Fri. roundup: Sterling strikes late for Wolves

Friday’s AHL Boxscores

CHICAGO 4, PEORIA 3
Brett Sterling scored twice in the final 2:05 of regulation to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 road win over Peoria on Friday at Carver Arena. Sterling took over the AHL goal-scoring lead (31) and helped the Wolves to their sixth straight victory.

Chicago extended its points streak to 12 games (10-0-0-2) and moved five points ahead of Texas and Rockford for first place in the West Division.

Sterling, who scored the game-winner on Friday with 5.2 seconds to play in regulation, now shows 28 goals and 43 points in 32 career games against Peoria.

Matt Anderson and defenseman Jamie Hunt also notched goals for the Wolves, while Johnny Pohl (0-3-3) and Jason Krog (0-2-2) each chipped in multiple-assist efforts.

Chicago goaltender Peter Mannino (18-3-0) made 25 saves on 28 shots to run his personal winning streak to 10 games.

Aaron Palushaj, Julian Talbot, and Derek Armstrong all scored for the Rivermen, who dropped their fifth straight game and fell to 1-7-0-2 in their last 10 outings.

HAMILTON 4, GRAND RAPIDS 3
David Desharnais notched a hat trick to help Hamilton to a 4-3 road win over Grand Rapids on Friday at Van Andel Arena. Desharnais now shows a point in 13 of his last 14 AHL games (5-16-21) for the Bulldogs, who snapped a three-game winless skid (0-2-0-1).

Desharnais began his onslaught just 30 seconds into the contest and made it a 2-0 Hamilton lead at the 9:49 mark. After Jan Mursak put the Griffins on the board late in the first period, Desharnais completed his hat trick 46 seconds into the second frame.

Tom Pyatt assisted on all three goals by Desharnais, who now boasts a team-leading 19 tallies on the season (19-32-51 in 39 games).

Grant Stevenson also scored for the Bulldogs, and his early third-period goal proved to be decisive when the Griffins climbed back into it on markers by Francis Pare and Jeremy Williams.

Bulldogs goaltender Curtis Sanford held on for the victory, finishing with 23 saves on 26 shots for the night.

The Griffins are now winless in their last three games (1-0-2-0) and fell to 1-3-0-0 against Hamilton this season.

PORTLAND 3, ALBANY 2
Portland rallied for two goals in the third period to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 road win over struggling Albany on Friday at the Times Union Center.

Brad Larsen notched an unassisted power play goal to tie it 2:17 into the contest, and Pirates defenseman Joe DiPenta netted the game-winner shorthanded with just 1:21 to play in regulation.

Portland earned its 10th consecutive victory, matching a franchise record which was originally accomplished from Nov. 8-27, 1996. The Pirates have not lost since a 4-1 setback to Lowell on Jan. 23.

Defenseman Mike Weber also scored for the Pirates, and goaltender Jhonas Enroth secured the win with 28 saves between the pipes.

Nicolas Blanchard and Jerome Samson lit the lamp for the River Rats, who dropped to 3-6-0-1 in their last 10 games with the loss. Samson’s goal was his team-leading 23rd of the campaign.

TORONTO 2, TEXAS 1
Toronto grabbed a 2-0 lead by early in the second period and held on for a 2-1 win over visiting Texas at Ricoh Coliseum on Friday.

Ben Ondrus gave the Marlies a 1-0 lead at 8:15 of the first period, and defenseman Josh Engel extended the margin to 2-0 on the power play 4:10 into the second frame.

Engel’s goal proved to be the game-winner when Stars forward Perttu Lindgren put his club on the board in the third period with 4:17 to play in regulation.

Goaltender Joey MacDonald earned the victory with 21 saves for the Marlies, who moved to 3-1-0-0 in their last four contests.

The Stars’ brief two-game winning streak came to an end.

BRIDGEPORT 4, HARTFORD 2
Bridgeport scored twice apiece in the second and third periods and doubled up Hartford by a 4-2 count on Friday at the XL Center.

After Corey Locke put Hartford on top 1-0 early in the second period, the Sound Tigers got goals from Jeremy Reich and defenseman Mark Flood to take a 3-2 advantage into the third frame.

