HAMILTON 3, LAKE ERIE 0
Hamilton shut out Lake Erie for the second time in as many days with a 3-0 win on Saturday afternoon at Quicken Loans Arena, marking its 500th regular-season victory in team history. Goaltender Cedrick Desjardins stopped all 32 shots he faced in net.
The Bulldogs, coming off a 16-save shutout by Curtis Sanford in Friday’s 4-0 win over Lake Erie, have put together back-to-back victories for the first time since a three-game run from Oct. 20-24.
Following a scoreless first period, the Bulldogs opened the game’s scoring on Saturday at 15:46 of the middle stanza. David Desharnais fired a shot that was saved by Lake Erie goaltender Trevor Cann, but Desharnais batted in his own rebound for his fifth goal of the campaign.
Ryan Russell added Hamilton’s second goal at 16:23, skating down the left side of the ice before snapping a shot that beat Cann over the right shoulder. The ‘Dogs scored their third goal of the second frame at 18:38, as Brock Trotter cut across the middle of the ice before releasing a shot as he was falling down. The puck slid along the ice before beating Cann on the right side.
Desjardins recorded his second shutout of the season and moved above the .500 mark at 5-4-1.
The Monsters are now winless in five straight outings (0-4-0-1).
HOUSTON 2, TORONTO 1 (OT)
Chad Rau netted a pair of goals – including the game-winner 1:20 into overtime – as Houston escaped with a 2-1 road win over Toronto at Ricoh Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.
After a scoreless opening period, Rau gave the Aeros a 1-0 lead 13:45 into the middle frame, but Daryl Boyce’s first goal of the season tied it for the Marlies at 7:33 of the third period.
Rau’s overtime goal was assisted by Clayton Stoner – who also helped on the second-period marker – and Duncan Milroy. It improved Houston to 4-2 this season in games that extend beyond regulation.
Aeros goaltender Wade Dubielewicz stopped 20 of 21 shots in net to snap a personal five-game losing skid, collecting a victory for the first time since Oct. 27 vs. Hamilton.
The Marlies’ three-game winning streak, which matched a season high, came to an end.
PROVIDENCE 3, HARTFORD 2 (OT)
Mikko Lehtonen scored 4:19 into overtime to lift Providence to a 3-2 overtime win over Hartford on Saturday at the XL Center.
Guillaume Lefebvre netted a pair of first-period goals for the Bruins, who exited the opening 20 minutes holding a 2-1 advantage.
But Hartford’s Paul Crowder tallied the equalizer 16:28 into the second period, and neither side scored in the third frame. Corey Locke also scored for the Wolf Pack, and defenseman Ilkka Heikkinen chipped in a pair of assists.
Providence goaltender Kevin Regan stopped 40 of 42 shots in net to collect his first victory of the season (1-1-0). The Bruins improved to 2-3-0-0 this season against Hartford.
ADIRONDACK 5, HERSHEY 4 (SO)
Adirondack emerged from a back-and-forth game with a 5-4 road shootout victory over Hershey before 10,028 fans at the Giant Center.
Phantoms forward Krys Kolanos netted the winning shootout goal in the fifth round, and Jon Matsumoto also converted a shootout attempt for Adirondack. Phantoms goaltender Nic Riopel denied four of Hershey’s five tries after making 29 saves through the first 65 minutes.
David Laliberte potted a goal and two assists in regulation for the Phantoms, who also received goals from Matsumoto (1-1-2), Stefan Legein, and Jason Ward. Laliberte’s goal came with just 36 seconds left in regulation to tie the contest at 4-4.
Adirondack snapped a season-high three-game losing skid and moved back to .500 overall at 9-9-1-0.
Michael Dubuc (1-1-2), Darren Reid, Kyle Wilson, and Andrew Gordon all tallied regulation goals for the Bears, and defenseman Zach Miskovic chipped in a trip of assists. Francois Bouchard scored Hershey’s lone shootout goal in the opening round.
PORTLAND 4, LOWELL 1
Four different Portland skaters found the back of the net as the resurgent Pirates took a 4-1 road win over Lowell at Tsongas Arena on Saturday.
