HOUSTON 3, PEORIA 2 (OT)
Houston rookie Matt Beaudoin tallied a goal and assisted on defenseman Maxim Noreau‘s game-winner in overtime as the Aeros rallied from a 2-0 deficit to claim a 3-2 triumph over Peoria on Wednesday at the Toyota Center. The Aeros now hold a 3-2 lead in their West Division semifinal series.
Noreau scored on the power play at 12:14 of overtime to clinch the victory, with Beaudoin picking up the lone assist on the play.
Houston trailed 2-0 with a little more than four minutes to go in regulation before Beaudoin tallied a power play goal of his own at 15:43 to cut the deficit in half. Robbie Earl then potted the equalizer at 17:13, sending the contest to overtime.
The Rivermen grabbed their two-goal advantage on markers by Jeff Cowan in the second period and Steve Regier – unassisted – at 12:38 of the third.
Aeros goaltender Anton Khudobin stopped 30 of 32 shots in the winning effort. Houston will have a chance to clinch its first playoff series win since 2006 when the series returns to Peoria for Game 6 on Saturday night.
HAMILTON 4, GRAND RAPIDS 3 (OT)
Hamilton used a trio of special teams goals in the third period to storm back from a 3-0 deficit, and Ryan White scored just 2:42 into overtime to give the Bulldogs a dramatic 4-3 win over Grand Rapids on Wednesday to even their North Division semifinal at two games apiece.
The road team has won the first four games of this series, and Game 5 is set for Friday night in Grand Rapids.
The Bulldogs entered the third period trailing by three goals and on the verge of falling into a 3-1 series deficit. But Kyle Chipchura tallied a shorthanded goal at 7:58, and rookie Ben Maxwell followed with power play markers at 9:41 and 11:27 to tie it up. Fellow rookie David Desharnais picked up assists on both of Maxwell’s goals.
Defensemen Dan Jancevski and Chad Anderson earned assists on the overtime winner by White, who also notched the decisive goal in Hamilton’s 5-4 victory in Game 3 on Monday.
Bulldogs goaltender Marc Denis earned the victory with 33 saves on 36 shots.
The Griffins scored once in each period to build their 3-0 advantage. Aaron Gagnon, Jamie Tardif, and Justin Abdelkader all lit the lamp.
