Western Conference notebook

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Chicago’s Joe Motzko extended his goal-scoring streak to five games (3-2-5) with a tally in the Wolves’ 6-2 win at Manitoba on Tuesday… Motzko has also scored in 10 of his last 11 contests (11-6-17) and sports 21 goals on the season, ranking him second in the AHL… Jeff Hamilton has registered a point in seven of his last eight games (4-6-10), and Steve Martins is riding a four-game scoring run (1-3-4)… The Wolves play a home-and-home set against in-state rival Rockford this weekend, beginning Friday at Allstate Arena.
 
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Grand Rapids is riding a seven-game points streak (6-0-1-0) that has propelled it into sole possession of first place in the North Division at 19-7-4-3, 45 points… Goaltender Daniel Larsson has stopped 101 of 102 shots (.990) over his last three appearances, which includes two straight shutouts on Dec. 21 and Dec. 27… As a team, the Griffins have held opponents to either one or zero goals in four of their last five games… Grand Rapids has at least one point in 13 of its last 14 home games (9-1-2-2)… Darren Haydar has netted the game-winning goal in the Griffins’ last two victories.
 
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Hamilton reached the 20-win mark (20-11-2-0) on Tuesday with a 4-0 shutout of Toronto in which goaltender Marc Denis made 21 saves… Rookie Max Pacioretty netted a goal to extend his scoring streak to five games (2-4-6), while fellow rookie David Desharnais sports a three-game run (2-1-3)… Olivier Latendresse’s four-game scoring streak (0-5-5) came to an end on Tuesday… The Bulldogs have scored nine shorthanded goals, tied with Peoria for the most in the AHL… Hamilton is off until it hosts Syracuse and Iowa at Copps Coliseum this weekend.
 
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Defenseman Tomas Mojzis tallied his first two-goal game of the season in Tuesday’s 6-2 loss to Lake Erie, and Mojzis now has a point in five of his last six games overall (4-2-6)… Jesse Schultz registered an assist in that game and is riding a five-game scoring run (3-3-6)… Houston had been 10-0-1-2 against the West Division this season before dropping regulation contests to San Antonio on Friday and at Quad City on Saturday… The Aeros are currently embarking on their longest road trip of the season, an eight-game, eight-city jaunt that begins in Worcester on Wednesday.
 
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Iowa’s brief two-game winning streak was snapped on Tuesday in a 2-1 overtime loss at division-leading Milwaukee… The Chops have scored two or fewer goals in each of their last nine regulation losses… Defenseman Brian Salcido had racked up seven points (2-5-7) in a two-game span prior to going scoreless in Tuesday’s overtime loss… T.J. Trevelyan (3-2-5), Adrian Veideman (2-2-4), and Matt Beleskey (2-2-4) had also been hot over the previous two contests… Iowa continues its six-game road swing with games this week in Grand Rapids (Wednesday), Toronto (Friday), and Hamilton (Saturday).
 
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Lake Erie scored six goals in a 3:45 span to rally for a 6-2 win in Houston on Tuesday… The six goals were the most scored by the Monsters since also netting six in a 6-4 win over Hamilton on Nov. 9… Playing in his first AHL game of the season, Randy Rowe notched the eventual game-winner for the Monsters on Tuesday… Mark McCutcheon, who had only two points for the Monsters all season, registered three (2-1-3) in the win… Lake Erie visits San Antonio in the AHL’s lone New Year’s Day game before returning to play six of its next eight tilts at Quicken Loans Arena.
 
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Manitoba’s current four-game winless skid (0-3-0-1) is its longest of the season and longest since losing six in a row outright from Jan. 10-18, 2008… The Moose also suffered their most lopsided loss of the season on Tuesday, a 6-2 final at the hands of Chicago… The Moose and Wolves will square off for a rematch on Wednesday and then won’t see each other again until Feb. 22 in Chicago… Defenseman Nolan Baumgartner has an assist in three straight games (0-4-4) for Manitoba… The Moose are still allowing a league-low average of 2.41 goals per game.
 
