HOUSTON, Texas – A place in history was on the line. A chance for Hamilton to be only the third team in AHL history to come back from a 3-game deficit to win a playoff series. The Houston Aeros didn’t want to be on the wrong side of that history, and thanks to a two-goal game by Casey Wellman and a game winner from Jon DiSalvatore, they didn’t have to be. The Aeros won 4-3 in a gripping game 7 and move on to the Calder Cup Finals for the first time since 2003. Aeros’ captain, Jon DiSalvatore was emotional in speaking about the enviable position in which he finds himself. “A lot of guys go a long career without getting an opportunity to play for (the Calder Cup), and I’ve been one of those up to this point,” DiSalvatore said. “It’s just an amazing feeling and I’m going to cherish every moment.” At the other end of the experience spectrum is Aeros rookie goalie, Matt Hackett, who was just as emotional for different reasons. “I love these guys. They’ve been battling all year long,” said Hackett. “I can’t explain it. I want to call my family, I want to call everybody. I’m going to the finals. This is my first time ever, especially since this is my first year here, it’s just a great feeling.” Though Aeros coach Mike Yeo said he wasn’t fooled by it and knew it would be a fight to the finish, it looked like the Aeros might have Hamilton on the ropes early, scoring twice in the span of 9 seconds to take the lead. Chad Rau scored first at 7:03 in the opening frame, batting in a pass from Patrick O’Sullivan from below the goal line. Then, on the face-off, Casey Wellman picked off a Hamilton pass, skated into the Bulldogs‘ zone, and put the puck just under the crossbar for the unassisted marker. Hamilton cut the lead in half just two minutes later, however, when Dustin Boyd found space in the high slot and a hard shot was deflected into the net by a defender’s stick. The teams went to intermission tied, shots 12-7 for Houston, off a power play goal from Mathieu Carle. Wellman struck again just 2:42 into the second, beating goalie Drew MacIntyre just over his pad to put the Aeros ahead. “It’s a response by him. It’s a tremendous response. That’s what you’re looking for,” said Yeo regarding moving Wellman down to the fourth line after not finding much success in the series. But again, Houston’s penalty kill failed to hold Hamilton back and Aaron Palushaj tied the game midway through the period. As a second night of overtime was looming large, DiSalvatore pushed the game winner through MacIntyre’s pads at 18:47 in the third. Though Hamilton players argued fervently against it, the goal stood. After pulling MacIntyre for the extra attacker with less than a minute remaining, Hamilton held the Aeros’ zone for most of the remainder of the game. The pressure led to a couple of fierce scrambles around the Aeros net. “I don’t know what was going on there. The crowd was so loud. I couldn’t even watch. I was looking the other way and hoping that our guys that do what they do got the job done and they did,” said DiSalvatore. “My heart was just racing. To hear that siren go was a great feeling.” But Yeo saw it all and was still trying to catch his breath from it. “I can’t even think about (the final minute) right now,” said Yeo. “It all happened so fast. You see a guy with the puck on his stick and he’s got an empty net and our player reaches out a leg and makes a kick save on it. We always talk about going out with the mentality that every play is a difference in the game and, certainly, that was one of them.” Next up are the Binghamton Senators, which will be a homecoming for a couple of former Aeros in goaltender Barry Brust and winger Corey Locke. The Aeros have home ice and the first two games will take place Friday and Saturday in Houston. Contact Heather.Galindo@prohockeynews.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.