From: Ryan Stanzel
Director of Communications
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
713.361.7930 (Direct Line)

Rivermen 8, Aeros 2
Official Box Score

HOUSTON, Texas – Charles Linglet finished with two goals and three assists, Ryan MacMurchy scored twice and Ryan Ramsay posted a goal and two helpers as Peoria routed Houston 8-2 at Toyota Center. Mike Glumac had a goal before being ejected in a first-period melee, and Yan Stastny and Rocky Thompson also scored for Peoria.

Joel Ward tallied a goal and an assist, Peter Olvecky also scored and Miroslav Kopriva made 33 stops for Houston (25-38-3-6), which fell to 9-2-0-1 all-time at home versus the Rivermen. The Aeros begin a three-game road trip Friday in Peoria.

Marek Schwarz made 21 stops for Peoria (35-31-2-6), which snapped a five-game skid and drew within four points of Iowa for the final West Division playoff spot with six games left. The Rivermen have a game in hand on the Stars.

Kopriva denied Glumac on a 2-on-1 in the opening minute, but Glumac rebounded with his 25th goal, 4:22 into the contest. Glumac took a pass from Linglet and walked in on net out of the left corner, snapping a shot under Kopriva.

There was a 10-minute delay at the 5:30 mark, when a melee followed Matt Foy’s hit on Patrick Wellar in the Peoria zone. A total of 62 penalty minutes were assessed, and the Rivermen ended up with a two-minute power play.

Peoria scored on the ensuing advantage, getting Linglet’s 30th goal with 6:53 gone in the opening period. Kopriva stopped Trent Whitfield’s shot, but Linglet popped the rebound under the fallen netminder.

The Aeros got on the board shorthanded at the 7:35 mark, with Ward being credited with his eighth goal, even though he didn’t put it in the net. Ward hounded Peoria defenseman Jamie Rivers behind the net and while trying to clear the puck, Rivers slipped the puck short side by a stunned Schwarz. The goal was Houston’s 16th shorthanded tally of the season – breaking the team record set in 1994-95.

But it took Peoria just 70 seconds to regain the two-goal lead on the same power play. Linglet picked Chris Ovington’s pocket in front of the net and slid the puck under Kopriva for his 31st of the season – tying Whitfield for the team lead.

Schwarz made just one save in the opening stanza – as Peoria outshot Houston 20-2.

3:04 into the second, Stastny deposited a 2-on-1 feed from Whitfield into the top shelf for his 12th goal of the season.

Peoria extended to a 5-1 lead with a power play goal with 8:34 gone in the middle period, after a too many men on the ice call to the Aeros. Linglet blistered a shot from the mid slot that Kopriva kicked into the right circle, but Ramsay popped the rebound home from a bad angle for his 14th goal.

Ramsay then fed MacMurchy on his third goal, with 8:55 left in the second. Ramsay beat Kopriva, went behind the net and tried a wraparound that floated through the empty crease to a wide open MacMurchy, who tapped the puck into an open net.

MacMurchy scored his second of the night, and Thompson his first in 52 games this season, 12 seconds apart early in the third.

Olvecky took a feed from Danny Irmen in the right circle and finished the scoring with 6:04 remaining.

Houston finished 0-for-4 on the power play, while Peoria went 3-for-4.

Notes:

Not dressing for the Aeros were Dieter Kochan, Shawn Belle, Josh Olson and Clayton Stoner.

Houston has allowed the first goal in two straight games after scoring first in four of five contests.

Houston fell to 2-7-1-0 in its last 10 home games.

Aeros defenseman Curtis Murphy had his season-high six-game point streak snapped.

The Aeros haven’t held a third-period scoring advantage in 21 of their last 26 games.