Aeros at home all weekend

Published on October 22, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Five things you need to know
· Dan Cavanaugh is set to play in his 224th game, which will tie Frederic Chabot for seventh place on the Aeros' all-time list. Mark Freer leads the way with 469 games played.
· Houston is the only AHL team that hasn't yet allowed a goal in the third period. The Aeros did yield an OT goal Wednesday in Chicago.
· The Aeros are opening up just their second stretch of three home games in three nights in franchise history before playing 13 of 15 games on the road.
· Tonight, the Aeros look to win back-to-back home games to open up the season for only the second time in team history (2002-03).
· Houston's Christoph Brandner will play in his 400th pro game tonight.

Barons at Aeros (Aeros lead all-time series 7-5-0-0, Aeros are 4-2-0-0 at home)
· Tonight is the 13th all-time meeting between the teams - seventh in Houston.
· The Barons won three of the four meetings last season, including a sweep of Houston at home January 21 and 23. Cleveland also handed the Aeros a 5-2 loss in the Toyota Center opener October 24, 2003, but Houston responded with a 5-1 win behind a Kyle Wanvig hat trick four nights later.
· The Aeros won five straight versus the Barons from January 10, 2002-January 10, 2003, but are 1-4-0 since then.
· The winning team in this series has scored at least four goals in nine of the 12 matchups.
· Aeros head coach Todd McLellan began his pro coaching career in 2000-01 with Cleveland, then in the IHL, leading the Barons to a 43-32-7 record.
· Only one of the teams' 12 meetings has been decided by one goal - a 3-2 Houston win at Cleveland on October 23, 2002.

2004-05 meetings (First of four meetings, Aeros are 0-0-0-0 overall, Aeros are 0-0-0-0 at home) TONIGHT: Cleveland at Houston Tomorrow: Cleveland at Houston November 18: Houston at Cleveland November 23: Houston at Cleveland

Scouting the Aeros It's a veteran and a second-year player leading Houston in scoring through three games...Kirby Law, the Aeros' captain, has two goals and an assist, while Matt Foy has a goal and two helpers...The Aeros return eight of their top 11 scorers from a year ago, including leading point-getter Kyle Wanvig (25-16=41)...Talented newcomers include a trio of first-round draft picks - 2004 World Cup player Mikko Koivu, Brent Burns and Pierre-Marc Bouchard...Also new is rookie netminder Josh Harding, and several Dallas Stars prospects, including Hobey Baker winner Junior Lessard and goalie Mike Smith.

Scouting the Barons Cleveland is still looking for its first win of the season (0-1-1-1) after falling 4-3 in overtime at home to Milwaukee on Wednesday...The Barons led 3-2 with less than a minute remaining...Defense has been a weakness thus far for the Barons, who are allowing 4.33 goals per game, tied for 23rd in the AHL...Cleveland is led by Marcel Goc with four points (3-1=4)...Nolan Schaefer is 0-2-0 with a 4.89 gaa.

Wednesday Night Former Aero Cory Larose scored on a breakaway 3:27 into overtime, lifting the Chicago Wolves to a 5-4 victory over the Aeros at Allstate Arena. Steve Maltais added two power play goals, both assisted by former Aero Travis Roche, and picked up an assist of his own as Chicago snapped its two-game losing streak to open the season. Stephen Baby and Karl Stewart also scored goals for the Wolves. Stephane Veilleux scored a power play goal, John Erskine had an even strength tally, Kirby Law scored on a penalty shot and Matt Foy forced overtime with an early third-period goal for the Aeros

Must be the humidity Aeros goalie Mike Smith has played three games at Toyota Center - two last season with Utah and one last weekend with the Aeros. In those three games, Smith is 2-1-0 and has stopped 113 of 117 shots for a .966 save percentage. That stretch includes a career-best 48 saves in a 2-1 win over the Aeros 10/26/03.

Erskine finds the net Houston defenseman John Erskine scored a goal Wednesday, just past the two year anniversary of his last AHL goal on October 18, 2002. Erskine, who has spent much of the past two seasons in the NHL with Dallas, had gone 56 AHL games without a goal. Erskine scored two NHL goals since his last AHL tally.

What's on tap
· Tonight kicks off just the second stretch of three home games in three nights in franchise history. After Sunday, the Aeros play 13 of 15 games on the road. Houston also played three-in-three at home from December 7-9, 2001, going 1-1 versus Hartford and 1-0 against Manitoba.
· The road stretch starts with the Aeros first ever trek to Edmonton to face the Road Runners and Joe Cullen, Mark's brother, for two games next Friday and Saturday. Those games open a six-game road trip, the longest for the team since an eight-game trip in January and February of 2003.

Aeros have 19 straight OT non-wins Friday's 5-4 overtime loss in Chicago extended Houston's run of being winless in overtime to 19 games. The Aeros went 0-4-14 in overtime in 2003-04 after going second in the league in OT wins in 2002-03 with eight. Houston's last overtime win came in San Antonio 3/20/03, when Hnat Domenichelli scored 12 seconds into the extra session for a 5-4 victory.

A new era The AHL has instituted a shootout if the score is still tied after a five-minute overtime period. The Aeros last played a shootout game 4/13/01, a 3-2 win at Utah.

