 7:00… Hartford at Worcester, 7:00… Norfolk at Binghamton, 7:05… Chicago at Philadelphia, 7:05… Portland at Providence, 7:05… W-B/Scranton at Hamilton, 7:30… Lowell at Manchester, 7:35… Syracuse at Rochester, 7:35… Peoria at Manitoba, 8:30


ALUMNI WATCH:
On Tuesday, 2005 AHL MVP Jason Spezza had a goal and two assists as Ottawa defeated the N.Y. Islanders, 4-2… Martin St. Pierre earned his first career NHL point with an assist on Brandon Bochenski’s goal in Chicago’s 3-2 shootout loss to Minnesota… Two-time AHL All-Star Miikka Kiprusoff made 23 saves as Calgary shut out Carolina, 3-0.


BY THE NUMBERS:
31
— Consecutive games in which the Binghamton Whalers’ Mike Richard recorded a point during the 1987-88 season, an AHL record… Chicago teammates Darren Haydar (24) and Jason Krog (23) are both closing in on the mark.


AHL ON B2 NETWORKS:
B2 Networks brings AHL action to your computer all season long with live video webcasts of nearly every AHL game… Visit theahl.com for details.