GRAND RAPIDS 3, HAMILTON 1
Shut out for most of the night, Grand Rapids scored three times in the final 10:53 to earn a 3-1 win over Hamilton at Copps Coliseum on Sunday and move into first place in the North Division with a record of 9-2-0-1.
The teams were locked in a scoreless duel until Brad Winchester scored for the Bulldogs 3:50 into the third period, his fourth goal in the last three games.
Nate DiCasmirro, who played for Hamilton in 2002-03, tied the score for Grand Rapids at the 9:07 mark, and Valtteri Filppula put the Griffins in front with 5:59 to play.
Jiri Hudler added his AHL-leading 13th goal of the season with 1:40 left.
Drew MacIntyre made 32 saves for the win, improving to 5-1-0 on the year.
HOUSTON 3, MANITOBA 2
Erik Westrum had a goal and an assist and Kirby Law snapped a 2-2 tie in the second period as Houston posted a 3-2 win over Manitoba.
The win put the Aeros back in sole possession of first place in the West Division, and dropped the Moose a point behind Grand Rapids in the North.
Jozef Balej scored both goals for the Moose, who saw their five-game winning streak end.
TORONTO 2, ROCHESTER 1
Brad Leeb scored with three seconds left in regulation to give Toronto a 2-1 win over Rochester.
Leeb’s goal came on a power play with Jason Pominville serving a major for high-sticking.
John Pohl also scored for the Marlies, and J.F. Racine made 27 saves.
Greg Jacina scored for the Americans.
BRIDGEPORT 6, BINGHAMTON 1
Rob Collins had a goal and two assists to lead Bridgeport to a 6-1 victory over Binghamton at the Arena at Harbor Yard.
Jeremy Colliton added a goal and an assist as the Sound Tigers improved to 4-6-1-0. The Senators have just one win in their first nine games (1-6-1-1).
Masi Marjamaki, Kevin Colley, Brandon Smith and Bruno Gervais also scored for Bridgeport, while Chris Madden made 29 saves.
CLEVELAND 4, SYRACUSE 1
Led by a goal and two assists from Patrick Rissmiller, Cleveland posted a 4-1 win over Syracuse at the Quicken Loans Arena.
The Barons struck three times on the power play, with Grant Stevenson, Garrett Stafford and Mike Iggulden each scoring with the man advantage.
Jamie Holden made 35 saves for his third straight win.
NORFOLK 3, LOWELL 2 (SO)
Norfolk struggled to solve Kevin Nastiuk for 65 minutes, but dominated the shootout to earn a 3-2 win in Lowell.
The Admirals went 3-1-0-0 on their four-game trip to New England.
Norfolk owned a 30-7 edge in shots over the first two periods, but needed goals from Mark Cullen and Matt Keith to erase a 2-0 deficit.
After a scoreless third period and overtime, the Admirals converted on all four of their shootout attempts to get the victory.
Nastiuk finished with 40 saves for the Lock Monsters.
WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON 5, PHILADELPHIA 4 (SO)
Matt Hussey’s goal in the ninth shootout round gave Wilkes-Barre/Scranton a 5-4 win at the Wachovia Spectrum and a sweep of its home-and-home series with Philadelphia.
The Penguins improved to 11-0-1-0 on the season, while keeping the Phantoms winless in their last seven (0-6-0-1).
Hussey also scored in regulation, giving the Pens a 4-3 lead with 4:54 to play.
Pat Kavanagh scored twice for Philadelphia, including the tying goal with 3:16 left in the third.
PORTLAND 1, PROVIDENCE 0
Dustin Penner scored and Mike Wall made 24 saves as Portland edged Providence, 1-0.
The Pirates won for the eighth time in 11 tries this season. Penner got the game’s lone goal, his fifth of the year and fourth in his last five games, 5:44 into the game.
Jordan Sigalet made 26 saves for the Bruins, who fell to 3-5-0-0.
HARTFORD 5, SPRINGFIELD 3
Chris Holt made 29 saves and aided his cause with two assists as Hartford recorded a 5-3 win in Springfield.
The Wolf Pack, 7-2-1-1 on the season, remain tied with Portland for the lead in the Atlantic Division.
Colby Genoway scored two third-period goals for Hartford, and Dale Purinton tacked on an empty-netter.
Jason Jaspers led the Falcons with a goal and an assist.
