Eric Locke scored his 11th goal of the season to knot the game with under three minutes to play as Saginaw edged Niagara 3-2 in a shootout. Locke, who now has goals in three-straight games, put forth perhaps his strongest all-around effort in four games since returning from a shoulder injury. Justin Kea was whistled for roughing and goaltender interference penalties in the win. The Spirit host Guelph on Sunday.
Nick Baptiste ended his four-game goal drought as Sudbury blanked Oshawa 2-0. The speedy winger has 21 goals this season in 37 games, equaling the total he has posted all of last season in 66 games. Baptiste and the Wolves welcome Bailey and the Rangers to town on Saturday.
Brady Austin finished with a plus-two rating as London hammered Mississauga 7-1. Austin is a cumulative plus-24 this season, putting him in a tie for 13th overall in the OHL in that category. The Knights get a week off before visiting Guelph next Friday.
In the USHL, Judd Peterson scored his 12th goal of the season as Cedar Rapids was doubled by Indiana 4-2. Peterson has connected 12 times on 39 shots this, equating to an impressive 30.7% shooting through 26 games. The two clubs will play a rematch on Saturday.
Cal Petersen got a rest as Waterloo earned a 4-3 shootout victory over Fargo. The Black Hawks visit Dubuque on Saturday.
In college action, Christian Isackson recorded one shot on goal as Minnesota played to a 2-2 tie with Colgate. The Gophers dropped the tiebreaking shootout, putting them in the third-place tilt of the Mariucci Classic vs. RPI on Saturday.
Jake McCabe and Brad Navin were each kept off the score sheet as Wisconsin was defeated by Alaska-Anchorage 3-2. The Badgers will look for the non-conference split on Saturday.
In AHL action, Alex Hutchings scored twice and Matt Hackett stopped 33 of 35 shots to earn the game's number one star as Rochester downed Utica 5-2. Joel Armia, Nick Crawford, and Tim Schaller added single markers for the Amerks, who next visit Hershey on Saturday.
In the ECHL, Connor Knapp made 39 saves to earn the game's number two star as Greenville was defeated 3-2 in overtime by Florida. The Road Warriors are at South Carolina on Friday.
Andrey Makarov stopped 24 of 26 shots as Fort Wayne edged Evansville 3-2 in a shootout. Shawn Szydlowski was minus-two for the Komets, who play a rematch with Evansville on Saturday.