Portland’s Jeff Cowan netted his team-leading 10th goal of the season on the power play just 59 seconds after the opening face-off. Matt Caruana and captain Brad Larsen both scored their first goals of the season, and Cody McCormick added a late empty-netter.
Rookie Tyler Ennis contributed two assists for the Pirates, and goaltender Jhonas Enroth earned the victory with 30 saves in net.
The Pirates pulled back to the .500 mark at 10-10-3-0 and extended their points streak to eight games (5-0-3-0). Portland has not lost in regulation since a 6-1 setback at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Nov. 11.
Rookie Nick Palmieri scored for the Devils, who have managed just two goals in losing a season-high three straight games in regulation.
BINGHAMTON 5, ROCHESTER 0
Binghamton erupted for five goals in the third period and upended league-leading Rochester by a 5-0 count on Saturday at the Broome County Arena.
The Senators, coming off a tough 5-4 loss in Toronto on Friday and playing their third game in as many nights, finally broke a scoreless deadlock when Martin St. Pierre tallied an unassisted shorthanded goal 1:30 into the third stanza.
Josh Hennessy registered another shorthanded goal just 57 seconds later, and captain Denis Hamel made it a 3-0 game on the power play five minutes in. Erik Condra then tallied a pair of goals – the latter on the power play – only 59 seconds apart later in the period as Binghamton pulled away.
St. Pierre finished with a game-high four points (1-3-4) on the night, defenseman Drew Bannister chipped in two assists, and Sens goaltender Chris Holt earned the shutout with 27 saves in net.
The Americans, whose four-game winning streak came to an end, were shut out for the first time this season.
SYRACUSE 4, WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON 3
Syracuse rallied from a pair of one-goal deficits to emerge with a 4-3 road victory over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday before 6,295 fans at the Wachovia Arena.
Dustin Jeffrey registered a pair of goals for the Penguins, including the go-ahead score 53 seconds into the third period which made it a 3-2 lead for the home team. But Syracuse’s Dan Fritsche scored just 44 seconds later to tie it, and Kevin Harvey tallied the game-winner at 15:33.
Bates Battaglia had a goal and an assist for the Crunch, and Jared Aulin also found the back of the net. Pascal Pelletier registered a pair of assists in the winning effort.
Syracuse goaltender Kevin Lalande emerged with the victory after making 31 saves in net, helping his club capture back-to-back wins for the first time all season.
Jeffrey (2-1-3) and Mark Letestu (0-3-3) each had multiple points for the Penguins, who also received a goal from Luca Caputi.
WORCESTER 4, BRIDGEPORT 1
Worcester rookie Logan Couture tallied his league-leading fifth game-winning goal of the season as the Sharks continued their resurgence with a 4-1 win over visiting Bridgeport at the DCU Center on Saturday.
Couture finished with a goal and an assist on the night, as did defenseman Danny Groulx. Captain Ryan Vesce potted a late empty-netter and posted two assists for a game-high three points, and Andrew Desjardins rounded out the Sharks’ offense.
Steven Zalewski chipped in three assists in the victory, and Worcester rookie goaltender Alex Stalock earned the victory with 29 saves in net.
The Sharks extended their season-high winning streak to five games, which has followed a seven-game losing skid.
Tyler Haskins netted the Sound Tigers’ lone goal shorthanded midway through the third period.
ALBANY 3, NORFOLK 2
Brett Carson’s third-period power play goal turned out to be the game-winner as Albany secured a 3-2 road win over Norfolk on Saturday at the Scope.
The River Rats earned three of a possible four points on their trip to southeastern Virginia and moved to 2-0-1-0 in their last three games overall.
Rookie Zach Boychuk registered a goal and an assist for the River Rats, and Jacob Micflikier scored for the second time in as many days since rejoining the club from the ECHL.
Stefan Chaput contributed a pair of assists to the winning effort, and Albany goaltender Justin Peters stopped 35 of 37 shots between the pipes.
Ryan Craig tallied a first-period goal for the Admirals, and defenseman Ethan Graham concluded the night’s scoring in the third frame.
MANCHESTER 3, SPRINGFIELD 2 (SO)
Manchester was denied on its first two shootout tries but then converted three in a row to take a 3-2 road victory over Springfield in the back end of a home-and-home at the MassMutual Center.
