AEROS MOVE ON TO MILWAUKEE  WITH 5-2 WIN OVER RIVERMEN IN GAME 7

PEORIA, Ill. – The Houston Aeros took a two-goal first period lead but needed a late third period tally to take Game Seven from the Peoria Rivermen by a score of 5-2 Monday night. Houston defensemen had only tallied five points in the first six games of the series but Aeros’ blue liner Maxim Noreau led the club with the game-winning goal and an assist in the contest. Houston will head to Milwaukee for Game One of the West Division finals against the Admirals at 7:00 p.m. Thursday night.

GAME SHEET

Corey Locke matched Noreau with a goal and an assist to lead the Aeros in the contest. Locke’s nine total points (4 goals, 5 assists) in the first round leads the club and ranks him third in the league. Houston right wing Matt Beaudoin tallied an assist in the contest for a total of eight points (2-6=8) in the first round ranking him tied for fourth in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Aeros’ netminder Anton Khudobin stopped 19 of 21 shots faced in the win. At the other end of the ice Manny Legace knocked aside 16 of 19 shots in the contest with the Aeros slipping in two empty-net goals after his departure late in the third period.

Houston started strong for the second straight game at Carver Arena and the work paid off. Krys Kolanos put the Aeros up 1-0 just 1:39 into the opening frame with his second goal of the post-season, a power-play goal. Locke took the initial shot from just inside the right circle and the rebound bounced to Kolanos who buried his shot after a couple whacks at the puck. Noreau earned the second assist on the play.

The Aeros nearly took a 2-0 lead almost six minutes into the period when Noreau fired a slap shot that the Aeros thought went through the net. At the next whistle, the officials huddled and decided it was not a goal, but Houston continued the pressure despite the adversity.

At the 11:01 mark, Houston was killing a Tomas Mojzis penalty for interference when Robbie Earl took a loose puck and skated into Peoria’s zone behind the defense. Earl’s breakaway bid was blocked by Legace, but Marco Rosa followed the play and netted his first goal of the post-season, a shorthanded goal.

The Aeros’ two goals in the first period marked the team’s first goal in the opening period since Game Two. Houston held the 2-0 lead going into the intermission and had a 14-5 advantage in shots.

Justin Filewich made it a 2-1 game at the 7:33 mark of the period when he took a pass at the Aeros’ blue line and skated in alone on Khudobin. Aeros’ defenseman Mojzis lost an edge and fell to the ice giving Filewich the unabated look at the Aeros’ goaltender.

Peoria kept the momentum for the remainder of the period and Carl Corazzini tied the game at two when he banged in a loose puck at the goal mouth. Steve Regier skated down the left wing behind the net, tried to bank the puck off Khudobin and Corazzini was there to tally the tying goal. Peoria outshot the Aeros 12-0 in the period marking the first time in Aeros’ team history (regular season or playoffs) that the team had not recorded a shot on net in the period.

The contest remained knotted at two apiece until nearly halfway into the final period when the Aeros tallied their third and eventual game-winning goal. Houston held control of the puck in their offensive zone recording a couple shots before the Rivermen snagged the puck and attempted to clear it. Noreau stole the disc, skated it into open ice near the right-wing faceoff circle and sent a wrist shot past Legace for the go-ahead tally.

No penalties were called in the third period which gave the Rivermen an up-hill battle as they attempted to tie the game. The Aeros held the puck in Peoria’s zone late in the contest as Legace looked to leave the ice in favor of an extra attacker but couldn’t because of the pressure. Shortly after he was able to find his way to the bench Locke send the puck soaring into the empty net with 24 seconds to play. Mitch Love recorded only his third goal of the entire season on Houston’s second empty netter with three seconds left on the clock for the 5-2 final.

