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AHL Conference Notebooks

December 9, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL) News Release


Eastern Conference

Adirondack has now lost 10 straight games (0-9-1-0) and is 1-18-2-0 since beginning the season 2-2-0-0... This is the longest the franchise has gone without a victory in its 15-history, eclipsing a pair of nine-game winless skids when the team was based in Philadelphia... Denis Hamel tallied six goals in his first five games with the Phantoms but hasn't scored in any of his nine outings since, collecting three assists in that span... Rookie Luke Pither shows three goals in his last six contests after going without a goal in his first 14 appearances... The Phantoms visit Syracuse on Friday, host Portland on Saturday, and travel to Connecticut on Sunday.

Albany was denied on Wednesday in its bid to win three straight games for the first time since Oct. 15-20, dropping a 3-2 decision to Hershey... It marked the Devils' second 3-2 loss to the Bears on home ice in a span of six days... Albany is now 4-10-0-0 at home overall, compared with a 7-4-0-0 mark on the road... Michael Swift is now on a three-game scoring streak (2-1-3) and has a point in five of his last six outings (3-2-5)... Rookie Adam Henrique, who also has point in three straight (2-1-3), missed his first game of the year on Wednesday... The Devils visit Binghamton on Friday, host Worcester on Saturday, and oppose Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in Atlantic City, N.J., on Sunday.

Binghamton is currently on a season-worst four-game losing skid and has totaled just five goals in that span, including a pair of shutouts... The B-Sens have not won since collecting a 5-2 decision over league-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Thanksgiving Day... The Senators are currently without AHL leading rookie scorer Bobby Butler (15-8-23), who earned his first NHL recall to Ottawa on Sunday... Corey Locke has recorded his one assist in his last five contests on the heels of a 12-game scoring streak... Binghamton hosts Albany on Friday before playing a home-and-home set with Rochester to close the weekend.

With Wednesday's 5-3 victory over Springfield, Bridgeport has now won back-to-back games for the first time since beating Manchester and Springfield on Oct. 29 and Nov. 3... The Sound Tigers have a point in seven of their last eight overall (5-1-1-1) and have climbed into a tie for fourth place in the Atlantic Division... Rookie Rhett Rakhshani has gotten hot with a point in three straight (2-4-6) and six of his last seven outings (4-6-10)... Former first-round draft pick Josh Bailey shows three goals and six points in six games since joining Bridgeport, and Tomas Marcinko has 2-2-4 in his last three games... Bridgeport has Friday off before visiting Syracuse on Saturday and Worcester on Sunday.

Charlotte became the second AHL team this season to score 10 goals in a game on Monday in a 10-3 win over Syracuse, and the Checkers' eight second-period goals were the most since Providence scored 10 against the Crunch in the first period on Nov. 25, 1998... Charlotte is 10-3-0-0 in its last 13 games overall, and the Checkers now have the AHL's fourth-ranked offense (3.46 goals per game)... Former first-round draft pick Zach Boychuk has a point in seven of his last eight games (3-9-12), and Jerome Samson has one in six of seven (3-8-11)... Rookie Riley Nash, another ex-first-rounder, tallied the first multi-goal game of his career on Monday... The Checkers host Hershey for a pair of games this weekend.

Connecticut has extended to the shootout in four of its last six games, winning twice and losing twice in that span... Overall, the Whale are 6-1-0-2 in their last nine games and 4-0-0-1 since rebranding themselves from the Hartford Wolf Pack on Nov. 27... Oren Eizenman's game-winning goal in Friday's 3-1 win at Providence was his second goal in four games with the Whale, doubling the career total he had accrued in 49 AHL games prior to joining Connecticut... Goaltender Cameron Talbot has surrendered just one goal on 69 shots in two outings vs. Providence (.986)... The Whale host Manchester and Adirondack this weekend.

