Ice Dogs Even Series With Aeros

The Ice Dogs showed the mark of a championship team Sunday when they bounced back from their first playoff loss of the season to defeat the Houston Aeros, 5-3, before a boisterous crowd of 4,914 at the Long Beach Arena.

The Ice Dogs, who lost at Houston, 4-1, on Thursday, won their 16th consecutive home game and fifth in a row in the playoffs to even their International Hockey League Western Conference finals series with the Aeros at 1-1.

Long Beach was led by Stephane Morin and Jozef Cierny, who both scored a goal and added an assist. Goaltender Tom Draper improved to 8-1 in the playoffs by stopping 29 of 32 shots.

Game 3 of the best-of-seven series will be tonight at 7 at the Long Beach Arena.