Aeros Game Day

Published on February 13, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Tonight's game can be heard on Star 790 KBME beginning at 7 p.m. Please note that Saturday's game in Grand Rapids will now begin at 7 p.m. (ct).

Houston Aeros at Milwaukee Admirals, 2/13

Aeros at Admirals (Aeros lead all-time series 26-24-5-1 overall, Aeros are 12-14-1-0 at Milwaukee)

· The teams meet for the 57th time tonight – 28th in Milwaukee.

· The Aeros are winless in the last five meetings overall (0-4-0-1) and last beat the Admirals on Opening Night (October 17), when they earned a 5-1 win at Bradley Center.

· Since the teams joined the American Hockey League prior to the 2001-02 season, Houston has a 15-11-1-1 mark versus Milwaukee, including an impressive 10-4-0-0 mark at Bradley Center.

· The Aeros have lost back-to-back games in Milwaukee for the first time since six straight from November 29, 1997-November 25, 2000. That was part of the Aeros' 2-10-1-0 start in Milwaukee.

· Milwaukee, Grand Rapids and Chicago are the only three active teams against whom the Aeros have losing records on the road.

· Tonight is the second of the teams' four February meetings – three in Milwaukee.

· In the last meeting seven days ago, Simon Gamache tallied a goal and two assists and Timofei Shishkanov added a goal and a helper, as the Admirals held on for a thrilling 4-3 victory over the Aeros at Bradley Center. Jason Beckett scored and Travis Roche had three assists for Houston.

2003-04 meetings (Seventh of 10 meetings, Aeros are 1-4-0-1 overall, 1-2-0-0 at Milwaukee) October 17: Houston 5 at Milwaukee 1 November 6: Milwaukee 8 at Houston 2 November 15: Milwaukee 4 at Houston 3 (OT) November 20: Houston 1 at Milwaukee 3 December 1: Milwaukee 3 at Houston 1 February 6: Houston 3 at Milwaukee 4 Tonight: Houston at Milwaukee February 20: Milwaukee at Houston February 26: Houston at Milwaukee March 28: Milwaukee at Houston

Last game – Kyle Wanvig scored twice, including the game-tying goal with 9:35 left in regulation, as the Houston Aeros and Chicago Wolves skated to a 2-2 deadlock at Allstate Arena. Johan Holmqvist turned aside 30 shots for Houston, which is 0-2-1-0 to start its season-long five-game road trip. Former Aero Brendan Yarema scored a shorthanded goal and Zdenek Blatny added a marker for the Wolves, who are 1-2-1-0 in their last four. Rookie Michael Garnett made 37 saves for Chicago, which was held below three goals for just the third time in 18 games.

Scouting the Aeros – Tonight the Aeros play their sixth of 20 straight games against the West Division, including all 15 in February. Houston has gone 0-2-1-0 to start a season-long, five-game road trip, after sweeping a pair of home games from last-place Utah. The Aeros' leading scorer is Stephane Veilleux (12+20=32), who is riding a career-high five-game point streak. Veilleux is five points ahead of Dan Cavanaugh (9+18=27), who has assists in each of the last two games. Kyle Wanvig (18+8=26), coming off a two-goal game Wednesday, and defenseman Travis Roche (5+21=26) are tied for third in scoring. Wanvig had been held without a point in six games prior to Wednesday. Erik Reitz (3+17=20) is lighting it up from the defensive position along with Roche. Aeros captain Jason Marshall (6+11=17) and his 17 points were returned from Minnesota last week. Last season's Calder Cup Most Valuable Player, goalie Johan Holmqvist, has started 42 of the team's first 54 games, going 16-19-6 with a 2.66 goals against average. Holmqvist is 4-6-4 in his last 14 decisions, but he is 3-1-1 in his last five starts. With Kyle Kettles out with a minor injury, Frederic Cloutier was summoned from ECHL Louisiana and dropped his second decision in as many tries February 6 in Milwaukee.

