Aeros Game Day

Published on February 20, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Five things you absolutely need to know before reading any further –

· The Admirals had their seven-game winning streak snapped Wednesday, 3-1 at home to Chicago, but Milwaukee is still 10-2-2-1 over its last 15 games.

· Milwaukee's Simon Gamache has 11 goals and 19 points in just 17 career games against Houston.

· Four of the Aeros' top seven scorers over the last 10 games have been defensemen, led by Travis Roche's eight points (1+7=8).

· The Aeros' Rickard Wallin returned from a 17-game absence Wednesday to tie his career-high with three assists, all in a team-record span of 1:49 on the power play late in the first period. The last time Wallin notched three assists was on November 21, 2002, against Hartford, and he followed that up with a career-best four points (2+2=4) the next night versus Cleveland.

· Houston's three goals in a span of 1:49 Wednesday broke the team's 19-day old record. The Aeros had scored three times in 1:51 January 30 in Manitoba. The previous record of 1:59 had stood for more than six seasons.

Admirals at Aeros (Aeros lead all-time series 26-25-5-1 overall, Aeros are 14-10-4-1 at Houston)

· The teams meet for the 58th time tonight – 30th in Houston.

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

· Houston's six-game winless streak against Milwaukee is its longest ever – one more than an 0-4-1 skid from October 16, 1999 to January 10, 2001.

· Houston is winless in the last three home meetings (0-2-0-1) and hasn't won a home game against Milwaukee in the regular season since March 15, 2003, a 4-2 decision.

· The Aeros' longest home winless streak against Milwaukee is five games (0-3-2) from October 16, 1999 to January 17, 2002.

· Since the teams joined the American Hockey League prior to the 2001-02 season, Houston has a 15-12-1-1 mark versus Milwaukee.

· Tonight is the third of the teams' four February meetings – the only one in Houston.

· In the last meeting last Friday, Rookie Brandon Segal snapped a tie with 10:13 left in regulation and former Aero Curtis Murphy scored later in the third for the eventual game-winner, as the Admirals held on for a 4-3 victory over Houston at Bradley Center. Dan Cavanaugh, Mark Cullen and Chris Heid each scored for Houston.

2003-04 meetings (Eighth of 10 meetings, Aeros are 1-5-0-1 overall, 0-2-0-1 at Houston) 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 February 13: Houston 3 at Milwaukee 4 Tonight: Milwaukee at Houston February 26: Houston at Milwaukee March 28: Milwaukee at Houston

Last game – Kevin Mitchell, former Griffin Chris Bala and Zbynek Michalek scored on the power play in a team-record 1:49 late in the first period and Rickard Wallin returned after a 17-game injury absence to assist on the trio of goals, as the Houston Aeros beat Grand Rapids 4-1 in front of 5,119 on Chronicle in Education Day at Toyota Center. Kyle Wanvig also scored and Johan Holmqivst finished with 25 saves for the Aeros, who snapped a six-game winless streak (0-5-1-0) and joined Cincinnati as the only AHL teams with three victories against the league-leading and defensive-minded Griffins. Jiri Hudler scored and Joey MacDonald turned aside 31 shots for Grand Rapids.

Scouting the Aeros – Houston continues through one of its busiest, and most important, stretches of the season this afternoon. The Aeros are in a span where they play seven games in 10 days – tonight is the fifth game of that stretch. Houston is also playing its 10th of 20 straight games against the West Division, including all 15 in February. Houston is 3-5-1-0 in the first nine games against its division brethren. The Aeros' leading scorer is Stephane Veilleux (12+22=34). Veilleux is six points ahead of Dan Cavanaugh (10+18=28) and defenseman Travis Roche (5+23=28). Kyle Wanvig (19+8=27) has three goals in his last five games and is one point ahead of Rickard Wallin (10+16=26), who made a triumphant return to the lineup with three assists in a span of 1:49 Wednesday. Erik Reitz (3+17=20) is the team's second leading defensive scorer, but he has been held without a point in eight straight games, one off his season-high. Aeros captain Jason Marshall (7+12=19) and his 19 points were returned from Minnesota February 5. Marshall, 32, has tied a career-high with his seven goals. Last season's Calder Cup Most Valuable Player, goalie Johan Holmqvist, has started 46 of the team's first 58 games, going 17-22-6 with a 2.63 goals against average. Backup Kyle Kettles is 2-5-4 with a 2.44 goals against average but has deserved a better fate. The Aeros have scored only 12 goals in his 10 starts.