NOTES:
- Maxim Noreau and Corey Locke tallied a goal and an assist in the contest. The two points marked the first multiple-point game for Noreau in the 2009 Calder Cup Playoffs and Locke’s third.
- The win improved Houston’s record in Game Sevens to 5-1 all time. The club last won a Game Seven to take the Calder Cup in 2003 when they defeated the Hamilton Bulldogs.
- Houston will head past the first round of playoffs for the seventh time in 13 visits to post-season play. This will be the fourth time in six Calder Cup Playoffs the club has moved into the West Division finals.
- The Aeros will face the Milwaukee Admirals for the fourth time ever in the playoffs, tying the Chicago Wolves for the most post-season pairings.

– HOUSTON AEROS: The Calder Cup, Our Reason –

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

HOUSTON, Texas – The Houston Aeros score two goals within the final five minutes of the game to force overtime and move the Peoria Rivermen to the brink of elimination with a 3-2 win. The victory was Houston’s third come-from-behind win over the Rivermen this season. Game Six is slated for Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. when the Aeros could end Peoria’s season and move on to face Milwaukee with a win. Fans are invited to the Maple Leaf Pub to watch the contest for another Calder Cup Playoff viewing party.

Anton Khudobin backstopped the Aeros with 30 saves in his third win of the post season. Matt Beaudoin led Houston with two points, the team’s first goal and an assist on the overtime game-winner. Manny Legace stopped 16-of-19 shots for the Rivermen in 72:14 of ice time, the entire contest. Jeff Cowan and Steve Regier netted the goals for the Rivermen.

GAME SHEET

Houston earned two power plays in the first half of the opening period, but couldn’t convert and the momentum slowly shifted in Peoria’s favor. The Rivermen outshot the Aeros 12-5 in the period, and had a couple good chances on the final power play of the period when Aeros’ defenseman Brandon Rogers went to the box at 17:08. Goaltender Anton Khudobin stayed strong in the Aeros net and stopped all 12 shots he faced. It was the most shots in a period for the Rivermen since the third period of game two when they had 13 shots.

At the halfway point of the second period, the game was still 0-0 and marked the longest 0-0 game of the series. Peoria was held without a shot until the 13-minute mark of the period, but the visitors kept coming and buried the first goal of the contest at the 17:18 mark. After a shot and ensuing scrum in front of the net, Danny Richmond kicked the loose puck over to Cowan who one-timed it into the open net to unlock the scoreless tie and give the Rivermen a 1-0 lead. Houston outshot the Rivermen 8-5 in the period, and neither team was able to convert on five power plays apiece.

Peoria added to their lead at 12:48 in the final period when the Aeros turned the puck over just outside of their zone to Steve Regier who skated the disc in and rifled a shot over Khudobin’s shoulder and in. The shot came so hard it hit the netting in the top of the net and flew right back out for a 2-0 lead.

The Rivermen provided a power play for the Aeros with 4:28 left in the game which the Aeros took advantage of quickly bringing the team within one goal. Houston won the faceoff and sent it along the right-wing boards where Corey Locke picked it up. A Peoria defenseman tied Locke up and as he fell to the ice flipped the puck to Tony Hrkac. The centerman quickly passed to Beaudoin on the far side of the net and slammed the puck home just 11 seconds into the power play.

Houston controlled the puck following the goal and just 1:30 after scored the tying goal that eventually forced overtime. After a series of passes that led to Peoria intercepting the puck, Robbie Earl stole the puck back and sent it to Justin Falk who put the shot on net. The ensuing rebound was snagged by Earl who stuffed it in to tie the contest at two apiece.

The game was decided over 12 minutes into the extra session after some big special teams’ action. Houston was called for the first penalty in the sudden death when Locke went to the box with a cross-checking penalty. 54 seconds later Early was penalized for hooking, giving Peoria a five-on-three advantage for 1:06. Houston was able to kill off both penalties with some good chances for the Rivermen to seal the deal. At the 10:00 minute mark Peoria returned the favor putting Houston on a power play and provided a two-man advantage for a brief period near the end of the initial call. Only 14 seconds into the ensuing five-on-four Maxim Noreau was set up by Beaudoin for the game winning wrist shot from just inside the blue line.

