LOWELL 8, PROVIDENCE 1
Lowell ended its five-game losing streak and seven-game winless skid (0-6-0-1) with an emphatic 8-1 victory over visiting Providence on Saturday at Tsongas Arena.
Jon DiSalvatore netted a hat trick and four points to pace the Devils, while Petr Vrana (1-2-3), Chad Wiseman (1-2-3), and rookie defenseman Tyler Eckford (0-3-3) each had three points.
Lowell began its assault by scoring five times in the game’s first 11:46 and entered intermission with a 5-0 advantage.
After going scoreless in the second period – when Jeremy Reich tallied Providence’s lone score – the Devils registered three more goals in the third frame. The eight goals marked a franchise record for the third-year Devils.
Barry Tallackson chipped in a pair of goals in the win, and defenseman Anssi Salmela had a goal and an assist. The Devils went 4-for-5 on the power play against a Providence penalty-killing unit that entered third in the league (87.4 percent), and Tallackson added a shorthanded marker.
Goaltender Jeff Frazee earned the win with 32 saves for the Devils, who secured their first victory since a 3-1 decision over the first-place Bruins on Dec. 5.
ALBANY 3, ROCHESTER 2
Albany jumped out to a 3-0 lead and had to hold off a late Rochester rally to take a 3-2 win over the visiting Amerks on Saturday at the Times Union Center. Dwight Helminen netted a pair of goals to pace the River Rats.
The victory snapped Albany’s three-game overall losing skid and moved them to 6-1-1-0 in their last eight home contests.
After a scoreless first period, ex-Amerk Michael Ryan put the River Rats on top 1-0 at 14:11 of the middle stanza.
Helminen made it 2-0 at 15:25, and his power play goal at 3:12 of the third extended the advantage to 3-0.
Rochester did not go quietly, however. Janis Sprukts got his team on the board at 14:32, and Greg Stewart scored just 1:59 later to close the gap to one. But the Americans could not find the equalizer.
River Rats goaltender Justin Peters earned the victory with 18 saves on 20 shots.
GRAND RAPIDS 2, LAKE ERIE 0
A pair of power play goals in the second period lifted Grand Rapids to a 2-0 win over visiting Lake Erie at Van Andel Arena.
Darren Haydar opened the scoring at 2:46 of the middle frame and then assisted on Francis Lemieux’s marker, which came just 1:04 later.
Griffins goaltender Daniel Larsson stopped all 23 shots he faced to pick up his fourth shutout of the campaign.
Grand Rapids (18-7-4-3) is now tied with Manitoba atop the North Division with 43 points apiece.
BINGHAMTON 4, HERSHEY 1
Four different players scored for Binghamton as the streaking Senators posted a 4-1 road win over Hershey before 10,057 fans at the Giant Center.
Danny Bois and Derek Smith each posted a goal and an assist for the Senators, while Aaron Clarke and Drew Fata also found the back of the net. Clarke’s goal was the first of his AHL career.
Senators goaltender Brian Elliott stopped 43 of 44 shots for his league-leading 16th win of the season (16-7-1). Binghamton has now won a season-high four straight games and has a point in seven in a row (6-0-1-0).
Keith Aucoin netted Hershey’s lone goal in the opening period.
MANCHESTER 3, PORTLAND 2
Brian Boyle had a hand in all three goals as Manchester took a 3-2 win over visiting Portland at the Verizon Wireless Arena.
An AHL All-Rookie forward last season, Boyle opened the game’s scoring 15 seconds into the second period and then assisted on Manchester’s other two markers.
Alec Martinez and Scott Parse also scored for the Monarchs, and Ryan Murphy chipped in a pair of assists. Goaltender Jonathan Bernier made 26 saves in the win, which was Manchester’s second in a row following a four-game skid.
Mark Mancari and Marek Zagrapan netted goals for the Pirates.
HARTFORD 4, SPRINGFIELD 3 (OT)
Artem Anisimov scored 1:37 into overtime to give Hartford a 4-3 road win over Springfield in a back-and-forth game at the MassMutual Center.
Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau (1-2-3), David Urquhart (1-1-2), and Brodie Dupont (1-0-1) also scored for the Wolf Pack, who overcame a 2-0 deficit to take a 3-2 lead with 13:07 to play in regulation.
But the Falcons’ Ryan O’Marra scored his first goal of the season to tie it with 9:45 left, setting the stage for overtime. Ryan Potulny and Carl Corazzini netted the goals that gave Springfield its initial 2-0 edge.
Hartford goaltender Matt Zaba earned the win with 18 saves, while the Falcons are now winless in five straight outings (0-4-1-0).
WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON 5, BRIDGEPORT 4
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton overcame three different one-goal deficits and eventually emerged with a 5-4 win over visiting Bridgeport before 6,793 fans at the Wachovia Arena.
Jeff Taffe had a game-high four points (2-2-4) for the Penguins, and Chris Minard also had two goals, including the game-winner on the power play at 11:29 of the third period. Minard now has a league-leading 24 goals on the campaign, including eight over his last five games (8-1-9).
Nick Johnson added a goal for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and Ryan Stone had three assists. Goaltender John Curry made 23 saves in the victory.