How the Aeros were built
· The Aeros have a franchise record three first-round picks, plus five second-rounders and four third rounders. Kyle Wanvig was drafted twice, once in the second round by Boston and again in the third by Minnesota. All but four of Houston's players were drafted.
· Five Aeros have their NHL rights owned by the Dallas Stars - Mike Smith, Junior Lessard, Patrick Traverse, Marius Holtet and John Erskine.
· Houston had 15 players from Canada on its Opening Night roster, five from the United States and one each from the Czech Republic, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Austria. Marius Holtet, a second-round pick by Dallas, is the highest drafted Norwegian player in NHL history.

Aeros have trio of first-round picks for first time ever
· The Aeros have three first-round draft picks (Mikko Koivu, Brent Burns and Pierre-Marc Bouchard) on their roster at one time for the first time in their 11-year history.
· Overall, Houston has now had 14 No. 1 picks wear its uniform. Two skated last season - Burns and Jason Marshall.
· Koivu, selected sixth overall by Minnesota in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, is the fourth highest draft pick ever to play for Houston. Only Sylvain Turgeon (No. 2, 1983), Neil Brady (No. 3, 1986) and Zarley Zalapski (No. 4, 1986) were higher picks.
· Burns and Bouchard are two of Minnesota's three first-round picks who played in the NHL the season immediately after being drafted. Burns, 19, was already the youngest player in Aeros history, as he played one game last season at the age of 18.

Harding is second-highest goalie draft pick to play for Houston Not only is Josh Harding the Aeros' youngest goalie in franchise history, but he's also the second highest drafted netminder to play for the team. Harding was picked by the Wild 38th overall in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. Only Troy Gamble (No. 25, 1985) was a higher pick.

Aeros have 11 who played in NHL in 2003-04
· Eleven Aeros played a total of 250 games in the NHL in 2003-04, and including Patrick Traverse, who has 278 games of NHL experience but none last season, 12 Aeros have 884 games of NHL experience.
· Another two Aeros - Mike Smith and Erik Reitz - were recalled to Dallas and Minnesota, respectively, last season but didn't see action in a game.

Aeros/Barons connections
· Aeros head coach Todd McLellan began his pro coaching career in 2000-01 with Cleveland, then in the IHL, leading the Barons to a 43-32-7 record.
· Barons defenseman Greg Labenski played seven games for the Aeros in 2001-02, notching two points and 25 penalty minutes.
· Cleveland head coach Roy Sommer played for the CHL Houston Apollos in 1979-80, recording 55 points (24g, 31a) and 246 penalty minutes in 69 games.
· Houston's Christoph Brandner played alongside Cleveland's Christian Ehrhoff for three seasons with Krefeld of the German DEL.
· Cleveland defenseman Milan Michalek, 2003's No. 6 overall pick, is the younger brother of the Aeros' Zbynek Michalek. Milan Michalek is currently rehabbing an injury.

Aeros vs. Barons 2 Heid 4gp, 1-1=2 4 Burns 0gp, 0-0=0 5 Reitz 6gp, 0-0=0 6 Michalek 4gp, 1-0=1 8 Giroux 2gp, 1-2=3 10 Law 6gp, 2-1=3 15 Wallin 5gp, 2-5=7 16 Cavanaugh 11gp, 2-3=5 17 Cullen 6gp, 0-5=5 19 Cavosie 6gp, 1-2=3 22 Lessard 0gp, 0-0=0 24 Veilleux 9gp, 1-4=5 26 Wanvig 7gp, 4-0=4 27 Traverse 10gp, 1-2=3 28 Reirden 7gp, 2-1=3 29 Brandner 2gp, 0-1=1 31 Boogaard 2gp, 0-0=0 34 Foy 3gp, 0-2=2 36 Holtet 0gp, 0-0=0 55 Erskine 15gp, 2-1=3 96 Bouchard 0gp, 0-0=0 37 Smith vs. Barons 2004-05: First appearance Totals: First appearance 41 Harding vs. Barons 2004-05: First appearance Totals: First appearance

Barons vs. Aeros 2 Carkner 8gp, 0-3=3 4 Fahey 4gp, 0-5=5 5 Stafford 4gp, 0-3=3 6 Murray 4gp, 0-1=1 7 Gorges 0gp, 0-0=0 10 Ehrhoff 2gp, 0-0=0 11 Armstrong 0gp, 0-0=0 12 Valette 3gp, 0-1=1 14 Joseph 0gp, 0-0=0 15 Prudden 0gp, 0-0=0 17 Bootland 1gp, 1-0=1 18 Rissmiller 7gp, 1-4=5 19 Stevenson 3gp, 0-1=1 21 Plihal 4gp, 0-2=2 22 Clowe 4gp, 0-5=5 25 Gill 0gp, 0-0=0 27 Dobben 0gp, 0-0=0 28 Labenski 2gp, 1-0=1 29 Hoffman 1gp, 0-0=0 39 Olson 0gp, 0-0=0 44 Conboy 0gp, 0-0=0 57 Goc 4gp, 0-1=1 32 Patzold vs. Aeros 2004-05: First appearance Totals: First appearance 33 Schaefer vs. Aeros 2003-04: 1-0-0, 1.00 gaa, .957 pct. 2004-05: First appearance Totals: 1-0-0, 1.00 gaa, .957 pct.

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American Hockey League Stories from October 22, 2004


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