From: Ryan Stanzel
Director of Communications
Saturday, April 14, 2007
713.361.7930 (Direct Line)

Aeros 4, Rampage 2
Official Box Score

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Bryan Lundbohm notched his second two-goal outing in 391 career AHL games, Jason Morgan and Ryan Hamilton also scored, and Mattias Weinhandl assisted all four Houston goals, as the Aeros defeated the San Antonio Rampage 4-2 at AT&T Center. Miroslav Kopriva made 31 stops for Houston (27-42-4-6), which had scored just five goals in its last four games, and hadn’t scored four times on the road since January 13.

Daniel Winnick tallied a goal and an assist, Bryan Helmer also scored and Josh Tordjman made 18 stops for San Antonio (31-43-2-4).

Houston’s home and season finale is Sunday at Toyota Center versus the Rampage at 5:05 p.m. Call 713.974.PUCK on Sunday beginning at 9 a.m. to order tickets and be entered into a special drawing for items such as autographed Aeros memorabilia and Cirque du Soleil tickets.

Kopriva was tested early, as Chris Ferraro got loose in the mid slot 3:30 in. But Kopriva swallowed up the attempt from a wide open Ferraro.

The Aeros got 60 seconds of a 5-on-3 before the midway point, when Randall Gelech hooked Benoit Pouliot to prevent a goal with Houston already on the power play. Morgan scored just 11 seconds later, taking a cross-crease pass from Weinhandl at the right doorstep and shoveling it under Tordjman for his 12th goal of the season at the 7:01 mark.

Kopriva was outstanding with nine minutes remaining, as reigning AHL goal champion Donald MacLean got a great setup in the low slot from former Aero Alex Leavitt. Kopriva made an acrobatic blocker save.

Winnick evened the score with 7:55 left in the first with his ninth goal of the season. Winnick took a 3-on-2 shot from the right circle, and Kopriva made the save. But the rebound popped straight in the air and headed towards the left post. Winnick never lost sight of the puck and poked it into the net.

Leavitt had an open net to shoot at on a San Antonio power play with five minutes left in the opening period. But Leavitt put the puck off the far post and it skidded wide.

The Aeros scored a pair of power play goals in a span of 2:30 to take control midway through the second period.

Lundbohm’s eighth goal gave the Aeros the lead back at the 9:38 mark. Curtis Murphy (two assists) bided his time at the left point, faked and then shot on net. Lundbohm, stationed between the circles, tipped the puck up an over Tordjman’s glove.

After a hooking call to Leavitt, Hamilton’s seventh goal put Houston on top 3-1, at the 12:08 mark. Tordjman stopped Weinhandl's blast, but Hamilton crashed the net from the right side and tapped the puck home.

Kopriva made his best save of the night late in the second with San Antonio on the power play. Leading scorer Yanick Lehoux broke in 2-on-1 with Leavitt from the left side. Lehoux faked a backhanded pass and took the forehanded shot, glove side. But Kopriva snagged the attempt.

On that power play, Houston’s Chris Ovington was called for interference, setting up 29 seconds of 5-on-3 time. Kopriva went post-to-post to stone MacLean just after the first penalty expired. Kopriva also made a pad save on MacLean’s tip of Leavitt’s shot from the left point.

Helmer finally beat Kopriva with 1:14 left, a drive from the point for his sixth goal of the season. The shot went through no fewer than four bodies in front.

San Antonio got 29 seconds of a 5-on-3 early in the third, but didn’t score. On the one-man advantage, Murphy missed the left post on a shorthanded opportunity by a puck length. It would have been Houston’s 18th shorthanded tally of the season.

Lundbohm completed the two-goal night with 6:57 gone in the third. He took a pass from Weinhandl and backhanded the puck by Tordjman from between the circles. Lundbohm, playing in his 391st career AHL game, hadn’t had a two-goal game since April 2, 2003, at Chicago, when he played for Milwaukee.

Kopriva made another good save with nine minutes left in the third, getting his mask in the way of a Joel Perrault rocket from the left circle.

Aeros defenseman Ryan Stokes deflected Winnick’s shot at a near open net with 2:43 remaining. On the ensuing faceoff, Rampage head coach Pat Conacher chose to pull Tordjman for the extra attacker. Kopriva made a brilliant, sprawling saves on Randall Gelech rebound attempt with 1:16 remaining.

Lundbohm just missed the hat trick into the empty net with 50 seconds left, and then he picked up a tripping minor. But the Rampage couldn’t score again, thanks to Kopriva, who stoned MacLean.

Houston finished 3-for-7 on the power play, while San Antonio went 1-for-8. The Aeros have three power play goals in a game for the first time since January 21, and two or more for the first time since February 17. Houston had been 9-for-112 with the man advantage in its last 24 games.

Notes:

Not dressing for the Aeros were Dieter Kochan and Joey Tetarenko.

Aeros defenseman Clayton Stoner returned after missing eight games due to injury.

Murphy’s assist on Morgan’s goal was his 300th career helper.

Houston is 10-3-0-0 all-time in road finales.

The Aeros haven’t outshot any of their last 16 opponents. San Antonio, meanwhile, outshot just its 22nd of 79 opponents this season.

The Aeros won for just the second time in their last eight trips (2-5-0-1) to AT&T Center.

Houston scored four goals in a road game for first time since January 13 in Omaha, a 5-4 shootout loss. That’s a span of 20 games.

Weinhandl has eight points (2-6=8) in his last six games. He is the first Aero with four assists in a game since Erik Westrum against Peoria on January 21, 2006. The last Aero with four assists on the road was Mark Cullen on March 21, 2004, at Norfolk.

Murphy has 12 points (4-8=12) in his last 12 contests.