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AHL Conference Notebooks

Published on November 4, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL) News Release


Eastern Conference

Adirondack has suffered seven straight losses (0-6-1-0) - including the last six in regulation - since capturing a 3-2 win over Syracuse in its home opener on Oct. 15... The Phantoms' two wins and five points are fewest in the AHL thus far... In an effort to boost offense, Adirondack earlier this week signed eight-time 20-goal scorer Denis Hamel, who ranks fourth on the AHL's active scoring list with 555 points in 710 career games... Rookie Andrew Rowe broke out with a two-goal, one-assist effort on Saturday in a 5-3 loss to Rochester... The Phantoms hit the road this weekend for games in Portland on Friday and in Binghamton on Saturday.

Albany has played just eight games thus far (5-3-0-0), tied with division rival Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for fewest among the AHL's 30 teams... The Devils encounter their first three-in-three stretch this weekend, though, as they visit Worcester on Friday before hosting Rochester and Providence on Saturday and Sunday, respectively... Goaltender Jeff Frazee is riding a personal four-game winning streak in which he has surrendered just four goals on 101 shots (.960)... Rookie defenseman Alexander Urbom has registered an assist in each of his last three outings... Overall, Albany has allowed an average of 2.50 goals per contest, tied for the fourth fewest in the AHL.

Binghamton has earned a point in five straight games (3-0-1-1) since a three-game losing skid from Oct. 9-16... Each of the Sens' last three games have extended beyond regulation, resulting in a shootout loss, an overtime win, and an overtime loss... Defenseman Derek Smith has surpassed Chris Kelly for seventh place in Senators history with 209 games played... Rookie Bobby Butler leads the club with five goals (5-2-7) and has scored in five of his first nine games this season... Leading scorer Corey Locke (3-7-10) shows a point in three straight games (2-2-4) and eight of nine overall... Binghamton battles Hamilton in Montreal on Friday before hosting Adirondack and Syracuse to close the weekend.

Bridgeport has won back-to-back games for the first time this season, with both wins coming after regulation; the Sound Tigers earned a 3-2 overtime decision in Manchester on Friday and captured a 6-5 shootout victory over Springfield on Wednesday afternoon... Jon Sim, a 2005 Calder Cup champion with Philadelphia, notched a hat trick and shootout goal on Wednesday in his AHL season debut... Jesse Joensuu is now riding a five-game scoring streak (2-6-8) after going without a point in his first four contests... Rookie David Ullstrom has notched a goal in four straight games (4-2-6), and his four tallies overall are tops on the Sound Tigers... Bridgeport visits Providence on Friday before taking on Hartford in a home-and-home set.

Charlotte has earned a point in four straight games (2-0-1-1), and seven of the Checkers' last eight contests have been decided by a one-goal margin (2-3-1-1)... Second-year pro Chris Terry has netted four goals in his last four games, and his total of six goals through 12 games (6-2-8) is already well ahead of last year's pace, when he scored 17 goals in 80 outings (17-30-47)... Zach Boychuk boasts a six-game scoring streak (3-5-8) for the Checkers, and Jerome Samson shows a point in four straight (3-2-5)... Charlotte has scored the first goal in only five of its first 12 games, and the Checkers are just 1-3-1-0 in those five games... The Checkers play a home-and-home with Norfolk this weekend and host Hershey on Sunday.

Hartford has totaled only seven goals during its current seven-game losing skid (0-5-2-0), which includes five one-goal efforts and a shutout... The seven-game streak matches the Wolf Pack's franchise-record losing skid, set from Feb. 20 to Mar. 9, 1999 (0-6-0-1) and matched from Feb. 21 to Mar. 10, 2010 (0-3-3-1)... Justin Soryal notched Hartford's lone goal in a 4-1 loss to Manchester on Wednesday, the third-year pro's first goal of the season... Defenseman Wade Redden started out on a five-game scoring streak (1-5-6) but has managed just one assist in seven games since... Hartford visits Manchester and Bridgeport this weekend before hosting Bridgeport on Sunday.