Wolf Pack forward Brodie Dupont tied it just 22 seconds into the third, but Tyler Haskins restored Bridgeport’s lead 41 seconds later. Trevor Smith sealed the Sound Tigers’ win with an empty-net marker in the closing seconds.

Sean Bentivoglio contributed two assists for the Sound Tigers, and goaltender Nathan Lawson earned the victory with 18 saves in net.

Bridgeport has now put together back-to-back wins for the first time since a two-game sweep of Springfield from Jan. 8-9.

The Wolf Pack dropped their fifth consecutive game – matching a franchise record – and are now 2-9-2-0 in their last 13 contests.

LOWELL 5, MANCHESTER 0
Alexander Vasyunov put Lowell on top just 35 seconds after the opening face-off, and Lowell never looked back en route to a 5-0 win over visiting Manchester at Tsongas Arena.

Ben Walter and rookie defenseman Matt Taormina each registered a goal and two assists for the Devils, who snapped a seven-game winless skid with the victory.

Lowell also received goals from Stephen Gionta and defenseman Cory Murphy, while Michael Swift chipped in two assists in the winning effort.

Devils goaltender Mike McKenna stopped all 27 shots he faced to earn his third shutout of the season but first since Oct. 20.

With the loss, the Monarchs fell to 2-5-0-0 in their last seven games.

WORCESTER 4, BINGHAMTON 3
Worcester forward Dan DaSilva broke a 3-3 tie with 3:14 to play in regulation, and the Sharks held on for a 4-3 road win over Binghamton in a back-and-forth game at the Broome County Arena.

The Senators held leads of 1-0 and 3-2 in the contest, while the Sharks were ahead 2-1 at one point prior to eventually having to rally for the victory.

Jamie McGinn posted a goal and an assist for Worcester, which also received markers from T.J. Trevelyan and rookie Benn Ferriero. Defensemen Danny Groulx and Jason Demers each chipped in two assists on the night.

Sharks goaltender Alex Stalock matched a season high with 40 saves and earned his league-leading 31st victory of the year (31-12-1), helping Worcester win its fourth straight game.

Martin St. Pierre scored twice and defenseman Tomas Kudelka once for the Senators, who will head north for Saturday afternoon’s Mirabito Outdoor Classic in Syracuse.

MANITOBA 4, ROCHESTER 3
Four different Manitoba skaters netted goals as the Moose collected a 4-3 win at Rochester, their second victory over the Americans in a four-day span.

Pierre-Cedric Labrie, Dan Sexton, Michael Grabner, and defenseman Travis Ramsey scored for the Moose. For Ramsey, it marked his first goal of the season.

Marco Rosa posted two assists on the night, and Moose goaltender Cory Schneider (24-17-1) stopped 32 of 35 shots in net to pick up the win.

With the victory, Manitoba moved to within two points of Rochester for second place in the North Division race.

Jeff Taffe initially gave the Amerks a 1-0 lead in the first period, and Rochester also received markers from Mike York and Chris Taylor. The Americans dropped their third straight game and fell to 2-7-0-0 in their last nine outings.

PROVIDENCE 4, ABBOTSFORD 2
Providence scored three times in the third period to erase a 2-1 deficit and escape with a 4-2 win over visiting Abbotsford before 8,944 fans at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.

Bruins defenseman Andrew Bodnarchuk tied the game with an unassisted goal 3:08 into the third frame, and Craig Weller followed with the eventual game-winner just 1:35 later.

Brad Marchand provided insurance for Providence with 1:32 left in regulation, giving him 4-10-14 in 12 games since returning to the lineup from injury.

John Lammers also scored for the Bruins, and goaltender Dany Sabourin (22-18-0) earned the victory with 34 saves between the pipes.

Jason Jaffray notched his team-leading 19th goal of the season for the Heat, and defenseman Brad Cole registered his first goal of the campaign. Abbotsford’s six-game points streak (5-0-0-1) came to an end.

The Heat will continue their six-game New England road trip on Saturday night in Bridgeport.

NORFOLK 3, SPRINGFIELD 1
Mark Parrish registered a goal and an assist to pace Norfolk to a 3-1 win over visiting Springfield at the Scope on Friday in the first of a two-game set.

