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Aeros Gameday Update

January 5, 2006 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


HOUSTON, Texas - The American Hockey League's Houston Aeros have reassigned forwards Adam Courchaine (core-SHANE) and Mark Rooneem (rooh-NEEM) to ECHL Pensacola, the teams announced Thursday. The pair was loaned to the Ice Pilots on November 22 before being recalled December 15.

Courchaine has no points and is minus-three in seven games for the Aeros this season. Rooneem has one goal and 10 penalty minutes in six games for Houston. Courchaine is still Pensacola's leading goal scorer with 10 and is fifth on the Ice Pilots in points with 17 (10-7=17) despite playing in only 13 of his team's 30 games. Rooneem has six points (2-4=6) in 13 games for the Ice Pilots.

Five things you need to know

Houston has won seven straight games by a 34-15 margin since getting blown out 7-1 in Hamilton 12/10. The Aeros have won seven straight for the first time since 12/21/02-1/3/03, during a franchise-record-tying 11-0-2-0 run during its Calder Cup championship season. The Aeros also won eight in a row to begin that campaign, 10/11-10/26/02. The longest winning run in team history is 11, set 11/27-12/20/96. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's nine-game winning streak to begin 2005-06 is the longest such run in the AHL this season. Houston has also won back-to-back road games for the first time since 10/14-10/20. Tomorrow, the Aeros return to Toyota Center to begin a season-long seven-game homestand. Houston has won seven straight at home, one off its franchise record, set 11/6-12/11/98. Aeros C Erik Westrum (14-35=49) and RW Kirby Law (21-25=46) rank first and tied for second overall in the AHL in scoring. They are trying to become the first duo from the same team to finish 1-2 in the league's scoring race Paul Gardner (112 points) and Jody Gage (99) turned the trick for Rochester exactly 20 seasons ago - in 1985-86. Westrum carries a career-best 11-game point streak (4-12=16) into tonight's game. The last Aero to notch a point in 11 straight was Brian Wiseman, who had a franchise-best 15-game run 12/27/98-1/30/99. Law has notched at least two points in eight of his last 13 games, and he has 21 points (11-10=21) in his last 11 contests alone. Law leads all AHL players with 21 goals. Rookie C Patrick O'Sullivan has 25 points (13-12=25) in his last 19 games to move into a tie for fourth place among AHL rookies with 32 points (16-16=32). Rookie LW Roman Voloshenko, who is currently playing for Team Russia in the World Junior Championships, has 30 points (19-11=30), seventh among AHL rookies. D Curtis Murphy ranks fourth among league defensemen with 26 points (3-23=26). Aeros RW and captain Kirby Law has 198 goals in his career, combining all 578 NHL, AHL and IHL games. Law leads the AHL with 21 goals, just 11 shy of his career-best total of 32, set in 2003-04, when he ranked fifth in the league. The durable winger has played in 136 consecutive AHL games - 115 with Houston. Law is four goals shy of becoming the 12th player in team history with 50 goals, and five points from being the 23rd to reach 100. 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 fourth in the league on the power play at 20.7 percent. The Aeros were 19-for-62 (30.6 percent) with the man advantage in the last 10 games, having scored at least one PPG in each contest, prior to going 0-for-3 Saturday in San Antonio. Houston's 52 PPG are more than halfway to the team record of 94, set in 1998-99. Since missing five games due to injury in late October and early November, Aeros second-year G Josh Harding is 14-3-0 with a 2.20 gaa to move to 19-6-0 with a 2.49 gaa on the season. Harding, who leads the AHL with 19 victories, has 40 wins with the Aeros, the most of any goalie since the team joined the AHL in 2001-02. He has won five straight starts since getting pulled in a 7-1 loss to Hamilton. Harding, a native of Regina, Sask., is an amazing 34-1-1 in his last 36 decisions when the Aeros score three goals or more in support of him. Harding's 19 victories through the Aeros' first 35 games puts him on pace for 44 wins this season. In 2004-05, current Buffalo Sabre Ryan Miller became the first AHL goalie to reach 40 wins since Gerry Cheevers set a league-record with 48 in 1964-65. Miller had 41 "W"'s last season.

Aeros at Rampage (Aeros are 29-6-5-2 overall, Aeros are 11-4-4-2 at San Antonio) Tonight is the 43rd all-time meeting between the teams - 22nd in San Antonio. The Aeros sport a .774 winning percentage in the series. The Aeros are 14-1-1-0 in the last 16 overall meetings, with the regulation loss coming by one goal. Each of San Antonio's last four victories in the series has come by one goal. Since a three-game winless slide in the series 12/27/03-1/17/04, the Aeros have unleashed an 19-2-2-1 mark (.854 winning percentage). At San Antonio, Houston is 6-1-1-0 in the last eight meetings. Since starting off 2-2-1-0 at SBC Center, the Aeros have points in 14 of the last 16 meetings (9-2-3-2). Six of the last nine SBC meetings have been decided by one goal, including two of three this season and Saturday's 4-3 Aeros' OT victory. 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. The Aeros are 5-1-0-0 in the 2005-06 season series. San Antonio has been shut out or scored one goal in seven of the last 11 meetings, and two or fewer in 20 of the last 24 contests between the teams.

