Aeros begin final homestand with Family Day affair

April 10, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Five things you need to know
• With eight days left in the AHL's regular season, the Aeros are tied for third place in the West Division with Cincinnati at 87 points. Grand Rapids, which lost 4-3 in Utah last night, is three points back. Both Cincinnati and Grand Rapids have one game in hand on Houston. The Ducks are in Cleveland today, while Grand Rapids is off until it visits second-place Milwaukee on Tuesday. The top four teams in the West make the post-season.

HOU
4/10 vs. SAN
4/15 vs. CHI
4/17 vs. UTA
3GR (3H)

CIN
4/10 @ CLE
4/15 @ GR
4/16 vs. MIL
4/17 vs. GR
4GR (2H, 2R)

GR
4/12 @ MIL
4/15 vs. CIN
4/16 vs. SAN
4/17 @ CIN
4GR (2H, 2R)
• Houston is 8-1-2-0 against San Antonio this season, outscoring the Rampage 40-17 in the process and 21-3 in the last four wins. Houston has outscored San Antonio 11-4 in the first period, 17-5 in the second and 11-6 in the third. The Aeros have only two regulation losses in the last 22 meetings (14-2-4-2). Since dropping a 2-1 decision on opening night 10/15, Houston has points in the last 10 meetings (8-0-2-0), the team's longest point streak against any AHL opponent ever, and the longest overall since going 11-0-2 in 13 meetings with IHL Detroit 1/23/99-3/16/01. The biggest Aero of them all in the series is Mikko Koivu. Koivu has 14 points, including nine of his 19 goals goals, in 11 games versus the Rampage. Pierre-Marc Bouchard has 10 assists in nine games against San Antonio. Rookie netminder Josh Harding is 5-1-0 with a 1.13 gaa versus the Rampage, including five straight wins and a 0.82 gaa since dropping a 2-1 opening night decision at SBC Center.
• Aeros rookie goalie Josh Harding won his fifth straight game last night, and he's got a 1.40 gaa in that span. He has had to make 29 or more saves in four of those games, and he has a .955 save percentage in the run. Harding is tied for fourth in the AHL with a 2.02 gaa, a number that is tops in the entire Western Conference. Johan Holmqvist won six straight starts 12/5-12/17/03. Harding is 10-3-1 with a 1.73 gaa at Toyota Center.
• Houston needs to pick up just one point over its last three games to assure itself of not losing three straight games in regulation over the course of the season for the first time in team history. The Aeros have lost back-to-back games in regulation eight times, but never three straight games. Houston had lost just three straight in five other seasons, but it has never gone through a season without a losing streak longer than two games. The Aeros also haven't had a winless streak longer than three games, another a team-record.
• Tonight the Aeros finish off their final three-in-three stretch of the season. Houston is an impressive 6-2-1-0 when playing its third game in three nights.

Rampage at Aeros (Aeros are 23-5-5-2 all-time, Aeros are 14-2-1-0 at Houston)
• Tonight is the 36th all-time meeting between the teams - 18th in Houston. Houston sports a .757 winning percentage in the series.
• Houston is unbeaten in regulation in their last eight home meetings (7-0-1-0). The Rampage last earned a regulation win in Houston on 1/16/04, a 6-3 decision. San Antonio only has two regulation wins in Houston in its three years.
• Houston is 4-0-1-0 at home versus San Antonio this season, including a 17-1 goal margin in the last three games.
• San Antonio has been held to two or fewer goals in 17 of its last 18 games against the Aeros.
• The teams have gone to overtime in nine of 35 meetings. The Aeros are 1-4-3 against San Antonio in the extra session and 1-0 in the shootout.
• While Houston's plus-21 PPG (60-39) ratio is among the tops in the AHL, San Antonio is minus-34 (75-41).
• The Aeros have outshot San Antonio in eight of the teams' 11 meetings this season.

Scouting the Aeros
Houston is playing the finale of a stretch of seven games in nine nights, and it has gone an impressive 4-2-0-0 thus far...Two wins in the last three games would clinch Houston's second 40-win campaign in four AHL seasons...The Aeros finish off the regular season with a three-game homestand, and they have won three straight at Toyota Center and are 4-0-0-1 in their last five...Pierre-Marc Bouchard (12-41=53) leads the Aeros in scoring and has 34 points (7-27=34) in his last 37 games...Mikko Koivu has 47 points (19-28=47) in his first season in North America...Kirby Law has a team-best 25 goals, including five in his last eight games...Veteran Ray Giroux (12-20=32) anchors a well-balanced blueline along with 20-year-old prospect Brent Burns (9-14=23)...Mike Smith is 18-17-3 with a 2.43 gaa and five shutouts, while Josh Harding is 20-16-2 with four shutouts and a 2.02 gaa...Harding has allowed two goals or less in 11 of his last 14 starts...Harding is on pace to better Houston's franchise-records in goals against (2.13 by Frederic Chabot in 1999-2000) and save percentage (.921 by Chabot in 1997-98).

Scouting the Rampage
San Antonio, the AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers, has lost seven straight and 11 of 12, and it scored more than one goal for the only time in that span when it lost 7-4 to Grand Rapids on Thursday....San Antonio is 3-18-1-1 since winning three straight 1/30-2/4...The Rampage's leading active scorer who has been with the team all season is Ryan Jardine (13-19=32)...Lukas Krajicek leads the way among the blueliners with 23 points (2-21=23)...Travis Scott is 17-26-4 with a 2.35 gaa, while Patrick DesRochers is 8-19-1 with a 3.19 gaa.

