CHICAGO 5, MANITOBA 4
Chicago officially clinched the AHL’s West Division title with a 5-4 road win over Manitoba on Tuesday at the MTS Centre.
Kevin Doell tallied a pair of goals – including the eventual game-winner – for the Wolves (49-19-2-3), who captured their first division crown since the 2004-05 campaign, when they went on to appear in the Calder Cup Finals.
Chicago’s 49th victory matched its highest total in seven seasons as a member of the AHL, a mark that was also attained in 2004-05 (49-24-5-2).
Colin Stuart, Chad Denny, and Jason Krog also scored for the Wolves, and defenseman Nathan Oystrick chipped in a pair of assists.
Chicago took a 5-2 lead after Doell scored shorthanded at 7:38 of the third period. Doell also added an assist on the night for a three-point effort.
The Moose fought back, as Jannik Hansen tallied a power play goal at 8:44 of the third, and Greg Classen followed with an even-strength marker at 9:49. But Manitoba was unable to find the equalizer.
Hansen and Michael Grabner each tallied a goal and two assists in the losing effort.
Wolves goaltender Robert Gherson picked up the win with 24 saves on 28 shots.
QUAD CITY 4, IOWA 3 (SO)
Quad City rallied for a pair of third-period goals and eventually downed Iowa in a shootout by a 4-3 count at the Wells Fargo Arena.
Krys Kolanos scored in regulation and the shootout for the Flames, while Carsen Germyn also netted a shootout marker. Goaltender Curtis McElhinney denied all four Iowa attempts after making 28 saves through regulation and overtime.
With the Flames trailing 3-1 in the third period, Derek Couture tallied a power play goal at 5:09 and David Van der Gulik followed with a shorthanded marker at 7:29 to tie it.
James Neal scored twice for the Stars, and Marty Sertich posted a goal and an assist.