Scouting the Admirals – Red-hot Milwaukee enters tonight's game with only one regulation loss in its last 11 games (7-1-2-1), including four straight wins to tie a season-high. The Admirals, with 59 points and in third place in the West Division, are unbeaten in their last six home games (5-0-1-0) after losing three straight at Bradley Center. Milwaukee and its potent power play blew by Manitoba 5-1 Wednesday, as Scottie Upshall scored a pair of goals with the man advantage. Wade Flaherty needed to stop just 18 shots as the Admirals enjoyed a whopping 41-19 advantage. The Admirals are led in scoring by crafty veteran Tony Hrkac, who last week picked up his 900th career point. Hrkac has 38 points (11+27=38) in only 38 games and is followed closely by Timofei Shishkanov (17+17=34) and Mathieu Darche (21+12=34). The Admirals' blueline is paced by Brad Tiley (7+21=28) and former Aero Curtis Murphy (8+19=27). Netminder Brian Finley, a former first-round pick, is 11-11-4 with a 2.54 goals against average, while veteran Wade Flaherty has gone 12-6-2 with a sparkling 1.99 goals against average and three shutouts. Finley is unbeaten in his last five starts (4-0-1) and has won four straight, allowing just six goals in that span.

Aeros/Admirals connections

· Milwaukee defenseman Curtis Murphy spent the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons with Houston, helping the Aeros win the 2003 Calder Cup title. Murphy notched 101 points (35g, 66a) in 160 games over two seasons with Houston while never missing a game.

· The Admirals' Jay Henderson was part of the 2003 Aeros' Calder Cup winning team after he was acquired from the Rangers organization for Cory Larose. Henderson posted 11 points (7+4=11) in 22 regular season games and four points (2+2=4) in 23 post-season contests.

· Milwaukee's Greg Classen (1998-2000) and Houston's Matt Foy (2001-02) each attended Merrimack College.

· The Aeros' Travis Roche (1999-2001) and Curtis Murphy (1994-98) and Milwaukee's Tony Hrkac (1984-85, 1986-87) and Bryan Lundbohm (1998-2001) each went to the University of North Dakota. Hrkac was also a teammate of Houston captain Jason Marshall from 1999-2001 in Anaheim.

· Houston's Stephane Veilleux and the Admirals' Simon Gamache were two of the leading scorers for QMJHL Val d'Or from 1999-2001.

· Milwaukee's Ray Schultz played for Houston head coach Todd McLellan in 2000-01 in Cleveland (IHL). Schultz was also a teammate of the Aeros' Jan Vodrazka in Kansas City (IHL) in 1999-2000.

· Houston defenseman Jason Beckett was an Admiral for most of two seasons, 2001-02 and 2002-03. Beckett had 18 points (4g+14=18) and 186 penalty minutes in 92 games with Milwaukee. Beckett also played with Milwaukee's Brad Tiley in AHL Philadelphia in 2000-01 and part of 2001-02.

· The Aeros' Jeff Hoggan played three collegiate seasons at Nebraska-Omaha with Milwaukee's Greg Zanon.

· Houston center Darby Hendrickson (1991-93) and Milwaukee assistant coach Todd Richards (1985-89) each attended the University of Minnesota.

Aeros get on the road again –

· Tonight, the Aeros play game four of a season-long five game road trip, with all five games coming against the top three teams in the West Division. Houston, which is 0-2-1-0 to begin the swing, is 3-7-2 against those three teams on the road.

· The Aeros' three-game road losing streak, snapped with a tie Wednesday in Chicago, tied a season-high and was one game shy of the franchise record, set from September 30-October 15, 1995.

· Houston is now 7-15-5-1 on the road, including a 1-7-4-0 mark in the last 12 games.

· The Aeros' win January 30 in Manitoba snapped a franchise-record seven-game road winless streak (0-4-3-0).

