Thunder playing .500 ball

Monday, Oct. 14, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

HOUSTON -- Two days after posting one if its most impressive regular-season victories in franchise history, the Las Vegas Thunder was beaten by the previously winless Houston Aeros 3-1 at the Summit Sunday night.

On Friday night, the Thunder went into a sold-out Winnipeg Arena and shut out the Manitoba Moose 1-0 in their home debut. That triumph broke a two-game losing streak and put Las Vegas back over .500, an uncommon mark in the team's short but illustrious history.

But the Thunder (3-3-0) found the mark again Sunday night, as the Aeros (1-3-1) led from start to finish and received magnificent goaltending from Frederic Chabot, who stopped 38 shots in raising his personal mark to 1-2-1.

Las Vegas goalie Parris Duffus, now 3-2-0, had 23 saves.

The teams play again Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. in the Thomas & Mack Center.

The Thunder went 0 for 4 with a man advantage, but the Aeros capitalized on two of their first three power-play opportunities to take a 2-0 first-period lead. Mark Lamb scored the game's opening goal -- his first of the season -- at 4:49.

Then at 13:05, former Thunder Bill Bowler, traded away for a player to be named later despite being last year's International Hockey League rookie scoring leader, netted his second goal of the season.

The Thunder got to within a goal early in the second period when Ken Quinney scored his second goal of the season at 1:54 off assists from Patrice Lefebvre and Sergei Zholtok.

Just over two minutes later, a sequence that appeared to tie the game turned out to be the Thunder's backbreaker.

Las Vegas seemed certain to score as Pavol Demitra unleashed a shot that ricochetted off the right post and dribbled behind Chabot, but somehow squirted out of the crease.

Houston center Mark Freer quickly made a long pass across the blue line to Lamb, who threaded a perfect offering to Gary Shuchuk across the red line. Shuchuk flew between Thunder defensemen Arturs Kupaks and Sergei Yerkovich and sent a shot just below Duffus' glove hand.