AHL Western Conference Notebook

West Division

CHICAGO WOLVES (Thrashers) -- C Brian Swanson, who spent most of last year with the Edmonton Oilers, broke out with a hat trick and an assist in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Hamilton Bulldogs November 9. The 27-year-old notched a pair of first-period goals and helped the Wolves erase a 4-2 deficit with a goal and a helper in the final stanza. ... LW Eric Healey has contributed two goals and four assists in his last five games and was leading the league in shooting percentage with six goals on 18 shots (33 percent) through November 11. ... On November 7 vs. the Manitoba Moose, C Derek MacKenzie scored a shorthanded goal with 4:34 remaining to lift Chicago to a 2-1 victory. The Ontario native added two assists in a 3-3 tie with the Moose the following night. ... Chicago has outscored opponents, 16-8, in the third period, helping the squad to a 4-0-1-1 record in games tied after two periods.

CINCINNATI MIGHTY DUCKS (Mighty Ducks) -- G Ilja Bryzgalov was honored as the league's Player of the Week on November 10 for a 3-0-0 run that culminated in a 29-save shutout of the Toronto Roadrunners November 8. The 6-3 Russian, who posted a .967 save percentage for the week, has blanked Toronto twice this year, recording a combined 27 third-period saves. ... D Mikael Holmqvist had a four-game goal streak and seven-game point streak broken on November 7. After playing in Europe since 1996, the native of Sweden was second among league defensemen with four goals through November 11. Through that time, he was the only player in the league with two shorthanded tallies. ... After starting the season with Anaheim, LW Alexei Smirnov was sent down in early November and recorded six points in his first three games (three goals, three assists), helping the Mighty Ducks to a three-game winning streak. ... During a four-game unbeaten streak November 1-8, Cincinnati trailed for only 12:24 and outscored its opponents, 13-4.

GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS (Red Wings) -- G Joey MacDonald remained unbeaten (4-0-1) through November 11 with a goals-against average of 1.71 in his last four starts. ... The Griffins have been fast out of the gate with a 20-11 edge in scoring in the first period. They have also closed well, posting a 2-0-2-0 mark in overtime affairs. ... RW Mark Mowers has recorded a point in six of his last seven outings, posting six goals and three assists over that span. After finishing fourth in the AHL in points (81) a year ago, Mowers was leading Grand Rapids with eight goals and 13 points through November 11 and was one of only five players in the league with three game-winning tallies. ... In a 6-2 victory over the Houston Aeros, the Griffins scored four straight times in 11:42 of the third period to break the game open. The effort snapped a three-game winless streak and gave the team its most lopsided triumph of the year.

HOUSTON AEROS (Wild) -- In losing four of its last five contests, the Aeros have allowed 4.8 goals per game, including an 8-2 defeat to the Milwaukee Admirals November 6. ... Defensemen Erik Reitz and Jason Marshall both had a goal and two assists in a 4-1 victory over the Utah Grizzlies November 8, helping Houston reach the four-goal mark for just the third time in 11 games. ... The Aeros have given up 3.33 goals per game, 27th in the league. In a 6-1 loss to Utah November 7, Houston surrendered three straight goals in a 12:05 span early in the game and another three in a 14:06 span later. The Aeros also gave up four consecutive goals in just 10:15 in the loss to Milwaukee and four straight in 11:42 vs. the Grand Rapids Griffins November 11. ... The Aeros have gone 4-0-0-0 when leading after one period and 0-7-1-0 when trailing after the first 20 minutes.

MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS (Predators) -- Eight different players scored and C Tony Hrkac notched four assists in an 8-2 victory over the Houston Aeros November 6. The outburst matched the league high for goals in a game. ... After recording just two assists through his first seven games, D Andrew Hutchinson has posted a marker in each of his last three, adding an assist in a 3-2 victory vs. the San Antonio Rampage November 7. ... Through a prolific stretch that spanned two games and parts of two others, Milwaukee outscored opponents, 14-2. ... G Brian Finley turned back 19 shots to record a 2-0 shutout of the Syracuse Crunch October 31 and recorded 38 saves in the big win over the Aeros. ... The Admirals were one of only three remaining teams yet to suffer a regulation loss on the road through November 11. They have recorded at least one point in seven straight games overall.

SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE (Panthers) -- The Rampage have won four of their last five games to improve to 8-3-1-0, yielding the second-most standings points (17) in the Western Conference through November 11. ... G Travis Scott was fifth in the league with a 1.81 goals-against average and owned a .947 save percentage through November 11. Scott made 40 saves in a 4-1 win over the Manitoba Moose November 5. LW Eric Beaudoin supplied three assists in that victory and added two goals and two assists in a 6-3 win over the Utah Grizzlies November 9. Beaudoin was tied for third in the league with 14 points (five goals, nine assists) through November 11. ... RW Juraj Kolnik, who also notched three helpers on November 5, produced a goal and three assists in the Rampage's win over Utah November 9. Kolnik, who turns 23 on November 13, was second on the club with 12 points through November 11. ... Scott Allen was promoted from assistant coach to head coach after Steve Ludzik was called upon to be the assistant for the Florida Panthers.

UTAH GRIZZLIES (Dallas) -- The Grizzlies have gone 1-3-0-1 over their last five games, falling to 3-7-1-2 overall. Their lone win during that span came on November 7, a 6-1 triumph over the Houston Aeros. G Jason Bacashihua, who won 18 games for Utah last year, notched his first victory of the season with a 38-save effort. He had been 0-5-1 previously. ... D Jeff MacMillan recorded a goal and two assists in the win against the Aeros. He has not produced a point in his other 12 games this season. ... RW David Oliver represented the Grizzlies as a member Team Canada in the recent Deutchland Cup tournament in Hannover, Germany. ... The Grizzlies have gone 4-for-12 on the power play in their last three games after managing just one man-advantage tally in their first 63 attempts, including an 0-for-42 drought. Their 6.6 percent power-play conversion rate was worst in the league through November 11.

North Division

CLEVELAND BARONS (Sharks) -- The Barons have earned at least one standings point in four consecutive games through November 11. ... LW Pat Rissmiller has registered seven points over his last three games and was leading Cleveland with 13 points through November 11. In a 4-2 win over the Hamilton Bulldogs November 2, the 25-year-old scored 28 seconds into the game before assisting on a pair of second-period goals and netting a third period insurance marker to finish with a career-high four points. ... G Dimitri Patzold, a fourth-round pick of the San Jose Sharks in 2001, stopped 34 of 37 shots in a 3-2 overtime loss against Hamilton November 1. He made 23 saves to earn the win against the Bulldogs the next afternoon and stopped a career-high 38 shots in a 5-4 overtime loss against the Toronto Roadrunners November 7. The 20-year-old rookie has a 2.97 goals-against average in six starts. ... RW Miroslav Zalesak, who has scored in four straight games, tallied in a 2-2 tie vs. the Rochester Americans November 8, becoming the all-time leading scorer in Barons' history with 102 points.

HAMILTON BULLDOGS (Canadiens) -- The Bulldogs have won four of their last six games and were tied for first in the North Division through November 11. ... RW Jozef Balej has extended his scoring streak to eight games through November 11, recording at least one point in 11 of his last 12 games, including a two-assist effort in a 5-4 triumph over the Chicago Wolves November 9. ... LW Pierre Dagenais has collected nine points in his last five games and was leading the team lead with eight goals through November 11. In a dramatic, 5-4 victory over the St. John's Maple Leafs November 7, the 6-4 Quebec native scored twice in a nine-minute span of the second period and completed a hat trick by netting a power-play goal with 14 seconds left in overtime. ... C Benoit Gratton, who was tied for the team lead with 14 points through November 11, scored twice and assisted on a pair of goals against Chicago November 9. ... Hamilton posted a 3-0-1 record in four overtime games October 31-November 11 after going 0-5-8 in 13 extra-session games since last season.