Notes
- The game was the longest 0-0 tie to start a game in the series. The first goal came 37:18 into the game eclipsing the previous longest scoreless time in Game 2 that lasted 29:13.
- Three Aeros extended their point streaks to three games: Corey Locke with four points (2-2=4), Tony Hrkac also with four points (1-3=4) and Matt Beaudoin with five (1-4=5) of his six playoff points.
- Beaudoin (1-5=6) and Locke (3-3=6) lead the Aeros this post season with six points.
- Houston leads the series 3-2 and has an all-time record of 5-1 when leading a best-of-seven series three games to two.
- Through five games in this series Houston has not allowed more than seven shots in the third period.
- The Aeros improved to a record of 8-37 when trailing after two periods in playoff games.

– HOUSTON AEROS: The Calder Cup, Our Reason –

Saturday, April 18, 2009

HOUSTON, Texas – The Houston Aeros took a 2-1 series lead with a 2-1 win over the Peoria Rivermen in Game 3 of the West Division Semifinals series. Corey Locke netted both goals for the Aeros, in front of 4,092 Saturday night, as the club stopped all five short-handed situations. The teams stick in Houston for a Game 4 on Monday at 7:05 p.m. at Toyota Center. Call (713) 974-PUCK for tickets to Games 4 and 5 this Monday and Wednesday respectively.

Anton Khudobin knocked aside 23 of 24 shots faced for the Aeros in his second win in as many nights. Manny Legace blocked 22 of 24 shots on net in the Rivermen loss. Krys Kolanos joined Locke with two points, assists, to lead the Aeros for the night.

GAME SHEET

Houston was put in a hard spot early, but successfully killed off 1:14 of 5-on-3 and the ensuing 5-on-4. The Aeros came back from each penalty with odd-man rushes following each Aero’s return from the box. Jesse Schultz picked up the puck and raced down the ice shortly after serving his penalty and had his pass to Kolanos picked off in front of the Rivermen net. Clayton Stoner went on a similar rush with Schultz after finishing his two-minute penalty but also had his pass intercepted. The team’s finished a scoreless first period with Peoria leading in shots 9-5.

For the second time in two nights the Aeros got on the board first when Locke deflected a Kolanos shot from chest high for the 1-0 lead. The goal, coming at 9:13 in the second, was Locke’s first of two power-play goals in the night. Matt Beaudoin earned the second assist on the only goal of the second period. The Rivermen again outshot the Aeros 8-5 heading into the second intermission.

Two minutes into the third period the Rivermen had a good look to tie the contest but Khudobin sprawled out throwing his blocker up to make a dramatic save. At the 3:10 mark of the final frame Peoria was able to tie the contest when the Houston netminder was caught out from his net as the puck was tapped in by Chris Porter. The goal ended Khudobin’s shutout streak at 115:58 going back to the third period of Game One.

The Aeros were put on their third power play of the night with just over 10 minutes to play. Tony Hrkac won the ensuing faceoff sending it to Kolanos who wristed the puck just wide on Legace’s glove side. Locke was in position and deflected the puck off his midsection and behind Legace for the 2-1 lead and his second marker of the night just four seconds into the man advantage.

NOTES:
- Houston’s is 4-2 all time when leading a best-of-seven series two games to one.
- Corey Locke’s two goals tied a single-game high in the playoffs for the Aeros. This marked the 28th time an Aero has reached this mark.
- The Aeros improved to 47-14 all-time during the playoffs when scoring the first goal.

– HOUSTON AEROS: 15 Seasons, One Reason –

KOLANOS HAT TRICK LIFTS AEROS  6-4 OVER RAMPAGE IN SEASON FINALE

HOUSTON, Texas – Krys Kolanos gave the Houston Aeros a lead the wouldn’t relinquish with a pair of goals in the second period as the team defeated the San Antonio Rampage 6-4 to finish the regular season. The Aeros, in front of 7,663 fans at Toyota Center, locked down the No. 3 seed in the West Division. Houston will prepare to head to Peoria to take on the No. 3 seeded Rivermen in the division semifinals this coming week. Dates and times will be posted on AEROS.com as details become available. Playoff tickets are on sale now through the Aeros front office by calling (714) 974-PUCK.