Aeros in fourth – Fourth-place Houston has 49 points, three better than Cincinnati and 10 points behind third-place Milwaukee in the West Division. Cincinnati plays host to Chicago tonight and Manitoba on Saturday. The Ducks have five games in hand on the Aeros. If the Admirals continue at their .615 points percentage, the Aeros would have to gain 49 points in their final 26 games to tie Milwaukee. Houston's highest position this season was third on December 30.

Hendrickson closes in on 200 points, 100 goals and assists – Aeros centerman Darby Hendrickson has 196 points (98g, 98a) in his 619-game pro career. Hendrickson is two goals and two assists shy of 100 in his pro career in both those categories. Hendrickson played in his 100th AHL game December 27. He has 71 points (34g, 37a) in 121 career AHL contests. Hendrickson, who spent eight full seasons in the NHL, played in his 600th pro game December 30.

Veilleux has points in five straight – Aeros winger Stephane Veilleux has points in a career-best five straight games (3+3=6). Veilleux, who started the run February 3, previously had a pair of four-game point streaks.

· Veilleux has 11 points (6+5=11) overall in the last 14 games, and he has a goal in six of the Aeros' last 10 games.

· Veilleux was just the second Aero with a three-game goal streak this season (February 3-6), joining Kyle Wanvig, who posted a five-game streak earlier this season.

· The winger is the only Aero to have played in each of Houston's first 54 games, and he carries a consecutive game played streak of 60 games, dating back to last season. Veilleux is two games shy of 200 in his pro career.

· Veilleux is tied for the AHL lead with four shorthanded goals.

· The Quebec native is nearing his career high in goals, assists and points. Veilleux has 32 points (12+20=32) in just 54 games, while he posted 35 points (13+22=35) in his rookie season of 2001-02.

Roche at nearly point per game in last 19 - Houston defenseman Travis Roche has 18 points (3+15=18) in the last 19 games.

· Roche tied his career-high of three points in two out of three games on February 3 and 6, notching a goal and two assists February 3 in a 3-1 win over Utah, then posting three helpers in a 4-3 loss in Milwaukee three nights later. His three assists also tied a career high.

· Roche's assist on Kevin Mitchell's 5-on-3 game-winning goal in the second period January 24 was his 100th point as a pro, while his helper on Kyle Wanvig's third-period goal the same night was his 100th point as an Aero. He picked up both his 75th pro and Aeros assists February 6.

· Roche has 109 points (32g, 77a) in 175 pro games, while he has 108 points (32g, 76a) in 165 Aeros games.

· Roche, who leads all Aeros defensemen with 26 points (5+21=26), is second to Kyle Wanvig for the team lead in multiple-point games with six. Roche's 26 points have him ranked in the top 10 among AHL defensemen despite missing 14 games.

Mitchell all about the power play –

· Defenseman Kevin Mitchell has 12 points (1+11=12) with the Aeros, and eight of those points have come on the power play. Last season with ECHL Louisiana, Mitchell had 23 of his 34 points with the man advantage.

· Mitchell's first goal in an Aeros uniform came January 24 on the power play. In his three-year pro career, including ECHL totals, Mitchell has 19 goals - and an eye-popping 15 have come on the power play. Each of Mitchell's four AHL goals have been on the power play.

· Mitchell had points in five straight games (1+5=6) for the first time in his AHL career January 23-31, and that was one off the team season-high set by Dan Cavanaugh. Mitchell's five-game assist streak was an Aeros season-high by two games.

· The blueliner has nine points (1+8=9) in the last 10 games, with at least one point in all but two of those games.

Cavosie betters rookie season numbers - Marc Cavosie has already bettered last season's five goal and 19 point total with 21 points (7+14=21) this season. His 14 assists are tied with his rookie campaign. Cavosie has two goals and five assists in the last 12 games and he has three multi-point games, one better than his total from last season. Cavosie picked up his first power-play goal of the season February 6 in Milwaukee.