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Milwaukee has won five straight games and 12 of 14 (12-2-0-0) to open a five-point lead over the pack in the West Division race… The Admirals are one shy of their season high of six consecutive victories, attained just earlier this month… Defenseman Alexander Sulzer has a point in five straight games (2-5-7) and nine of his last 10 (4-8-12), and he scored the overtime winner in Tuesday’s 2-1 victory over Iowa… Jed Ortmeyer also shows a point in five straight (5-2-7) and has totaled 11 points (6-5-11) in 13 games since joining Milwaukee.
 
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Tuesday’s 3-1 loss to Grand Rapids made Peoria winless in three straight games (0-2-0-1) for the first time all season… The Rivermen have totaled five goals in the three defeats… Chris Conner is riding a six-game scoring streak (3-5-8) and has a point in six of seven tilts since returning from an NHL stint with Dallas… Defenseman Jonas Junland has found the scoresheet in five of his last six outings (2-3-5), and Nicholas Drazenovic shows a three-game scoring run (1-3-4)… Peoria wraps up a five-game homestand by hosting Milwaukee and San Antonio this week before traveling to Milwaukee on Saturday.
 
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Quad City’s 3-1 win over Rockford on Tuesday gave the Flames their first two-game winning streak since Nov. 18-21… Rookie goaltender Leland Irving (7-6-0, 2.55, .895) has lost just one game in regulation since Nov. 1… Kris Chucko has netted a goal in three straight games (3-1-4) for the Flames, and Kyle Greentree shows a point in three of his last four contests (1-3-4)… The Flames are in a stretch of playing five of six games at the I Wireless Center before they embark on a season-high nine-game road swing beginning on Jan. 14.
 
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Rochester is currently winless in two straight games (0-1-0-1) for the first time in the month of December… Goaltender Mike Brodeur made a season-high 40 saves in Sunday’s 4-3 shootout loss at Hamilton… Karl Stewart has netted three goals over his last two games (3-0-3), and defenseman Franklin MacDonald sports a three-game scoring streak (1-3-4)… The Amerks travel to Manitoba for a pair of games against the Moose this weekend… Rochester was outscored 7-2 in getting swept by the Moose in a two-game set north of the border on Oct. 17-18.
 
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The IceHogs have lost three straight contests and are just 9-13-0-3 since their six-game winning streak ended on Oct. 31… Jack Skille scored Rockford’s lone goal in Tuesday’s 3-1 loss to Quad City and shows a goal in two of his last three outings (2-0-2)… Pascal Pelletier is without a goal in a season-high seven straight games, but does have an assist in four of his last five (0-4-4)… Rockford has outscored opponents 35-24 in the first period this season but has been outscored 37-28 in the second frame… The IceHogs host Quad City on Wednesday before playing a home-and-home with Chicago this weekend.
 
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San Antonio’s three-game winning streak came to an end with a 6-2 loss at Milwaukee on Monday… The Rampage finished 9-3-0-0 in December after suffering through an 0-14-0-1 month of November… San Antonio had been winless on the road (0-10-0-1) prior to wins last weekend at Houston on Friday (5-3) and at Peoria on Saturday (3-1)… Jeff Hoggan has netted a goal in two straight games (2-0-2) and has a point in three straight (2-2-4)… Defenseman Sean Sullivan has found the scoresheet in three of his last four contests (2-1-3).
 
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Tuesday’s 5-2 loss to Binghamton dropped the Crunch to 1-9-1-1 in their last 12 games and 2-3-1-1 against the Senators this season… Tom Sestito’s power play goal on Friday broke an 0-for-25 drought for the Crunch with the man-advantage and was the club’s first power play goal in five games… John Vigilante’s two goals in Saturday’s 5-4 win over Hamilton was the first time a Syracuse player scored twice in a game since Nov. 28, which was also the Crunch’s last win prior to Saturday… Trevor Frischmon recorded a season-high three assists in the win over the Bulldogs.
 
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Toronto’s 4-0 loss at Hamilton on Tuesday marked the first time the Marlies had been shut out since a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Lake Erie on Nov. 1… It also snapped Toronto’s winning streak at three games, one short of tying a season high… Todd Perry scored his first career AHL goal on Friday in the Marlies’ 3-1 win over Lake Erie… Goaltender James Reimer made his AHL debut on Saturday and turned aside 25 shots in a 3-2 shootout win over Manitoba… Phil Oreskovic scored his first goal of the campaign, and second of his AHL career, in that win over the Moose.