Scouting the Admirals – Tonight Milwaukee tries to rebound from its first loss in eight games. Chicago snapped the Admirals' seven-game winning streak with a 3-1 road win Wednesday, dropping Milwaukee to 10-2-2-1 in its last 15 games. The Admirals have 65 points, nine behind first-place Grand Rapids, but Milwaukee has an important four games in hand on the Griffins. Milwaukee is also one point ahead of third-place Chicago with three games in hand. The Admirals are led in scoring by crafty veteran Tony Hrkac, who earlier this month picked up his 900th career point. Hrkac has 40 points (11+29=40) in only 42 games and is followed closely by Mathieu Darche (21+16=37) and Timofei Shishkanov (19+17=36). The Admirals' blueline is paced by former Aero Curtis Murphy (9+21=30) and Brad Tiley (8+22=30). Netminder Brian Finley, a former first-round pick, is 13-11-4 with a 2.50 goals against average, and he is unbeaten in his last seven starts (6-0-1). Veteran Wade Flaherty has gone 13-7-2 with a sparkling 1.95 goals against average and three shutouts. Since January 1, the Admirals have yielded just 46 goals in 22 games (2.09 gpg). The Admirals have the second best road record in the AHL with an impressive 13-6-3-3 (.640) mark on foreign ice. Milwaukee is 3-1-1-1 in its last six road games, 6-3-1-1 in the past 11 and is 10-5-1-1 in the last 17 road outings.

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. Murphy was traded to Milwaukee in exchange for current Aero Chris Bala last summer.

· 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, Ducks, Rampage in a playoff dog-fight – Fourth-place Houston has 51 points, one more than Cincinnati and three more than San Antonio in the West Division. Cincinnati, which is at Toronto tonight and North-leading Hamilton tomorrow, has six games in hand on the Aeros. San Antonio is at Manitoba tonight and tomorrow and Milwaukee on Sunday. Below is a look at the number of games left for each team. The Aeros have the most advantageous schedule – they have just eight games left against teams with a better than .500 record. Cincinnati, meanwhile, still has 18 road games left and also 18 against teams at the .500 mark of above. The top five teams in the West make the playoffs, with the fourth- and fifth-place team playing a three-game qualifying series at the higher seed. Houston's highest position this season was third on December 30. Houston – 51 points (22 games left, 12H, 10R) GR (3H/0R), CHI (OH/1R), MIL (2H/1R), UTA (2H/1R), SA (3H/3R), CIN (2H/1R), WOR (0H/1R), NOR (0H/2R) Cincinnati – 50 points (28 games left, 10H, 18R) CHI (2H/2R), MIL (0H/2R), TOR (0H/2R), HAM (0H/1R), PHI (0H/2R), CLE (4H/3R), UTA (1H/2R), GR (0H/2R), SA (0H/2R), HOU (1H/2R) San Antonio – 48 points (29 games left, 13H, 16R) CLE (0H/1R), MTB (OH/2R), MIL (2H/3R), HOU (3H/3R), CHI (1H/4R), GR (3H/1R), UTA (2H/2R), CIN (2H/0R) Head-to-head matchups Houston/Cincinnati (3 total, 2 at HOU, 1 at CIN) – 4/1, 4/2 at HOU; 4/9 at CIN Houston/San Antonio (6 total, 3 at HOU, 3 at SAN) – 2/28, 3/12, 3/27 at HOU; 2/27, 3/13, 3/26 at SAN San Antonio/Cincinnati (2 total, 2 at SAN) – 3/20, 3/22 at SAN

Welcome back "Wally" –

· Aeros center Rickard Wallin returned from a 17-game injury absence Wednesday, and celebrated the occasion with three assists, all on the power play in a span of 1:49, to tie his career high.

· Wallin last played on January 9 against Worcester. The Aeros went 4-11-2-0 without the centerman.

· The Sweden native previously had three assists on November 21, 2002, against Hartford. He followed that up with a career-best four points (2+2=4) the next night against Cleveland.

· Wallin has six multiple point games, one off the team lead, and the Aeros are 4-0-2-0 on such occasions.

· Wallin has 11 power play points (3+8=11), two off the team lead.

