📝 with files from Patrick Williams
Here is a look at Saturday night around the AHL:
IOWA 5, CHICAGO 2
Two days shy of his 20th birthday, Iowa goaltender Jesper Wallstedt made 37 saves, scored a shorthanded goal, and recorded his first AHL win for the Wild (5-3-1-2). The 20th overall selection in the 2021 NHL Draft, Wallstedt was 0-0-3 in his first three starts for Iowa before picking up the victory last night. He is the 19th goaltender in league history to score a goal (the 12th to do so by shooting the puck). Nic Petan added a goal and an assist for the Wild, who have won three in a row.
BELLEVILLE 3, ROCHESTER 2 (SO)
Senators head coach Troy Mann won his 300th AHL game as Kristian Rubins tied the game with 4:37 left in regulation and Rourke Chartier’s shootout goal capped the rally. Brendan Warren and Aleksandr Kisakov scored for Rochester, and Lassi Thomson had the other Belleville tally. Mann, who took over the Belleville bench in 2018 after four seasons with Hershey, is the 23rd coach in AHL history to reach 300 victories.
SYRACUSE 8, UTICA 3
The Crunch (4-6-1-2) scored four times apiece in the first and second periods to earn back-to-back wins for the first time this season. Alex Barré-Boulet took over the AHL scoring lead with a five-point night (two goals, three assists), defenseman Darren Raddysh tallied five assists and Shawn Element and Trevor Carrick notched a goal and two assists each. With Nico Daws and Akira Schmid both on recall to New Jersey, Isaac Poulter made his second straight start and stopped 32 shots for the Comets.
BAKERSFIELD 3, ONTARIO 1
Filip Engaras scored his first two pro goals in a 10-second span of the second period to propel the Condors (7-3-1-0) to a 3-1 win and a tie with Ontario (7-3-0-1) for the Pacific Division lead. It was the fifth straight win for Bakersfield, which got 27 saves from Olivier Rodrigue. Quinton Byfield scored for the Reign.
HENDERSON 3, ABBOTSFORD 2
Behind 43 saves from Jiri Patera, the Silver Knights (3-10-0-0) broke a four-game losing streak and earned their first road win of the season. Jermaine Loewen, Daniil Miromanov and Gage Quinney tallied for the Silver Knights, while Tristen Nielsen and Lane Pederson scored for the Canucks (5-4-0-1), who converted twice on four power-play chances.
CHARLOTTE 6, HARTFORD 5 (SO)
The Checkers (6-3-1-1) scratched out a shootout victory on Gerry Mayhew’s fourth-round goal, picking up their first road win in five tries this season. The teams combined for seven goals in the second period, and Charlotte opened a 4-1 lead before the Wolf Pack scored four straight to go up 5-4. Hartford, which is 3-0-0-2 at home this season, received three assists from Tanner Fritz and 31 saves from rookie Dylan Garand.
COACHELLA VALLEY 4, TUCSON 3 (OT)
The Firebirds (7-3-0-0) completed a sweep of their two-game visit to Tucson when Andrew Poturalski scored 26 seconds into overtime. John Hayden had a goal and two assists for Coachella Valley, which rallied from a 3-1 first-period deficit. Adam Cracknell and Travis Barron put the Roadrunners (6-3-1-0) in front only 2:59 into the game. Tucson has dropped three in a row following a five-game win streak.
TORONTO 3, GRAND RAPIDS 2 (OT)
Joey Anderson’s power-play goal 3:28 into overtime helped the North Division-leading Marlies improve their point streak to eight games (7-0-1-0). Anderson added an assist for the Marlies, Logan Shaw and Graham Slaggert added markers, and 2022 Hobey Baker Award winner Dryden McKay earned his first AHL win with 26 saves. Cross Hanas, who scored the OT winner for Grand Rapids on Friday, scored the equalizer with 9.1 seconds left in regulation.
HERSHEY 2, BRIDGEPORT 1 (OT)
The Bears (7-2-2-0) earned their second overtime win against Bridgeport in as many nights as Sam Anas scored with 2:46 gone in OT. After Vincent Sevigny broke a scoreless tie for the Islanders (7-2-3-0) early in the third period, Bears rookie Hendrix Lapierre got the equalizer with 11:51 to play. Hershey has won five straight games and completes a rare home three-in-three this evening against Laval.
ELSEWHERE
Former Penguin Anthony Angello broke a 2-2 tie with 12:17 remaining to give Springfield a 3-2 win at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton… Cam York’s third-period goal broke a tie and lifted Lehigh Valley over Laval, 3-2… Second-period goals from Fredrik Karlstrom, Thomas Harley and Marian Studenic helped the Texas Stars to a 3-2 win over the visiting Rockford IceHogs… Aaron Dell made 35 saves and Luke Johnson scored 40 seconds in overtime as San Jose downed Colorado, 2-1.
Patrick Williams has been on the American Hockey League beat for nearly two decades for outlets including NHL.com, Sportsnet, TSN, The Hockey News, SiriusXM NHL Network Radio and SLAM! Sports. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his outstanding coverage of the league in 2016.
