From: Ryan Stanzel
Director of Communications
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
713.361.7930 (Direct Line)

Rampage 4, Aeros 2
Official Box Score

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Rookie Josh Tordjman was brilliant, stopping 55 shots in his third AHL start and Bill Thomas and Yanick Lehoux scored 16 seconds apart in the third period, as the San Antonio Rampage sent the Houston Aeros to their third straight loss, 4-2 at AT&T Center. Daniel Winnick and Randall Gelech also scored for San Antonio (7-11-0-0), which has won four in a row at home. The teams meet again at Toyota Center on Friday. Buy tickets.

Rookies Danny Irmen and Ben Thomson scored a goal apiece and Josh Harding made 20 saves for Houston (8-10-0-1), which launched a road franchise-record 57 shots – two off the overall team record. The Aeros played without Benoit Pouliot, who has a team-best 11 goals. Pouliot was recalled by NHL Minnesota earlier in the day.

Tordjman, recalled from ECHL Stockton last week after the trade of Phil Sauve, has won his last two starts after losing 4-1 in Houston last Friday. Tordjman has yielded just six goals in his three games. San Antonio had allowed more than 4.25 goals per game prior to Tjordman’s arrival.

The line of Josh Olson, Bryan Lundbohm and Joel Ward started the game for the Aeros and kept pressure in the San Antonio zone for more than a minute. The line headed off while leaving a tired defensive corps, and Irmen hopped off the bench and put a Peter Olvecky rebound by Tordjman short side for his sixth goal of the season just 1:11 into the game.

Winnick’s fifth goal tied things up at the 10:22 mark of the first period. Harding stopped Lehoux’s shot from the right circle, but Winnick popped the rebound straight up in the air. It went over Harding’s shoulder and into the net before the Aeros could clear it.

Harding’s best save of the opening period came 12 minutes in, off the stick of reigning AHL goal champion Donald MacLean. MacLean wound and fired from the right circle after a turnover, and Harding made the toe save.

Houston outshot San Antonio 20-8 in the second period, but it was the Rampage that got the period’s only tally.

Gelech’s fourth of the season made it 2-1 San Antonio 1:12 into the second. Gelech fired a short side, bad angle shot that went off Harding’s shoulder and into the cage.

Todjman was outstanding throughout the second. His best stop came with just more than two minutes remaining, when he covered up Ward’s deflection of an Erik Reitz blast from the right point.

Ward ripped a shot off Tordjman’s shoulder on a great set up by Bryan Lundbohm 3:30 into the third.

San Antonio scored two goals in a 16-second stretch to put things away.

Thomas’ fifth goal made it 3-1 Houston at 6:06 of the third. Thomas banked a shot off Harding’s skate from behind the goal line.

Just 16 ticks later, Lehoux’s team-leading eighth tally put San Antonio up 4-1. Pascal Rheaume, behind the net, fired a pass to a cutting Lehoux up the slot. Lehoux put a top-shelf shot by Harding.

Ward kept it 4-1 with 9:04 gone in the third, when Tordjman went post-to-post with a slide to rob Ward on a 2-on-1 with Lundbohm.

Thomson got the Aeros within 4-2 with three seconds left, but Tordjman was too much – making 21 saves in the third period and 41 over the final 40 minutes.

Houston finished 0-for-7 on the power play, and is 0-for-17 with the man advantage in its last three road games. San Antonio went 0-for-3. The Aeros have now killed off 30 straight shorthanded chances in the last five games, and 73-of-76 in the last 11 contests.

Notes:

Not dressing for the Aeros were Steve Shields, Dieter Kochan, Ryan Hamilton and Chris Ovington.

Aeros defenseman Curtis Murphy remains at 399 points in his professional career.

Harding fell to 11-3-1 versus the Rampage in his career.

Aeros enforcer Joey Tetarenko earned a draw with Ryan Flinn early through the second period.

The Aeros equipment truck was already en route to San Antonio when Pouliot got the call-up. They backtracked a bit, left Pouliot’s gear with a clerk at a service station, and Pouliot drove behind the Aeros’ bus to pick up his equipment and head to the airport.