Tue. roundup: Pirates sink Sharks, 6-2

Tuesday’s AHL Boxscores

PORTLAND 6, WORCESTER 2
Rookie Luke Adam scored two goals for the third time in his last seven games, and Portland crept closer to first place in the Atlantic Division race with a 6-2 win over Worcester on Tuesday night at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

A second-round draft pick by the Buffalo Sabres in 2008, Adam began the night’s scoring just 1:55 after the opening face-off and then notched his 19th goal of the season with only five seconds left in the second period.

The 20-year-old Adam now shows 19 goals and 38 points in just 38 games for the Pirates this season while also contributing three goals and an assist in his first 18 career NHL contests with the Sabres.

Portland forward Paul Byron registered a goal and two assists for a game-high three points; Colin Stuart registered a goal and a helper; and the Pirates also received scores from Derek Whitmore and rookie defenseman T.J. Brennan in the winning effort.

Marc-Andre Gragnani and Mark Mancari each chipped in two helpers for the Pirates, and goaltender Jhonas Enroth secured his third consecutive 20-win season (20-17-2) with 24 saves on 26 shots in net.

Portland won for just the second time in its last six games (2-2-1-1) but pulled within four points of idle Manchester for the Atlantic Division’s top spot. The Pirates still hold four games in hand on the Monarchs.

Dan DaSilva (1-1-2) and defenseman Sean Sullivan tallied goals for the Sharks, who remained just one point up on Connecticut and Springfield for the Atlantic’s third and final guaranteed playoff spot.

ALBANY 3, BINGHAMTON 2
2011 AHL All-Star Matt Anderson scored with 4:34 left in regulation to break a 2-2 tie and send Albany to a 3-2 come-from-behind road win over Binghamton on Tuesday at the Broome County Arena.

The Devils entered the third frame up 1-0 on a first-period goal by Steve Zalewski, but that’s when things began to get interesting.

Senators captain Ryan Keller pulled his club even just 59 seconds into the third and then gave Binghamton a 2-1 lead on the power play at 3:25. But Devils rookie Adam Henrique tied it back up at 10:39 with his 20th goal of the season, setting the stage for Anderson’s game-winner at 16:26.

Defenseman Dan Kelly assisted on both the tying and winning goals for the Devils, and goaltender Jeff Frazee earned the victory with 22 saves on 24 shots.

The Senators are now 0-2-0-1 in three outings since their season-high eight-game winning streak came to an end.

MILWAUKEE 3, TORONTO 1
Milwaukee surrendered the game’s first goal but then scored its final three en route to a 3-1 road win over Toronto in a Tuesday afternoon matinee before 5,614 fans at Ricoh Coliseum.

Toronto grabbed a 1-0 lead on the power play just 3:19 into the contest when rookie Joe Colborne notched his fourth goal in six games since joining the Marlies via trade from the Boston organization, but Admirals rookie Gabriel Bourque tied it up at 14:22 with a power play marker of his own.

The visitors took the lead for good in the closing minutes of the second period, as Mike Bartlett potted his sixth goal of the season at 18:42. Defenseman Grant Lewis then tacked on insurance late in the third, also on the man advantage.

Bourque and Lewis each finished with a goal and an assist for Milwaukee, and All-Star goaltender Mark Dekanich (21-9-5) made 31 saves on 32 shots to pick up the win in net. The Admirals wound up 2-for-6 on the power play, while the Marlies were 1-for-6.

The victory allowed the Admirals (34-16-3-7, 78 points) to open up a three-point lead over Houston for first place in the West Division, and Milwaukee still holds three games in hand on the Aeros.

The Marlies, who have managed just one goal in their last two games, remained two points back of North Division co-leaders Hamilton, Manitoba, and Lake Erie.

PEORIA 6, CHICAGO 5 (OT)
Defenseman Mark Cundari scored on the power play with just 10 seconds left in overtime, lifting Peoria to a wild 6-5 win over visiting Chicago on Tuesday at Carver Arena.

The Rivermen originally moved ahead 3-0, allowed four straight goals to fall behind by a 4-3 count, tied it up at 4-4, fell behind 5-4, and then knotted the contest back up at 5-5 before Cundari’s overtime heroics.

Defenseman Ian Cole netted a game-high two goals for the Rivermen, including the tying marker with 3:46 left in regulation to make it a 5-5 contest and send the tilt to overtime.

Peoria forward T.J. Hensick registered a goal and two assists; Brett Sonne finished with a goal and a helper; and defenseman Jake Gannon rounded out the Rivermen’s offense with his first AHL tally of the season.

Derek Nesbitt chipped in two assists for the Rivermen, and rookie goaltender Jake Allen (19-13-2) emerged with the victory after making 25 saves between the pipes.

Darren Haydar, Andre Deveaux, Kip Brennan, and defensemen Arturs Kulda and Noah Welch all tallied goals for the Wolves, who remained one point back of Oklahoma City for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

ABBOTSFORD 5, TEXAS 3
Abbotsford began a five-game road trip through the southern United States on a positive note on Tuesday with a 5-3 win over Texas at the Cedar Park Center.

Ales Kotalik led the way with two goals for the Heat, who jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the game was 14 minutes old and had to hold on from there. It marked the first two AHL goals since 2001-02 for Kotalik, a veteran of 536 NHL games with Buffalo, Edmonton, the N.Y. Rangers, and Calgary.

Abbotsford also received scores from Stefan Meyer, Cam Cunning, and Logan MacMillan (1-1-2), while rookie defensemen Chris Breen and T.J. Brodie each contributed a pair of assists on the night.

Heat goaltender Leland Irving secured his 25th victory of the season (25-19-2) – second-most in the AHL – with 25 saves on 28 shots between the pipes, and Abbotsford (29-24-3-5, 66 points) moved within four points of North Division co-leaders Hamilton, Manitoba, and Lake Erie.

Greg Rallo netted his team-leading 19th goal of the season for the Stars, while defenseman Brad Lukowich and 2011 AHL All-Star Francis Wathier also scored. Texas is now winless in four straight games but has earned a point in three of those four contests (0-1-1-1).