The Sound Tigers’ Trevor Smith tallied a pair of power play goals, Brett Skinner netted his first goal of the season on the power play, and Jason Pitton’s first goal of the campaign came shorthanded.
NORFOLK 7, PHILADELPHIA 2
Steve Downie’s first professional hat trick came at the expense of his former team and lifted Norfolk to a 7-2 win over visiting Philadelphia at the Scope. The Admirals are now riding a season-high four-game winning streak.
Grant Potulny (1-2-3) and Mike Lundin (0-3-3) also had three points for the Admirals, while Jay Rosehill, Justin Keller, and Brandon Segal added a goal apiece in the winning effort. Brandon Bochenski chipped in a pair of assists.
The Admirals held a 48-36 advantage in shots, including a 23-shot second period that saw them score four times. Goaltender Mike McKenna earned the win for Norfolk with 34 saves.
Jonathan Matsumoto and Garrett Klotz had goals for the Phantoms, who are winless in three straight (0-2-0-1) and dropped to fifth place in the East Division.
SYRACUSE 5, HAMILTON 4
Syracuse scored three times in the third period to erase a 4-2 deficit and take a 5-4 win over visiting Hamilton in front of 6,032 fans at the Onondaga County War Memorial.
Ryan Garlock began the comeback with a shorthanded marker at 6:56 of the third, John Vigilante’s second goal of the game tied it at 15:02, and Adam Pineault netted the game-winner at 16:51.
Maksim Mayorov also scored for the Crunch, and Trevor Frischmon racked up three assists on the night. Syracuse snapped a 10-game winless skid (0-8-1-1) and won for the first time since Nov. 28.
Yannick Weber scored twice for the Bulldogs, while David Desharnais and Greg Stewart also lit the lamp.
TORONTO 3, MANITOBA 2 (SO)
Tim Stapleton and Jiri Tlusty netted shootout goals to lift Toronto over Manitoba by a 3-2 count at Ricoh Coliseum in the opener of the teams’ two-game set.
Darryl Boyce and Phil Oreskovic scored in regulation for the Marlies, with Oreskovic’s goal marking his first of the season.
Marlies goaltender James Reimer earned the win in his AHL debut, making 22 saves through the first 65 minutes and stopping four of Manitoba’s five shootout tries.
Raymond Sawada netted his first two goals of the season in regulation for the Moose, then scored the team’s lone shootout marker in the fourth round. Manitoba (21-8-0-1) had been the last AHL team yet to suffer either an overtime or shootout loss this season.
MILWAUKEE 5, CHICAGO 3
Milwaukee’s offense scored five times in the third period – including four on the power play – to turn a 3-0 deficit into a 5-3 road win over rival Chicago before 8,788 fans at Allstate Arena.
Ryan Jones scored twice in the period for the Admirals, Mike Santorelli had a team-high three points (1-2-3), and Milwaukee also received goals from Jed Ortmeyer and Hugh Jessiman.
Patric Hornqvist and Alexander Sulzer each chipped in a pair of assists in the win, and goaltender Drew MacIntyre stopped 30 of 33 shots between the pipes.
The victory, combined with Peoria’s loss to San Antonio, lifted the Admirals (20-9-0-1, 41 points) into sole possession of first place in the West Division.
Spencer Machacek, Joe Motzko, and Steve Martins all scored for the Wolves, who had been 15-1-0-0 this season when taking a lead into the third period.
SAN ANTONIO 3, PEORIA 1
San Antonio scored twice in the first period and went on to a 3-1 road win over Peoria at Carver Arena.
Jeff Hoggan and Garth Murray netted goals just 1:11 apart in the opening frame, and Joel Perrault added an empty-net marker in the game’s closing minute.
Chris Conner tallied the Rivermen’s lone goal late in the first period.
Goaltender Josh Tordjman made 31 saves in the victory for the Rampage, who won their third straight game and moved to 9-2-0-0 in December.
IOWA 6, ROCKFORD 5
Iowa snapped a brief two-game losing skid with a 6-5 win over visiting Rockford at Wells Fargo Arena in the opener of the teams’ home-and-home set.
Defenseman Brian Salcido racked up a game-high four points (1-3-4) for the Chops, while fellow blueliner Adrian Veideman and T.J. Trevelyan each tallied two goals and an assist.
Matt Beleskey rounded out Iowa’s offense with a goal and a helper, and goaltender David LeNeveu emerged with the victory after making 30 saves.
Tim Brent paced the IceHogs with two goals and a helper. Jordan Hendry, Jack Skille, and Tim Hambly all added scores in the loss.
After an off-day on Sunday, the teams will square off for a rematch at the Rockford MetroCentre on Monday.
QUAD CITY 3, HOUSTON 2
Quad City jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second period and held on for a 3-2 win over visiting Houston at the I Wireless Center.
Peter Vandermeer, Kris Chucko, and David Van der Gulik netted goals for the Flames, who captured their second win in the last three games (2-1-0-0).
Flames goaltender Leland Irving earned the victory with 26 saves on 28 shots, evening the rookie’s season record at 6-6-0.
Mitch Love scored his first goal of the season for the Aeros, and Jesse Schultz also lit the lamp.
