Omaha wins special-teams parade
March 12, 2006 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release
OMAHA, Nebraska - David Moss scored one of Omaha's four power play goals and added three assists, as the Ak-Sar-Ben Knights stormed back from an early deficit for a 6-1 victory over the Houston Aeros at Omaha Civic Auditorium. Tomi Maki, Erik Nystrom and Richie Regehr also scored power play goals, and Lynn Loyns and Ajay Baines also scored for Omaha, which is 9-2-0-1 in its last 12 and extended its lead over fifth-place Iowa to five points. Brent Krahn made 21 saves for Omaha, which beat the Aeros for the first time in six attempts this season.
Kirby Law scored an early power play goal and Seamus Kotyk finished with 30 saves for Houston. The Aeros (44-17-1-2) still have a four-point lead over second-place Milwaukee, which was idle tonight and has played one more game. The Aeros' magic number to clinch a playoff spot remained seven points, a combination of points gained by Houston and points lost by idle Iowa.
Houston plays game two a four-game road trip Wednesday in Chicago at 7 p.m. It continues a stretch of nine road games out of 10 for the Aeros, who play just one home game the rest of the month (Sunday, March 19 against San Antonio).
The Aeros got things going at the 3:53 mark on Law's 4-on-3 power play goal. Erik Westrum, in the right circle, fed Patrick O'Sullivan along the goal line on the right side. O'Sullivan slid a pass to an unmarked Law at the left doorstep, and the Aeros captain ripped a shot by Krahn for his 36th goal of the season.
Maki broke a 12-game pointless streak and evened the game at 1-1 with 10:08 left in the first. Moss hit a streaking Maki up the middle with Omaha on the power play. Maki's first shot went wide, but he grabbed the rebound off the end boards and popped it by a fallen Kotyk for his 10th goal of the season.
Omaha scored twice on the power play in the opening six minutes of the second period to seize control. The Knights got five straight power plays in the stanza, and scored another goal with a delayed penalty upcoming. Houston didn't see any man advantage time until late in the second and was outshot 19-12 in the stanza.
The Aeros were able to kill off 40 seconds of a two-man disadvantage early in the second, but the Knights then scored 5-on-4. Moss fed Nystrom in front, and Nystrom got the puck by Kotyk for his 14th of the season, at 2:37 of the second.
Less than three minutes later, Regehr tallied his sixth goal to push the advantage to two goals.
Omaha made it 4-1 with 5:28 left in the second, with Krahn pulled for the extra attacker as a fifth consecutive power play was about to be called for the Knights. Loyns' centering attempt went off an Aero in front and under Kotyk for his 12th of the season.
Moss picked up Craig McDonald's tipped shot at the left doorstep and slammed it into the cage for his 20th goal with 3:28 left.
After the five straight minors to Houston, the Aeros got 1:52 of 5-on-3 time spanning the final 1:09 of the second and the early part of the third period. However, a roughing call to Kotyk - who skated to the Omaha bench to confront Derek Couture - knocked it down to a one-man advantage as the second period ended. Kotyk also got a 10-minute misconduct on the play.
Houston's Matt Foy just pushed a rebound attempt wide 6:30 into the third.
Baines' eighth goal of the season finished things off midway through the third.
Omaha got two more power plays with 6:53 left when Law got called for two minor penalties and a 10-minute misconduct.
Houston finished 1-for-7 on the power play, while Omaha went 4-for-12. The Aeros have allowed eight man advantage goals in the last four games. The Knights' 12 power plays are the second most allowed by Houston this season. Grand Rapids went 1-for-13 in a 3-2 Aeros win on October 15.
Notes:
Not dressing for the Aeros were Colin Peters, Bill Kinkel, Clayton Stoner and Andrei Nazarov. Kinkel sat out the fourth game of a seven-game AHL suspension. He's eligible to return Sunday at home against San Antonio.
Aeros centerman Bryan Lundbohm played in his 300th AHL game. Defenseman Shawn Belle, dealt to the Wild by the Dallas Stars organization Thursday, made his Aeros debut, wearing No. 4. He had two penalty minutes.
Law kept his two-point lead in the AHL scoring race. He now has 91 points (35-56=91), two ahead of Westrum (31-58=89). Westrum leads Law by two in the assist race. Law has the third-highest point total in a single season by an Aero, while Westrum is fourth. Brian Wiseman notched each a 109- and 98-point season.
O'Sullivan continues to lead AHL rookies with 75 points (41-34=75). He had his four-game goal streak end, but he extended his point streak to five games (7-2=9).
The Aeros have dropped back-to-back road games for just the third time this season.
Law has a four-game point streak (1-7=8). He had been held without a goal in five straight games, tying a season-high.
Houston totaled 17 penalties for 50 minutes. Omaha had 11 penalties for 22 minutes.
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American Hockey League Stories from March 12, 2006
- Knights Storm Past Aeros, 6-1 - Abbotsford Heat
- Rivermen beat Barons, 4-1 - Peoria Rivermen
- Bonvie records 4,000th penalthy minute in Penguins win - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Clinch Playoff Spot - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Omaha wins special-teams parade - Houston Aeros
- MacLean hits 50 as Griffins clinch playoff spot - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Barons Topped by Peoria, 4-1 - Cleveland Barons
- Monsters rally falls short to Springfield, 4-3 - Albany Devils
- P-Bruins Shutout Hershey 4-0 - Providence Bruins
- Bruins blank Bears 4-0 at Providence Sunday - Hershey Bears
- Monsters stumble in Albany with 3-2 loss - Albany Devils
- Houston kicks off four-game road trip in Omaha tonight - Houston Aeros
- Rivermen prevail over Wolves, 4-3, in a shootout - Peoria Rivermen
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