Hershey is currently on a three-game winning streak, and Steve Pinizzotto has tallied the game-winning goal in two of those contests... Three of Pinizzotto's five goals on the season have been game-winners... The Bears, who are also 5-1-0-0 in their last six, are on their first three-game winning streak since Oct. 23-29... Jay Beagle has notched a goal in three straight games (3-0-3) and has four goals in his last seven outings... Hershey has now outscored opponents 32-17 in the third period, and the Bears' average of 3.68 goals per game places them second in the AHL... The Bears make their second visit of the year to Charlotte this weekend for a pair of games.

Manchester went 1-2-0-0 last weekend, losing to Norfolk 7-2 on Friday before beating Springfield on Saturday by that same score... The Monarchs then dropped a 2-1 decision in Providence on Sunday... Goaltender Jeff Zatkoff made a season-high 45 saves on Sunday in the losing effort... Andrei Loktionov has recorded three points in three of his last five contests (2-7-9) and continues to lead the club with 20 points (4-16-20) in just 17 games overall... Marc-Andre Cliche shows 5-6-11 in his last 10 outings after failing to record a point in his first nine games of the year... The Monarchs host Worcester and Portland this weekend, with a Saturday trip to Connecticut in between.

Each of Norfolk's last three games has extended beyond regulation, resulting in a pair of wins and a 4-3 overtime loss to Syracuse on Wednesday... The Admirals are 12-4-2-0 on the road but have just three victories in eight home contests thus far (3-2-2-1)... Blair Jones has a point in all four games (2-4-6) since returning from an NHL stint in Tampa Bay, and Marc-Antoine Pouliot has 4-1-5) in five games since coming back from his own recall... Johan Harju, who paces the Admirals with 13 goals in 17 games, notched his first career NHL tally for the Lightning on Tuesday... Norfolk plays a home-and-home with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this weekend.

Portland began the season 13-3-1-0 but is just 1-5-0-1 since, tumbling from first place to third in the Atlantic Division race... The slide coincides with the period in which rookie standout Luke Adam (11-8-19) has been on NHL recall with Buffalo... Adam tallied his first career NHL goal for the Sabres on Tuesday at Boston, with current Pirates leading scorer Mark Mancari (12-14-26) earning an assist on the play in his NHL season debut... Rookie Corey Tropp is on a four-game scoring streak (3-2-5) for the Pirates, with a goal in three of those four contests... Portland begins a four-game road swing this weekend with visits to Providence, Adirondack, and Manchester.

Providence halted a four-game losing skid with a 2-1 win over Manchester on Sunday, but the Bruins have still failed to score more than two goals in any of their last six contests (2-4-0-0)... Rookie goaltender Michael Hutchinson (7-4-0, 2.73, .909) has allowed exactly one goal in three of his last five appearances... Rookie Joe Colborne snapped a five-game goal-scoring drought with the game-winning marker on Sunday... Rookie defenseman Steven Kampfer, who shows 1-5-6 in his last six games for Providence, earned his first NHL recall to Boston on Wednesday... The Bruins host Portland on Friday before beginning a home-and-home set with Springfield on the road Saturday.

Springfield is winless in three straight games (0-2-1-0) for the first time all season and has just two victories in its last nine contests (2-6-1-0)... The Falcons have fallen below .500 on the year at 12-13-1-1 and are tied with Bridgeport for fourth place in the Atlantic Division... Veteran Jay Pandolfo has recorded six points (2-4-6) in eight games since joining the lineup, and Michael Blunden is on a three-game scoring run (2-1-3)... Rookie Matt Calvert is without a point in consecutive games for the first time since a three-game drought from Oct. 23-30... Springfield has surrendered three or more goals in 14 of its last 15 tilts... The Falcons play a home-and-home with Providence this weekend.

