Aeros turn back Knights, 4-1

April 11, 2006 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Abbotsford Heat News Release


Houston, TX - The Houston Aeros jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, beating the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights 4-1 on Tuesday night at the Toyota Center. The loss, coupled with Iowa's 5-4 overtime win over Chicago, means the Knights now trail the Stars by five points for the last playoff spot in the West Division.

The Aeros took the lead just 2.57 into the first period. Joel Ward took a pass in the slot from Bryan Lundbohm and beat Brent Krahn with a one-timer for his sixth goal of the year.

The Knights had three powerplays right after the goal but couldn't convert. Their best chance was a shot by Warren Peters that beat goalie Seamus Kotyk but hit the crossbar.

The Aeros would eventually get their first powerplay and scored when Matt Foy steered in a shot by Curtis Murphy at 13:31.

Following a scoreless second period, the Aeros stretched their lead to three when Erik Westrum poked in a bouncing puck at 12:15.

The Knights would get their seventh powerplay of the game when Bryan Lundbohm was flagged for slashing. Knights' coach Ryan McGill pulled Krahn for the extra attacker to make it a six-on-four advantage. But a Knights' shot ricocheted to Josh Olson, and he threw the puck 175 feet into the empty net to make it 4-0.

The Knights would finally cash in on the powerplay as rookie Adam Cracknell fed Justin Taylor for a quick one-timer that beat Kotyk. The assist was Cracknell's first professional point.

Krahn made 32 saves in the loss.

The Knights are now 34-30-3-10. They'll play again in Houston on Friday at 7:35 p.m. before finishing with games in San Antonio on Saturday and Sunday.



American Hockey League Stories from April 11, 2006


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