Knights Bounce Back, Beat Crunch 4-2

Published on November 12, 2006 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Abbotsford Heat News Release


The Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights shook off a five-goal loss from the previous night and beat the Syracuse Crunch 4-2 on Saturday night at the Onandaga County War Memorial. The Knights won two games of the three-in-three weekend.

The Knights found themselves shorthanded, sometimes by two men, for a stretch of more than four minutes early in the first period. The Crunch didn't score on the powerplays but cashed in on a delayed penalty when Ben Simon knocked in a feed from Olivier Labelle.

The Knights tied the game during a penalty kill. David Van der Gulik stole the puck from defenseman Filip Novak, cut around the net and beat goalie Ty Conklin with a backhand wraparound. It was Van der Gulik's second goal and the Knights' third shorthanded goal of the season.

The Crunch retook the lead at 8:11 of the second period when a shot by Marc Methot was tipped by Simon. It rattled off a Knights' defender and past Brent Krahn.

Omaha would start to pile up powerplays and finally broke through with the man-advantage just 1:47 after Simon's goal. Kris Chucko took a pass from Tomi Maki, walked out of the left wing corner and jammed a shot under Conklin for his fourth goal of the year.

The Knights would earn their first lead of the game just over five minutes later. Novak had his pocket picked by Eric Nystrom who turned and beat Conklin with a wrist shot for his first goal of the year. The Knights led 3-2 after two.

Rookie Dustin Boyd provided the insurance goal during a powerplay in the third. He knocked the puck out of the air and past a startled Conklin for his team-leading eighth goal of the year. Krahn finished with 26 saves to earn his fifth win of the year.

The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights are now 10-3-1-0. They regained sole possession of first place in the West Division with the win.

Three Stars: 1. Eric Nystrom (OMA) - Game-winning goal; 2. Ben Simon (SYR) - 2 goals; 3. Kris Chucko - 1 goal

The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights wrap up their four-game road trip on Tuesday when they visit the Hamilton Bulldogs for a 6:30 p.m. CT face-off. All the action can be heard on 1420 KOTK and on the internet at www.omahaaksarbenknights.com. The game can be seen on-line by clicking on the link to B2 Networks on the Knights' home page. The Knights' next home game is Friday, November 17th when they host the Milwaukee Admirals at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets for all Ak-Sar-Ben Knights' games are on sale at the Omaha Civic Auditorium box office Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tickets also are available through all Ticketmaster outlets and by phone at (402) 422-1212. Kids 12 and under get in free with a paid adult on tickets purchased after 5:00 p.m. Other restrictions apply.

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American Hockey League Stories from November 12, 2006


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