Brady Austin returned after missing two weeks with a hand injury as Belleville toppled Niagara 7-2 to earn their fourth straight victory. Tyler Graovac (MIN) and Brendan Gaunce (VAN) each got fat with a plus-six rating in the win.
Justin Kea (-1) was unable to point as Saginaw defeated Sault Ste. Marie 5-3. Kea, who has eight points in his last six games, will look to continue his excellent January when the Spirit tackle Erie on Saturday.
Alex Lepkowski finished with an even rating as Barrie dropped a 3-2 decision at Sudbury. The Colts take on Kitchener on Saturday.
In the WHL, Andrey Makarov made 27 saves as Saskatoon held on for a 5-4 win over Moose Jaw. The victory was Makarov's first in four starts since returning from the World Junior Championship. The Blades host Brandon on Saturday.
Colin Jacobs did not get in on the scoring as Prince George lost to Calgary 5-3. Jacobs continues to struggle in January, posting just one goal in seven games since flipping the calendar. The second-worst team in the league standings, PG will travel to Red Deer on Saturday.
In NCAA action, Jake McCabe finished plus-one as Wisconsin extended their winning streak to seven games and their unbeaten run to 11 with a 1-0 triumph over No. 8 Miami. Brad Navin did not factor for the Badgers, who will go for the home sweep on Saturday.
Christian Isackson continued to bounce around the lineup Friday, this time centering a checking line as Minnesota earned a 5-1 win over North Dakota. The Gophers will battle their rivals for the final time in the regular season as member of the WCHA on Saturday.
Joel Armia (-1) registered four shots on goal in 16:51 of work as Assat lost to the Espoo Blues 4-1. The two clubs will play it back on Saturday.
Judd Peterson (-1) went without a point as Cedar Rapids was trumped by Waterloo 7-3. The Junior A rookie will look to snap a four-game funk Saturday versus Sioux Falls.
Phil Varone scored a goal and an assist and Brian Flynn added his 13th goal as Rochester skated to a 4-1 victory over Syracuse. Evan Rankin andMark Mancari added the other Amerks tallies, while David Leggio made 26 stops to improve to 19-12-4-1 on the year.
Jerome Gauthier-Leduc was a healthy scratch following a career-low minus-four in Wednesday's loss to Binghamton.
The Amerks are off until Monday's 1:05 PM matinee with Hamilton.
The Rundown:
Varone: G, A, +2
Flynn: G
Sundher: A
Adam: A
Crawford: A, +2
Schiestel: +2
McNabb: even
Pysyk: SOG
Parker: even
