From: Ryan Stanzel
Director of Communications
Saturday, January 8, 2005
713.361.7930 (Direct Line)

Admirals 2, Aeros 0
Official Box Score



MILWAUKEE, Wisc. – Aero-killer Simon Gamache and Wyatt Smith each notched a power play goal and an assist, and Brian Finley turned aside 24 shots for his third shutout, as the Milwaukee Admirals defeated the Houston Aeros 2-0 at Bradley Center for their fourth straight win.



Mike Smith, making an appearance for the 10th straight game, totaled 26 saves for the Aeros, who went 1-2-0-0 on their three-game road trip. Houston is 1-9-1-1 in its last 12 versus the Admirals.



Houston returns home Sunday at 5:05 p.m. to open up a five-game road trip versus the Worcester IceCats. Get four tickets, four pucks, $20 in Toyota Bucks and free parking, all for just $59! Visit www.aeros.com/themenights to order. Username is Family, password is Aeros. The first 3,000 kids 14 and under will receive an Aeros Flip Book. Also, kids 4-14 can take a shot on goal after the game.



Gamache, fourth in the AHL with 48 points (18-30=48), had four assists in a 4-1 Admirals win at Toyota Center on December 29 and has a hand in each of Milwaukee’s last six goals against Houston. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Gamache totaled 56 points (23-33-56) in 68 games last season with Chicago and Milwaukee.



Gamache has 29 (13-16=29) points in 23 career games versus Houston. Gamache has 11 points (2-9=11) in a six-game point streak, and he has points in 10 of his last 11 games, with 19 points (7-12=19) in that span.



Finley, meanwhile, improved to 10-4-1 versus Houston, the most wins of any active AHL netminder against the Aeros. He has won nine of his last 10 decisions versus Houston and has won four straight games overall. Only Allan Bester (11) has won more career games against the Aeros.



After the Aeros killed off a power play midway through the first, red-hot Mikko Koivu rang a shot off the post, and linemate Junior Lessard’s rebound attempt sailed just wide.



The Admirals outshot Houston 11-7 in the second and ended the frame with a one-goal advantage.



Smith saved Houston early in the second, when Tony Hrkac broke in alone shorthanded but was stopped by the Aeros netminder.



With the teams 4-on-3, Gamache put Milwaukee on the board first with 6:15 left in the second. Houston’s John Erskine and the Admirals’ Jeremy Yablonski were off for coincidental minors, and Stephane Veilleux picked up a slashing penalty 37 seconds later. Just more than a minute later, Gamache rocketed home a Dan Hamhuis feed from the center point for his 18th goal of the season – 12th on the power play.



Wyatt Smith took advantage of a failed clear to score a power play goal of his own just 19 seconds into the third. With Mark Cullen in the box for hooking, Smith collared a loose puck off the stick of the Aeros and fired it by the goalie for his 12th goal – seventh on the power play. Despite Houston’s Zbynek Michalek being the last player to touch the puck, Gamache and Darren Haydar each picked up assists on the play.



Houston has allowed 21 goals in the first or last two minutes of a period this season, and it is 1-6-0-0 when yielding a goal in the opening two minutes of a stanza. The Aeros have scored just nine in that same span.



The Aeros appeared to get a chance with 3:29 gone in the third, but 22 seconds after Greg Zanon went in the box for tripping, Houston’s Brent Burns picked up the same penalty.



Houston pulled Smith with 1:49 left, but couldn’t find the net.



Houston finished 0-for-6 on the power play, the first time in 11 games the Aeros didn’t score on the man advantage. Milwaukee went 2-for-7. The Aeros had killed off 24-of-25 shorthanded chances entering the game.



Notes:

The Aeros scratched Josh Harding, Todd Reirden, Christoph Brandner and Marius Holtet.

Milwaukee was the last team to record two power play goals against Houston, back on November 13 in a 5-2 Aeros win at Bradley Center.

The Aeros fell to 8-2-0-0 when getting outshot or the shots are even.

Aeros forward Dan Cavanaugh became the sixth player in team history to play in 250 games.

Houston failed to score a power play goal for just the ninth time this season, falling to 3-5-0-1 in such situations.

Since 2002-03, Gamache’s teams (Milwaukee/Chicago) are 12-1-1-0 when he has a point and 9-1-1-0 when he scores a goal. When he is held off the scoresheet, his teams are a winless 0-3-2-0.

The Aeros were blanked for the fourth time this season, one shy of their total from 2003-04.

Smith has played a majority of the last nine games, plus four seconds November 28 when Josh Harding was knocked out with a concussion by Utah’s Jeff Taffe.