LOOKING BACK:
On Thursday evening, Curtis Glencross and Andrew Murray each scored twice to lead Syracuse past Hamilton, 5-1… On Wednesday, David Van der Gulik’s hat trick gave Omaha a 3-2 win over Manitoba and moved the Knights into sole possession of first place in the West Division… Brandon Dubinsky recorded two goals and two assists in Hartford’s 7-4 win over Portland… Brian Elliott made 40 saves in Binghamton’s 4-1 win over Hershey… Kyle Wanvig scored twice as Springfield snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over Albany.
Wed 4/4
HARTFORD 7, Portland 4… SPRINGFIELD 3, Albany 2… PHILADELPHIA 3, Bridgeport 0… W-B/Scranton 3, NORFOLK 1… BINGHAMTON 4, Hershey 1… ROCHESTER 5, Toronto 3… SYRACUSE 3, Grand Rapids 1… OMAHA 3, Manitoba 2… Manchester 5, WORCESTER 3
Thu 4/5
Syracuse 5, HAMILTON 1
LOOKING AHEAD:
Norfolk has spent most of the 2006-07 season atop the East Division, but the Admirals could fall into third place with another loss to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday night… The Penguins’ 3-1 victory on Wednesday was just the fifth regulation home loss of the season for Norfolk (32-5-2-0)… Nolan Schaefer made 43 saves for his first win over the Admirals in four tries this season… Jean-Francois Jacques scored for the Penguins in his return after six weeks in the NHL with Edmonton… Martin St. Pierre extended his scoring streak to eight games (4g, 7a) with the lone Norfolk goal… Pierre Parenteau’s assist gave him points in 13 straight games (5g, 15a)… Wilkes-Barre has won five straight road games.
Another possible first-round playoff preview pits Hamilton against Rochester at the Blue Cross Arena on Friday… The Americans come in one point up on the Bulldogs for second place and home-ice advantage in the North Division semifinals… Rochester has won six of its last nine games and is on the brink of qualifying for the Calder Cup Playoffs for the 17th time in the last 18 years… Rookie Adam Dennis made 40 saves and Noah Welch recorded two assists in the Amerks’ 5-3 win over Toronto on Wednesday night… Hamilton posted a 7-4 win over Rochester last Saturday, but has been outscored by a 9-2 margin in two games since… Seven of Jonathan Ferland’s 21 goals this season have come in eight games against the Americans.
Bridgeport visits Albany on Saturday night in the finale of their eight-game season series… The clubs enter the weekend battling for the final playoff spot in the East Division, tied in points (74) and tied in wins (34) with six games remaining apiece… A Bridgeport regulation win on Saturday would also tie the head-to-head series at eight points each… The River Rats, who visit Binghamton on Friday night, are 2-6-0-1 in their last nine games; the Sound Tigers, who are hosting Providence on Friday, have lost seven of 10 over the same span… Albany captain and Second Team AHL All-Star Keith Aucoin has tallied 17 points in seven games against Bridgeport this year.
(all times Eastern)
Fri 4/6
Toronto at Grand Rapids, 7:00… Hartford at Worcester, 7:00… Albany at Binghamton, 7:05… Hershey at Philadelphia, 7:05… W-B/Scranton at Norfolk, 7:15… Providence at Bridgeport, 7:30… Lowell at Manchester, 7:35… Hamilton at Rochester, 7:35… Chicago at Milwaukee, 8:00… San Antonio at Omaha, 8:00… Manitoba at Iowa, 8:05… Houston at Peoria, 8:30
Sat 4/7
Portland at Manchester, 2:05… Bridgeport at Albany, 7:00… Springfield at Hartford, 7:00… Norfolk at Hershey, 7:00… Hamilton at Toronto, 7:00… Worcester at Binghamton, 7:05… Providence at Lowell, 7:05… Philadelphia at W-B/Scranton, 7:05… Grand Rapids at Chicago, 8:00… Houston at Omaha, 8:00… Manitoba at Peoria, 8:00… San Antonio at Iowa, 8:05… Rochester at Syracuse, 8:30
Sun 4/8
Albany at Hartford, 4:00… W-B/Scranton at Hershey, 5:00
Mon 4/9
No games scheduled
Tue 4/10
Manchester at Portland, 7:05… Rochester at Toronto, 7:30… Houston at Milwaukee, 8:00… San Antonio at Omaha, 8:00
ALUMNI WATCH:
On Thursday night, Bryan Bickell scored a goal and Jonas Nordqvist had an assist in their NHL debuts, helping Chicago to a 3-2 shootout win over Detroit… Martin Brodeur set an NHL record with his 48th win of the season, leading New Jersey past Philadelphia, 3-2.
ON THIS DATE (April 6):
1937 – Seventy years ago today, the Philadelphia Arena hosts the first Calder Cup Finals game ever played… The Philadelphia Ramblers earn a 2-0 win over the Syracuse Stars, but the Stars go on to win the next three games and the championship.
AHL ON B2 NETWORKS:
B2 Networks brings AHL action to your computer, web-enabled cell phone or PDA all season long with live video webcasts of nearly every AHL game… Visit theahl.com for details.