Corey Elkins, Patrick Mullen, and Oscar Moller netted shootout goals for the Monarchs, who won their third straight game and improved to 3-1-0-0 against Springfield this season.
Manchester’s Bud Holloway had a goal and an assist in regulation, and Gabe Gauthier also found the back of the net. Colton Fretter and Chad Wiseman scored regulation markers for the Falcons.
Springfield got shootout goals from Wiseman and Viacheslav Trukhno but still fell to 0-2-0-1 in its last three games. Goaltender Andrew Perugini made 32 saves in the losing effort.
Monarchs goaltender Jeff Zatkoff earned the win with 28 saves in regulation and overtime before making three more in the shootout.
SAN ANTONIO 5, MILWAUKEE 1
San Antonio snapped out of its November doldrums on Saturday with a 5-1 win over visiting Milwaukee at the AT&T Center.
The Rampage snapped out of an 11-game winless skid overall (0-9-1-1) overall and ended a 22-game slide (0-20-0-2) in the month of November. San Antonio’s last win in November came via a 4-1 triumph over Grand Rapids on Nov. 30, 2007.
Brett MacLean led the way with two goals and an assist for the Rampage, who received a goal and a helper apiece from Kevin Porter and Chad Kolarik. Defenseman Sean Sullivan found the back of the net for the first time since Nov. 5, and Joel Perrault chipped in a trio of assists.
Rampage goaltender Josh Tordjman earned the win between the pipes with 31 saves on 32 shots.
Ryan Jones netted the lone goal for the Admirals, whose five-game points streak (4-0-0-1) came to an end.
MANITOBA 4, CHICAGO 2
Manitoba raced out to a 4-0 lead after two periods and held on for a 4-2 road win over Chicago at Allstate Arena on Saturday.
Dan Sexton tallied his first career AHL goal and added an assist for the Moose, who also received a goal and a helper from Matt Pettinger. Mario Bliznak tallied a pair of goals in the win, while Marco Rosa and captain Mike Keane each chipped in a pair of assists.
Manitoba goaltender Daren Machesney earned the win with 28 saves on 30 shots, his first triumph since a 2-1 shootout win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Oct. 30.
The Moose extended their overall points streak to seven games (5-0-2-0) on the heels of dropping five straight in regulation from Nov. 2-7.
Joey Crabb and Anthony Stewart scored for the Wolves, who have now dropped consecutive games in regulation for the first time since Oct. 16-17.
GRAND RAPIDS 2, PEORIA 1
Defenseman Sergei Kolosov and rookie forward Tomas Tatar netted goals as Grand Rapids rallied for a 2-1 road win over Peoria at Carver Arena on Saturday.
After a scoreless opening period, the host Rivermen initially took a 1-0 lead when Adam Cracknell lit the lamp on the power play at 10:34 of the second frame. Jonas Junland and Nicholas Drazenovic picked up the helpers.
But Kolosov tied it for the Griffins at the 18:38 of the second period, tallying his first goal of the season off assists by Jan Mursak and Tatar.
Tatar then extended his goal-scoring streak to four games (4-3-7) with his second game-winner of the season at 9:37 of the third period. Cory Emmerton earned the lone assist.
Griffins goaltender Daniel Larsson secured the victory with 32 saves on 33 shots between the pipes, as Grand Rapids halted a brief two-game losing skid.
ROCKFORD 5, ABBOTSFORD 1
Five different Rockford skaters found the back of the net as the IceHogs wrapped up their four-game season series against Abbotsford with a 5-1 win on Saturday at the MetroCentre.
Jack Skille and Bracken Kearns each posted a goal and an assist for Rockford, which staked itself to a 5-0 lead by the 1:20 mark of the third period.
Mark Cullen tallied his team-leading 10th goal of the season in the victory, and the IceHogs also got goals from Evan Brophey and Ryan Flinn, his first of the season. Kyle Greentree and defenseman Daryl Boyle each registered a pair of assists.
IceHogs goaltender Joe Fallon earned the victory with 25 saves on 26 shots, as his club finished up 3-1-0-0 against Abbotsford this season.
Riley Armstrong broke up Fallon’s shutout bid with a third-period power play goal for the Heat, who dropped to 2-1-0-0 on a four-game road trip which concludes on Tuesday in Toronto.
