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Aeros Gameday Update

December 17, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Five things you need to know

It's Houston C Erik Westrum who leads the AHL in scoring with 41 points (12-29=41) - just one away from his career-high set in 2001-02 only 30 games into the season - but arguably the hottest player in the AHL in December is linemate RW Kirby Law. The Aeros' captain has ridden one of the most torrid stretches of his career to take over sole possession of second place in the AHL in scoring with 39 points (17-22=39), giving Houston the solid 1-2 punch in the standings. Law had 49 points (25-24=49) in 80 games last season for Houston. Law has notched at least two points in six of his last eight games, and he has 14 points (7-7=14) in his last six contests alone. He's notched three points in each of his last two games, taking 14 shots in the process. Last night's final point was a big one - the 400th of his pro career counting the NHL, AHL and IHL. Rookie LW Roman Voloshenko, who plays on a line with Westrum and Law, has 28 points (18-10=28), tied for second among AHL rookies. Voloshenko's 18 goals rank him second overall in the league and first among rookies. Voloshenko's 10 PPG rank tied for second in the AHL and are already halfway to Jeff Christian's 1998-99 franchise record. Voloshenko has 17 points (9-8=17) in his last 13 games - and he has at least one point in 12 of the 13 games. Voloshenko leaves tomorrow to compete in the prestigious World Junior Championships in British Columbia. At least one of the three has scored a goal in 24 of the Aeros' 30 games.

Aeros rookie C Patrick O'Sullivan has 18 points (9-9=18) in his last 14 games to move into fifth place among AHL rookies with 25 points (12-13=25). Voloshenko and Westrum each carry six-game point streaks into tonight's game, with Westrum also tacking on assists in a season-high five straight. Westrum's season-high point streak is seven, while Voloshenko has tied his best of the season. Just how hot has this combo been in the last six games? Voloshenko, Law and Westrum have scored 14 of the team's 27 goals in the last six. Throw in O'Sullivan, who joins Voloshenko and Law on the top power play unit with Westrum sliding to the point, and those four have 19 of the 26 tallies.

The Aeros continued their home cooking last night, rolling up five goals or more for the seventh time in only 15 home games. Houston plays game two of a five-game homestand tonight. Houston, 11-2-1-1 at Toyota Center this season, is 17-2-1-3 in its last 23 regular-season home games, and 25-4-1-3 in the last 33. Houston's .800 winning percentage at home is tied for second in the AHL. Beginning last night, the Aeros won't travel out of the state of Texas - away from Toyota Center or SBC Center in San Antonio - for a span of 37 days, until they go to Chicago 1/22.

If their power play was supposed to slow down when D Kurtis Foster and his 101 mph slapshot was summoned by NHL Minnesota 11/16, no one told the Aeros. Houston is up to fifth in the league on the power play at 20.3 percent after scoring six times on 15 chances (40.0 percent) over their last two games. The Aeros are 12-for-36 (33.3 percent) with the man advantage in the last six games, having scored at least one PPG in each of the games. That's Houston's second-longest run of the season. The Aeros scored a PPG in seven straight to begin the season. Houston has 45 PPG - that's one more than the number of 5-on-5 goals it has scored this season.

Houston has trailed at some point in 10 of its 20 victories. The Aeros had 16 come-from-behind victories in 2004-05. The Aeros have rallied from early 1-0 holes in each of their last two victories. They are an impressive 8-4-0-0 when allowing the game's first goal. Aeros D Curtis Murphy moved into a tie for 10th place on the team's all-time points list last night with Scott Arniel with 123, while climbing into a tie for sixth with Travis Roche on the assists list with 85. He's just one out of the next spot in each category - Stephane Veilleux is in ninth place in points with 124 and fellow blueliner Jeff Tory is in fifth on the helper list with 86. Murphy's 22 points (3-19=22) this season are second in the AHL among blueliners.

Rivermen at Aeros (Aeros are 5-5-1-0 all-time, Aeros are 3-1-1-0 at Houston) Tonight is the 12th all-time meeting between the franchises - but the second in Houston against Peoria. The Rivermen relocated from Worcester, Mass., over the summer.

The teams split a pair of October meetings, both in Peoria. The Aeros won 3-1 on 10/14 behind a late GWG by Erik Westrum and 47 saves from Josh Harding, while Peoria broke open a close game with three third-period goals in a 4-0 win on 10/30. Peter Sejna (2-1=3) and Mike Glumac (1-2=3) each posted three points.

Houston is 2-5-1-0 in the last eight meetings with Peoria/Worcester after winning the first three.

The Aeros are 5-1-0-0 when scoring three or more goals against Worcester/Peoria, but 0-4-1-0 when scoring two or fewer. Four of the teams' 11 meetings have ended with at least one team being shut out. The teams skated to a scoreless tie 1/9/04 at Toyota Center.

Scouting the Aeros The Aeros (20-8-1-1) lead the Western Conference and rank tied for second overall in the AHL with 42 points...Their West Division lead is six points over Milwaukee, which has four games in hand...C Erik Westrum has 41 points (12-29=41) to lead the AHL in points and assists...Westrum has a team-best 13 multiple-point games...RW Kirby Law is second in the league with 39 points (17-22=39)...Rookie LW Roman Voloshenko is second in the AHL with 18 goals, and he ranks first among AHL rookies in goals and tied for second in points (28)... Rookie C Patrick O'Sullivan is fifth among first-year players in points with 25 (12-13=25)...D Curtis Murphy is second among AHL defensemen with 22 points (3-19=22)...G Josh Harding is 15-6-0 with a 2.60 gaa to rank first in the league in wins, fifth in save pct. (.921) and 12th in gaa...Harding is 21-6-1 in his last 28 regular-season games, and one of the losses was in OT...G Seamus Kotyk is 4-2-1 with a 3.23 gaa.

