Beware the Bobblehead, 11,624 see streak end

Published on January 24, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Houston, TX – Johan Holmqvist turned aside 29 shots and Kevin Mitchell and Chris Bala each posted a goal and an assist, as the Houston Aeros snapped their franchise-record 13-game winless streak with a 4-1 victory over the Syracuse Crunch in front of 11,624 fans on Johan Holmqvist Bobblehead Night at Toyota Center. Dan Cavanaugh and Kyle Wanvig also scored and Marc Cavosie and Travis Roche each registered two assists for Houston, which had been 0-7-5-1 in its last 13. The Aeros (42 points), who play host to Cincinnati Tuesday at 7 p.m., also moved into a fourth place tie with the Ducks, who lost 3-2 at home to Hamilton. Houston, which won for the first time since December 26, welcomed head coach Todd McLellan back to the lineup after a five-game absence due to pneumonia. In the last two games, 24,966 fans have come through the Toyota Center doors to see the Aeros. Houston is now averaging 5,065 fans per game, some 706 more than eight days ago.

Kent McDonell scored and Pascal Leclaire stopped 34 shots for Syracuse, which fell to 6-3-0-1 in its last 10.

Holmqvist stopped three shots in the first period, 12 in the second and 14 in the third to snap an 0-4-3 skid. He came within 1:02 of his third shutout of the season and ninth of his career.

Houston controlled the first period, outshooting the Crunch 11-3, but neither team scored. From that point on, it was all Aeros on the board.

Cavanaugh put Houston ahead with a nifty 4-on-4 goal 6:19 into the second period. Mitchell faked a shot from the left circle, drawing nearly the entire Syracuse team, and fed Cavanaugh in the right circle. Cavanaugh, who snapped a 17-game goal drought Wednesday, settled the puck and slid it under Leclaire for his ninth of the season and second in three games.

The Aeros had four minutes of power play time showing on the clock late in the second, but Mika Hannula was called for boarding to negate two minutes of the man advantage.

Houston got a 5-on-3 late in the stanza after another Syracuse penalty, as Mitchell scored his first with 4.5 ticks showing on the clock. Cavosie's shot from the point ricocheted back to Mitchell in the left circle. At a bad angle, Mitchell roofed one high over Leclaire.

The Aeros poured it on to start the third, as Wanvig tallied his 16th of the season in his first game back from Minnesota. Cavosie threaded a pass between defenders to Wanvig streaking between the circles. Wanvig went around Leclaire and beat the netminder for the three-goal lead. Travis Roche started the play and picked up his 100th point as an Aero after earlier in the game notching his 100th point as a pro.

Holmqvist's best save of the night came midway through the third, when he robbed Donald MacLean – who entered the game with points in 12 of 13 games – from point blank range between the circles.

Things got exciting late, as Cavanaugh whipped Tyler Sloan in a bout in the corner with 1:19 left. Just 17 seconds later, McDonell made it a 3-1 game.

Bala tallied an empty-netter with 50 seconds left, at which point Syracuse's Brandon Sugden went after Houston's Jan Vodrazka. The pair fought, with Sugden picking up the instigator, fighting major, 10-minute misconduct and game misconduct for 27 total penalty minutes on the play.

Houston finished 1-for-10 on the power play, while Syracuse went 0-for-5 with the man advantage. Syracuse had been 7-for-19 on the power play in its last four games.

The Aeros' Mark Cullen, three games into a comeback from a badly separated shoulder, went down hard late in the second period while colliding with teammate Jeff Hoggan in the offensive zone. Cullen was helped off the ice and did not return.

The Aeros had several good chances on a power play early in the game, but Leclaire turned aside Roche's rope from the left point that went through several bodies in front.

Syracuse's Tim Jackman nearly put one past a sprawled Holmqvist with his team on the power play with 7:30 left, but Stephane Veilleux did a great job of tying up Jackman and the shot sailed just wide.

Notes:

Mitchell has points in back-to-back games for the first time this season.

Cavanaugh's 23 points are three shy of his career-high, set last season.

Cavosie has five assists in six games since missing two contests with the flu January 8-9. His 14 helpers and 19 points tie last season's rookie totals.

In the teams' only other meeting, Syracuse rallied from four goals down for a 5-4 home win November 28.

The Aeros scored more than two goals for the fifth time in 18 games.

Houston's 13-game winless streak was the longest since Cleveland did the same thing last March 15 through the end of the season. Syracuse is the last AHL team to go 14 games without a loss, having done that last season.

The Aeros hadn't won in their last seven games when scoring first (0-3-4).

Houston snapped a season-high six-game home winless streak (0-4-1-1).

Mitchell is the first Aero other than Wanvig with a game-winning goal since Chris Bala on December 20.

Holmqvist's seven decision winless streak had been one shy of his career-record.

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American Hockey League Stories from January 24, 2004


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