Kunitz beats clock, Houston

Published on February 26, 2005 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


CINCINNATI, Ohio – Chris Kunitz scored a controversial power play goal with less than one second left in overtime, as the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks outlasted the Houston Aeros 4-3 in a wild game at Cincinnati Gardens. Kurtis Foster scored twice and added an assist and Shane O'Brien chipped in a goal for Cincinnati, which went 3-for-10 on the power play and won its fifth straight. The Ducks, who improved to 15-1-0-1 in their last 17 home games, moved to 66 points – eight more than the fourth-place Aeros, who have five games in hand. Frederic Cassivi turned aside 30 shots for the Ducks.

Pierre-Marc Bouchard tied the game with a power play goal midway through the third period for Houston, which rallied from three goals down to force overtime for the second time in 15 days. The Aeros won the other game, 5-4 February 12 at Chicago. Kyle Wanvig added a goal and an assist and Matt Foy scored his third goal in two games for Houston, which went shorthanded six times in the opening period alone.

Mike Smith made 36 saves for Houston, which is 1-1-1-1 on a five-game road trip that concludes Sunday in San Antonio at 4:30 p.m.

The game appeared headed for a shootout until Todd Reirden was called for tripping with 36 seconds left in overtime, leading to Cincinnati's 10th power play of the game. Reirden, a former Duck, was also given an unsportsmanlike conduct minor for arguing.

With 10 seconds left, Houston won a faceoff, but the Ducks kept the pressure on and the puck in the zone. Kunitz tipped the puck into the net for his 14th goal as the buzzer sounded, although it was far from clear.

Houston finished 2-for-5 on the power play, while Cincinnati went 3-for-10. The Ducks are averaging more than nine power plays per game over their last seven games.

The Ducks outshot Houston 6-1 in overtime.

Foster tallied his second of the night and AHL-defensemen-best 14th goal to make it 3-0 Cincinnati at 3:32 of the second period. With the teams 4-on-4, the Aeros turned the puck over at the blueline. Foster, hopping off the bench on a line change, grabbed the puck and beat Smith.

Houston got its first power play less than a minute later, and it wasted little time, scoring at 5:10 of the second. Wanvig took a feed from Stephane Veilleux and hit both posts with a shot that eventually found its way into the net for his seventh goal of the season.

The Ducks got 1:14 of a 5-on-3, their second lengthy two-man advantage of the game, after Wanvig's goal, after penalties on Derek Boogaard and Rickard Wallin, but the Aeros were able to kill off the advantage.

Foy's third goal in two games got the Aeros within 3-2 with 6:48 left in the second. Ray Giroux picked off a pass at center ice, and fed Wanvig, who tipped a pass ahead to Foy, who went top shelf over Cassivi for his seventh of the season.

Smith left for an equipment adjustment with 5:51 left in the middle period and was replaced by Josh Harding. Just 22 seconds later, Zbynek Michalek was leveled by Zenon Konopka and needed medical attention on the ice. He was helped to the bench after having the wind knocked out of him but returned.

With 2:30 left in the middle period, seconds after Cincinnati's Dustin Penner hit the crossbar behind Smith, just back in the game, Veilleux's shot went off the post and was covered up by Cassivi.

The Aeros got even on Bouchard's power play goal with 9:23 remaining in regulation. Bouchard lost the puck to Tomas Malec, but stole the puck right back off Malec's stick and quickly poked it under Cassivi for his 10th of the season – fifth on the power play.

Bouchard's goal completed a comeback from three goals down, as the Aeros got behind early on.

Four minor penalties were called to Houston in the opening 3:27, and five in the opening 6:22, and it cost the Aeros dearly. The Ducks got six power plays overall in the first period.

O'Brien scored at 2:41, with Veilleux in the box for roughing after getting tangled up with Konopka, who didn't go to the box. O'Brien, off a pass from Pierre Parenteau, floated a shot that changed direction in front and got by Smith for his fifth goal of the season. Aeros defenseman Patrick Traverse got cross-checked in the back just prior to the goal and ended up on the ground.

The Aeros then had to kill off 87 seconds of a 5-on-3, plus additional one-man advantage time, when Dan Cavanaugh went for holding the stick at 2:57. Less than thirty second later, John Erskine was called for roughing in front of the net, and he also picked up an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for arguing.

Towards the end of Erskine's second minor, Foster made it 2-0 Cincinnati, at the 6:02 mark. The goal was Foster's 13th and his seventh on the power play.

Only 20 seconds after Foster's goal, Reirden went for tripping.

The Aeros appeared to get their first power play with 42 seconds left when Kunitz was called for elbowing. But Michalek also went for boarding, an infraction that occurred several seconds prior to Kunitz' retaliation, but there was no delayed penalty coming up.

Cincinnati outshot Houston 16-8 in the first.

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American Hockey League Stories from February 26, 2005


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