Ryan Craig and Parrish notched first-period goals to put the Admirals up 2-0, with Parrish scoring shorthanded. Dana Tyrell assisted on both markers.

After Springfield defenseman Chris Armstrong cut the deficit in half in the first period’s closing minute, neither team scored again until the Admirals’ Brandon Bochenski lit the lamp 8:09 into the third frame to provide his club insurance.

Norfolk rookie goaltender Dustin Tokarski made it stand up, finishing with 23 saves to help the Admirals move to 5-1-0-0 in their last six games and to within two points of second-place Albany in the East Division.

Devan Dubnyk made 41 saves in a losing effort for the Falcons, who fell to 1-4-1-0 in their last six tilts.

LAKE ERIE 6, SYRACUSE 4
Philippe Dupuis notched three points (1-2-3) and was a plus-4 as Lake Erie escaped with a 6-4 road win over Syracuse at the Onondaga County War Memorial.

The Monsters received goals from six different players in the victory, including shorthanded markers by Tom Preissing and Matthew Ford (1-1-2) as part of a four-goal second period.

T.J. Hensick (1-1-2), Brian Willsie, and Mike Bartlett also scored for the Monsters, and Lake Erie goaltender Trevor Cann took the victory with 33 saves on 37 shots.

The Monsters moved to 4-1-0-0 in their last five games and closed to within two points of Abbotsford for the North Division’s fourth and final playoff spot.

Derek MacKenzie, Charlie Kronschnabel, Michael Blunden, and defenseman Brendan Bell all scored goals for the Crunch, who dropped to 1-4-0-0 in their last five outings.

ADIRONDACK 5, HERSHEY 3
Adirondack scored five goals over the final two periods to rally for a 5-3 win over visiting Hershey at the Glens Falls Civic Center on Friday.

David Laliberte recorded a goal and two assists to pace the Phantoms, while defensemen Joonas Lehtivuori and Joey Mormina each posted a goal and a helper.

Jason Ward and Jared Ross also notched goals in the victory, and Patrick Maroon contributed a pair of assists.

Adirondack goaltender Johan Backlund only had to make 15 saves in the win, as his club held a 42-18 advantage in shots.

Alexandre Giroux scored twice and Francois Bouchard once for the Bears, who have now dropped two of their last three games.

ROCKFORD 6, SAN ANTONIO 5
Rockford struck for four goals in the first period and held on for a 6-5 win over visiting San Antonio on Friday at the MetroCentre.

Matt Keith notched a hat trick to pace the IceHogs, tallying his 12th, 13th, and 14th goal of the campaign.

Rockford also received tallies from Kyle Greentree and defensemen Richard Petiot and Mike Brennan on the night, while Pete MacArthur (0-3-3) and 2010 AHL All-Star Jack Skille (0-2-2) each had multiple helpers.

IceHogs goaltender Corey Crawford emerged with the victory after making 29 saves on 34 shots, helping his club improve to 13-3-0-1 in its last 17 games.

Mikkel Boedker registered a goal and two assists for the Rampage, who also received markers from Brett MacLean (1-1-2), Stefan Meyer, Kevin Porter, and Kyle Turris.

San Antonio has now lost back-to-back games in regulation for the first time since a three-game skid from Jan. 12-15.

MILWAUKEE 2, HOUSTON 0
Mark Dekanich made 25 saves to lead Milwaukee to a 2-0 victory over Houston at the Bradley Center on Friday night.

Dekanich, who allowed three goals on seven shots to the Aeros in one period of work on Jan. 1, has now shut Houston out in two consecutive meetings. He made 22 saves in a 2-0 win on Jan. 29.

The Admirals improved to 5-1-0-0 this season against the Aeros. Andreas Thuresson opened the scoring with his eighth goal of the year at the 8:52 mark of the first period, and Scott Ford notched his first of the campaign at 5:23 of the third.

Barry Brust stopped 27 of 29 shots for Houston in defeat. The Aeros were blanked for the second consecutive game and have scored just one goal in their last 194:29 of play.

With the win, Milwaukee has opened up a seven-point lead over fifth-place Houston in the West Division; the top four teams will make the Calder Cup Playoffs come April.