Hershey's 6-2 home-ice loss to unbeaten Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday was the Bears' most lopsided defeat at the Giant Center since dropping a 7-2 decision to Albany on Jan. 14, 2009... Reigning AHL MVP and current AHL leading scorer Keith Aucoin (5-13-18) has registered a point in all 10 Hershey games thus far, and Andrew Gordon (7-8-15) shows a point in nine of the 10 contests... Defenseman Zach Miskovic, who entered Saturday's tilt vs. the Penguins with six goals in 67 career AHL regular-season games, scored on both Saturday and then on Sunday vs. Manchester... The Bears are off until Sunday, when they open a two-game set at Charlotte.

Goaltender Jeff Zatkoff bounced back from two straight losses to stop 23 of 24 shots in a 4-1 win at Hartford on Wednesday... It marked the second time in his last four appearances that Zatkoff surrendered just one goal... David Meckler, who totaled 11 goals (11-9-20) in 73 games for Manchester last season, already boasts a team-leading seven tallies (7-3-10) through 11 games this year... Defenseman Alec Martinez has netted a goal in three straight games, and rookie Brandon Kozun shows a point in six of his last seven outings (3-4-7)... Manchester is 4-0-0-0 so far when leading after the first period... The Monarchs host Hartford on Friday and visit Worcester on Saturday.

Norfolk has scored five or more goals in five of its first nine games this season after the Admirals reached the five-goal plateau in just 12 of its 80 games during the 2009-10 season... The Admirals lead the AHL in both goals per game (4.56) and shots on goal per game (37.78)... Johan Harju (3-3-6), James Wright (2-3-5), and Matt Fornataro (2-3-5) are each riding three-game scoring streaks for Norfolk, while Paul Szczechura has a point in three of his last four outings (2-4-6)... Juraj Simek totaled two assists through his first seven games this year before putting up three goals and an assist in last weekend's two-game set vs. Portland... The Admirals play a home-and-home series with Charlotte this weekend.

Portland finished 3-1-0-0 on its four-game road trip to Norfolk and Charlotte... The Pirates' four-game winning streak - their second such streak of the young season - ended on Wednesday in a 5-4 loss to the Checkers... Luke Adam has racked up four goals and six points in his last three AHL games, and his 16 points overall (9-7-16) are six more than any other AHL rookie's total... Adam leads all AHL skaters with his nine goals, and his 16 points are good for a share of second overall... Drew Schiestel is on a four-game scoring streak (2-3-5), and his plus-10 rating is tied with Colin Stuart for the team lead... Portland hosts Adirondack and Providence this weekend.

Through nine games, the Bruins (2-5-1-1) have scored a combined 10 goals in their two victories and eight goals in their seven defeats... After playing three of its last four games against Worcester, Providence will only see the Sharks one more time - at home Nov. 26 - before mid-January... Rookie Joe Colborne, a first-round draft pick by parent-club Boston in 2008, recorded three points last weekend, including his first professional goal on Sunday vs. Worcester... Goaltender Michael Hutchinson made a career-high 41 saves at Worcester on Saturday, but the B's still dropped a 2-1 overtime decision... Providence hosts Bridgeport on Friday before visiting Portland and Albany to close the weekend.

Springfield has earned a point in three straight games (0-2-0-1) and five of its last six (4-1-0-1)... The Falcons are an impressive 4-1-0-1 on the road thus far but are just 2-3-0-0 at the MassMutual Center... Falcons leading scorer Tom Sestito (5-7-12) registered at least one point in eight of the team's 10 October games... Rookie forward Matt Calvert had been on an eight-game goal drought prior to scoring twice in Wednesday's 6-5 shootout loss at Bridgeport... 2009 AHL All-Star Michael Ryan, who signed with Springfield on Oct. 24, recorded his first two points (1-1-2) in a Falcons uniform on Wednesday... Springfield hosts Syracuse on Friday in its lone game of the weekend.

