BINGHAMTON 4, LOWELL 1
Four-time AHL All-Star Martin St. Pierre tallied a goal and assisted on two others as Binghamton collected a 4-1 road victory over Lowell on Wednesday at Tsongas Center.
The Senators snapped an eight-game winless skid overall (0-6-1-1) and a 12-game slide on the road (0-10-1-1), earning their first victory away from the Broome County Arena since a 5-4 triumph at Norfolk on Dec. 19.
Binghamton also picked up its first win in four all-time clashes with the Devils (1-3-0-0).
Zack Smith began the scoring with a power play goal 4:43 into the contest, and defenseman Neil Petruic made it 2-0 just 14 seconds later with his first goal in a Senators uniform.
Ben Walter put the Devils on the board 30 seconds into the second period, but St. Pierre restored Binghamton’s two-goal cushion at the 14:22 mark. B-Sens defenseman Derek Smith netted the lone third-period goal for either side, Binghamton’s second man-advantage marker of the night.
Derek Smith (1-1-2) and Sens captain Denis Hamel (0-2-2) each finished with two points on the night, and goaltender Chris Holt turned aside 34 of 35 shots to earn the win in net.
Binghamton will continue its five-game road swing in Springfield on Friday night.
SAN ANTONIO 4, HOUSTON 3 (SO)
San Antonio rallied for a pair of late third-period goals to tie the game up and snatched a 4-3 shootout decision over visiting Houston on Wednesday at the AT&T Center.
The teams entered the third period deadlocked at 1-1, however Houston took control on goals by defensemen Jamie Fraser and Maxim Noreau.
But the Rampage battled back, as Kyle Turris cut the deficit in half at 15:11 and Stefan Meyer tallied the equalizer with just 13 seconds remaining in regulation. Turris earned an assist on Meyer’s goal for his third point of the night (1-2-3).
Turris then added a second-round shootout goal for San Antonio after Mikkel Boedker had scored in the first round. Rampage goaltender Josh Tordjman stopped all four Houston attempts after making 22 saves through the first 65 minutes.
Brett MacLean also tallied a goal and David Spina had two assists for the Rampage, who moved within eight points of idle Texas for the West Division’s fourth and final playoff spot.
The Aeros are now winless in four straight games (0-3-0-1) and just 1-6-0-1 in their last eight contests.
WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON 4, NORFOLK 2
Konstantin Pushkarev snapped a 2-2 tie at 8:06 of the third period, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton went on to double up visiting Norfolk by a 4-2 count at Mohegan Sun Arena.
2010 AHL All-Star Dustin Jeffrey added an empty-net tally for the Penguins, who improved to 8-1-0-1 in their last 10 contests.
The Penguins grabbed leads of 1-0 and 2-1 in the first and second periods, respectively, on goals by defenseman Alex Grant and forward Tim Wallace. But Norfolk responded both times, receiving markers from Adam Hall and 2010 AHL All-Star Blair Jones.
Pushkarev’s game-winner – which marked his first goal since Jan. 9 vs. Manchester – was assisted by Chris Lee and Eric Tangradi.
The rookie Tangradi had two helpers for Wilkes-Barre, and goaltender John Curry earned the win with 27 saves between the pipes.
Norfolk lost in regulation for just the fourth time in its last 22 games (16-4-1-1).
CHICAGO 3, TORONTO 0
Chicago notched a trio of second-period goals and goaltender Drew MacIntyre posted a 19-save shutout as the Wolves collected a 3-0 road win over Toronto on Wednesday, improving to 21-2-1-2 in their last 26 games.
Chicago improved to 39-18-1-4 overall and now holds a six-point lead on Rockford for first place in the West Division. The IceHogs host Lake Erie later tonight.
Kevin Doell, defenseman Arturs Kulda, and rookie Andrew Kozek also posted a goal and an assist for the Wolves, with all three tallies coming in a 7:34 span during the second period.
