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Chops on winning streak after thrilling 4-3 win on Friday over Aeros

February 6, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Iowa Chops News Release


The Iowa Chops used a four-goal surge in the 2nd and 3rd periods to increase their winning streak to two games by defeating the Houston Aeros in Des Moines on Friday night, 4-3. Both the Chops and the Aeros faced penalty trouble from the start, each team getting four penalties in the first period. The Chops seemed to get the worst of it early on when Krys Kolanos of the Aeros notched two goals.

It seemed like a rough obstacle to get over, but the Chops came out in the 2nd period with newfound energy. T.J. Trevelyan made the most out of his scoring chance, when Aeros goalie Nolan Schaefer mishandled the puck behind the net. Trevelyan picked the puck off, and before Schaefer could get back in net, Trevelyan slid the puck in the net. One goal wasn't enough for the Chops, though. With the Chops' Andrew Thomas in the box for holding, John de Gray took a rebound off of Troy Bodie's shot, and notched a shorthanded goal, de Gray's first of the season and first of his AHL career. The Chops didn't let up for the rest of the period, and kept the physical play up throughout the 2nd.

The Chops came into the 3rd period tied with the Aeros 2-2, and weren't looking to lose the game. Although it wasn't racked with penalty minutes like the first two periods, the third showed the Chops playing as aggressive as ever. Hits from Troy Bodie and Brian Salcido got the crowd off their feet and kept them in the game. It wasn't long before those hits turned into scoring opportunities, and the Chops capitalized when it counted. With little more than 11 minutes left in the game, Petteri Wirtanen found the back of the net on the powerplay with help from Eric Boguniecki and Matt Beleskey. Wirtanen scored just 20 seconds after Aeros' LW Robbie Earl was penalized for tripping. The Chops managed to increase the lead to two, and it took just a little more than a minute after Wirtanen scored. Kirk MacDonald took a quick pass from Francis Wathier and launched it past Schaefer for the fourth Chops goal of the night, MacDonald's first of the season. With just over four minutes left in the third, the Aeros made an interesting move to pull Schaefer, and go for a goal with the extra man. Leneveu got a workout in the dying minutes of the game, kicking away shot after shot. The Aeros continued to pound the net with shots, and eventually they put one in, when Jesse Schultz punched one in with help from Maxim Noreau with 1:02 remaining. The Aeros kept it in the Chops zone, but Leneveu stood strong against the Aeros' heavy-duty offense, and the Chops took home the win.

Tomorrow night the Iowa Chops return home for the second game of their current six-game homestand as they face-off against the 2nd place Rockford IceHogs. The first 1,000 fans through the door will receive a FREE Iowa Chops Baby Back T-Shirt courtesy of Competitive Edge. Also, 200 women in attendance tomorrow night will receive a cubic zirconia. One of the 200 cubic zirconia's will be an actual 1/2 carat diamond worth $2,500 courtesy of Brodkey's Jewelers! If you are one of the lucky 200 women that receives a cubic zirconia, simply take your gem to one of the two Brodkey's locations in Des Moines to find out if it is the diamond. Tickets can be purchased by calling 564-8700 or visiting www.iowachops.com

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