Records meant to be broken, but so soon? – January 30 in Manitoba, Darby Hendrickson, Christoph Brandner and Mika Hannula scored three goals in a span of 1:51, bettering the six-year-old team record by eight seconds. The trio's mark lasted for only 19 days, as Kevin Mitchell, Chris Bala and Zbynek Michalek tallied 1:49 apart Wednesday against Grand Rapids. What made that feat so remarkable was the fact that all three Aeros goals came on the same power play, after the Griffins' Kory Karlander was called for a five-minute high-sticking major.

McLellan sitting at 148 pro wins – Houston head coach Todd McLellan is two wins shy of 150 in his pro career, after joining current Dallas Stars coach Dave Tippett as the only coaches in team history with 100 victories December 26. McLellan is 148-107-34-11 in 3 ½ seasons as a head coach, counting his time with IHL Cleveland in 2000-01. He has gone 105-75-27-11 in his 2 ½-season reign with the Aeros. McLellan picked up his 100th victory in his 192nd game with the team, just five more games than it took Tippett to reach the plateau. McLellan coached his 200th game with the Aeros January 9. McLellan, who missed five games due to illness January 16-23, and his staff coached the Canadian team at the 2004 Pepsi AHL All Star Game on February 9.

Houston has won four of six at home – The Aeros have won four of six at home since snapping a season-high six-game home winless streak January 24.

· Houston started off its first season in Toyota Center just 2-6-1-1 but has improved to 12-9-5-2 at its new home. In the last 18 Toyota Center games, the Aeros have just three regulation losses and are 10-3-4-1.

· The Aeros' 4-1 win over Syracuse January 24 snapped a season-high six-game home winless streak (0-1-4-1). Houston is 4-2-0-0 at Toyota Center since the streak ended.

· Houston's season-best, nine-game home unbeaten streak was snapped January 8 in a 1-0 overtime loss to Hartford.

"Z" marks the spot – Aeros second-year blueliner Zbynek Michalek is about to blow by his rookie season totals.

· Michalek has 14 points (4+10=14), identical to the numbers he put up in 2002-03. He has needed just 46 games, compared to 62 last season.

· The defenseman's goal and assist Wednesday against Grand Rapids marked the second multi-point game of his career. His other also came against the Griffins, a three-assist game April 5, 2003.

· The 21-year-old has played eight games with the Minnesota Wild this season, with no points.

Veilleux nearing career highs –

· Aeros winger Stephane Veilleux is nearing his career high in goals, assists and points. Veilleux has 34 points (12+22=34) in just 58 games, while he posted 35 points (13+22=35) in his rookie season of 2001-02.

· Veilleux has 13 points (6+7=13) overall in the last 18 games.

· He had points in a career-best six straight games (3+4=7) February 3-13.

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

· The winger is the only Aero to have played in each of Houston's first 58 games, and he carries a consecutive game played streak of 64 games, dating back to last season. Saturday, Veilleux played in his 200th pro game.

· Veilleux is tied for the AHL lead with a franchise record tying four shorthanded goals. The only other Aero with four was Mario Chitaroni in 1994-95.

Mitchell a power-play specialist –

· Defenseman Kevin Mitchell has 13 points (2+11=13) with the Aeros, and nine 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 two goals in an Aeros uniform have come on the power play. In his three-year pro career, including ECHL totals, Mitchell has 20 goals - and an eye-popping 16 have come on the power play. Each of Mitchell's five AHL goals has 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.

· Mitchell's five-game assist streak was an Aeros season-high by two games.

· The blueliner has 10 points (2+8=10) in the last 13 games.

Holmqvist starts new streak – Aeros netminder Johan Holmqvist snapped out of a five-game (0-4-1) winless streak by making 25 saves in a 4-1 win over league-leading Grand Rapids Wednesday.

· Overall in his last 18 decisions, Holmqvist – the 2003 Butterfield Trophy winner as the playoff Most Valuable Player – is 5-9-4.

· February 7, Holmqvist made his 50th appearance with the Aeros. He sports a 22-25-6 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 17 wins this season, Holmqvist is allowing 1.06 goals per game and sports a .961 save percentage. In his 30 non-wins, Holmqvist sports a 3.54 goals against average and a .874 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 (2,764) by 250 minutes and is second in saves (1,150). He established a new career-high in minutes Wednesday, and he's just 101 saves away from his career-high 1,251. Both marks were set in the 2001-02 season. Holmqvist has played in 47 games – one shy of his career-high in 2001-02.