Syracuse bounced back from its 10-3 loss at Charlotte on Monday to post a 4-3 overtime win in Norfolk on Wednesday despite blowing a 3-0 lead in the game... Josh Green scored the game-winner and now has a point in five of seven games (3-3-6) since rejoining the lineup... Ex-Adirondack forward David Laliberte scored his first two goals in a Crunch uniform on Wednesday... Seven of Syracuse's nine wins on the season have been decided by one goal, as have 18 of the club's 25 games overall (7-7-1-3)... The Crunch are one of four teams yet to allow a shorthanded goal this season... Syracuse hosts Adirondack and Bridgeport this weekend.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton extended its winning streak to six games on Wednesday vs. Toronto, but Dustin Jeffrey's goal-scoring run came to an end at five games (6-4-10)... Robert Bortuzzo has a point in four straight games (1-4-5) after totaling just 0-2-2 in his previous 13 outings... Goaltender John Curry, who earned his 90th career victory on Wednesday, is on a personal six-game winning streak since dropping back-to-back outings on Nov. 6 and 12... The Penguins now rank second in the AHL in defense (2.16 goals allowed per game), just behind Peoria (2.15)... Wilkes-Barre, 21-4-0-0 on the year, plays a home-and-home with Norfolk this weekend and battles Albany in Atlantic City, N.J., on Sunday.

Worcester is currently on a four-game points streak (3-0-0-1) and is 6-2-0-1 in its last nine games to move into second place in the Atlantic Division, three points back of first-place Manchester... Second-year goaltender Alex Stalock has appeared in 22 of the team's 25 games, including each of the last nine in a row... Stalock, who 61 appearances for the Sharks as a rookie, ranks second in the AHL in minutes (1258), first in total saves (572), and tied for second in wins (12-8-2)... Jonathan Cheechoo has a point in three straight (2-4-6) and four of his last five games (3-5-8), and Kevin Henderson has scored in three of his last four (3-0-3)... The Sharks visit Manchester and Albany this weekend before hosting Bridgeport on Sunday.

Western Conference

Five of Abbotsford's last six home games have been decided by a one-goal margin, and four of the six have extended to a shootout... The Heat collected their AHL-leading fifth shootout victory on Tuesday, a 3-2 win over Lake Erie... Goaltender Leland Irving, who earned a 23-save shutout vs. the Monsters on Wednesday, has gone 13 straight appearances without allowing more than two goals in a game since a 4-3 overtime win over Rochester on Oct. 25... Irving leads the league with 13 wins (13-7-1) and has jumped into the top-10 with his 2.11 goals-against average... Abbotsford hosts Chicago for a pair of games this weekend.

Chicago dropped to 0-3-0-0 vs. San Antonio this season with a 5-2 loss on Wednesday... The Wolves are still 7-3-0-0 in their last 10 games overall but just 3-3-0-0 in their last six... Jason Krog's five-game scoring streak (2-6-8) came to an end in the loss to the Rampage, but Jared Ross extended his goal-scoring run to three contests (3-0-3)... Darren Haydar has a point in five of his last six (2-8-10), and Haydar's 27 points (11-16-27) are tied with Krog (6-21-27) for the club lead... Chicago has the AHL's worst penalty kill (73.1 percent), but the Wolves rank among the league leaders with five shorthanded goals... The Wolves visit Abbotsford for a two-game weekend set.

Last weekend's two-game set vs. San Antonio kicked off a 10-game December home slate for the Griffins, marking only the second time in 10 AHL seasons that they've played 10 home contests in December (also in Dec. 2007)... Francis Pare now has 103 points (46-57-103) in his Grand Rapids career, making him the 14th player to reach the century-mark... Ilari Filppula is riding a four-game scoring streak on the heels of an eight-game drought and is part of a three-way tie for the team lead with 20 points overall (10-10-20)... Grand Rapids ranks third in the AHL with six shorthanded goals after totaling eight all of last year... The Griffins host Texas twice this weekend, with a Saturday trip to Peoria in between.

