AEROS POSTGAME, DEC. 26
AEROS EDGE STARS 4-3 IN SHOOTOUT

HOUSTON --- Jon DiSalvatore scored a pair of power play goals, Robbie Earl and Max Noreau each notched two helpers and Cody Almond scored in the seventh round of the shootout to give the Houston Aeros a 4-3 win over the Texas Stars in front of 7,513 fans Sunday at Toyota Center.

Matt Hackett turned aside 22 shots in the win, including five of seven in the extra-extra and notably the potential shootout-tying attempt by Stars leading scorer Travis Morin. Houston is now 5-1-0-0 against Texas this season and 3-0-0-0 at home.

The victory ended a four-game slide by the Aeros, who leaped ahead of both Chicago and Oklahoma City into fifth place in the West Division.

BOXSCORE

GAMEDAY AUDIO CLIPS

Houston scored its AHL-leading 23rd first goal of the season just 30 seconds into regulation off the stick of Warren Peters. Texas answered back at 6:42 with a Brad Lukowich power play goal and then took the lead at 11:40 on Colton Sceviour’s sixth tally of the year.

DiSalvatore knotted things at 2-2 on a power play goal with a minute left in the middle stanza to snap a 10-game personal goal drought. His blast from the left dot at 8:56 of the third put the Aeros ahead, but Texas rallied goalie Richard Bachman on the bench in favor of the extra attacker. Francis Wathier bagged his 12th goal of the season to force extra time with 18.6 seconds left in regulation.

The Aeros play their next three games on the road, starting with a visit to San Antonio on Monday for a 7 p.m. game. The team returns home on Jan. 1 vs. San Antonio at 7:35 p.m.

Call 713-974-7825 (PUCK) for more information on Aeros tickets and other promotions.

DECIDING GOAL
Almond (7th round, shootout)

POWER PLAYS
HOU: 1/4
TEX: 2/7

GOALIES
HOU: Hackett (22/25; 5/7 SO, W)
TEX: Bachman (30/33, 4/7 SO, L)

TEAM RECORDS
HOU: 17-15-1-2
TEX: 18-11-2-2

AEROS STARTERS
F: Earl, Palmer, Peters
D: Prosser, Falk
G: Hackett

AEROS SCRATCHES
Wellman, Kassian, Broda

NEXT GAME
Dec. 27 at San Antonio, 7:05 p.m. CST

BOMB DROPPINGS
The Aeros have scored a goal in all three periods a total of seven times this season; five of those games have been against Texas…Peters’ first goal, 30 seconds into the first, snapped Houston’s scoreless skid at 159:13… Only Cody Almond has scored a quicker goal from the start of a game this season (:27 into the first on Oct. 29 at SA)…Hackett made his first home start since a 2-1 loss to Rockford on Dec. 3…DiSalvatore snapped a 10-game goal drought (last previous goal was Dec. 2 vs. RFD) while JM Daoust notched a point for the first time in six games: four of DiSalvatore’s seven goals this season have come against the Stars…Almond’s shootout tally was his second deciding goal in as many games against Texas; he had the overtime-winner on Dec. 4 at Texas…The Aeros are 8-4-1-2 in one-goal games…Houston has scored multiple power play goals in three straight vs. Texas after going 1-for-11 in the first three meetings.