From: Ryan Stanzel
Director of Communications
Friday, December 31, 2004
713.361.7930 (Direct Line)

Aeros 3, Admirals 1
Official Box Score



NORFOLK, Virginia – Mike Smith made 14 of his 33 saves in the third period, and defenseman Patrick Traverse snapped a tie with 3:49 remaining in regulation, as the Houston Aeros beat the Norfolk Admirals 3-1 at The Scope. Blueliner Ray Giroux scored a power play goal and Rickard Wallin also scored for Houston, which snapped a two-game skid and finishes off a three-game road trip next Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Milwaukee.



Mikhail Yakubov scored and Adam Munro stopped 19 shots for the Admirals, who had their two-game winning streak snapped.



Traverse’s blast from the blueline gave Houston its first lead on the road in three games, with 3:49 left in regulation. Mikko Koivu won the faceoff back to Traverse, who ripped the puck by Munro for his third goal of the season – first since November 14.



A hustle play by Junior Lessard helped set up Wallin’s fifth of the season, with 46 seconds left. Wallin has two goals and three assists in a four-game point streak that ties his season-high and also ties the longest such streak for an Aero this season.



The late explosion helped Houston gain its ninth road win (9-6-1-1), one shy of its entire 2003-04 total (10-22-6-2).



Norfolk, which scored three first-period goals in a 5-2 win over the Aeros Thursday, threatened to do some of the same tonight.



Yakubov got things going with his eighth goal, from just inside the blueline, with 3:25 left in the first and the teams 4-on-4, but Houston answered back with 55 seconds left in the frame after Jason Morgan was whistled for a high sticking major after whacking Lessard. Zbynek Michalek and Stephan Veilleux fed up Giroux, who rifled home his third of the season – first since October 30, before he missed eight games due to injury. With 25 seconds left in the period, Kyle Wanvig was called for slashing and Veilleux picked up an unsportsmanlike minor for arguing, giving Norfolk the man advantage and canceling the five-minute major.



There were 34 penalty minutes in the second period, but no goals.



Munro made a skate save on Wanvig’s odd-man rush attempt just after a pair of power plays expired five minutes into the third.



Smith fell awkwardly on his left arm three minutes later during a scramble in front.



Munro stopped Marc Cavosie on a breakaway midway through the third, but James Wisniewski was called for slashing from behind, sending Houston on its ninth power play. Only six seconds later, Wanvig got called for a meek cross check in front of the net.



Smith rescued the Aeros with 7:30 left after a bad line change, as he redirected a shot into the corner.



Houston finished 1-for-9 on the power play and has a power play goal in 10 straight games. Norfolk went 0-for-5 on the man advantage.



Notes:

Houston had 1:47 of a 5-on-3 early in the game but didn’t score.

The Aeros scratched Josh Harding, Erik Reitz, Christoph Brandner and Matt Foy.

Each of Giroux’s three goals this season have come on the power play, and 34 of his 63 career AHL goals have come on the man advantage.

Houston improved to 4-3-0-0 all-time on New Year’s Eve.

The Aeros are 8-1-0-0 when getting outshot or the shot totals are even.

Veilleux has six goals and two assists in his last nine games.