WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON 5, NORFOLK 3
Dave Gove (pictured) notched a hat trick to help Wilkes-Barre/Scranton post a 5-3 win over Norfolk on Wednesday at the Wachovia Arena. The Penguins captured their fifth consecutive victory.
Gove scored an unassisted goal in the first period to open the game’s scoring. He scored again midway through the third period to make it 4-2 Penguins, and after Norfolk closed to 4-3, he sealed the win with an empty-netter in the closing minute.
Rookie defenseman Ben Lovejoy, who played five games for the Admirals late last season, tallied his first professional goal in the third period, and it turned out to be the game-winner.
Jon D’Aversa also scored for the Penguins, and rookie goaltender John Curry picked up the win with 17 saves.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton closed to within two points of Albany for second place in the East Division and holds three games in hand on the River Rats.
Norfolk’s Marek Kvapil notched a shorthanded goal, while Adam Henrich and Rob Klinkhammer also scored.
PORTLAND 3, ALBANY 2 (OT)
Geoff Platt’s second goal of the game and 32nd of the season came 2:01 into overtime to give Portland a 3-2 road win over Albany at the Times Union Center.
The Pirates captured their fifth straight victory and moved into sole possession of second place in the Atlantic Division, two points up on idle Hartford.
Platt has five goals over his last four games, and his 32 markers overall are tied with Chicago’s Brett Sterling for the league lead.
Jay Leach also scored for the Pirates, and Stephen Dixon assisted on all three goals. Goaltender Jean-Sebastien Aubin made 19 saves and improved to 4-1-0 since joining the Pirates.
Albany defenseman Chris Murray scored his first career AHL goal, and Jeff Hamilton also lit the lamp.
MANCHESTER 3, SPRINGFIELD 1
Manchester kept its playoff hopes very much alive with a 3-1 win over Springfield on Wednesday at the Verizon Wireless Arena.
Rookies Teddy Purcell and Brian Boyle both scored for the Monarchs, as did Lauri Tukonen.
The Monarchs took a 3-0 advantage before Springfield’s Viacheslav Trukhno scored late in the third period, extending his goal-scoring streak to four games.
Manchester goaltender Jonathan Quick wound up with 22 saves in the winning effort.
With the victory, the Monarchs pulled within four points of Springfield for the Atlantic Division’s fourth and final playoff spot. The teams have two head-to-head match-ups left.
BINGHAMTON 6, BRIDGEPORT 3
Josh Hennessy (2-1-3) and Matt Carkner (2-0-2) each tallied two goals as Binghamton cruised to a 6-3 road win over Bridgeport at the Arena at Harbor Yard.
After Bridgeport rookie Trevor Smith put his team on top at 10:23 of the first period, the Senators scored five unanswered goals to take a 5-1 lead into the final 20 minutes.
Niko Dimitrakos and Danny Bois scored a goal apiece, part of a four-goal Binghamton second period. Justin Mapletoft, a former Sound Tiger, contributed a pair of assists for the B-Sens.
Senators goaltender Brian Elliott made 31 saves in the win, which pulled Binghamton within four points of a playoff spot in the East Division.
Olivier Labelle notched his first AHL goal of the season for Bridgeport, and Smith added a shorthanded goal in the third stanza.
CHICAGO 3, HAMILTON 2
Darren Haydar scored at 19:59 of the third period, lifting Chicago to a dramatic come-from-behind victory over visiting Hamilton at the Allstate Arena.
Haydar’s power play goal was assisted by AHL leading scorer Jason Krog and rookie defenseman Grant Lewis.
The teams traded first-period goals, with Chicago’s Scott Lehman and Hamilton’s Brock Trotter each scoring for the first time in their respective AHL careers.
Bulldogs all-time leading scorer Corey Locke made it 2-1 at 8:19 of the third period, but Wolves defenseman Nathan Oystrick tallied the equalizer just 1:27 later, setting the stage for Haydar’s late heroics.
Haydar’s goal made a winner of rookie goaltender Ondrej Pavelec, who stopped 20 of 22 shots.
Hamilton’s season-high regulation losing streak was extended to five games.
GRAND RAPIDS 7, TORONTO 1
Grand Rapids scored a season-high seven goals in a 7-1 win over struggling Toronto at the Van Andel Arena.
Darren Helm had a game-high four points (2-2-4) for the Griffins. Evan McGrath and Mark O’Leary – playing in his first career AHL game – also notched two-goal nights.
Garrett Stafford rounded out the Griffins’ offense with a goal and a helper, and 2008 AHL All-Star goaltender Jimmy Howard secured the win with 34 saves on 35 shots.
Jay Harrison was the only member of the Marlies to solve Howard, as he scored on the power play in the third period. Toronto, which leads the North Division, is winless in five straight games (0-4-1-0) and is just 1-5-2-1 in its last nine contests.
SAN ANTONIO 3, WORCESTER 1
San Antonio began a four-game tour of New England with a 3-1 victory over the Worcester Sharks on Wednesday at the DCU Center.
Defenseman Brendan Bell notched the eventual game-winning goal at 13:06 of the first period and also added an assist on the night.
Jon DiSalvatore, who began his career in the San Jose organization, lit the lamp for San Antonio, and captain Bryan Helmer rounded out the Rampage offense. Both players also spent time with the AHL’s former Worcester IceCats.
Josh Tordjman picked up the win in net with 29 saves. His shutout bid was broken up by Sharks defenseman Dan Spang with 3:23 left in regulation.
LAKE ERIE 6, QUAD CITY 3
Lake Erie exploded for five goals in the third period to rally past Quad City, 6-3, at the I Wireless Center.
Monsters forward Eric Healey had two goals and an assist in the stanza, and Wyatt Smith posted goal and a helper. Rob Drummond notched his first career AHL marker as part of the onslaught. Chris Stewart posted three assists in the third period and totaled four helpers for the game.
The five-goal third period for Lake Erie came one night after it allowed four third-period markers in a 7-3 loss to Iowa.
Goaltender Tyler Weiman picked up the victory with 30 saves on 33 shots.
Krys Kolanos scored twice and Cam Cunning once for the Flames, who took a 3-1 advantage into the final 20 minutes.
