BINGHAMTON 6, HERSHEY 5 (SO)
Binghamton overcame 3-0 and 4-1 deficits in the first period and eventually prevailed over visiting Hershey in a shootout by a 6-5 count on Wednesday at the Broome County Arena. Josh Hennessy posted a goal and an assist in regulation and also tallied a shootout marker for the Senators.
Keith Aucoin registered three points (1-2-3) in the first period alone as the Bears jumped to a quick 4-1 advantage. Hershey also received first-period markers from Andrew Gordon, Kyle Wilson, and Alexandre Giroux.
Mattias Karlsson got the B-Sens on the board with a power play marker at 14:37, and after Giroux made it 4-1 for Hershey, Denis Hamel and Hennessy brought Binghamton within 4-3 heading to intermission.
The seven-goal first period was followed up by a scoreless second, but Binghamton Peter Regin scored five minutes into the third to make it a 4-4 game.
After Bears forward Graham Mink netted a power play goal for his fourth point of the night at 6:49 to push Hershey ahead, Sens rookie Zack Smith responded with a power play marker of his own with 2:37 left in regulation.
Ilya Zubov was denied on Binghamton’s first shootout try, but Hamel, Hennessy, and Greg Mauldin scored on each of the next three attempts. B-Sens goaltender Jeff Glass stopped all three of Hershey’s tries.
The win pushed Binghamton five points up on Philadelphia for the East Division’s fourth and final postseason berth.
WORCESTER 4, LOWELL 3 (OT)
Rookie defenseman Mike Moore scored off a goal-mouth scramble at 2:15 of overtime to propel Worcester to a 4-3 win over visiting Lowell at the DCU Center.
The win brought Worcester into a tie with the Devils for the Atlantic Division’s fourth and final playoff spot. Both clubs have 61 points with 23 games to play.
Cory Larose (1-2-3), Lukas Kaspar (1-2-3), and captain Ryan Vesce (0-3-3) all registered three points in regulation for the Sharks. Rookie Jamie McGinn opened the game’s scoring and now has seven goals in his last six AHL games.
Sharks goaltender Thomas Greiss earned the victory with 21 saves on 24 shots.
Patrick Davis, Alexander Vasyunov, and Michael Swift netted goals for the Devils.
ALBANY 3, BRIDGEPORT 2 (SO)
Albany took a 3-2 shootout win at Bridgeport on Wednesday in its first game back following last Thursday morning’s bus accident.
Jakub Petruzalek’s score in the fifth round was the difference for the River Rats, who also received shootout markers from Nick Dodge and Dwight Helminen.
The River Rats grabbed a 2-0 lead on second-period tallies by Brandon Sutter and Jerome Samson, but the Sound Tigers responded in the third period on goals from Jesse Joensuu and Tyler Haskins.
River Rats goaltender Justin Peters earned the victory with 36 saves on 38 shots.
HARTFORD 5, WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON 1
Hartford netted five unanswered goals to run away with a 5-1 road win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Wednesday at the Wachovia Arena.
Sean Avery tallied his first goal in a Wolf Pack uniform, Greg Moore scored twice, and Patrick Rissmiller and Jordan Owens also found the back of the net for Hartford.
Defensemen Bobby Sanguinetti and Corey Potter each chipped in two assists, and rookie goaltender Matt Zaba stopped 39 of 40 shots in the winning effort.
The Wolf Pack captured their season-high fourth straight win and moved within three points of Providence for first place in the Atlantic Division.
Alex Goligoski initially gave Wilkes-Barre/Scranton a 1-0 lead, but the Penguins have now dropped consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 16-17.
SPRINGFIELD 4, PORTLAND 3 (OT)
Defenseman Cody Wild lit the lamp 15 seconds into overtime to give Springfield a 4-3 win over visiting Portland at the MassMutual Center.
It marked the Falcons’ first overtime victory of the season (1-7) and moved them to 3-1-1-0 in their last five games overall.
The Falcons jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first period, as Ryan Potulny scored two minutes into the tilt and Gilbert Brule followed with a shorthanded marker at 12:14. Shane Willis made it 3-0 with a power play tally at 2:07 of the second.
Portland fought back to a draw by early in the third frame, as Mathieu Darche and Mark Mancari posted a goal and an assist apiece, and Colton Fretter also scored. Nathan Gerbe chipped in a pair of assists.
Falcons goaltender Dany Sabourin emerged with the victory, finishing with 30 saves on 33 shots.
LAKE ERIE 6, SYRACUSE 0
Philippe Dupuis scored twice and added an assist as Lake Erie cruised to a 6-0 win over visiting Syracuse on Wednesday at Quicken Loans Arena.
Matt Hendricks and Mark McCutcheon each posted a goal and an assist, and the Monsters also received tallies from Mike Bartlett and Codey Burki. All told, 12 skaters registered at least one point on the night.
Lake Erie goaltender Jason Bacashihua made 19 saves for his first shutout of the season, helping the Monsters to their first three-game winning streak of the season.
The victory also brought the Monsters within three points of Syracuse for fifth place in the North Division.
PEORIA 2, ROCKFORD 1 (SO)
Carl Corazzini’s second goal of the shootout lifted Peoria to a 2-1 win over visiting Rockford in the sixth round at Carver Arena.
Steve Regier also registered a shootout marker for the Rivermen, and goaltender Manny Legace stopped four of six Rockford attempts after making 34 saves through regulation and overtime.
The game was scoreless in regulation until late in the third period. Rivermen defenseman Steve Wagner scored shorthanded at 15:05, but the IceHogs’ Jack Skille tallied the equalizer with just 1:50 to go in regulation.
The victory pulled Peoria one point back of fifth-place Iowa in the West Division and five back of Chicago and Rockford, who are tied for the final two guaranteed playoff spots.