Hamilton has lost three straight games for the first time this season and is just 1-4-0-0 in its last five outings since earning a point in six in a row (5-0-0-1) from Nov. 16-26... The Bulldogs' 4-3 loss at Rochester on Wednesday marked their first setback in four games against the Amerks this year (3-1-0-0)... Max Pacioretty remains red-hot and now boasts 11 goals in his last nine games (11-2-13), a stretch which began with a hat trick on his birthday Nov. 20 at Toronto... Pacioretty's linemate David Desharnais has a point in four of his last five (1-5-6)... Hamilton visits Rochester again on Friday, has Saturday off, and hosts Toronto on Sunday in a game to be televised nationally on CBC (Canada) and the NHL Network (United States).

Houston has now scored the first goal in 17 of its last 20 games and in a league-leading 19 of its 27 contests overall (14-3-0-2)... The Aeros are winless (0-7-1-0) when they surrender the game's first tally... Houston is 4-1-0-0 in its last five games overall, with all four victories coming in either overtime or the shootout... Rookie Casey Wellman shows six points (1-5-6) in seven games since returning from missing 13 contests due to NHL recall to Minnesota... Goaltender Anton Khudobin is on a personal four-game winning streak and is 6-1-0 in his past seven decisions... The Aeros host San Antonio on Friday before kicking off a five-game road trip at Lake Erie on Sunday.

Lake Erie is winless in three straight games (0-1-0-2), with all three losses coming by a one-goal margin... The Monsters have dropped four straight shootouts since prevailing in their first trip this year, a 2-1 decision at Syracuse back on Oct. 9... Matthew Ford's three-game goal-scoring streak (3-0-3) ended on Wednesday in a 1-0 loss at Abbotsford... Jason Bacashihua matched his season high with 33 saves in that contest but took the tough-luck loss... Wednesday marked just the Monsters' second regulation loss against a divisional opponent (6-2-0-2), while Lake Erie is just 4-8-2-2 vs. the West Division... The Monsters host Toronto and Houston this weekend...

Manitoba has dropped back-to-back games for the first time since a season-high three-game skid from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2... The Moose have just two wins in their last seven outings (2-3-0-2)... At 12-9-0-3 (27 points), Manitoba sits in a tie for fifth in the North Division but has played fewer games (24) than anyone else in the division... Manitoba's 37 shots on net in Saturday's 4-0 loss to Oklahoma City marked the most the Moose had fired in a shutout defeat since taking 50 shots in a 1-0 loss to Syracuse on Mar. 6, 2004... The Moose continue a four-game southern road trip in Oklahoma City and San Antonio this weekend.

With top goaltender Mark Dekanich (10-3-3, 1.71, .941, 3 SO) on NHL recall to Nashville, rookie Jeremy Smith has earned three straight starts for the first time this season (1-2-0)... Chet Pickard appeared in relief on Friday vs. Grand Rapids for his first AHL appearance since Oct. 24... Chris Mueller's four-game scoring streak (4-3-7) ended on Wednesday at Grand Rapids, but Jamie Lundmark now has a point in three of his last four (1-4-5)... Rookie Ryan Thang notched his first goal of the season on Wednesday; Thang had four goals in 19 regular season and playoff games for Milwaukee late last season... The Admirals visit Rockford on Friday before hosting Texas and Oklahoma City to close the weekend.

Oklahoma City has lost three consecutive shootouts after emerging victorious in its first two trips to the shootout this season... In his second game back following an NHL stint with Edmonton, Martin Gerber posted a 37-save shutout at Manitoba in a 4-0 win on Saturday... Linus Omark, who paces the Barons with 26 points (13-13-26), earned his first NHL recall on Wednesday... Colin McDonald already has 12 goals in 26 games this season (12-3-15), matching his career high set in both 2007-08 and 2009-10 with Springfield... The Barons are 7-2-0-1 against North Division opponents thus far... Oklahoma City hosts Manitoba on Friday and then visits Rockford and Milwaukee to close the weekend.