Reitz sets new personal-best, too - Second-year defenseman Erik Reitz posted two assists last January 30 and 31 in Manitoba. Reitz' 20 points (3+17=20) are one better than last season's rookie total of 19 (6+13=19). Reitz has 17 helpers this season, already four better than last season's rookie mark. Reitz is second to Travis Roche (5+21=26) for the team lead in scoring among defensemen.

Kettles 0-2-4 since December 23 –

· Rookie goalie Kyle Kettles was 2-0-4 with a 0.95 goals against average and a .960 save percentage in six starts from December 23-January 17, dropping his goals against average from 3.65 to 2.19.

· Kettles is now winless in five straight starts (0-1-4) and six appearances (0-2-4) since his last win, a 26-save effort in a 2-1 win over Utah December 23. Kettles has yielded just 10 goals though in those six appearances.

· The netminder picked up his first AHL shutout by making 20 saves in a January 9 game versus Worcester. Unfortunately for Kettles, his team didn't score either and he had to settle for a tie.

· The Aeros have scored just 12 goals in Kettles' 10 starts this season.

Holmqvist 3-1-1 in last five starts – Aeros netminder Johan Holmqvist's has just one loss in his last five starts (3-1-1). He sports a 1.97 goals against average in those five starts. Prior to this recent run, Holmqvist was 1-5-3 in his previous nine decisions. Holmqvist was the 2003 Butterfield Trophy winner as the playoff Most Valuable Player. February 7, Holmqvist made his 50th appearance with the Aeros. He sports a 21-22-6 mark with Houston. From December 28-January 21, Holmqvist went 0-4-3 with a no decision and a 3.01 goals against average, one game shy of his career-long winless streak.

· Holmqvist went 6-0-0 with a 1.00 goals against average and a .963 save percentage during a six-game winning streak December 5-17. The six-game winning streak set a new career-high.

· The Aeros' netminder had a shutout streak of 189 minutes, seven seconds snapped December 17, just missing Frederic Chabot's 1996 team record mark of 193 minutes, 37 seconds.

· In his 16 wins this season, Holmqvist is allowing 1.06 goals per game and sports a .960 save percentage. In his 27 non-wins, Holmqvist sports a 3.64 goals against average and a .872 save percentage. Holmqvist and the Aeros have just two wins this season when yielding more than one goal.

· Holmqvist leads the AHL in minutes played (2,526) and is third in saves (1,062). He is nearing his career-best in both categories. In 2001-02 with Hartford, Holmqvist played 2,734 minutes and made 1,251 saves.

Holmqvist at .500 mark versus Admirals – Houston netminder Johan Holmqvist is 3-3-0 with a 3.28 goals against average in six career decisions against Milwaukee. Holmqvist won both decisions versus the Admirals in 2002-03, but he is 1-3-0 with a 3.69 goals against average this season against Milwaukee. Frederic Cloutier is 0-2-0 with a 3.55 goals against average versus Milwaukee, including a career-best 35 saves in a 4-3 loss last Friday at Bradley Center.

Milwaukee netminders also even against Aeros – The Admirals' Brian Finley is 4-4-1 with a no decision and a 2.57 goals against average in 10 career games versus Houston. He is an improved 4-1-0 with a 2.80 goals against average in five games against the Aeros this season. Veteran Wade Flaherty is 5-5-0 with a no decision and a 3.10 goals against average in 11 career games versus Houston. He made 18 saves in a 3-1 win over the Aeros November 20 in his lone appearance versus Houston this season.

Aeros winless in three – The Aeros are winless in three (0-2-1-0) after snapping a two-game skid Wednesday. Houston has four wins in its last 22 games (4-9-8-1) but also only 10 regulation losses in the last 32 games (13-10-8-1).

· The Aeros' 13-game winless streak (0-5-7-1) December 27-January 23 was five more than their previous franchise record eight-game streak (0-6-1-1), November 20-December 3 of this season.

