HARTFORD 5, WORCESTER 2
Dane Byers registered a hat trick as Hartford wrapped up a three-game preseason weekend with a 5-2 win over Worcester on Sunday at Champions Skating Center in Cromwell, Conn.
Byers, coming off a 2009-10 season in which he set career highs in goals (25) and points (51) for the Wolf Pack, scored twice in the second period and once more in the third in Sunday’s contest.
Hartford forward Evgeny Grachev opened the game’s scoring just 1:13 into the first period, and Kelsey Tessier added a goal and an assist in the victory. Offseason acquisition Kris Newbury collected a trio of assists on the afternoon.
Goaltender Chad Johnson picked up the victory with 29 saves for the Wolf Pack, who finished their preseason slate at 3-1-0-0.
Dan DaSilva and rookie defenseman Justin Braun recorded the Sharks’ goals.
HAMILTON 4, BINGHAMTON 3 (SO)
The Hamilton Bulldogs defeated the Binghamton Senators 4-3 on Sunday afternoon at Mile One Centre in St. John’s, Newfoundland. In the ninth round of the shootout, Dany Masse scored to give the ‘Dogs the win.
The ‘Dogs opened the game’s scoring at 5:02 of the first period with a shorthanded goal. Mathieu Carle fired a shot from the blue line that David Desharnais deflected past Binghamton starting goaltender Mike Brodeur. The Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead at 8:09. J.T. Wyman collected the puck at centre ice before carrying the puck into the Senators’ zone. Wyman wristed a shot on net that beat Brodeur over the left shoulder.
The Senators made the game 2-1 at 16:45 of the first frame. Jim O’Brien sent the puck back to Mike Hoffman, who waited patiently before releasing a shot that sailed past Hamilton starting goaltender Robert Mayer and bounced off the post and into the back of the net. Binghamton tied the game 2-2 at 8:13 of the second stanza. Hoffman blasted a shot towards the net that Erik Condra deflected past Mayer.
The ‘Dogs regained the lead at 3:22 of the final frame. Andrew Conboy sent a pass to Neil Petruic, who was positioned at the blue line. Petruic blasted a shot that beat Brodeur over the right shoulder and sent the puck into the back of the net.
Erik Condra tied the game 3-3 at 6:49 of the third period. Condra snapped a shot up high on Mayer but was stopped by the goaltender. Mayer could not control the rebound, allowing Condra to swat the puck out of mid-air and into the back of the net.
Neither team could score in the extra period, which sent the game to a shootout. Only Alexander Avtsin and Kaspars Daugavins scored in the shootout until the ninth round when Dany Masse broke the tie with a goal while Mayer stopped Condra to win the game for the Bulldogs.
NORFOLK 4, CHARLOTTE 1
Dustin Tokarski stopped 22 of 23 shots and Mike Angelidis registered three assists as the Norfolk Admirals defeated the Charlotte Checkers, 4-1, in their preseason finale Sunday afternoon at Extreme Ice Center in Indian Trail, N.C.
The Checkers jumped out to a 1-0 lead just three minutes into the game on a Jon Matsumoto power play goal at 2:34. However, Matt Fornataro tied the game at 1-1 with 3:30 left in the opening stanza. Assists on the Fornataro goal went to Paul Szczechura and Troy Milam.
Mitch Fadden gave the visitors the lead 8:02 into the second stanza on a goal assisted by Mike Angelidis and Vladimir Mihalik. Rookie defenseman Mark Barberio added an insurance tally with 1:42 left in the second period on a goal assisted by Angelidis and Kevin Quick. Norfolk out-shot Charlotte 30-16 through two periods.
Juraj Simek capped scoring with 3:51 left in regulation on a goal assisted by Angelidis and Alex Berry.
Dustin Tokarski (23 shots, 22 saves) earned the win and played all sixty minutes. Mike Murphy (39 shots, 35 saves) took the loss and also played the full sixty minutes.
HERSHEY 3, BRIDGEPORT 2
Hershey closed out its preseason schedule with a 3-2 win over visiting Bridgeport on Sunday evening at Giant Center.
It marked the first meeting between the teams since the Bears, en route to the Calder Cup title, swept the Sound Tigers in a first-round playoff series last spring.
Defenseman Zach Miskovic paced the Bears’ offense with a pair of goals, including one on the power play just 3:47 after the opening faceoff. Ashton Rome contributed a goal and an assist for Hershey, which scored once in each period.
The Sound Tigers mustered only eight shots through the first two periods combined before firing 10 shots in the third frame and beating Bears goaltender Todd Ford on two of them in a span of 14 seconds.
Anton Kharin netted his second of the preseason at 16:55, and Tony Romano followed with his second at the 17:09 mark, with defenseman Mitch Versteeg assisting on both markers.
That eruption brought Bridgeport within 3-2, but the Tigers could not find the equalizer in the closing minutes.
Ford finished with 16 saves in net, while Bridgeport’s Marc-Antoine Gelinas took the loss despite stopping 31 of 34 shots.
HOUSTON 5, TEXAS 0
Twenty-year-old goaltender Matt Hackett turned in a 21-save shutout and Houston rolled to a 5-0 preseason in over Texas on Sunday at Cedar Park Center.
Hackett, who sported a 67-33-6 record over his past two junior seasons at Plymouth (OHL), turned aside 10 shots in the first period, four in the second, and seven more in the third.
Warren Peters, a member of the Stars’ Calder Cup finalist team last season, recorded a goal and an assist for the Aeros, as did Brandon Buck and Jamie Fraser.
2010 Second Team AHL All-Star defenseman Maxim Noreau also scored in the win, and Robbie Earl chipped in with a trio of assists.
Houston went 2-for-6 on the power play while holding Texas to an 0-for-4 showing.
These intrastate rivals will open their 2010-11 regular season series with a home-and-home set on Oct. 30 and 31.
SYRACUSE 5, ADIRONDACK 4
Brian Lebler broke a 4-4 tie with a power play goal at 12:32 of the third period, enabling Syracuse to take a 5-4 come-from-behind win over Adirondack at the Onondaga County War Memorial.
The Crunch finished 3-for-8 on the power play for the game, with rookie Nick Bonino adding a pair of man-advantage markers for his second and third goals of the preseason.
Brandon McMillan and Josh Brittain rounded out Syracuse’s offensive attack. Former AHL All-Star and ex-Phantom Danny Syvret put up three assists just two days after being assigned to the Crunch by parent-club Anaheim.
MacGregor Sharp (0-2-2) and Brett Festerling (0-2-2) also had multiple-point efforts, and Crunch goaltenders J.P. Levasseur and Timo Pielmeier combined for 17 saves on 21 shots.
Forward Guilio Scandella (1-1-2) joined defensemen Cullen Eddy (1-1-2), Tye McGinn, and Luke Pither in tallying goals for Adirondack, which built a 2-0 lead only 4:35 into the game before things began to come apart.
