WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON 4, ADIRONDACK 3
Dustin Jeffrey notched two goals and added an assist as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton edged Adirondack by a 4-3 count before 6,749 fans at the Wachovia Arena on Monday.
Jeffrey now has a team-high 35 points (9-26-35) in 31 games for the Penguins, and this marked his sixth three-point effort of the campaign.
Penguins rookie Defenseman Lane Caffaro scored his first professional goal and added an assist, and fellow rookie Eric Tangradi notched the eventual game-winning tally 13:49 into the third period.
Nick Johnson racked up three assists for the Penguins, giving him 15 points (6-9-15) in 10 games since returning to the lineup from an injury on Dec. 9. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goaltender John Curry earned the victory with 32 saves in net.
The Penguins, who swept a home-and-home from Albany the last two nights, have now won three straight games for the first time since Nov. 7-13.
Patrick Maroon (1-1-2), Jon Matsumoto, and Stefan Legein all lit the lamp for the Phantoms, whose brief two-game winning streak came to an end.
HAMILTON 5, TORONTO 2
Hamilton, which had totaled just nine power play goals in its first nine home games this season, netted a trio of man-advantage markers Monday en route to a 5-2 win over reeling Toronto before 7,619 fans at Copps Coliseum.
David Desharnais led the way with two goals and an assist for the Bulldogs, tallying one of the club’s three power play goals. Defensemen P.K. Subban and Yannick Weber also scored on the power play, and Andrew Conboy rounded out Hamilton’s scoring.
Weber and Subban each registered two points (1-1-2) for Hamilton, which finished 3-for-7 with the man advantage. Bulldogs goaltender Cedrick Desjardins earned the victory with 20 saves in net, improving to 11-4-1 on the season.
Stefano Giliati and Ben Gordon each scored his first goal of the season for the Marlies, who have now lost a season-high four straight games in regulation.
MILWAUKEE 5, GRAND RAPIDS 2
Entering the night with eight points in 26 games this season, Ben Guite erupted for a goal and two assists as Milwaukee cruised to a 5-2 win over skidding Grand Rapids before 6,148 fans at the Bradley Center.
Guite, a former 20-goal AHL scorer who has spent the majority of the past three campaigns in the NHL, assisted on a pair of second-period goals for the Admirals before scoring one of his own on the power play midway through the third.
Peter Olvecky and Alexander Sulzer also notched man-advantage goals for Milwaukee, which finished a perfect 3-for-3 on the power play against the Griffins, who entered the night with the AHL’s worst penalty kill (78.6 percent).
Triston Grant rounded out Milwaukee’s scoring, and Mark Santorelli chipped in three assists on the night. Admirals goaltender Mark Dekanich made 16 saves in net, helping Milwaukee move to 7-2-0-0 in its last nine outings.
Francis Pare and ex-Admiral John Vigilante scored for the Griffins, who have lost four straight games and six of their last seven (0-5-0-1).
HOUSTON 5, SYRACUSE 4 (OT)
Rookie defenseman J.P. Testwuide made his first professional goal count, scoring 52 seconds into overtime as Houston outlasted visiting Syracuse by a 5-4 count at the Toyota Center.
The Aeros overcame deficits of 1-0, 2-1, and 4-3 to finally emerge with the victory, which was their fifth in their last seven games (5-2-0-0).
Testwuide’s winning strike was assisted by Jon DiSalvatore, who earlier netted a power play goal to extend his goal-scoring streak to four games (4-1-5).
Andy Hilbert put up a game-high three points (1-2-3) for Houston, while Ryan Lannon and Jean-Michel Daoust rounded out the Aeros’ offense. Goaltender Barry Brust made 21 saves to pick up his first AHL victory of the season.
Defenseman Brendan Bell netted a pair of goals for the Crunch, Brent Regner posted a goal and an assist, and Tomas Kana also scored. Defenseman Grant Clitsome chipped in three assists, but it wasn’t enough to stop Syracuse’s winless skid from extending to six games (0-5-1-0).
MANITOBA 2, ABBOTSFORD 1 (SO)
Marco Rosa and Michael Grabner scored on Manitoba’s first two shootout tries as the Moose eked out a 2-1 win over Abbotsford on Monday before 7,636 fans at the MTS Centre.
Goaltender Cory Schneider denied all four shootout tries against him for the Moose, who swept a two-game set from the Heat and improved to 5-2-0-0 in their last seven contests overall. Schneider made 33 saves on 34 shots through regulation and overtime.
Defenseman Brian Salcido scored his second goal in as many nights to give Manitoba a 1-0 lead 4:49 after the opening face-off. That lead held until the Heat’s Jamie Lundmark struck for his eighth goal of the campaign at 17:51 of the second frame.
Abbotsford, which travels to Texas for three games next weekend, is now just 2-5-0-1 in its last eight contests.