Rookie forward Kyle Palmieri has notched a goal in four straight games (6-1-7) and a point in five straight (6-2-8)... Palmieri was recalled by Anaheim on Wednesday and scored his first NHL goal later that night vs. Tampa Bay... Fellow rookies Nick Bonino (2-7-9) and Nicolas Deschamps (4-3-7) are each riding six-game scoring streaks for the Crunch... Luca Sbisa has a point in all five games (2-6-8) since joining Syracuse from Anaheim... The Crunch boast the AHL's second-ranked penalty-killing unit (39-for-42, 92.9 percent) and have killed off 24 of 25 man-down situations on home ice... Syracuse visits Springfield, Wilkes-Barre, and Binghamton this weekend.

At 8-0-0-0, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is one victory away from matching the 2005-06 team's 9-0-0-0 start to that season... The Penguins' 6-2 win at Hershey on Saturday marked their first victory at the Giant Center since a 5-4 decision on Apr. 12, 2009, the 2008-09 regular season finale... Joe Vitale has notched three of Wilkes-Barre's eight game-winning goals, and two of the Pens' three shorthanded goals thus far... Goaltenders John Curry (4-0-0, 1.72, .940) and Brad Thiessen (4-0-0, 1.96, .930) have traded starts since opening night... The Penguins visit Rochester on Friday and Sunday this weekend, with a Saturday home date vs. Syracuse in between.

Last weekend's sweep of a home-and-home set vs. Providence gave Worcester back-to-back wins for the first time on the young season... Making his first start of the season, rookie goaltender Carter Hutton stopped 37 of 38 shots in Sunday's 6-1 victory in Rhode Island... Second-year pro Benn Ferriero has netted a goal in five of his last six games (5-3-8) and in six of his first nine outings overall (7-4-11)... Defenseman Nick Petrecki is on a three-game scoring run (2-1-3), including the overtime winner in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Bruins... The Sharks host Albany and Manchester at the DCU Center this weekend.

Western Conference

Abbotsford is an even 2-2-0-0 thus far on its eight-game road trip, which continues this weekend with a pair of tilts against San Antonio... Newcomer Matt Keith leads the Heat thus far with seven goals (7-0-7), which have come in seven different games; Keith brings a three-game goal-scoring streak into the weekend... Rookie Carter Bancks has a point in three of his last four games (1-2-3) and boasts a team-best nine points (2-7-9) through 12 games overall... The Heat have scored first in only four of 12 games to begin the year... Abbotsford has struck for a league-best five shorthanded goals in the early going, including three on home ice.

Chicago avoided its first three-game losing skid of the season on Saturday with a 3-2 win over intra-state rival Rockford... Goaltender Peter Mannino, who was an impressive 26-5-1 (2.34, .921) in 38 appearances for Chicago last season, made his Wolves season debut on Saturday and stopped 22 of 24 shots in the winning effort... Jared Ross is currently on a four-game scoring streak (1-3-4), and Ross's eight points overall (2-6-8) are tied with Jason Krog (1-7-8) for second on the team behind Darren Haydar (3-7-10)... Seven of Chicago's 10 games this season have been decided by a single goal, including all five victories... The Wolves launch an eight-game road trip this weekend at Lake Erie, Grand Rapids, and Milwaukee.

Grand Rapids has earned a point in four straight games (3-0-0-1) since a 3-2 loss to Milwaukee on Oct. 22... The Griffins are 3-0-0-0 against Manitoba this season, and Friday's home game against the Moose will already mark the teams' final regular-season meeting of 2010-11... Jan Mursak is riding a career-high six-game scoring streak (5-3-8), while Cory Emmerton's five-game run (2-7-9) also marks a personal best... Jamie Tardif has notched three goals in his last two games after going his first seven contests without a goal... Grand Rapids enters the weekend boasting the AHL's top-ranked power play (28.2 percent)... The Griffins are 5-0-0-1 within the North Division thus far but 0-2-0-1 against West Division foes.

