Ryan Stanzel
Director of Communications
Friday, October 21, 2005
713.361.7930 (Direct Line)

AEROS 7, Griffins 3
Official Box Score


HOUSTON, Texas – Nineteen-year-old rookie Roman Voloshenko notched Houston’s second four-goal game in team history and 20-year-old Peter Olvecky scored twice, as the Aeros overwhelmed three-time NHL All-Star goalie Chris Osgood with four power play goals en route to a 7-3 victory at Toyota Center for their fifth straight win. Clayton Stoner and Curtis Murphy each added three assists, and Erik Westrum and Erik Reitz each pitched in two helpers for Houston. Petr Taticek also scored and Josh Harding made 29 saves for the Aeros.



Valterri Filppula, Matt Ellis and Jiri Hudler each scored and Osgood, a two-time Stanley Cup champion, made 18 saves on a rehabilitation assignment for Grand Rapids (4-2-0-0).



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Houston (6-1-0-0) has a league-high 12 points and has won five straight for the first time since a six-game streak from December 5-17, 2003.



Voloshenko has seven goals – all in his first two games at Toyota Center. He had a hat trick Opening Night against San Antonio. The Belarus native becomes the first Aero with two hat tricks in a season since Hnat Domenichelli did it twice in a seven-day span of January 2003. The only other Aero with a four-goal game was David Hymovitz, March 24, 2000.



Westrum entered the game tied for the AHL scoring lead at 13 points with Hudler, who was held to just the one goal. Westrum, riding an AHL-high seven-game point streak, leads the circuit with 15 points (4-11=15), including a league-best 11 helpers.



Voloshenko needed only 28 seconds to put Houston on top. Murphy sprung him up the left wing, and he unleashed a drive just inside the blueline on the left wing side. The curving puck eluded Osgood for his fourth goal of the season.



Grand Rapids answered back at 3:17 of the first, as Nate DiCasmirro, on the left wing, slid a 2-on-1 pass to Filppula at the right doorstep. The rookie put the puck by Harding for his third goal of the season.



Voloshenko’s second of the period – and fifth in 70 minutes of hockey at Toyota Center this season – gave Houston back the lead at 9:59 of the first. With Houston on the power play, the Aeros executed perfect tic-tac-toe passing. Murphy, at the right point, slid a pass to Westrum in the low right circle. Westrum one-touched a pass to Voloshenko on the other side of the goal, and the rookie banged it into the net with ease.



Houston scored twice more on the power play in the second to seize control. At 3:44, Rem Murray, in the right corner, fed Olvecky along the boards. Olvecky walked in and wristed a quick shot high short side from the edge of the circle for his third goal of the season.



Grand Rapids nearly got within one with 13:10 left, but Donald MacLean’s shot from the right circle hit the near post.



Midway through the period, Taticek’s 5-on-3 goal extended Houston’s advantage to 4-1. Stoner wound up at the right point and sent a shot that appeared headed wide. But Taticek, camped out in the slot, tipped it just inside the far post for his second goal in three games with Houston.



Mild-mannered Aeros winger Josh Olson dropped the gloves with Greg Amadio later in the second.



Voloshenko’s third of the game put Houston on top 5-1 with 2:31 left in the second. He took a 3-on-2 pass from Kirby Law and shot one five-hole through Osgood for his sixth of the season.



Just nine seconds later, Ellis answered with a backhander for the Griffins, who drew within 5-2 on their captain’s goal.



Hudler took a cross-ice pass from Kent McDonell in the low right circle and one-timed the puck by Harding on the power play 2:40 into the third, drawing the Griffins within two goals.



Voloshenko’s fourth of the night, at 10:42, made it 6-3. Kurtis Foster ripped a shot from the center point, and Voloshenko tipped it by Osgood. Houston has scored in 13 straight regulation periods.



Harding kept the lead at three goals with 7:16 left, falling on a loose puck in the crease after Ellis had a shot from the low slot.



Olvecky added an empty-net, shorthanded goal with 1:38 remaining.



Houston finished 4-for-8 on the power play, while Grand Rapids went 1-for-8.



Notes:

The Aeros scratched Chris Heid, Anders Myrvold, Adam Courchaine, Mark Rooneem and Joey Tetarenko.

Harding’s 26th career victory moved him into a seventh-place tie with Ryan Bach on the team’s all-time list.

Murphy now has 75 points with the Aeros, into ninth place on the team’s all-time list. He’s tied for 16th on the points list with Rickard Wallin with 10.

Tonight marked just the second time in the last 10 meetings that Houston and Grand Rapids were separated by more than one goal.

Grand Rapids entered the game 3-0-0-0 on the road, with a 14-6 goal margin.

Westrum has nine points (7-2=9) in only 10 career games against Grand Rapids.

Stoner’s three assists are a career-high for the rookie. He had one entering the game.