MANITOBA MOOSE (Canucks) -- The Moose managed just one win in their last six games (1-4-1) despite outshooting their opponents by an average of six shots per game over that stretch. ... C Fedor Fedorov, who was leading the team with 13 points through November 11, netted the game-winning goal in a 3-1 win over the Houston Aeros November 4. ... Rookie D Tomas Mojzis scored his first professional goal in a 2-1 loss to Houston November 2 and has recorded an assist in three consecutive games through November 11. ... Despite amassing the second-most shots in the league (486), Manitoba ranked 25th with an average of just 2.13 goals per game through November 11. ... G Alex Auld, a second-round pick in 1999, suffered six losses in nine games (2-6-1) despite a 2.65 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage through November 11.

ROCHESTER AMERICANS (Sabres) -- The Americans snapped a four-game winless streak (0-2-2) with a 3-0 blanking of the Cincinnati Might Ducks November 10. They were fourth in the North Division, trailing three teams by one point through November 11. ... Despite a 1-1-2 record in his last four starts, G Ryan Miller has continued to dominate AHL opponents. The 23-year-old Michigan native stopped a season-high 40 shots in a 2-2 tie vs. the Cleveland Barons November 8 and recorded his second shutout with a 32-save effort in the triumph over the Mighty Ducks November 10. Through November 11, Miller has recorded a 1.31 goals-against average and has posted a .953 save percentage, both second in the league. ... Rookie C Derek Roy, who was tied for the team lead while leading all AHL rookies with 13 points through November 11, recorded a goal and an assist in a 4-3 loss to the Hamilton Bulldogs October 31.

ST. JOHN'S MAPLE LEAFS (Maple Leafs) -- The Maple Leafs earned seven of a possible 10 points on a five-game road trip November 1-8 and were tied for first in the division through November 11. ... C Harold Druken had a five-game points streak through November 11, tallying six goals over that stretch. The 24-year-old scored twice, including the overtime game-winner, in a 4-3 victory over the Binghamton Senators November 1 and netted two more goals in a 6-4 win over the Toronto Roadrunners November 2. ... D Clarke Wilm, who spent last season with the Nashville Predators, posted four points and a plus-3 rating in three games November 5-8. The 27-year-old Saskatchewan native scored a shorthanded goal in a 7-3 loss to the Hershey Bears November 5 and netted a pair of go-ahead goals in a 4-3 win over Binghamton November 8. ... Rookie C Kyle Wellwood has eight points in his last seven games and was leading the team in scoring with 12 points through November 11.

SYRACUSE CRUNCH (Blue Jackets) -- Since beginning the season without a loss in their first six games (5-0-1), the Crunch have gone just 2-5-2. Injuries to veteran defensemen Trent Cull and Paul Traynor, who have 819 games of professional experience between them, have contributed to the recent struggles. Cull sustained a broken foot in practice October 28 and was expected to miss four to six weeks. Traynor suffered a bruised foot against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins the following night and missed the next five games. ... C Brad Moran was tied for third in the league with 14 points (five goals, nine assists) through November 11. ... The Crunch owned the league's top power-play unit through November 11, converting on 25.37 percent of its chances.

TORONTO ROADRUNNERS (Oilers) -- The Roadrunners made it home following a season-opening, nine-game road trip (2-6-1) and skated to a 1-1 tie with the Rochester Americans November 1. RW Sean McAslan scored the first-ever goal at Ricoh Coliseum. ... Toronto earned its first overtime win in team history November 7, coming back from a three-goal, third-period deficit to beat the Cleveland Barons, 5-4. C Mike Bishai scored with one second left in regulation to force the extra session, in which D Dan Smith tallied with 3:22 remaining. ... G Stephen Valiquette, who was 3-4-1 with a 2.97 goals-against average in eight games, was called up to Edmonton to back up Ty Conklin while Tommy Salo recovers from hip and groin injuries.

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