Hamilton is currently on a four-game winning streak and has picked up at least one standings point in nine of 10 games to begin the season (6-1-1-2, 15 points), lifting the Bulldogs to first place in the North Division... Hamilton's power play (11-for-45, 24.4 percent) sits tied for second in the AHL... Yannick Weber's six goals currently lead all AHL defensemen, and his 10 points are good for a share of second among rearguards... Bulldogs leading scorer David Desharnais (3-11-14) has picked up a point in all 10 games so far... Max Pacioretty shows multiple points in three of his last four outings (3-4-7)... Hamilton battles Binghamton in Montreal's Bell Centre on Friday in its lone game of the weekend.

Houston's four victories this season (4-5-1-0) have come against two teams - a pair of wins apiece over Oklahoma City and Texas... The Aeros swept both ends of a home-and-home with the Stars last weekend, and Carson McMillan notched the game-winning goal on both occasions... Goaltender Anton Khudobin turned aside 63 of 66 shots (.955) during the two contests... Rookie defenseman Nate Prosser netted his first two professional goals last weekend... The Aeros are 4-0-0-0 when leading after the first period but 0-3-0-0 when trailing after 20 minutes of play... Houston hosts Toronto on Friday before starting a five-game road trip on Saturday in Oklahoma City.

Lake Erie goaltender Jason Bacashihua surrendered six goals on 21 shots in Friday's 6-3 loss to Manitoba, but the veteran rebounded to make 36 saves on 37 shots (.973) in two victories to close the weekend, including a 19-save shutout of the Moose in Sunday's rematch... The Monsters' penalty-killing unit is a perfect 18-for-18 on home ice through three games... Ben Walter was held to just one assist in his first six games this season but has a point in five straight games since (2-4-6)... Rookie defenseman Joel Chouinard boasts a three-game scoring streak (1-2-3) to begin his pro career... Lake Erie hosts Chicago and Grand Rapids this weekend, enjoying Saturday night off.

Manitoba has been a streaky team in the early going - the Moose began the year with two straight wins, then lost two, then won three in a row, and is currently winless in their last four outings (0-3-0-1)... Rookie Lee Sweatt (3-2-5) leads all AHL defensemen with 38 shots on goal, and his plus-6 rating is presently tops on the Moose... After opening the season with visits to Peoria and Rockford, each of the Moose's last nine games have been against either Grand Rapids, Hamilton, or Lake Erie... Manitoba concludes its season series with the Griffins on Friday before making another visit to Rockford on Saturday.

Admirals rookie Linus Klasen is on a four-game AHL scoring streak (3-4-7) and also made his NHL debut with parent-club Nashville last week, appearing in one game... Defenseman Aaron Johnson is on a three-game scoring streak (1-2-3) after going without a point in his first seven contests this season... Mark Dekanich's 1.96 goals-against average through seven appearances (4-1-1) is tied for fourth-lowest in the AHL... Milwaukee has been to overtime three times thus far but has come away with a pair of shootout losses and an overtime loss... The Admirals host Peoria and Chicago this weekend before embarking on a 10-game road swing.

Oklahoma City is riding a four-game winning streak and shows a 7-2-0-0 mark overall since beginning the year 0-2-1-0... The Barons' surge has lifted them into a share of first place in the West Division with San Antonio... Linus Omark has a point in three straight games (1-3-4) and eight of his last nine games (4-7-11) since going without a point in three straight to begin the year... Martin Gerber leads all AHL goaltenders in both wins (6) and minutes played (613) thus far while ranking third in total saves (261)... The Barons kick off a season-high eight-game homestand with three tilts this weekend, welcoming Texas, Houston, and Toronto to the Cox Convention Center.

