AHL Power Rankings: Nov. 26-Dec. 2 Edition
While nothing can match the craziness of last week’s rankings, this week of AHL action did not fail to impress. One goaltender made the history books for his club, and some previously struggling teams are making appearances in the top 10. Meanwhile, find out which team failed to earn any points to kick off the newest edition of the list.
Read about all of this and more as the AHL enters the final month of 2012. 
30. Charlotte Checkers
Last Week: 23
Weekly Record: 0-2
Charlotte got off to a strong start to the 2012-13 season, but has found itself stuck in the bottom of the rankings the last two weeks. This week, the Checkers lost a two-game set to the Rockford IceHogs, a 5-2 defeat on Saturday and a 4-1 loss on Sunday. Charlotte scored once on four power plays on Saturday, while on Sunday, Brett Sutter scored in defeat.
Upcoming Schedule: Thursday, December 6 and Friday, December 7 vs. Lake Erie Monsters, Sunday, December 9 vs. Milwaukee Admirals
29. Adirondack Phantoms
Last Week: 6
Weekly Record: 0-3
The Phantoms lost to the St. John’s IceCaps, 3-2, on Wednesday despite getting two goals from Harry Zolnierczyk, then fell to a hot Binghamton Senators team by a score of 7-4 on Friday.
Harry Zolnierczyk scored twice for the Phantoms on Wednesday, a bright spot in a 3-2 loss to the IceCaps. (Dustin Bradford/Icon SMI)
Adirondack finished the week with a 3-2 loss to the lowly Albany Devils and got two points from Erik Gustafsson in the process.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday at Rochester Americans, Saturday, December 8 vs. Syracuse Crunch, Sunday at Providence Bruins
28. Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Last Week: 30
Weekly Record: 0-2-0-1
Bridgeport did not see much improvement this week, losing 5-2 to the Hershey Bears on Friday and 4-1 to the Norfolk Admirals on Sunday. On Sunday, Brock Nelson scored the lone goal in the loss.
The Sound Tigers also lost to the Worcester Sharks, 4-3, in a shootout on Saturday. Nino Niederreiter had two points in regulation, but the Sound Tigers failed to score on four shootout tries.
Upcoming Schedule: Wednesday, December 5 at Connecticut Whale, Saturday at Albany Devils, Sunday vs. Syracuse
27. Oklahoma City Barons
Last Week: 1
Weekly Record: 0-1-0-1
After finishing No. 1 last week, the Barons tumbled down the rankings after losing a two-game set to the Houston Aeros. They lost 2-1 in a shootout on Thursday, scoring twice on six attempts. Then, on Saturday, Justin Schultz and Taylor Hall had two points in a 4-3 regulation loss. The losses ended a five-game winning streak for the Barons.
Upcoming Schedule: Saturday and Sunday at San Antonio Rampage
26. Peoria Rivermen
Last Week: 20
Weekly Record: 0-1-0-1
Derek Nesbitt had the lone goal as the Rivermen lost to the Chicago Wolves 3-1 on Saturday, then scored twice in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Texas Stars on Sunday. However, the Rivermen scored once in 10 shootout rounds, which led to their third straight loss.
Upcoming Schedule: Wednesday at Grand Rapids Griffins, Saturday at Texas, Sunday at Houston Aeros
25. Connecticut Whale
Last Week: 2
Weekly Record: 0-2-1
The Whale lost 4-2 to the Providence Bruins on Friday, with Chad Kolarik getting both goals, one of which was on the power play. They then got their only point of the weekend in a 4-3 overtime loss to Syracuse on Saturday as Cam Talbot made 42 saves in goal.
On Sunday, Connecticut lost 5-0 the Springfield Falcons.
Upcoming Schedule: Wednesday vs. Bridgeport, Saturday at Manchester Monarchs, Sunday vs. Albany
24. Rochester Americans
Last Week: 24
Weekly Record: 0-2-1
Rochester stays put this week after starting the week with a 4-2 loss to the Rampage on Wednesday before losing 4-1 to the Toronto Marlies on Friday. Maxime Legault had the only goal in the loss.
