HOUSTON, Texas – Grant Stevenson snapped a tie 29 seconds into the second period and Dmitri Patzold made 39 saves, as the Cleveland Barons defeated the Houston Aeros 4-1 at Toyota Center. Shane Joseph also scored, and Josh Prudden and Nick Bootland each added empty net goals for Cleveland, which swept the two-game series from Houston.



Junior Lessard had his first pro goal and Josh Harding turned aside 22 shots for the Aeros.



Houston, which outshot Cleveland 40-26, plays host to Chicago Sunday at 5:05 p.m. on Autographed Team Picture Day.



Patzold, who made 34 saves last night in a 5-2 win over Houston, stopped Christoph Brandner five minutes in, after the long-legged Austrian made a nifty move to get around a defender.



The Barons turned a bad pass deep in the Aeros zone into a goal with 10:29 left in the first. Ryane Clowe gloved Erik Reitz clearing attempt well inside the blueline, creating a 2-on-1 on Harding. Clowe slid a right-to-left pass to Joseph, who rifled one past the netminder for his first goal of the season.



Houston’s Derek Boogaard earned a quick three-punch decision over Cleveland rookie Mike Hoffman 26 seconds later, but he picked up a cross checking penalty on the play.



Lessard’s first pro goal, with 5:34 left in the first, got the Aeros even. Matt Foy fought through a check on the right wing and slid a seemingly harmless shot that Patzold stopped, but the rebound was left for a streaking Lessard, who tapped the puck past the fallen netminder. Lessard, last year’s Hobey Baker winner as college hockey’s top player, notched his first pro assist last night.



Another Houston turnover led to a Cleveland goal 29 seconds into the second, with the teams 4-on-4. A clearing attempt popped straight up in the air and at the feet of Stevenson in the lower left circle, and the centerman snapped a quick shot high over Harding glove side.



The Aeros best chance of the second period came with 5:25 left, when Pierre-Marc Bouchard fed Kyle Wanvig through the slot on the power play, but Patzold ranged to his right to make the stop.



Cleveland’s Jim Fahey saved what appeared to be a sure game-tying goal three minutes into the third. Mark Cullen redirected a Stephane Veilleux shot past an out-of-position Patzold, but Fahey came flying and knocked the puck out of the air with his stick.



The Aeros had a 5-on-3 for 50 seconds with less than 15 minutes left, but an aggressive Barons defense didn’t allow a shot over the next two minutes.



Cullen nearly knotted the score on a thrilling play with 4:02 left, but his shot through Patzold’s pads skidded to the goal line before being raked away by a pair of Cleveland players.



Houston pulled Harding with 1:16 left, but Prudden and Bootland added empty net goals for the final margin.



The Aeros finished 0-for-6 on the power play, while Cleveland went 0-for-7.



Notes:

Houston has scored first in just one of its first five games.

The Aeros’ Rickard Wallin, held without a point in the first four games, also assisted on Lessard’s goal.

The Aeros scratched Ray Giroux, Chris Heid, Mikko Koivu and Marc Cavosie.

Houston has lost six of its last seven versus the Barons.

Houston’s Dan Cavanaugh played in his 224th game with the team, tying him with Frederic Chabot for seventh on the all-time list. Brian Wiseman is up next at 227 in sixth position.