HOUSTON 3, MANITOBA 0
A day after being named to the Canadian AHL All-Star team, Houston goaltender Nolan Schaefer made 21 saves for his second straight shutout and fifth of the season as the Aeros blanked visiting Manitoba, 3-0, in a school-day matinee game on Thursday at the Toyota Center.
Schaefer’s five shutouts are tied with Albany’s Michael Leighton for the league lead.
Since Nov. 30, Schaefer has posted a 12-3-0 record with a 1.71 GAA and a .938 save percentage. All five of his shutouts have come during that span, and this is the second time that he has posted one in back-to-back outings.
Peter Olvecky notched a power play goal and an assist in the first period for the Aeros.
Houston’s Steve Kelly also scored in the opening period, giving him three goals in three games against the Moose this season.
Defenseman Maxim Noreau added a power play goal with six seconds left in the second period, and neither team scored in the final stanza.
With the loss, Manitoba’s four-game winning streak came to an end. The teams will square off for a rematch on Saturday, also in Houston.
MILWAUKEE 4, TORONTO 2
Four different Milwaukee skaters scored as the Admirals took a 4-2 win over visiting Toronto on Thursday evening at the Bradley Center.
Rich Peverley and Matt Ellison each had a goal and two assists for the Admirals, who also received goals from Mike Santorelli and Antti Pihlstrom.
Goaltender Pekka Rinne turned aside 23 shots in the win, as Milwaukee snapped a three-game losing skid and won for just the second time in its last nine contests (2-7-0-0).
David Ling and Darryl Boyce scored for the Marlies, who saw their three-game winning streak come to an end.
