Ducks down Aeros 3-1

Published on January 27, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Houston, TX – Joel Perrault and Pierre Parenteau scored 1:38 apart late in the second period and Ilya Bryzgalov made 25 saves, as the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks beat the Houston Aeros 3-1 at Toyota Center. Keith Aucoin also scored for Cincinnati, which snapped a three-game winless streak (0-2-1) and broke a fourth-place tie with the Aeros in the West Division. The Ducks, who picked up their first ever win in Houston in six attempts, now have 42 points, two more than the Aeros. Stephane Veiileux scored and Johan Holmqvist finished with 16 saves for the Aeros, who are 1-6-7-1 in their last 15 and were trying to win back-to-back games for the first time since before Christmas. Houston hits the road for two games in Manitoba this Friday and Saturday.

Bryzgalov turned aside eight shots in the first, 12 in the second and five in the third to pick up just his second win in nine chances versus the Aeros (2-6-1).

The opening period was slow-paced at best. The teams combined for four shots in the opening 11:20 and just 13 in the period - eight by Houston.

The Aeros had a great chance four minutes in, when Dan Cavanaugh and Kevin Mitchell worked a great give and go in front of the net. Mitchell, in the right circle, returned a pass to Cavanaugh at the left doorstep, but he couldn't control the bouncing puck through traffic and shot it wide of the net.

Holmqvist was able to turn aside a shot from Perrault with a flurry in front with 3:30 left to keep the teams scoreless after one.

Darby Hendrickson fed Kyle Wanvig for a breakaway with less than two minutes remaining in the first, but Chris Armstrong hooked Wanvig from behind to keep him from getting a good shot, resulting in Houston's first power play. Twenty-five seconds later, Mark Popovic went for high-sticking, giving Houston a 5-on-3 opportunity. Bryzgalov made a great save on a Christoph Brandner rocket from the right circle with 48 ticks left in the stanza and the Aeros up two men. The shot appeared to have carried the netminder's glove and arm into the back of the net. Houston ended the power play without a goal.

The Aeros dominated the second period territorially, gaining the period's first 12 shots as the Ducks went 12 minutes without a shot to start the stanza. However, Bryzgalov turned aside all Houston's attempts in the second period, and Cincinnati scored two goals 1:38 apart late in the frame to take a two-goal edge.

The Ducks scored with 6:14 left in the period on just their second shot of the period, as Perrault tipped home a Igor Pohanka shot from the left circle for his seventh goal of the season.

Cincinnati then went on top by two with 4:36 left in the stanza, on its fifth shot of the period. Parenteau tallied his eighth of the season to stake the Ducks to a two-goal edge, as he pulled the puck back from an attempted pokecheck by Holmqvist and slid one under the netminder.

The Aeros had the best of their chances earlier in the second, before Cincinnati ran off seven straight shots to end the stanza.

Houston's Michael Schutte had two excellent opportunities early in the second period as the Aeros seemed to seize control of the momentum. Schutte was stopped in front by Bryzgalov, and seconds later was sticked from behind on a wraparound attempt. Less than a minute later, Brandner again wound up but Bryzgalov made a super glove save on a bouncing puck.

With 9:26 left and the Aeros collapsing on the Ducks net, Bryzgalov sprawled on his side to rob Chris Bala with his glove.

The lightest time of the evening came during a Derek Boogaard/Sheldon Brookbank fight with 3:46 in the second. The pair battled for more than a minute with Brookbank's helmet still on. With Boogaard holding onto the Duck with one arm, he unsnapped Brookbank's helmet and threw it to the ground before continuing with the fight.

A possible Aeros comeback was stunted just 28 seconds into the final period, as Hendrickson was called for high sticking. It took the Ducks just 16 seconds to score with the man advantage, as Aucoin skated in on the right wing alone and lifted one over Holmqvist glove side for his team-best 12th of the season.

Bryzgalov continued his amazing play later in the third, as he stopped Marc Cavosie not once but twice from the low slot.

Cavosie then rang one off the post with 11 minutes left in regulation, but Veilleux finally solved Bryzgalov when he wristed one from the left circle that changed direction off a Cincinnati defender through Bryzgalov's legs with 10:01 left.

The Aeros had another power play with 9:10 left, but they couldn't get a shot on net. Perrault picked up a delay of game penalty just after that man advantage expired, keeping Houston alive. An inadvertent whistle with the Aeros deep in the Ducks zone brought the puck all the way back to center ice with a minute left on the power play.

Houston went on yet another power play – its fourth of the stanza – when Juha Alen was called for tripping with 3:17 left.

The Aeros finished 0-for-6 on the power play, while Cincinnati went 1-for-2. Houston is 3-for-44 on the power play in the last nine games.

Notes:

Houston had scored seven goals in its previous two games, the most in a two-game span for the team this season.

The Aeros outshot their ninth straight opponent, a season-high.

Holmqvist is 1-5-3 in his last nine decisions. He fell to 1-3-0 against the Ducks.

Cincinnati's Casey Hankinson notched an assist and has an eight-game point streak (4+6=10).

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American Hockey League Stories from January 27, 2004


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