· Houston ran off a season-high seven straight games without a loss (3-0-4) December 20-January 2, including four straight ties December 27-January 2.

· The Aeros' six-game winning streak December 5-17 was tied for the second-longest in the AHL this season.

· In the season's first 20 games, Houston allowed a league-worst 3.36 goals per game. In the last 34 games, the Aeros have yielded just 2.21 goals per game. The defensive streak has helped Houston move out of the basement to 2.76 goals against per game, tied for 19th in the AHL.

‘O' starting to heat up –

· Houston has scored 27 goals in its last 10 games (2.70 average).

· The Aeros have scored just 56 goals in 26 games (2.15 goals per game) since beating Norfolk 5-3 December 17.

· Houston has been held to two goals or fewer in 18 of the last 26 games (69.2 percent), including a scoreless streak of 178 minutes, 52 seconds that included back-to-back shutouts January 8-9.

· In the last 16 contests, the Aeros are averaging 2.13 goals per game.

· Offensively in the AHL, the Aeros are 20th in the AHL at 2.31 goals per game.

· Houston has scored one goal or fewer in 14 of its 54 games this season (25.9 percent) and two goals or less in 34 of 54 games (62.9 percent).

Shooting gallery – Houston enters tonight's game third in the AHL with 33.19 shots per game after having been in the top two for much of the season. The Aeros had hit the 30 shot mark just once in four contests prior to ripping 39 against Chicago on Wednesday. February 6, the Aeros were outshot 39-25 in Milwaukee, their worst margin of the season. Houston has been outshot in just 14 games this season, and has only three wins (3-9-2-0) in those games. The Admirals are first in both shots (34.4) and goals (3.20), while Houston is third in shots but only 20th in scoring (2.31).

We had missed the excitement – After going into overtime in eight of 10 games December 27-January 17, the Aeros settled 11 straight in regulation until Wednesday, when they skated to a 2-2 tie with Chicago. The Aeros, winless at 0-3-10 in overtime, are one of just two AHL teams without an extra session win. Utah is the other, with an 0-3-4 mark. The Aeros went 8-3-7 in overtime last season, second in the league in extra session wins (Chicago, 11). Houston's 13 overtime games this season are halfway to the franchise record of 26 shootout games in the 1998-99 season. The AHL record for overtime games is also 26, set in 2001-02 by both Albany and Rochester. The Aeros' 10 ties are still eight short of the AHL/overtime era record, set in 1997-98 by St. John's. Houston, Providence and Worcester each have 10 ties this season.

Penalty kill update –

· Houston killed off its first 31 shorthanded chances this season. Since then, opponents are 32-for-221 (14.5 percent) on the power play.

· The Aeros' overall 87.3 percent penalty kill rate (220-252) is tied for 10th in the AHL, after spending much of season in the upper half of the top 10.

· The Aeros have yielded 12 power-play goals in 72 chances (83.3 kill rate) in the last 14 games.

· Houston is winless (0-7-1-0) when allowing two or more PPG and is 1-7-1-0 when yielding eight or more opportunities.

· The Aeros have yielded no power play goals in 31 of their 54 games, and have points in all but eight of those games (11-8-9-3).

· Houston has eight shorthanded goals, four by Stephane Veilleux, and is tied for seventh in the AHL in that category. Veilleux's four shorthanded tallies are tied for the league lead.

· Milwaukee is 3-for-40 (7.5 percent) on the power play against Houston this season. Tony Hrkac, Timofei Shishkanov and Andrew Hutchinson have each scored one man-advantage goal versus the Aeros in 2003-04. Chris Bala and Stephane Veilleux each have a shorthanded goal for Houston versus the Admirals.

· Milwaukee ranks 13th in the league on the power play (14.8 percent), including 16.6 percent at home (12th).

· The Admirals are an impressive 30.8 percent (12-for-39) over the last six games on the power play, including an eye-popping 7-for-15 (46.7 percent) in the last two games.