The Amerks didn’t fare much better in Saturday’s rematch with the Marlies, losing 3-2 in overtime. Marcus Foligno had two points as Rochester lost its third straight and fourth game out of five.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday vs. Adirondack, Saturday at Toronto Marlies
23. Syracuse Crunch
Last Week: 14
Weekly Record: 1-2
Syracuse struggled once again, falling 5-3 to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Friday, but got two points from Philip-Michael Devos. It bounced back on Saturday with a 4-3 overtime loss in Connecticut, and Richard Panik posted two goals.
But on Sunday, the Crunch lost to intrastate rivals the Senators by a 5-2 score. Dustin Tokarski took the loss in goal with 33 saves.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday vs. Hamilton Bulldogs, Saturday at Adirondack, Sunday at Bridgeport
22. Milwaukee Admirals
Last Week: 4
Weekly Record: 1-0
Milwaukee won its only game of the week on Friday, securing a 3-2 victory over Chicago. It was the Admirals’ third win in a row.
Upcoming Schedule: Wednesday vs. Texas, Friday at Rockford IceHogs, Sunday at Charlotte Checkers
21. Abbotsford Heat
Last Week: 11
Weekly Record: 1-1
T.J. Brodie and Ben Walter had two points as the Heat beat the Bulldogs 5-1 on Friday. However, they lost Saturday’s rematch by a 3-0 score. Danny Taylor made 24 saves in defeat.
Upcoming Schedule: Tuesday and Wednesday vs. San Antonio, Sunday at Toronto
20. Grand Rapids Griffins
Last Week: 15
Weekly Record: 1-1
The Griffins split a two-game set with the Stars, starting with a 3-1 loss on Friday in which Landon Ferraro had the lone tally. On Saturday, they won 3-2 and were led by Riley Sheahan, who had two points.
Upcoming Schedule: Wednesday vs. Peoria, Friday at Chicago Wolves, Sunday vs. Rockford
19. Lake Erie Monsters
Last Week: 21
Weekly Record: 1-2
The Monsters split two games with the Rampage, losing 6-2 on Friday but winning 4-2 on Saturday. However, they couldn’t keep the momentum going and lost 5-4 to the Marlies on Sunday. Andrew Agozzino and Mark Olver each had two points for Lake Erie in defeat.
Upcoming Schedule: Thursday and Friday at Charlotte
18. Chicago Wolves
Last Week: 18
Weekly Record: 1-2
Matt Climie made 38 saves on Wednesday against the IceHogs, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Wolves from a 4-2 loss. In Friday’s 3-2 loss to Milwaukee, Anton Rodin had two points, and Chicago scored on one of its two power plays.
The Wolves saved their week with a 3-1 win over the Rivermen on Saturday.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday vs. Grand Rapids, Saturday at Rockford
17. Manchester Monarchs
Last Week: 9
Weekly Record: 1-2
The Monarchs lost the first of a two-game series with the Falcons, 5-4, on Friday before winning 2-1 on Saturday. They were then shut out by a 4-0 score against the Pirates on Sunday.
Manchester has been unable to string together a winning streak since taking three straight games in October.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday at Providence, Saturday vs. Connecticut, Sunday vs. Worcester
16. Hamilton Bulldogs
Last Week: 16
Weekly Record: 1-1
Hamilton is the third team to keep its previous spot in this week’s rankings after losing 5-1 to Abbotsford on Friday, with Gabriel Dumont scoring the lone goal. However, the Bulldogs shut out the Heat 3-0 on Saturday. Cedrick Desjardins made 24 saves to pick up the win.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday at Syracuse, Saturday at Hershey Bears
15. Albany Devils
Last Week: 26
Weekly Record: 1-1
After being shutout, 1-0, against the St. John’s IceCaps on Friday, the Devils secured a 3-2 win over the Phantoms on Saturday. Keith Kinkaid made 44 saves to pick up the victory, Albany’s first after losing four in a row.
Keith Kinkaid made 44 saves to help Albany snap a four-game losing streak against Adirondack. (Michael Gwizdala/The Hockey Writers).
