MILWAUKEE 5, HOUSTON 3
Veteran forward Steve Begin registered his second multiple-point effort of the series and rookie goaltender Jeremy Smith stopped 31 of 34 shots as Milwaukee regained control of the West Division Finals with a 5-3 win at Houston in Game 3 on Tuesday.
The Admirals now hold a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series, with Game 3 set for Thursday night at the Toyota Center.
A Calder Cup champion 10 years ago with the Saint John Flames, Begin had not recorded multiple points all season long until posting a goal and an assist in Game 1 of this division finals series.
The 488-game NHL veteran followed that up by tallying the eventual game-winning goal in the third period on Tuesday and adding a pair of assists. Begin now shows six points (2-4-6) in nine postseason outings overall.
Mike Bartlett and Ryan Thang each posted a goal and an assist for the Admirals, and Mark Van Guilder rounded out the scoring.
Smith improved to 6-3 with the victory, and two of the three goals he allowed came on Houston power play opportunities.
Jared Spurgeon and Marco Scandella tallied those goals for the Aeros, who finished 2-for-4 on the man advantage. Jarod Palmer also scored for Houston, which struck first but then surrendered five of the game’s final seven goals.
West Division Finals – Series “L” (best-of-7)
W1-Milwaukee Admirals vs. W2-Houston Aeros || Preview
Game 1 – Fri., Apr. 29 – MILWAUKEE 3, Houston 1
Game 2 – Sun., May 1 – Houston 2, MILWAUKEE 0
Game 3 – Tue., May 3 – Milwaukee 5, HOUSTON 3
Game 4 – Thu., May 5 – Milwaukee at Houston, 8:05
Game 5 – Fri., May 6 – Milwaukee at Houston, 8:35
*Game 6 – Sun., May 8 – Houston at Milwaukee, 6:00
*Game 7 – Tue., May 10 – Houston at Milwaukee, 8:00