MacIntyre, whose team held a 35-19 advantage in shots on goal, secured his second shutout of the season and snapped a brief personal two-game losing skid.
The Marlies were blanked for the sixth time this season and have been outscored 8-1 in dropping their last two contests overall.
HAMILTON 4, ADIRONDACK 1
Second-year forward J.T. Wyman notched his first career hat trick as Hamilton cruised to a 4-1 win over visiting Adirondack at Copps Coliseum.
Wyman, who entered the night with 16 goals in 117 career AHL games – including 10 in 57 outings this season – scored once in the first period and twice in the third. He wrapped up his hat trick with an empty-netter in the closing seconds.
Ryan Russell posted a goal and an assist for the Bulldogs, and goaltender Cedrick Desjardins stopped 25 of 26 shots in goal.
Hamilton extended its winning streak to six games and improved to 13-2-0-1 in its last 15 contests.
Mika Pyorala notched the lone goal for the Phantoms, who were bidding for their first three-game winning streak since Jan. 13-16.
ROCKFORD 3, LAKE ERIE 2
A trio of special-teams goals lifted Rockford to a 3-2 come-from-behind win over visiting Lake Erie on Wednesday at the MetroCentre.
Bracken Kearns netted a shorthanded goal for the IceHogs, while Evan Brophey and Bryan Bickell each scored on the power play. Bickell’s power play marker at 11:27 of the third period broke a 2-2 tie and ultimately stood up as the game-winner.
Kearns finished with a goal and an assist on the night, and Rockford goaltender Corey Crawford earned the win with 19 saves on 21 shots in net.
The IceHogs, who dropped a 4-2 decision in Chicago on Sunday, avoided suffering their first two-game losing skid since Jan. 8-9.
Lake Erie grabbed leads of 1-0 and 2-1 in the first period on goals by T.J. Hensick – who scored just 31 seconds into the contest – and rookie Justin Mercier.
The Monsters continue their seven-game road trip on Friday in Milwaukee.
WORCESTER 5, MANITOBA 2
Worcester fell into a 1-0 hole just 29 seconds into the game but then scored five straight goals to emerge with a 5-2 win over Manitoba before 6,374 fans at the MTS Centre on Wednesday.
The Sharks halted a three-game winless skid (0-2-0-1) and earned a split of their two-game set with the Moose in Winnipeg. With the victory, Worcester also jumped one point ahead of Portland for first place in the Atlantic Division.
Sharks captain Ryan Vesce registered a goal and an assist, giving him five goals and six points in five games since returning to the lineup from a two-month injury absence.
Dwight Helminen, Matt Jones, T.J. Trevelyan, and Dan DaSilva also netted goals for Worcester, and 12 different Sharks skaters earned at least one point on the night.
Sharks rookie goaltender made 27 saves on 29 shots to secure his league-leading 33rd victory of the season (33-14-2).
Marty Murray put the Moose on the board early, and Travis Ramsey closed the game’s scoring late in the third period. Manitoba remained five points up on Lake Erie for the North Division’s fourth and final playoff spot.
PROVIDENCE 3, ABBOTSFORD 2 (SO)
Yannick Riendeau tallied the winning shootout goal in the sixth round as Providence collected a 3-2 win over Abbotsford on Wednesday at the Entertainment & Sports Centre.
It marked the Bruins’ second shootout win over the Heat in as many nights after they had gone their previous 35 games without even appearing in a shootout.
Zach Hamill also notched a shootout goal for the Bruins, while goaltender Kevin Regan denied five of Abbotsford’s six tries after making 26 saves through regulation and overtime.
Bruins forward Jordan Knackstedt tallied both of his team’s regulation goals, scoring less than five minutes apart in the second period. Rookie Jamie Arniel assisted on both markers.
David Van der Gulik and Cam Cunning scored in regulation for the Heat, with Cunning’s tying goal coming just nine seconds into the third period.