Holmqvist 3-4-0 versus Admirals – Houston netminder Johan Holmqvist is 3-4-0 with a 3.40 goals against average in seven career decisions against Milwaukee. Holmqvist won both decisions versus the Admirals in 2002-03, but he is 1-4-0 with a 3.77 goals against average this season against Milwaukee. Kyle Kettles has faced Milwaukee twice – one start – and is 0-1-0 with a 3.34 goals against average and a .895 save percentage.

Milwaukee netminders versus Aeros – The Admirals' Brian Finley is 5-4-1 with a 2.61 goals against average and a .917 save percentage in 11 career games versus Houston. He is an improved 5-1-0 with a 2.83 goals against average in six games against the Aeros this season after beginning his career 0-3-1. Veteran Wade Flaherty is 5-5-0 with a no decision and a 3.10 goals against average in 11 career games against Houston.

Aeros looking to go back-to-back – The Aeros snapped out of a six-game (0-5-1-0) winless streak Wednesday, and tonight they look for back-to-back wins for the first time since February 3 and 5 versus Utah.

· Houston has five wins in its last 26 games (5-12-8-1) and is just above the .500 mark the last 36 games (14-13-8-1).

· 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 won six straight December 5-17, outscoring their opponents 18-6 in the process.

· In the season's first 20 games, Houston allowed a league-worst 3.36 goals per game. In the last 38 games, the Aeros have yielded just 2.26 goals per game. The defensive streak has helped Houston move out of the basement to 2.76 goals against per game, 20th in the AHL.

Looking for O –

· Houston is averaging 2.50 goals per game over the last 14 games.

· The Aeros have scored 64 goals in 30 games (2.13 goals per game) since beating Norfolk 5-3 December 17.

· Houston has been held to two goals or fewer in 20 of the last 29 games (69.0 percent), including a scoreless streak of 178 minutes, 52 seconds that included back-to-back shutouts January 8-9.

· Offensively in the AHL, the Aeros are 22nd in the AHL at 2.29 goals per game.

· Houston has scored one goal or fewer in 16 of its 58 games this season (27.6 percent) and two goals or less in 36 of 58 games (62.0 percent).

Aeros still winless in OT – The Aeros, winless at 0-3-10 in overtime, have played just one extra session since needing overtime in eight of 10 games from December 27-January 17. Houston is one of two AHL teams without an overtime win, joining Utah (0-3-4). The last teams to go through a season without an overtime win were Hamilton and Hartford last season. The Aeros went 8-3-7 in overtime in 2002-03, 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 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 35-for-234 (15.0 percent) on the power play.

· The Aeros' overall 86.8 percent penalty kill rate (230-265) is tied for 10th in the AHL, after spending much of season in the upper half of the top 10.

· Opponents are 6-for-36 (16.7 percent) on the power play in the last seven games.

· The Aeros have allowed 15 power-play goals in 84 chances (82.1 kill rate) in the last 18 games.

· The Aeros have yielded no power play goals in 32 of their 58 games, and have points in all but eight of those games (12-8-9-3).

· Houston has eight shorthanded goals, including a franchise record tying four by Stephane Veilleux, and is tied for ninth in the AHL in that category. Veilleux's four shorthanded tallies are tied for the league lead.

· Milwaukee is 4-for-41 (9.8 percent) on the power play against Houston this season. Tony Hrkac, Timofei Shishkanov, Simon Gamache 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 in the series.

· Milwaukee ranks 14th in the league on the power play (14.8 percent)

· The Admirals are 9-for-30 (30.0) percent on the power play over their last six games, but have gone just 1-for-14 (7.1 percent) in the three games since scoring eight times in 16 chances over a three-game stretch.

Power play update –

· Houston enters tonight's game 42 of 329 on the power play (12.8 percent), up to 20th among 28 AHL teams.

· The Aeros have gone 30-for-186 (16.1 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 12.8.

· Houston went 0-for-3 over a three-game stretch prior to Wednesday, when the Aeros finished 3-for-6, their second three power-play goal and period of the season.

· The Aeros are 12-for-56 (21.4 percent) on the power play over their last 10 games, after a stretch of 1-for-32 the previous six.

· Houston's 329 power plays are the most in the AHL, 22 more than second-place Manitoba. The Aeros also led the league in 2002-03 with 514 chances.

