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Aeros Boast Successful Week

February 17, 2003 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Houston played four games in a busy week and came away with three wins against division rivals. Houston's lone setback was the only game against a non-division opponent. The Aeros travel to Manitoba for their final two games of the season versus a team from the Eastern Conference.

THE WEEK THAT WAS:

FEBRUARY 11: Houston and Milwaukee finished a home-and-home series in Milwaukee. The Aeros came out on top 4-2 after the teams battled to a 1-1 tie at Compaq Center on Sunday. Houston scored the first three goals on their first three power play chances. Mark Cullen struck first, then Curtis Murphy scored 1:08 later in the first period. The lone goal in the second period belonged to Zbynek Michalek. Milwaukee scored midway through the third period and made things interesting with a shorthanded goal at the 14:18 mark. However, Houston iced the game with an empty-net goal by Cory Larose. Hnat Domenichelli finished the game with three assists and Jean-Guy Trudel tallied two assists. Dieter Kochan turned away 28 of 30 shots for the win.

FEBRUARY 13: The Aeros suffered a 3-1 loss to the Cleveland Barons at Compaq Center. Barons netminder Vesa Toskala made 33 saves for a brilliant victory. Tavis Hansen scored less than two minutes into the game, before the Aeros leading scorer Hnat Domenichelli scored his 24th goal of the year to tie the game in the second period. Cleveland hit two power play goals in the third period, proving the old adage "any team on any given night," as the last-place Barons left of Houston with a big win. It was Houston's first home loss since December 19th when Norfolk won 2-0, a span of 11 games in which Houston went 9-0-2. Frederic Cloutier suffered his first career AHL setback, making 16 saves.

FEBRUARY 15: The Aeros scored the game's first three goals, which carried them to a 4-1 victory over Utah. Rickard Wallin notched his first goal since coming back from Minnesota in the first period. Lawrence Nycholat tallied on the power play in the second period. His goal at 17-seconds into the period set a new Aeros record for fastest goal in a period at home. Mark Cullen scored three minutes into the third and the Aeros were cruising until Utah's Jim Montgomery made it 3-1 with a power play goal. Dan Cavanaugh deflected a Ladislav Benysek shot to close out the scoring. Jean-Guy Trudel notched two assists in the game. Derek Gustafson kicked out 31 of 32 shots for his 17th win of the year.

FEBRUARY 16: Houston jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period and didn't look back topping the Grizzlies 5-2 in the second of a back-to-back set. Aeros leading points man Jean-Guy Trudel put Houston on the board first. Then, later in the first period, Zbynek Michalek scored when his centering attempt went in off a Utah defender. In the second period, Cory Larose scored a break-away shorthanded goal that would prove to be the game winner. After Trudel scored again early in the third, Utah tallied twice. However Dan Cavanaugh scored the final goal for Houston who went 2 for 5 on the power play. Derek Gustafson stopped 25 of 27 shots to pick up his 18th win.

NICE TO BE HOME: The Aeros closed a three-game home-stand after playing 12 of the previous 15 on the road. During that 31-day 15-game stretch, Houston scored 23 of a possible 30 points to take a commanding lead in the West Division of the AHL, where EVERY team is over the .500 mark. Later this week, the Aeros again take to the road for three straight games (two vs. Manitoba and one in Chicago). Starting Feb. 23rd against Grand Rapids, Houston closes with 12 of their last 20 games at home.

THE LEADERS: Hnat Domenichelli climbed into the Aeros goal-scoring lead with 24 goals after seven goals in seven games. However, Jean-Guy Trudel collected two power play goals on Sunday to match Domenichelli at 24 goals. Trudel leads the team in points (66) and assists (42) as well as power play goals (10). Domenichelli is tied for second in power play goals (7), third in points (45), and leads the team with two hat tricks. Cory Larose is second in points (56) and assists (38) and first in game-winning goals (6).

BLUE-LINE BLASTS: The Houston Aeros balance in scoring is highlighted by the fact that four defensemen are among the Aeros top nine scorers. Lawrence Nycholat's PPG Saturday night was his seventh of the year. He is tied for second on the team in that category with Curtis Murphy and Hnat Domenichelli. Murphy and Nycholat are tied for second in the AHL among blueliners for power plays goals. Also, Nycholat's goal on Saturday was the game-winner, giving him four for the season. Oddly enough, all his GWG have come since January 15 when his OT goal defeated Chicago. He is tied for first in game-winning goals among AHL defensemen. Curtis Murphy leads all AHL d-men with 19 goals and is tied for second in points (41).

ANTICIPATING THE STARTER'S GUN: Scoring first is always a good thing. For the Houston Aeros, it is almost always part of the formula for victory. When the Aeros score first, their overall record is an astounding 25-1-1. And they're good at holding on to the lead. When leading after the first period, Houston is 24-0-1. The Aeros have managed to climb the comeback mountain on occasion as well. When trailing after two periods of play, Houston is 5-11-1-1.

