Pickard Leads Admirals Past Houston

Nov 20, 2009

Goalie Chet Pickard stopped 22 shots, nine in the third period, to lead the Milwaukee Admirals over the Houston Aeros Friday at the Toyota Center, 3-2.

 

The win improved Milwaukee’s record on the road trip to 1-1-1-0.

 

Pickard stopped all 13 shots over the first two periods and turned aside nine of 11 in the third.

 

Milwaukee got on the board first when Robert Dietrich’s slap shot from the top of the right circle beat Houston goalie Anton Khudobin high to the glove side. Admirals forward Hugh Jessiman was screening the goalie. He also picked up an assist on the goal, as did Ben Guite.

 

Just 28 seconds later, Houston’s Peter Zingoni was penalized for holding. Houston’s penalty kill, which allowed just four goals in 73 chances, allowed one to Milwaukee’s Mark Santorelli. The Admirals worked the puck low in the Aeros zone. Nick Spaling found Santorelli just left of the goal. With a defender in front of him, Santorelli made a counter-clockwise spin and fired a wrist shot at the net. He was shoved to the ice but the shot snuck under the left arm of Khudobin to give the Admirals a 2-0 lead at 7:40 of the first period. Spaling and Ryan Jones recorded the assists. The goal was Santorelli’s fourth of the season, all on the power play.

 

That goal chased Khudobin, last year’s playoff hero for Houston. Khudobin entered the game with a 1.41 GAA and a save percente of .941. On this night he stopped two of four shots. Wade Dubielewicz replaced him.

 

The score remained 2-0 until early in the third period when Jones made it 3-0. Nolan Yonkman held the zone at the right point and fired a shot toward the net. The puck ricocheted off a skate to Jones at the left post for the easy goal, his second of the year and second in three games. Yonkman and Santorelli recorded the helpers.

 

Houston got on the board when Petr Kalus converted an Admirals turnover and beat Pickard with a high shot from the slot at 7:22.

 

The Aeros pulled Dubielewicz with 7:32 remaining in the game in an attempt to put more pressure on Milwaukee. With 5:02 to play, Admirals forward Dave Scatchard was sent to the penalty box for boarding. The Aeros put the goalie back in the net then scored on the power play when Chad Rau pushed a rebound in with 4:43 to play.

 

The Admirals accumulated 21 shots on goal.

 

The Admirals continue the eight game road trip Sunday afternoon in Houston once again. Milwaukee’s next home game is December 2 when the Peoria Rivermen come to the Bradley Center. Tickets for the game can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Groups of ten or more can receive $2 off the face value of each ticket by calling the Admirals office at (414) 227-0550.