Power play update –

· Houston enters tonight's game 39 of 317 on the power play (12.3 percent), up to 22nd among 28 AHL teams.

· The Aeros have gone 27-for-174 (15.5 percent) since Matt Foy snapped a streak of 37 straight unsuccessful power plays December 5, raising their percentage from a season-low 8.3 to 12.3.

· Houston is 9-for-44 (20.5 percent) on the power play over its last seven games, after a stretch of 1-for-32 the previous six games.

· Houston's 317 power plays are the most in the AHL, 26 more than second-place Manitoba. The Aeros also led the league in 2002-03 with 514 chances.

· The Aeros have only five wins in 24 games (5-12-6-1) when not scoring a power-play goal.

· The Aeros are just 2-for-37 (5.4 percent) on the power play versus the Admirals this season. Rickard Wallin and Marc Cavosie have each scored on the man advantage. Milwaukee's Wyatt Smith has a shorthanded goal versus Houston.

· The Admirals, in the top 10 for much of the season on the penalty kill, rank 19th in the AHL now at 85.0 percent.

· Milwaukee has killed just 83.3 percent (25-of-30) of its shorthanded chances over the last six games, but is 11-of-12 (91.7 percent) on the PK in the last two contests.

Houston has two wins when allowing more than one goal - The Aeros are an unbeaten in regulation 16-0-3-1 when allowing one goal or fewer this season, and December 17 and January 30 were their only wins (2-24-6-2) when yielding two or more.

Aeros have scored first in just six of 16 games – Houston has scored first in only six of the last 16 games. Houston is 14-5-5-1 overall when scoring first. January 16 marked the Aeros' only home loss when scoring first (7-1-3-0).

But when not scoring first... - The Aeros are 4-18-4-2 when allowing the game's first goal, including a winless 0-11-3-0 mark on the road. By rallying for a 2-2 tie Wednesday in Chicago, Houston picked up just its third road point when allowing the first goal.

West to be won or lost in February – Tonight, the Aeros play game six of a stretch of 20 consecutive games against the Western Division, including all 15 February games. Starting last Friday, nine straight games will be against the top three teams in the division, Grand Rapids, Chicago and Milwaukee. Houston, which has already wrapped up its home schedule against everybody but the West, is 12-16-7-2 against its division, including a 6-10-4-1 road mark. The Aeros have three non division games left, from March 17-21 (one against Worcester, two versus Norfolk).

Quick hits

· Houston is 7-4-0-3 in one-goal games, but just 5-11-0-0 in games decided by two goals, including a 1-8-0-0 mark on the road.

· The Aeros' Frederic Cloutier is 0-5-2 in his last seven AHL decisions after starting out his career 4-0-0.

· Milwaukee's Jay Henderson, who played for the Aeros during the Calder Cup championship run last season, has seen both of his goals this season versus Houston go down as game winners.

· Milwaukee has outscored Houston 7-3 in the first period of their six meetings this season. The Aeros have scored first just twice against the Admirals this season, and one of those times led to their only win in the series, October 17.

· Former Aero Curtis Murphy is a team-best plus-seven versus Houston in 2003-04.

· The Admirals have outscored opponents by 18 goals (64-46) in the third period, the best margin of any AHL team.

· Tonight the Aeros' Mark Cullen will play in his 100th pro game, all with the Aeros. Goalie Johan Holmqvist enters the game 40 minutes shy of 10,000 in his AHL career.

· Wednesday, Houston's Kyle Wanvig recorded his team-best seventh multi-point game of the season. Houston is unbeaten in seven games (4-0-3-0) when Wanvig has two or more points.

· The Aeros have led after one period just once in the last 10 games, February 3 against Utah.

· Houston is one of four AHL teams without a win when trailing after two periods (0-20-5-1). Wednesday marked the Aeros' first point in 21 tries when trailing with 10 minutes left (0-20-1-0).

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American Hockey League Stories from February 13, 2004


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