Jesse Schultz (1 goal, 2 assists) and Brandon Rogers (3 assists) joined Kolanos with three points apiece and Anton Khudobin stopped 28 of 32 shots faced for his third win of the season. Brett MacLean of the Rampage also posted three points (2 goals, 1 assist) and Josh Tordjman knocked aside 15 of 20 shots in the contest. Each team finished with two power-play goals with the Aeros having six chances to San Antonio’s five.

GAME SHEET

The first period was held scoreless with San Antonio outshooting the Aeros 10-8. Houston killed off their only short-handed situation of the frame as the Rampage killed all three chances against.

Houston had 13 seconds of a power play carry over from the first period but the club needed 14 seconds to get on the board. After San Antonio won the faceoff and cleared the puck Clayton Stoner skated the puck across center ice and flipped it on net to Tordjman. The puck bounced a couple feet in front of the Rampage netminder where Bryan Lundbohm picked it up, made a move around him and flipped the puck top shelf.

San Antonio quickly tied the game when Brett MacLean took a pass directly in front of the crease, spun and slipped the disc between Khudobin’s pads. Sean Sullivan and Kevin Porter helped set up the power-play goal to tie the game at one apiece.

Kolanos took the lead back for the Aeros just eight seconds after the team went on a power play. Corey Locke won the faceoff and Tomas Mojzis picked up the puck and passed it to the left win where Kolanos quickly snapped it on net past Tordjman at 7:49 in the second period. Kolanos made it a 3-1 game when he buried his second goal of the game at the 15:11 mark of the second period. Schultz came into the offensive zone, danced around a defender, and shoveled the puck to Kolanos who one-timed it past Tordjman.

San Antonio quickly responded after Kolanos’ pair of goals and scored just 11 seconds after the Aeros took the 3-1 lead. Wyatt Smith scored his second goal in as many games against the Aeros on assists from Dylan Reese and MacLean.

Finally, at the 18:34 mark of the second period, Matt Beaudoin scored his 11th goal of the season when he took a feed from Brandon Rogers across the crease and put the puck into the open net. The four-goal period for Houston marked the fourth time this season the Aeros have scored four or more in a period. The total of six goals in the period also tied for the most combined in a period this season.

The Aeros added to their lead when Clayton Stoner sent the puck from the defensive zone to Schultz. After carrying the puck past the blue line, Schultz wristed the puck past the Rampage netminder for a 5-2 lead at 9:22 into the period. MacLean brought the San Antonio deficit back to two goals just three minutes later and the club within one with 5:01 left to play. Porter brought the Rampage within reach when he stole the puck near center ice without a defenseman to challenge him and flipped it past Khudobin for a 5-4 contest.

San Antonio pulled netminder Tordjman late in an attempt to tie the contest but Houston took control of the puck. Benoit Pouliot brought the disc deep into the offensive zone getting past the Rampage defensemen and passed it cross-ice to Kolanos who netted the puck to complete his hat trick with 15 seconds on the clock.

Notes:
- Krys Kolanos tallied a hat trick for Houston marking his 29th, 30th and 31st goals of the season. The goals also upped his total for Hockey Heal’s for Bo’s Place to $11,300. This is Kolanos second straight season in which the right wing has scored 30 goals and set a personal best with the 31 goals, a team high on the season.
- Kolanos extended his point streak to six games with six goals and three assists in that span. Corey Locke, Houston’s point leader, finished the season on a three game assist streak, tallying two tonight for a total of four.
- Locke finished the regular season with a total of 79 points on 25 goals and 54 assists in 77 games. His assists also led the Aeros.
- Nolan Schaefer finished the regular season with 26 wins to lead the club and his 2.52 goals against average tied the team lead with Barry Brust, both of whom were scratches for the season finale. Brust led the club with a .912 save percentage.

– HOUSTON AEROS: 15 Seasons, One Reason –