BEARS GROUND THE AEROS FRIDAY 5-1

January 9, 2009

BEARS BLAST AEROS 5-1 By Jess Mikula Five different BEARS found the back of the net Friday night, as HERSHEY defeated the Houston Aeros by a score of 5-1. Oskar Osala put the home team on the board, picking up his 18th goal of the season on a breakaway from Mathieu Perreault at 7:34 of the first. Alexandre Giroux added a short-handed tally at 12:26 for his 25th of the year. Bryan Helmer recorded the assist. The goal stretched Giroux’s scoring streak to 13 games. HERSHEY out-shot Houston by a 13-11 margin, and the teams combined for 40 penalty minutes in the period. The BEARS held a two-goal advantage after one. Andrew Gordon notched his 12th of the season with a wrister off a face off to the left of Aeros goaltender Barry Brust at 8:13 of the second. Andrew Joudrey tallied the lone assist. With Houston down a skater for a too many men infraction, Giroux nearly struck a second time, as his one timer rang off the inside of the left post. The visiting team answered with a power play marker from Jesse Schultz at 18:22. HERSHEY maintained a 3-1 lead headed to the dressing room after 40 minutes of play. Joudrey sent a hopping puck past Brust for his fourth goal of the year 40 seconds into the third period, with assists from Gordon and Chris Bourque. Francois Bouchard rounded out scoring for the night, netting his 11th of the season at 2:22. Osala and Kyle Wilson added the helpers. Simeon Varlamov earned his 16th win of the season in net, turning aside 23 of 24 shots. The BEARS recorded 51 penalty minutes in the contest, and the teams combined for a total of 96 minutes. Both marks are the highest for HERSHEY this season. Bears Radio Network Three Stars of the Game: 1. Andrew Joudrey 2. Andrew Gordon 3. Dean Arsene Notes: The BEARS will host the Albany River Rats Saturday night at GIANT Center. Face-off is set for 7:00 p.m., with tickets available at the GIANT Center box office, or by calling (717) 534-3911. Defenseman Tyler Sloan was recalled to Washington Friday morning, and played Friday night for the Caps against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Head Coach Bob Woods said on his pregame radio show Friday that goaltender Daren Machesney will start Saturday against the River Rats. Kip Brennan was a healthy scratch for the second straight game with HERSHEY one veteran over the roster limit.