WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON 5, LOWELL 0
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton parlayed a four-goal second period into a 5-0 win over Lowell on Wednesday at the Tsongas Arena in the first of its three-game New England road swing. Goaltender Adam Berkhoel turned in a 46-save effort to pick up the shutout.
Jeff Taffe led the offense with a pair of goals, and Janne Pesonen picked up a goal and a helper.
Taffe opened the game’s scoring at 8:17 of the middle stanza, with Pesonen picking up an assist. Former Devil Chris Minard made it 2-0 at 12:10, and Taffe increased the lead to 3-0 at the 12:39 mark, giving him three goals and five points in four games since rejoining Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Rookie Luca Caputi netted his first goal of the season unassisted at 18:46 of the second, and Pesonen closed out the scoring 17:19 into the third period.
Berkhoel withstood a 46-29 disadvantage in shots on goal, including 17-7 in the third period alone, to pick up his third win (3-1-0) and first shutout of the campaign.
BINGHAMTON 4, ALBANY 3 (OT)
Rookie Zack Smith’s second goal of the night came 33 seconds into overtime as Binghamton stunned Albany by a 4-3 final at the Times Union Center.
The River Rats took a 3-0 lead by the 5:29 mark of the second period on goals by Mark Flood, Nicolas Blanchard, and Mike Angelidis.
Ryan Shannon started the B-Sens’ comeback at 11:23 of the middle stanza, and Derek Smith made it 3-2 with a power play goal 6:14 into the third.
Zack Smith then scored with 3:33 left in regulation to tie it, setting the stage for his unassisted game-winner in the extra session. He now has five goals on the young season.
The rally made a winner of Binghamton goaltender Brian Elliott, who stopped 23 of 26 shots in net.
LAKE ERIE 4, MILWAUKEE 3
Lake Erie scored three times in the second period and withstood a late Milwaukee rally to take a 4-3 win over the visiting Admirals at Quicken Loans Arena in the first-ever meeting between the teams.
T.J. Galiardi, Derek Peltier, Brian Willsie, and Chris Durno netted goals for the Monsters. Willsie now has a goal in all five of Lake Erie’s games thus far.
Trailing 4-1 entering the third period, Milwaukee received scores from Kelsey Wilson and Cal O’Reilly to make it close. O’Reilly’s came at the 19:56 mark on the power play.
Antti Pihlstrom scored the Admirals’ first goal in the opening period, at the time giving Milwaukee a 1-0 advantage.
Monsters goaltender Jason Bacashihua earned the win with 29 saves on 32 shots.
TORONTO 4, HAMILTON 3 (OT)
Toronto moved ahead at first, then fell behind, and finally emerged with a 4-3 overtime win over Hamilton at Ricoh Coliseum.
The Marlies took a 2-0 advantage after 20 minutes on goals by Andre Deveaux and Mark Bell.
But Hamilton came back to take a 3-2 lead, as Yanick Lehoux tallied a shorthanded goal midway through the second, and Chad Anderson and Lehoux scored in the third. Matt D’Agostini assisted on all three markers.
Marlies forward Jeremy Williams re-tied the score with a power play goal at 11:20 of the final stanza and netted the game-winner 4:13 into overtime.
Toronto goaltender Justin Pogge made 26 saves in the winning effort.
WORCESTER 5, HARTFORD 4 (SO)
Cory Larose tallied the game-tying goal and a shootout marker against his former team as Worcester outlasted Hartford by a 5-4 final at the DCU Center.
With the Sharks trailing 4-3 after a three-goal Wolf Pack rally in the third period, Larose scored on the power play with 3:57 left in regulation to tie it up.
After a scoreless overtime, he and Steven Zalewski netted shootout goals. Hartford went 0-for-4 against Worcester goaltender Thomas Greiss.
Larose played for the Wolf Pack during the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons, including a trip to the conference finals in 2004.
Jamie McGinn led the Sharks with a pair of goals in regulation, while Dane Byers posted a goal and an assist for Hartford.
