From: Ryan Stanzel
Director of Communications
Saturday, March 24, 2007
713.361.7930 (Direct Line)

Knights 10, Aeros 2
Official Box Score

HOUSTON, Texas – Andrei Taratukhin, Carsen Germyn and Brad Ference each tallied a goal and three assists and Dustin Boyd scored two goals, as the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights used five power play goals to defeat the Houston Aeros 10-2 at Toyota Center. Tim Ramholt, Chris Lee, Steve Marr, Kris Chucko and Cam Cunning also scored for Omaha (41-22-4-1), which is just one point back of first-place Chicago with three games in hand.

Joey Tetarenko notched a goal and an assist, Josh Olson netted one of his own and Tony Quesada made 10 stops before being replaced for Houston (24-37-3-6), which continues this five-game homestand Friday at 7:35 p.m. against Peoria.

Houston had only given up 10 goals in a game one time in franchise history – the other being March 2, 1996, in a 10-1 loss to Orlando.

The six goals allowed in the second period is an Aeros team record for a home game. Houston had yielded five twice – the last time was January 6, 2006, in a 6-5 loss to Grand Rapids. Omaha also tied the most power play goals against the Aeros in a home game. Ironically, the Griffins also scored five power play goals in that contest.

Omaha took just 19 seconds to take a 1-0 lead, behind Boyd’s 24th goal of the season. Taratukhin won the offensive zone faceoff back to Ference at the right point. Quesada stopped Ference’s blast, but the puck went straight in the air. In a crush of bodies in front, Boyd whacked the puck into the net.

Just two minutes later, a scary moment saw Aeros winger Tetarenko knocked to the ice by a pane of glass after he nailed Ramholt into the boards. The glass hit Tetarenko in the head, but he remained in the game.

Later in the first, the Knights capitalized on 39 seconds of a 5-on-3 , making it 2-0 on Lee’s third goal of the season, 5:27 into the game. Germyn, in the left corner, fed Lee at the top of the left circle, who went top shelf on Quesada.

Omaha extended their lead to a three-goal advantage just 1:26 into the second, with another power play goal. David Van der Gulik, behind the net, threaded a pass to Ramholt at the left point. Ramholt fired through a screen and by Quesada for his second goal of the season – both coming on the power play.

Tetarenko’s second goal in a week – and of the season – got the Aeros on the board at 4:30 of the second. Peter Olvecky, in the right circle, set up Curtis Murphy in the low slot. Murphy was denied, but Tetarenko pushed a backhander into the net.

But the comeback was short-lived, as Taratukhin netted his 17th goal – second shorthanded – making it 4-1 with 8:30 gone in the second. He stepped between defenders, went into the left circle and beat Quesada top shelf from a seemingly impossible angle. Dieter Kochan replaced Quesada at that point.

Tetarenko helped set up Olson’s seventh goal, which got Houston within 4-2 with 8:59 left in the second. Tetarenko got the puck to Aaron Voros, who caught the puck nicely in the right circle. Knights goalie Brent Krahn made a left pad save on Voros, but Olson fired the rebound into the net.

Omaha got that goal back, though, 1:54 later, as Germyn tallied Omaha’s first of four goals in the final 7:05. Ference tallied his 14th, on a 5-on-3, with 17:48 gone in the second. On the next power play, Boyd notched his second of the night, just 45 seconds later. Marr made it 8-2 with his first goal of the season – Omaha’s fifth power play goal of the night, with 30 ticks left in the second.

Chucko and Cunning scored 29 seconds apart in the third for the final margin.

Houston finished 0-for-3 on the power play, while Omaha was 5-for-8. This was the first time in the last five games that the Aeros allowed a man advantage goal.

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