Rookie goaltender Jake Allen allowed a season-high five goals and saw his personal five-game winning streak come to an end on Sunday in a 5-4 overtime loss to Milwaukee... That also halted the Rivermen's four-game win streak as a team... Peoria does still have a point in a season-best nine straight games (7-0-2-0) and is four points back of San Antonio for the West Division's top spot... T.J. Hensick has five assists in three games since returning from NHL recall; the two-time AHL All-Star's 20 points in just 16 games (6-14-20) are tied with Graham Mink (8-12-20 in 22 GP) for the team lead... Derek Nesbitt has tallied a goal in four of his last five contests (4-1-5)... The Rivermen host Grand Rapids on Saturday in their lone game of the weekend.

Following Wednesday's 4-3 win over Hamilton, Rochester will go for its first two-game winning streak since a three-game run from Oct. 26-30 when it hosts the Bulldogs again on Friday... Signed to a tryout agreement earlier in the day, veteran Bates Battaglia posted an assist in his Americans debut on Wednesday... Leading scorer Michal Repik (4-22-26), who has 0-4-4 in three games since returning from the NHL, has not gone more than two straight games without a point all season... The Amerks sit last in the North Division at 11-13-1-0 but are still just nine points back of first-place Hamilton... Rochester plays a home-and-home with Binghamton to close the weekend.

Rockford set a team record for goals in a game in its AHL era with an 8-5 win over Texas on Wednesday... The IceHogs had entered the game ranked 29th in the AHL in offense and had scored eight goals in their previous four goals combined... Second-year defenseman Brian Connelly, who is tied for the team lead with 16 points (3-13-16), notched his first career two-goal game on Dec. 2 at Houston... At the time, that also marked the first two-goal effort by an IceHog this season; Kyle Hagel then scored twice in Wednesday's contest – his first two career AHL goals... Rockford continues a seven-game homestand this weekend vs. Milwaukee and Oklahoma City.

San Antonio has scored six power play goals on its last 15 opportunities (40.0 percent), and the Rampage's season power play ranks first in the AHL both on the road (30.8 percent) and overall (24.2 percent)... Andrew Ebbett is on a four-game scoring streak (2-6-8) and has picked up a point in 12 of his 16 games for San Antonio on the season (4-13-17) while also appearing in six games for parent-club Phoenix... The Rampage are 3-0 in shootouts this year and have converted seven of their 12 attempts for a league-best 58.3 percent success rate... San Antonio, winners of four straight and 11 of 13 (11-2-0-0), visits Houston on Friday before hosting Manitoba on Saturday.

Rookie goaltender Richard Bachman (9-4-1, 2.01, .931) was called up to NHL Dallas on Wednesday, and the Stars then allowed a franchise-record eight goals that night in an 8-5 loss at Rockford... That brought an end to Texas' five-game points streak (3-0-1-1)... Defenseman Dan Spang snapped a 17-game goal-scoring drought with a pair of tallies on Wednesday... Raymond Sawada (2-1-3), Cody Chupp (2-2-4), and Sean Backman (1-3-4) are each riding three-game scoring streaks... The Stars, who are in the midst of playing six games in an eight-day span, visit Grand Rapids on Friday, Milwaukee on Saturday, and then Grand Rapids again on Sunday.

With back-to-back 5-1 losses to Chicago and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Toronto has dropped consecutive games in regulation for the first time since a three-game skid from Oct. 24-30... Since a 6-4 win over Abbotsford on Friday, the Marlies have totaled four goals in three games... Justin Hodgman notched the Marlies' lone goal on Wednesday in Wilkes-Barre and continues to lead the club in scoring with 16 points (7-9-16) in 23 games for the season... That goal snapped a 10-game scoring drought for Hodgman... Toronto continues a four-game road trip with stops at Lake Erie and Hamilton this weekend.

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