Peoria had been in an 0-for-23 drought on the power play before Chris Porter scored with the man advantage in Saturday's 3-1 loss to Oklahoma City... With the tally, Porter snapped a seven-game goal-scoring drought... That Saturday tilt marked the Rivermen's first home game since Oct. 12, after completing a season-high seven-game road trip in the state of Texas... Peoria will not visit the Lone Star State again until a trip to Houston on Feb. 12... The Rivermen are 7-0-0-0 when allowing two goals or fewer this season but 0-4-0-0 when allowing three or more... Peoria visits Milwaukee on Friday, has Saturday off, and hosts Rockford on Sunday this weekend.

Rochester collected a point in all four games of its recent road trip (3-0-1-0), including three straight victories to close the swing... Bill Thomas has racked up five points (2-3-5) in his last two games after totaling three points (1-2-3) in his first nine outings this season... Kenndal McArdle is on a six-game scoring streak (4-3-7) since being assigned to the Amerks by parent-club Florida on Oct. 19... Michal Repik (2-3-5) and Evgeny Dadonov (3-2-5) are both riding four-game scoring streaks... Rochester has scored 14 of its 34 goals and allowed 16 of its 35 goals in the third period of games thus far... The Amerks host Wilkes-Barre/Scranton twice this weekend, with a Saturday visit to Albany in between.

Four of Rockford's last six games have extended beyond regulation, resulting in a pair of shootout wins, a shootout loss, and an overtime win... The IceHogs' 4-3 shootout loss to Texas on Oct. 27 dropped Rockford to 0-5-1-1 against the Stars at the MetroCentre... Defenseman Brian Connelly's three-game assists streak (0-5-5) ended on Wednesday in a 3-2 shootout triumph at Milwaukee... With last week's recalls of Ben Smith and Ryan Potulny, parent-club Chicago has already summoned five players at one time or another this season, matching the Blackhawks' recall total from all of 2009-10... Rockford has Friday off before hosting Manitoba on Saturday and visiting Peoria on Sunday.

San Antonio's six-game winning streak came to an abrupt end on Wednesday in a 6-1 loss to Toronto, which entered the night 2-6-0-0 on the season... Mathieu Beaudoin (eight games), Alexandre Picard (seven), and Viktor Tikhonov (seven) each had lengthy scoring streaks end on Wednesday, but Brett MacLean (2-3-5) and defenseman Garrett Stafford (2-3-5) are now each riding three-game streaks... Goaltender Al Montoya (2-2-0) has surrendered six goals in each of his two losses but only one goal in each of his two victories... The Rampage visit Abbotsford for a pair of games this weekend and travel to Oklahoma City on Tuesday.

Texas lost back-to-back games for the first time this season when it dropped both ends of a home-and-home with Houston last weekend... The Stars have been the AHL's most disciplined team thus far, having averaged only 10.90 penalty minutes per game... Texas captain Brad Lukowich played in his 900th career professional game on Oct. 26 vs. Peoria... Goaltender Richard Bachman has dropped two straight games on the heels of two straight wins in which he stopped 78 of 81 shots (.963)... Counting shootouts, the Stars have scored 15 of their 27 goals so far in the third period or later... Texas visits Oklahoma City on Friday before hosting Toronto on Saturday.

At 3-6-0-0 overall, Toronto has totaled 16 goals in its three wins (5.33 per game) and 12 goals in its six losses (2.00 per game)... Wednesday's 6-1 win at San Antonio to open a 10-game road swing marked the Marlies' highest offensive output since collecting a 6-5 overtime win over Hamilton on Dec. 5, 2009... Rookie Jerry D'Amigo notched his first professional goal on Wednesday, one of six different Marlies to score... Second-year pro Justin Hodgman, who totaled 12 points (7-5-12) in 38 games for Toronto in 2009-10, already boasts four goals and six points through his first five games this year... The Marlies continue their road trek this weekend with games in Houston, Texas, and Oklahoma City.

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American Hockey League Stories from November 4, 2010


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