Aeros fun starts to night with first home game

October 7, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


The fun starts Friday at 4 p.m., with a pre-game party with face painters, inflatables and a DJ on the "pad" on the corner of LaBranch and Polk. Doors open at 6:30, and the first 5,000 fans will receive a magnetic schedule. We'll see you there! Music and entertainment provided by DJ Specialist Mobile Entertainment Company

Click here to listen to Ken Double's broadcast, also available live on 1070 KNTH-AM. Also, every AHL game is available for viewing for $6 via B2 Networks. Visit aeros.com 10 minutes prior to gametime for ordering information. Users must have broadband access.

Aeros.com will also have updates throughout the game.

Aeros Game Day

Five things you need to know

Tonight marks the pro head coaching debut of the Aeros' Rob Daum. He replaced Todd McLellan after spending the last 10 seasons at the University of Alberta, compiling a mighty 345-79-32 record. Daum is the sixth head coach in team history. Only one of the previous five has won a season opener, and one of the five also won a home opener. New head coaches are 1-1-3 in season openers, with McLellan being the lone one to pick up a win, 3-2 at Milwaukee 10/6/01. In home openers, meanwhile, new head coaches are 1-3-1, with Terry Ruskowski leading the Aeros to a 3-2 shootout win over Atlanta in the Aeros' first ever home game, 10/7/94.

Houston is 4-5-2 all-time in home openers, but it has won two of the last three. A season ago, the Aeros beat Cincinnati 3-1 at Toyota Center. This marks the Rampage's first time as a home-opening opponent, although IHL San Antonio beat the Aeros 6-3 in 1996. All-time in season openers, Houston is just 4-4-3. The Aeros are 3-1-0-0 in AHL season openers, but the lone loss was last season, a 2-1 defeat in San Antonio. It was Houston's first season-opening loss since 2000, when Kansas City won 2-1 at Compaq Center. Josh Harding became the youngest Aeros goalie to ever make an Opening Night start last season, when he lost 2-1 to the Rampage at the age of 21. If he gets the call tonight, he'll write his name down as being the second-youngest goalie to start a season-opener. The trend could go on for quite some time if he were to stay in Houston. Prior to Harding, the youngest Aeros goalie with a start was Johan Holmqvist, at 25 in 2003. It would also mark the first time in team history that the same goalie started back-to-back season openers.

The Aeros have eight players on their roster who spent time with the Aeros in 2004-05, and counting Curtis Murphy, a total of nine have seen action in a Houston sweater in their careers. Five of the eight saw limited time last season. Kirby Law, the ‘04-05 captain, played in all 80 games for the Aeros.

Rampage at Aeros (Aeros are 24-5-5-2 overall, Aeros are 15-2-1-0 at Houston) Tonight is the 37th all-time meeting between the teams - 19th in Houston. The Aeros sport a .764 winning percentage in the series. Since a three-game winless slide in the series 12/27/03-1/17/04, the Aeros have unleashed a 14-1-2-1 mark (.861 winning percentage). The Aeros have lost just once in regulation to the Rampage in each of the last two seasons. Houston was 9-1-2-0 in 2004-05 after a 7-1-2-2 mark in 2003-04.

Houston is unbeaten in regulation in the last nine home meetings (8-0-1-0), including five straight victories. 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-plus years. Houston went 5-0-1-0 at home versus San Antonio last season, including a 19-2 goal margin in the last four games. San Antonio has been held to two or fewer goals in 18 of its last 19 games against the Aeros. The lone exception was a 4-3 OTL at SBC Center 3/3/05. The teams have gone to overtime in nine of 36 meetings. The Aeros are 1-4-3 against San Antonio in the extra session and 1-0 in the shootout.



American Hockey League Stories from October 7, 2005


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