Upcoming Schedule: Saturday vs. Bridgeport, Sunday at Connecticut
14. Springfield Falcons
Last Week: 27
Weekly Record: 1-1
On Friday, Ryan Craig had two goals and the Falcons went 1-for-3 on the power play in a 5-4 victory over the Monarchs. They lost the rematch on Saturday by a score of 2-1, getting their only goal from Cam Atkinson.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday and Saturday at St. John’s
13. Worcester Sharks
Last Week: 13
Weekly Record: 2-1
Tim Kennedy had five goals over Worcester’s two games, a 4-3 loss against Portland on Friday, a 4-3 shootout victory against Bridgeport on Saturday and a 3-2 shootout win against Providence on Sunday. His performance earned him AHL Player of the Week honors.
Tim Kennedy had five goals for the Sharks this week to earn AHL Player of the Week honors. (Micheline/Synergymax)
Also this weekend, Alex Stalock made 33 saves in Friday’s loss, while on Saturday, the Sharks scored twice on three shootout attempts. Then, on Sunday, Harri Sateri made 50 saves in regulation and overtime, and Worcester needed just one shootout goal from James Sheppard to wrap up a near-perfect weekend.
Upcoming Schedule: Saturday vs. Providence, Sunday at Manchester
12. St. John’s IceCaps
Last Week: 12
Weekly Record: 2-1
St. John’s defeated Adirondack 3-2 on Wednesday behind two points apiece from Alex Burmistrov and Spencer Machacek before shutting out Albany 1-0 on Friday. Zach Redmond provided all the offense the IceCaps needed, while Eddie Pasquale made 24 saves.
The IceCaps’ three-game winning streak and attempt at a perfect weekend ended on Saturday, a 5-3 loss to the Penguins. Jason Jaffray led the way with three points.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday and Saturday vs. Springfield
11. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Last Week: 8
Weekly Record: 2-0
The Penguins won both of their games by identical scores of 5-3, starting with a victory over the Crunch on Friday. Trevor Smith scored twice, while former Crunch forward Riley Holzapfel added three points. Meanwhile, Jeff Zatkoff made 23 saves in goal to wrap up an outstanding November which earned him AHL Goaltender of the Month honors.
Jeff Zatkoff was named the AHL goaltender of the month for November, partially thanks to his performance in Friday’s meeting with Syracuse. Alison Myers/THW)
On Saturday, three players had two points in a win over the IceCaps, marking the Pens’ fifth consecutive win.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday vs. Hershey, Saturday vs. Portland
10. Binghamton Senators
Last Week: 5
Weekly Record: 2-0
Mike Hoffman and Andre Benoit each had three points and Ben Bishop made 45 saves to help the Senators to a 7-4 win over the Phantoms on Friday. On Sunday, Stephane Da Costa had four points, including a hat trick, to defeat a top Crunch team 5-2. The Sens go into next week winners of eight consecutive games.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday vs. Portland, Saturday vs. Norfolk
9. Hershey Bears
Last Week: 17
Weekly Record: 2-1
The Bears somewhat got back on track this week, defeating Norfolk 5-2 on Wednesday and picking up a win by the same score against Bridgeport on Friday. Jon DiSalvatore scored five points over the two games with two goals against the Admirals and three points against the Sound Tigers.
Jon DiSalvatore continued his hot streak this weekend, scoring five points in Hershey’s two wins. (MR_53/Flickr)
But on Saturday, the Ads snapped the Bears’ three-game winning streak by a 5-1 score. Tomas Kundratek scored for Hershey in the loss.
Upcoming Schedule: Thursday at Norfolk (at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.)¸ Friday at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Saturday vs. Hamilton
8. Houston Aeros
Last Week: 10
Weekly Record: 2-0
Houston took two games from Oklahoma City this week with a 2-1 shootout win on Thursday in which the Aeros scored three times in six rounds. On Friday, Jason Zucker had three points and the Aeros went 3-for-6 on the power play in a 4-3 win.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday at Texas, Sunday vs. Peoria
7. Portland Pirates
Last Week: 7
Weekly Record: 2-1
The Pirates defeated the Sharks 4-3 on Friday thanks to three points from Alexandre Bolduc and two power-play goals on five opportunities. They got their second win of the weekend on Sunday, a 4-0 shutout victory over the Monarchs. Mark Visentin and Chad Johnson combined for 32 saves, as Visentin made 21 saves while Johnson stopped 11 shots.