Scouting the Rivermen Peoria (15-11-0-1), AHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues, has lost five straight games, including the last three by a combined 14-6 margin...Prior to this skid, the Rivermen had lost back-to-back games just twice this season en route to a 15-6-0-1 start...LW Peter Sejna is tied for fourth in the league in scoring with 35 points (15-20=35), while RW Mike Glumac is sixth with 31 (13-18=31)...D Mike Mottau paces the blueline with 18 points (1-17=18)...G Reinhard Divis is 2-5-1 with a 3.20 gaa...G Patrick Lalime cleared waivers this week, and the seven-year NHL veteran goalie and former All-Star has been assigned to Peoria...Lalime was 3-11-4 with a 3.97 gaa for St. Louis, but was 39-20-7 with a career-best 2.16 gaa for the Ottawa Senators in 2002-03...Lalime faced the Aeros in the late 1990's and is 3-3-2 with a 3.24 gaa versus them.

2005-06 meetings (4th of 10 meetings, Aeros are 2-1-0-0 overall, Aeros are 1-0-0-0 at Houston) October 14 Houston 3 at Peoria 1 October 30 Houston 0 at Peoria 4 Last Night Peoria 3 at Houston 5 Tonight Peoria at Houston January 21 Peoria at Houston January 24 Houston at Peoria January 27 Houston at Peoria March 28 Houston at Peoria April 1 Peoria at Houston April 2 Peoria at Houston

Quick Hits Since missing five games due to injury in late October and early November, Aeros second-year G Josh Harding is 10-3-0 with a 2.27 gaa to move to 15-6-0 with a 2.60 gaa on the season. Harding, who leads the AHL with 15 victories, has 36 wins with the Aeros. Only Derek Gustafson (37) had more AHL wins with Houston than Harding, who won't catch franchise leader Frederic Chabot (126). Harding, a native of Regina, Sask., is an amazing 30-1-1 in his last 32 decisions when the Aeros score three goals or more in support of him.

Aeros G Josh Harding has allowed as many goals in the third period (26) as he has in the first two periods combined (also 26). Houston LW Josh Olson has eight points (3-5=8) over his last nine games.

The Aeros are 19-1-0-0 when scoring three goals or more, but 1-7-1-1 when scoring two or fewer. Three is also the magic number defensively, as Houston is 17-2-1-1 when allowing three of fewer goals and 3-6-0-0 when yielding four or more.

Houston is 11-1-0-0 when outshooting an opponent. The Aeros are 6-0-0-0 when allowing 30 shots or fewer.

The Aeros are 9-2-1-1 in one-goal games, and an impressive 13-3-1-1 in games decided by two goals or less.Thirteen of the Aeros' first 21 games were decided by one goal. Since then, however, nine straight games have been decided by at least two goals. Seven straight were decided by three or more before the Aeros' 5-3 win last night. The Aeros are 5-2-0-1 when playing the second of back-to-back games.

The Sheriff way ahead of last season's pace RW Kirby Law scored his 17th goal last night in Houston's 30th game of the season. Law, who posted 25 goals in 2004-05, didn't get No. 17 until game No. 50 last season.

Power play update Houston is fifth in the league on the power play at 20.3 percent. The Aeros are 12-for-36 (33.3 percent) with the man advantage in the last six games, having scored at least one PPG in each of the games. That's Houston's second-longest run of the season. The Aeros scored a PPG in seven straight to begin 2005-06.

The Aeros are 12-1-0-0 when scoring at least two PPG, with the lone loss coming 11/18 in Manitoba.

Peoria is tied for ninth in the AHL on the penalty kill at 85.0 percent.

The Rivermen have killed off 33-of-41 shorthanded chances (80.5 percent) over their last six games.

Penalty kill update Houston is 12th in the AHL on the penalty kill at 84.6 percent. The Aeros have killed off 53-of-56 shorthanded chances (94.6 percent) in their last 10 home games. Two of the goals against came last night versus the Rivermen. Houston has allowed just nine power play goals on 98 chances at Toyota Center this season, good for a 90.8 percent kill rate. The Aeros were second in the AHL last season with a franchise-record 92.5 percent kill rate at home, allowing just 12 goals on 161 chances.

Houston is 7-1-0-1 when not allowing a power play goal.

The Aeros are 14-3-1-1 when allowing one power play goal or fewer.

Peoria is third in the league on the power play at 21.2 percent.

The Rivermen are 8-for-35 (22.9 percent) on the power play over their last five games.

Last Game (Friday) Kirby Law tallied a power play goal and two assists to reach the 400-point mark in his career, and Rem Murray and 20-year-old Patrick O'Sullivan each scored one of Houston's three power play goals, as the Aeros knocked off the Peoria Rivermen 5-3 at Toyota Center in the first of two straight meetings between the teams. Nineteen-year-old rookie sensation Roman Voloshenko and Bryan Lundbohm also scored and Josh Harding made 32 saves for Houston.

Aeros/Rivermen connections Peoria's Brendan Brooks and Brendan Buckley teamed with Aeros assistant coach Matt Shaw, then Quad Cities' head coach, to win the UHL's regular-season title with the Mallards in the 1999-2000 season.

Houston's Erik Westrum and Peoria's Troy Riddle were both born in Minneapolis, Minn.

Houston's Joey Tetarenko and Peoria's Rocky Thompson spent much of the 2000-01 season together at AHL Louisville.

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