· The Aeros have only five wins in 28 games (5-16-6-1) when not scoring a power-play goal.

· The Aeros are just 2-for-38 (5.3 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.

· The Admirals, in the top 10 for much of the season on the penalty kill, rank 17th in the AHL now at 85.8 percent.

· Milwaukee has killed off 24-of-25 (96.0) percent of its shorthanded chances in the last six games, including 13-of-13 in the last four.

Houston has two wins when allowing more than one goal - The Aeros are an unbeaten in regulation 17-0-3-1 when allowing one goal or fewer this season, and December 17 and January 30 were their only wins (2-26-7-2) when yielding two or more.

Aeros have scored first in just seven of 20 games – Houston has scored first in only seven of the last 20 games. Houston is 14-6-5-1 overall when scoring first. The Aeros are 7-2-3-0 at home when scoring first, including a loss Monday against Grand Rapids.

But when not scoring first... - The Aeros are 5-20-4-2 when allowing the game's first goal, including a winless 0-13-3-0 mark on the road. By rallying for a 2-2 tie February 11 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 10 of a stretch of 20 consecutive games against the Western Division, including all 15 February games. Starting February 6, nine straight games are against the top three teams in the division, Grand Rapids, Chicago and Milwaukee. That stretch ends tomorrow in Chicago. Houston, which has already wrapped up its home schedule against everybody but the West, is 13-19-7-2 against its division, including a 6-12-4-1 road mark. The Aeros have three non-division games left, from March 17-21 (one against Worcester, two versus Norfolk).

Houston at 58-game mark – The Aeros passed the official midway point of the season with a 14-15-8-3 mark and now sport an 19-26-10-3 record. Below is a breakdown of Houston's season so far in 10-game segments. Games 1-10 3-6-1-0, 7 points GF: 23 GA: 33 PP: 6-62 (9.7%) PK: 37-40 (92.5%) Games 11-20 2-5-1-2, 7 points GF: 26 GA: 35 PP: 6-60 (10.0%) PK: 51-60 (85.0%) Games 21-30 7-3-0-0, 14 points GF: 24 GA: 17 PP: 8-69 (11.6%) PK: 43-47 (91.5%) Games 31-40 2-1-6-1, 11 points GF: 18 GA: 19 PP: 7-49 (14.3%) PK: 29-33 (87.9%) Games 41-50 3-6-1-0, 7 points GF: 25 GA: 34 PP: 7-58 (12.1%) PK: 39-49 (79.6%) Games 51-58 2-5-1-0, 5 points GF: 17 GA: 22 PP: 8-33 (24.2%) PK: 30-35 (85.7%)

Gamache wears out the Aeros – Milwaukee's Simon Gamache, acquired from Chicago earlier this season, has enjoyed much success against Houston with the Wolves. Gamache has 19 points, including 11 goals, in just 17 career games versus the Aeros. Gamache had three power-play goals and an overtime game-winner against Houston in 2002-03, when he posted 13 points (9+4=13) in nine games.

Quick hits

· Houston is one of four AHL teams without a win when trailing after two periods (0-21-5-1). Their 27 attempts are the most of any of those teams.

· The Aeros, who are third in the AHL in shots per game (33.17), are 6-14-1-0 when having fewer than 30 shots. With 30 or more, Houston is above the .500 mark (13-12-9-3).

· Houston is seven games under .500 against its former International Hockey League opponents (11-18-4-1), but the Aeros are an even .500 (8-8-6-2) versus the rest of the AHL.

· Milwaukee has outscored Houston 8-3 in the first period of their seven 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-nine versus Houston in 2003-04.

· The Admirals have outscored opponents by 18 goals (67-49) in the third period, tied for the best margin of any AHL team. Milwaukee has at least a 10-goal advantage in each stanza in 2003-04.

· Houston has scored eight shorthanded goals, while Milwaukee has allowed seven.

· The Aeros are third in the league in shots (33.17) and 22nd in scoring (2.29). Milwaukee, meanwhile is tops in both shots (33.85) and offense (3.21).

· Houston's Stephane Veilleux has assisted on seven of Kyle Wanvig's 19 goals this season, the most of any player combination on the Aeros. Veilleux has helped out on five of Rickard Wallin's 10 tallies.

· The Aeros are 10-1-3-0 when Kyle Wanvig has a goal, including a 7-0-2-0 home mark.

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American Hockey League Stories from February 20, 2004


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