Mark Visentin was partially responsible for helping the Pirates shutout a quality Manchester Monarchs team this weekend (Canadian Press)
The only negative spot on the Pirates’ record was a 5-2 loss to Providence on Saturday.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday at Binghamton, Saturday at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
6. San Antonio Rampage
Last Week: 25
Weekly Record: 2-1
San Antonio defeated Rochester 4-2 on Wednesday, and then got two goals from Jared Gomes in a 6-2 victory over Lake Erie on Friday. However, the Rampage lost the rematch with the Monsters, 4-2, on Saturday. Colby Robak had two points in defeat.
Upcoming Schedule: Tuesday and Wednesday at Abbotsford, Saturday and Sunday vs. Oklahoma City
5. Norfolk Admirals
Last Week: 28
Weekly Record: 2-1
The Admirals are back in the top part of the rankings after struggling for the last few weeks. Although they lost 5-2 to Hershey on Wednesday, they ended a six-game winning skid on Saturday with a 5-1 win in the rematch. Patrick Maroon led Norfolk with three points.
Norfolk then went into Bridgeport on Sunday and defeated one of the Eastern Conference’s toughest teams, 4-1. Peter Holland and Nate Guenin each had two points.
Upcoming Schedule: Thursday vs. Hershey (at Verizon Center, Washington D.C.), Saturday at Binghamton
4. Toronto Marlies
Last Week: 29
Weekly Record: 3-0
After a down week, Toronto is back in the top five after taking two games from Rochester by a 4-1 margin on Friday and a 3-2 overtime win on Saturday. Matt Frattin had two goals on Friday, while Nazem Kadri scored twice in Saturday’s win.
Matt Frattin scored twice for Toronto in the first of two Marlies wins over the Americans on Friday. (Charles LeClaire-USPRESSWIRE)
The Marlies then beat the Monsters 5-4 on Sunday. Spencer Abbott had three points, while Ryan Hamilton and Jake Gardiner each had two goals.
Upcoming Schedule: Saturday vs. Rochester, Sunday vs. Abbotsford
3. Providence Bruins
Last Week: 19
Weekly Record: 2-0-0-1
On Friday, Jamie Tardif had two goals in the Bruins’ 4-2 win over the Whale. Providence followed that up with a 5-2 win against the Pirates on Saturday as Christian Hanson scored twice and the Bruins scored on one of two power-play chances.
The Bruins failed at having a perfect weekend by virtue of a 3-2 shootout loss to the Sharks. Hanson had a second two-point game, but the team could not score on five shootout tries.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday vs. Manchester, Saturday at Worcester, Sunday vs. Adirondack
2. Rockford IceHogs
Last Week: 3
Weekly Record: 3-1
Rockford stays in the top three after winning three of its four games this week, including sweeping a two-game set with Charlotte by scores of 5-2 on Saturday and 4-1 on Sunday. Martin St. Pierre had two goals on Saturday, and on Sunday, Carter Hutton stopped 30 of 31 shots.
The IceHogs also beat Chicago 4-2 on Wednesday thanks to two points from Brandon Saad. Their only blemish was a 5-4 loss to Texas on Tuesday, but they still got two goals from Jimmy Hayes.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday vs. Milwaukee, Saturday vs. Chicago, Sunday at Grand Rapids
1. Texas Stars
Last Week: 22
Weekly Record: 3-1
The Western Conference reigns supreme for the second week in a row, with the Stars taking the top spot for the first time this season. It started with a 5-4 win over Rockford on Tuesday, as Colton Sceviour led the way with two points and the Stars scored on all three of their power plays. Texas then beat Grand Rapids 3-1 on Friday as Alex Chiasson contributed two points.
Colton Sceviour had two points for Texas in the first of three wins this past week, a 5-4 win over Rockford. (Ross Bonander/THW)
The Stars lost the rematch, 3-2, on Saturday, but Matt Fraser still had two points. On Sunday, Texas finished up with a 4-3 shootout win over Peoria. Reilly Smith had two points in regulation, while Cristopher Nilstrop made 38 saves in goal. The Stars then scored twice in a 10-round shootout to take the victory.
Upcoming Schedule: Wednesday at Milwaukee, Friday vs. Houston, Saturday vs. Peoria