WILD, WILD WEST: The Houston Aeros continue to maintain a big lead in the West Division of the AHL. They lead Chicago by 18 points and the other three teams are within eight points of the Wolves. Houston has a seven-point lead over Grand Rapids for first overall in the Western Conference. The Aeros have 23 games remaining in the regular season, with 17 of them against divisional rivals. The West Division could be touted as the toughest bracket in the AHL, as it is the only division where all five teams are over the .500 mark.

GOING FOR NUMBER 200: This season is the final season for hockey at Compaq Center, as the Aeros are planning the move into the new downtown arena for next season. The Aeros have enjoyed a great record in the building formerly known as "The Summit" over the past nine years. The record is 199-114-42-3 (a .619 winning percentage) on home ice. They get their first chance at the 200-victory milestone at Compaq Center on Sunday versus the Grand Rapids Griffins.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS: 2/14 - G Frederic Cloutier recalled by Minnesota; G Derek Gustafson recalled from Louisiana (ECHL). 2/15 - G Peter Brady signed to a PTO from Austin Ice Bats.

NEWS AND NOTES:

* LW Jean-Guy Trudel had 2-1-3 last night, giving him 3-14-16 in his last nine games;
* RW Hnat Domenichelli has a five-game point streak (1-5-6);
* C Mark Cullen has scored seven points in the last nine games (2-5-7);
* D Curtis Murphy has 1-3-4 in the past four games. He leads AHL d-men with 19 goals and is tied for 2nd in points (41);
* D Lawrence Nycholat has a three-game point streak (1-2-3); He leads the team at +23;
* G Dieter Kochan is 7-0-1-1 in his last 9 outings, having won six straight before his call-up to Minnesota back on Jan. 7th;
* G Derek Gustafson's 18 wins lead Houston and are tied for 3rd in the AHL, his 2.50 GAA is 12th in the league;
* The Power Play went 3-10 against Utah in two games, and is now 12th in the AHL at 62-368/16.8%;
* The Penalty Kill has stopped 23 of the last 26. For the year, the PK is 12th in the AHL at 259-305/84.9%;

OFF-THE-ICE HAPPENINGS: The Aeros currently are participating in two charity events. First, Houston Aeros Charities is working with the Muscular Dystrophy Association for the 4th Annual "Jerseys off Their Backs."

Scratch-off tickets can be purchased for one dollar ($1) and are currently being sold at home games. Every ticket is a winner from Kroger and 20 tickets are grand prize-winners. On Saturday, March 15th, the Aeros will wear a special Western-themed jersey. Following the game, each winner will receive a jersey straight from the players on the ice. Also on March 15th, some lucky person will get to "Kiss-A-Pig." American Diabetes Association contestants are competing with Aeros defenseman Travis Roche to raise funds.

The lucky "winner" who raises the most for ADA will get to kiss a pig on the ice during an intermission. Last season, over $37,000 was raised for ADA and Houston Aeros player Shawn Carter had to pucker up.

WILD WATCH: The Minnesota Wild had a busy week, playing four games. They shutout Philadelphia twice before falling to Phoenix and Colorado in the final two games. The Wild currently ranks sixth in the Western Conference with a record of 29-21-8-1 (67 points). This week, Minnesota plays only twice, hosting the New York Rangers on Wednesday and the St. Louis Blues on Sunday.

ICEGATORS REPORT: Louisiana, with 70 points, is four points shy of clinching a playoff berth. They lead the Southwest Division with a record of 30-14-10. The IceGators have a relaxing week, with only a home game against the Pensacola IcePilots on Wednesday on the docket.

UPCOMING GAMES

WEDNESDAY 2/19 AT MANITOBA

The Aeros make their first visit to Winnipeg this season. Houston defeated the Moose in back-to-back games at home in January.

FRIDAY 2/21 AT MANITOBA Houston plays its final game of the season against an Eastern Conference opponent. Four games versus Grand Rapids are the only non-division games after this one.

SATURDAY 2/22 AT CHICAGO

The Aeros wrap up their three-game road trip with a game against the Wolves. This is the sixth match-up of the season for the two teams.

SUNDAY 2/23 VS GRAND RAPIDS

Houston ends a tough week that features four-games-in-five-nights in three different cities when they host the Griffins. The Aeros are 3-2-1 against Grand Rapids this season.

FRIDAY 2/28 VS CHICAGO

The Aeros return to action after five days off. The Wolves visit Houston for the third time this year in second place behind Houston in the West Division.

ON THE AIR: The games from Winnipeg can be heard on AM 700 "The Voice," KSEV radio, and on the internet at aeros-dot-com with Ken Double describing the action. On Saturday from Chicago, the Aeros will be seen on KTBU, Channel 55, "The Tube" with Ken Double and Troy Gamble calling the play-by-play.



American Hockey League Stories from February 17, 2003


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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