Aeros Game Day, February 18: Aeros at Heat
February 18, 2012 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release
OVERVIEW
The Houston Aeros (25-15-3-9, 62 pts.) continue an 11-game road trip at Abbotsford on Saturday at 9 p.m. CST against the Heat (27-20-3-0, 57 pts.) at the Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
---Houston is on the longest road trip in franchise history (11 games, 2-3-0-0).
---Houston's 62 points are third in the Western Conference behind CHA and TOR (64) and OKC (69).
---The Aeros will log over 12,000 miles on the current road trip. By comparison, Aeros broadcaster Joe O'Donnell could take two round trips from Houston to Reykjavik, Iceland, to visit Bjork; or about 23 round trips from Houston to the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas, where he could attempt to eat a 72 oz. steak in an hour.
THIS WEEK'S GAMES
Tuesday (Feb. 13) --- at MIL (3-0 L)
Friday (Feb. 17) --- at ABB (3-2 L)
Saturday (Feb. 18) --- at ABB (9 p.m. CST)
AEROS BROADCASTS
Radio: 1070 KNTH-AM
Listen online: www.aeros.com
Watch online: www.ahllive.com
Listen on Smartphone including BlackBerry: Download the TuneIn Radio App; search Houston, then KNTH.
LIVE SCORING AND STATS
The AHL provides live scoring and stats via the GameCenter tab at www.theahl.com.
AEROS/HEAT HEAD-TO-HEAD
This is the fourth of eight meetings (0-2-0-1)... All-time HOU is 4-3-1-3 (2-2-1-1 home, 2-1-0-2 road)... HOU PP is 2/19... ABB PP is 2/9... ABB won the first meeting 5-3 on Nov. 10... ABB won the second meeting on Nov. 20 in the shootout 1-0.
RECENT AEROS TRANSACTIONS
---Feb. 18: C.J. Stretch signed PTO.
---Feb. 16: Jamie Fritsch signed PTO.
---Feb. 15: Devin DiDiomete released from PTO.
---Feb. 15: Cody Almond and Jeff Taffe recalled by MIN... Kris Foucault reassigned by MIN... Mike McKenzie loaned to Ontario (ECHL).
---Feb. 14: Devin DiDiomete signed PTO.
---Feb. 13: Kris Foucault and Marco Scandella recalled by MIN.
AEROS INJURIES
Jeff Penner has missed the last 13 games.
AEROS MILESTONES
---Jon DiSalvatore's 20th goal will be his 69th as an Aero, placing him first in franchise history (AHL only, 4th AHL/IHL). His 41st game on Jan. 21 at TEX was his 200th as an Aero, placing him 10th all-time in Aeros (AHL) history.
---Jeff Taffe notched his 400th AHL point with an assist on Jon DiSalvatore's goal on Jan. 8 at SA. Taffe had two assists while skating in his 500th AHL game on Jan. 21 at TEX.
---Drew Bagnall played in his 300th AHL game at TEX on Jan. 21.
---Matt Hackett's 34th game will be his 79th as an Aero and crack the Top-5 in Aeros (AHL) career games played. His 23rd win will push him into second place in Aeros (AHL) career wins. His 983rd save will place him second in Aeros (AHL) career saves.
AEROS PLAYER NOTES
---Jon DiSalvatore has points in nine of the last 11 games (5-5=10).
---Justin Fontaine had his second two-point game in as many nights and his seventh of the season on Feb. 11.
---Cody Almond had his first two-point game of the season on Feb. 10 and first since March 13, 2011 against Manitoba.
---Jeff Taffe scored his third goal in four games on Feb. 10 and his second two-point game in the last five outings. He has points in three of the last six games (3-2=5) and now has 10 two-point games on the season.
---Kris Foucault has six points (3-3=6) in his last six Aeros games.
---David McIntyre has goals in two of his last four games.
--- Jed Ortmeyer, who was reassigned by Minnesota to Houston on Feb. 9, has points (1-2=3) in two of his last three games.
---The Aeros have been involved in 58 transactions since Jan. 1 involving 26 different players. Overall the Aeros have been involved in 124 transactions since the start of the season.
---A total of 17 different players have been recalled from Houston to Minnesota this season.
TEAM NOTABLES
---Houston has earned at least a point in 19 of the 31 games (10-12-3-6) in which they have allowed the first goal. They are 15-3-0-3 when scoring first.
---Houston played seven of 10 games on the road from Jan. 8-Feb. 2 and notched a 3-3-0-1 record away from home in that time.
---Houston has played 27 games that have been decided by one goal (10-5-3-9).
---The Aeros edged Grand Rapids 3-2 on Jan. 11 for their first shootout victory of the season.
---The Aeros drew 27,048 fans in three games over four days from Feb. 2-5, including a Toyota Center best-ever crowd of 13,390 on Saturday, Feb. 4.
--- The attendance of 13,390 on Feb. 5 was the largest crowd for the Aeros since moving to Toyota Center in the 2002-03 season. It was the largest Aeros crowd since 13,342 on Jan. 16, 2004.
AEROS GOALIES
HACKETT - Is 6-8-4 (2.58 GAA/.904 SV%) at home and 10-4-1 (1.98, .931) GAA/.933 SV%) on the road... Won six-straight road starts from Oct. 28-Dec. 30... Made his NHL debut on Dec. 6 and made 34 saves in a 2-1 win at SJ after entering the game early in the first period to relieve an injured Josh Harding... Last Game: Stopped 15 of 18 in a 3-2 L at ABB on Feb. 17.
KUEMPER --- Is 1-1-2 at home (2.47 GAA/.920 SV%) and 5-3-2 on the road (2.47 GAA/ .920 SV%)... Led the ECHL in both GAA (1.74) and save percentage (.941) at the time of his recall on Nov. 29 and posted a 7-1-0 record with the Ontario Reign... Recorded his first pro shutout with 1-0 win on Dec. 9 vs. SAN (33 saves)... Last Game: Stopped 30/34 in 5-4 W at GR on Feb. 11.
POWER PLAY
Is 0/12 in the last three games... Went 8/43 in games 41-50 (18.6%)... Went 7/38 (18.4%) in games 31-40... Went 5/37 (13.5%) in games 21-30... Went 20/106 (18/9%) in games 1-20... Set a season-high going 3/5 in a 4-2 win at SAN on Oct. 28.
PENALTY KILL
Opponents are 0/7 on the PP in the last three games... Stopped 30/39 (76.9 %) in games 41-50... Stopped 28/36 (77.7%) in games 31-40... Stopped 20/27 (74.0%) in games 21-30... Stopped 80/97 (82.4%) in games 1-20.
AEROS PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
4 - BAGH-nawl
7 - FRED-haym
8 - MED-vekh
10 - RAHD-juh
14 - deh-SAL-vuh-tohr
16 - STAW-bihts
20 - ROWH (like now)
22 - TAYF
26 - MACK-in-tyre
27 - mick-MILL-uhn
35 - KEM-per
39 - GEHN-oh-way
41 - ORT-migh-er
44 - FRIHTCH
61 - KOOH-muh
Torchetti --- TOHR-cheh-TEE
Van Ryn --- VAN-RIGHN
LaPlante --- luh-PLAHNT
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