BRIDGEPORT 3, WORCESTER 0
Bridgeport scored a goal in each period and netminder Mike Morrison made 41 saves for his fourth shutout of the season as the Sound Tigers blanked visiting Worcester by a 3-0 final on Wednesday at the Arena at Harbor Yard.
Kyle Okposo, Tim Jackman, and Trevor Smith provided the Bridgeport offense with a goal and an assist apiece.
Okposo and Jackman each tallied their fifth goal of the season, scoring in the first and second periods, respectively.
Smith’s sixth goal of the campaign came unassisted midway through the third stanza.
The 41 saves by Morrison (16-10-0) fell one short of a season high, bettered only by a 42-save effort on Nov. 3 at Hershey in a 4-1 win. All four of Morrison’s shutouts have come at home.
The Sharks fell to 0-2-0-0 on a four-game road swing through the East Division. Worcester also dropped under .500 overall (21-22-3-3) for the first time since Dec. 14, when it was 9-10-1-2.
HARTFORD 4, SPRINGFIELD 3
Four different skaters netted goals and Hartford hung on for a 4-3 victory over Springfield at the XL Center.
Dane Byers and Lauri Korpikoski scored in the second period for the Wolf Pack, and Hugh Jessiman and Artem Anisimov added third-period markers.
Hartford boasted a 4-1 lead after Anisimov’s goal 10:59 into the third, but Springfield’s Marc Pouliot lit the lamp twice late in the stanza to pull the Falcons within one score. Patrick Thoresen and Daniel Sparre assisted on both goals by Pouliot.
Colin McDonald scored earlier in the third period for Springfield, which had a three-game winning streak snapped.
Wolf Pack goaltender Al Montoya picked up the win with 19 saves. Hartford improved to 11-1-2-1 in its last 15 games.
BINGHAMTON 3, ALBANY 2 (SO)
Niko Dimitrakos scored the only shootout goal for either side, pushing visiting Binghamton to a 3-2 victory over Albany at the Times Union Center.
The win propelled the Senators into sole possession of fourth place in the East Division, one point ahead of the River Rats.
Denis Hamel and Ilya Zubov netted regulation goals for Binghamton. Sens goaltender Brian Elliott stopped 31 shots through the first 65 minutes and denied all five shootout tries.
With the Rats trailing 2-0 in the third period, Jamie Johnson and Brandon Nolan each tallied a power play goal to knot the score.
Albany goaltender Michael Leighton made 42 saves and took the tough-luck loss.
PROVIDENCE 6, MANCHESTER 4
Defenseman Matt Hendricks and rookie Aaron Slattengren tallied two goals apiece as Providence outlasted Manchester, 6-4, at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
Pascal Pelletier and Jeff Hoggan also scored for the P-Bruins, who totaled four goals in the first period and two more in the third.
Bruins goaltender Jordan Sigalet picked up the victory with 30 saves, helping Providence avoid a season-high third straight regulation loss.
Defenseman Troy Milam and center Gabe Gauthier each had a goal and an assist for Manchester, which remained three points behind Springfield for the Atlantic Division’s fourth and final playoff spot.
WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON 3, NORFOLK 1
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton scored a goal in each period on its way to a 3-1 road victory over Norfolk at the Scope.
Dave Gove tallied his third goal in a Penguins uniform, while Tim Brent and Tyler Kennedy rounded out the visitors’ offense. Defenseman Deryk Engelland contributed a pair of assists.
Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, a 2004 Calder Cup finalist with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton who is currently on a conditioning stint from parent-club Pittsburgh, earned the victory with 30 saves.
Paul Szczechura notched the Admirals’ lone goal, giving him a goal in eight of 12 games since joining Norfolk’s lineup on Jan. 16.
TORONTO 5, HAMILTON 2
A three-goal third period lifted Toronto to a 5-2 victory over host Hamilton at the Copps Coliseum.
Derrick Walser, Chris Harrington, and Jeremy Williams all scored in the final stanza for Toronto, with Williams’ goal going into a vacated net.
The Marlies also received goals from John Mitchell and Jay Harrison, and goaltender Scott Clemmensen earned the victory with 33 saves.
Duncan Milroy and Greg Stewart netted goals for the Bulldogs in the losing effort.
Toronto secured its third straight win and second in five days over the Bulldogs. The division rivals will meet again on Friday, also in Hamilton.
CHICAGO 6, HOUSTON 1
Chicago extended its winning streak to five games with a 6-1 victory over visiting Houston at the Allstate Arena.
Kevin Doell scored twice and Joel Kwiatkowski posted three points (1-2-3) for the Wolves, who moved to 3-0-0-0 against the Aeros this season.
Jesse Schultz, Darren Haydar, and Brett Sterling rounded out the Chicago scoring, and rookie goaltender Ondrej Pavelec made 19 saves in the win.
Pavelec earned his 19th victory of the season (19-8-0), moving him into the league lead among rookie netminders in that category.
Defenseman Maxim Noreau lit the lamp for Houston, which finished 4-2-0-0 on a six-game road trip.
IOWA 4, MANITOBA 1
Four different players scored as Iowa posted a 4-1 win over host Manitoba at the MTS Centre, giving the Stars a split of their two-game set with the Moose.
James Neal, Janos Vas, and Dan Jancevski each had a goal and an assist for the Stars, while team captain and leading scorer Toby Petersen also lit the lamp.
Stars goaltender Tobias Stephan earned the win with 30 saves.
Manitoba received its lone goal from Jannik Hansen in the first period.