2004-05 meetings (12th of 12 meetings, Aeros are 8-1-2-0 overall, Aeros are 4-0-1-0 at Houston)
October 15: Houston 1 at San Antonio 2
December 3: San Antonio 2 at Houston 1 (OT)
December 23: San Antonio 2 at Houston 5
January 21: Houston 4 at San Antonio 2
February 27: Houston 3 at San Antonio 2 (SO)
March 2: San Antonio 0 at Houston 2
March 3: Houston 3 at San Antonio 4 (OT)
March 12: San Antonio 0 at Houston 8
April 2: San Antonio 1 at Houston 7
April 3: Houston 4 at San Antonio 1
Last Night: Houston 2 at San Antonio 1
Tonight: San Antonio at Houston

Quick Hits
• Aeros alternate captain Dan Cavanaugh tied his career-high with two assists Wednesday and had his second shorthanded goal last night. He has 10 points (3-7=10) over the last 13 games. The Springfield, Mass., native has posted 13 points (5-8=13) in March and April after totaling eight points (3-5=8) in the season's first five months.
• Last night marked Houston's first when without scoring three or more goals since a 2-0 win over San Antonio 3/2. Houston is 32-4-3-1 when scoring three goals or more, but just 6-24-3-4 when tallying two or less.
• Through the season's first 65 games, the Aeros allowed only 41 third-period goals, but in the last 12 games, they've given up 15 while scoring 10. Houston is fourth in the AHL with 56 third-period goals allowed. Hartford leads the way with 44. In its 38 wins, Houston has allowed just 17 third-period goals, but in the remainder of its 39 games, it has yielded 39.
• The Aeros have scored 43 goals in their last nine wins, but just five goals in their last nine losses (0-7-0-2).
• Goalies Josh Harding and Mike Smith have 20 and 18 wins, respectively, marking just the second time in Aeros history two goalies have won 18. Frederic Chabot (23) and Jason Elliott (19) accomplished the feat in 2000-01.
• The Aeros are 13-24-4-4 when allowing the first goal, but 25-4-2-1 when scoring it.
• Eighteen of the Rampage's 25 wins have come by one goal. The Rampage is 18-11-3-5 in one-goal games, but just 7-32-0-0 in games decided by two or more.
• San Antonio's Travis Scott is 1-3-1 with a 1.95 gaa against Houston this season, while the rest of the Rampage's netminders are 2-4-0 with a 4.69 gaa.

Last Game
Josh Harding made 29 saves for his fifth straight win, and John Erskine returned from an 11-game absence to score an early first-period goal, as the Houston Aeros defeated the San Antonio Rampage 2-1 at SBC Center to remain tied with Cincinnati for third place in the West Division. Dan Cavanaugh's shorthanded goal went down as the game-winner for Houston.

Harding back in a big way
• Aeros 20-year-old rookie goalie Josh Harding missed 17 games due to a concussion, but he has returned strong, going 15-9-1.
• Harding is tied for fourth in the league in gaa (2.02), but he leads the Western Conference and is tied with Lowell's Cam Ward for the lowest gaa among rookies.
• Harding, 5-0-0 with a 1.40 gaa in his last five starts, is the second youngest goalie in the AHL behind WBS' Marc-Andre Fleury, has four shutouts. No other Aeros rookie goalie had more than one shutout.
• Harding has allowed 30 goals in the first period, but only 20 in the second and 23 in the third. He's allowed only five third-period goals in 15 Toyota Center appearances.
• Harding is 9-3-1 with a 1.73 gaa at home, but 10-13-1 with a 2.18 gaa on the road.

Smith establishes franchise mark
• Aeros goalie Mike Smith appeared in 19 straight games - 17 of the appearances starts - from 11/26-1/25. Smith's 19-game run was a new franchise record, eclipsing Frederic Chabot's old mark of 15, set 12/8/99-1/21/00.
• Smith joins Frederic Chabot (seven) and Ryan Bach (five) as the lone Aeros netminders with five shutouts in a season, and his five overall trail only Chabot (18) and Derek Gustafson (six) for the most in team history.
• The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder is 7-6-2 with a 2.58 gaa on the road but 11-11-1 with a better 2.31 gaa at Toyota Center. Each of Smith's five shutouts have come at home.
• In his last four Toyota Center appearances, including a no decision in relief, Smith is 3-0-0 with a 1.09 gaa.
• Smith's 2.43 gaa is tied for 18th in the AHL.

PP unit seventh
• The Aeros are seventh in the AHL on the power play at 16.8 percent.
• Houston is 4-for-26 (15.4 percent) over its last six games.
• The Aeros have outscored their opponents 64-43 on the power play.
• Houston is 25-12-5-2 when scoring a PPG and 13-16-1-3 when not scoring a PPG.
• San Antonio is 25th in the league on the penalty kill at 80.6 percent.
• The Rampage has killed off 27-of-33 (81.9 percent) of its shorthanded chances over the last six games.
• The Aeros are 10-for-49 (20.4 percent) with the man advantage against San Antonio, having outscored the Rampage 10-6.

Houston tied for third on PK
• Houston is tied for third in the league on the penalty kill at 87.5 percent. The Aeros have yielded 43 PPG, just two off the league lead.
• The Aeros have killed off 20-of-24 shorthanded chances (83.3 percent) over their last five games.
• Houston is 25-14-2-3 when not allowing a PPG and 12-13-4-2 when allowing a PPG.
• San Antonio ranks 27th in the league on the power play at 13.2 percent, but it is 17th on the road at 14.2 percent.
• The Rampage is just 2-for-29 (6.9 percent) on the power play over the last six games.



American Hockey League Stories from April 10, 2005


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