Scouting the Aeros The Aeros (25-8-1-1) have won seven straight for the first time since 12/21/02-1/3/03, during their Calder Cup season...Houston's 52 points trail only Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (27-3-2-1=57) for the league lead...The Aeros' West Division lead is seven points over Milwaukee, which has one game in hand...A victory tonight would give the Aeros more wins (26) than any other season in franchise history through 36 games...C Erik Westrum has 49 points (14-35=49) to lead the AHL in points and assists...RW Kirby Law is tied for second in the league with 46 points (21-25=46) and is first in goals...Rookie C Patrick O'Sullivan is tied for fourth among first-year players in points with 32 (16-16=32)...Rookie LW Roman Voloshenko is tied for fourth in the AHL with 19 goals, and he ranks seventh among league rookies in points (30)...Voloshenko is currently playing in the World Junior Championships...D Curtis Murphy is fourth among AHL defensemen with 26 points (3-23=26)...G Josh Harding is 19-6-0 with a 2.49 gaa to rank first in the league in wins, fourth in save pct. (.924) and 10th in gaa...Harding is 25-6-1 in his last 32 regular-season games, and one of the losses was in OT...G Seamus Kotyk is 5-2-1 with a 3.20 gaa...Harding has played in five of the last six games, and in 11 of 13, 14 of 17 and 17 of 21.

Scouting the Rampage San Antonio (11-22-1-1), AHL affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes, has dropped five games in a row (0-4-1-0), including Saturday's 4-3 OTL to the Aeros...C Steve Gainey leads San Antonio in scoring with 20 points (7-13=20)...G David LeNeveu, who spent the first two months of the season in the NHL with Phoenix, is 2-5-0 with a 3.06 gaa in his return to the AHL...G Karl Goehring is 2-3-0 with a 2.68 gaa, while G Scott Stirling is 1-5-1 with a 2.85 gaa.

2005-06 meetings (7th of 12 meetings, Aeros are 5-1-0-0 overall, Aeros are 2-1-0-0 at San Antonio) October 7 San Antonio 5 at Houston 6 October 8 Houston 2 at San Antonio 3 November 12 San Antonio 3 at Houston 4 (SO) November 13 Houston 3 at San Antonio 1 December 26 San Antonio 1 at Houston 6 December 31 Houston 4 at San Antonio 3 (OT) Tonight Houston at San Antonio January 15 San Antonio at Houston March 5 Houston at San Antonio March 18 Houston at San Antonio March 19 San Antonio at Houston April 9 San Antonio at Houston

Quick Hits Houston RW Joey Tetarenko will play in his 300th career AHL game tonight. Tonight is the second of Houston's two ventures away from Toyota Center in a 37-day stretch. Beginning with their 12/16 game vs. Peoria, the Aeros won't travel out of the state of Texas - away from Toyota Center or SBC Center - for a span of 37 days, until they go to Chicago 1/22. Former Rampage LW Josh Olson has 12 points (6-6=12) over his last 14 games for Houston. He scored a SHG versus his old team Saturday. Aeros D Curtis Murphy has nine assists in his last 11 games. Murphy has 127 points with Houston, tied with Mike Yeo and David Oliver for seventh place on the team's all-time list. That point total is third among defensemen in team annals, trailing Jeff Tory (128) for second among blueliners and also sixth place overall. Murphy ranks fourth among all AHL defensemen in points this season (3-23=26). Houston has outscored its opponents 12-3 in the third period of its seven-game winning streak. The Aeros are 24-1-0-0 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 22-2-1-1 when allowing three of fewer goals and 3-6-0-0 when yielding four or more. Houston is 14-1-0-0 when outshooting an opponent. The Aeros are 10-0-0-0 when allowing 29 shots or fewer. The Aeros are 12-2-1-1 in one-goal games, and an impressive 15-3-1-1 in games decided by two goals or less. Thirteen of the Aeros' first 21 games were decided by one goal. Since then, however, just three of the last 14 games has been of the one-goal variety. Houston has won four straight one-goal games and seven of eight. Houston has trailed at some point in 12 of its 25 victories, with four of the wins coming when trailing by two goals. The Aeros had 16 come-from-behind victories in 2004-05. They are an impressive 10-4-0-0 when allowing the game's first goal. San Antonio has scored three or fewer goals in regulation in 33 of the last 34 games after a 6-5 loss to the Aeros on Opening Night. The Rampage rank 27th and last in the league in scoring at 1.74 gpg. Nine of San Antonio's 11 wins have come via one goal. The Rampage is 9-5-1-1 in one-goal games, but 2-17-0-0 in games decided by two goals or more.

Power play update Houston is fourth in the league on the power play at 20.7 percent. The Aeros wet 19-for-62 (30.6 percent) with the man advantage in the last 10 games, with at least one PPG in each contest, before going 0-for-3 Saturday in San Antonio. The Aeros are 15-1-0-0 when scoring at least two PPG, with the lone loss coming 11/18 in Manitoba. San Antonio is tied for 18th in the AHL on the penalty kill at 82.6 percent. The Rampage has allowed five goals in 28 shorthanded chances in the last five games for an 82.1 percent kill rate. Houston is 10-for-46 (21.7 percent) on the power play against the Rampage this season.

Penalty kill update Houston is fifth in the AHL on the penalty kill at 85.0 percent. The Aeros have killed off 23-of-26 (88.5 percent) of their shorthanded chances in the last five games. Houston is 10-1-0-1 when not allowing a power play goal and 20-3-1-1 when allowing one power play goal or fewer. San Antonio is 25th in the AHL on the power play at 12.3 percent. The Rampage is 2-for-30 (6.7 percent) on the power play in the last seven games. San Antonio is 6-for-39 (15.4 percent) with the man advantage versus the Aeros this season.

Last Game (Saturday) Rookie Ryan Stokes' first goal as an Aero came 1:32 into overtime after former Rampage centerman Petr Taticek tied the game 27 seconds into the third period, as the Houston Aeros rallied from two goals down for their seventh straight victory, a 4-3 decision over the San Antonio Rampage at SBC Center. Taticek and Clayton Stoner each tallied a goal and an assist, Josh Olson also scored, Kirby Law chipped in two helpers and Seamus Kotyk had 26 saves for Houston.

Aeros/Rampage connections Rampage C Mike Bishai was on the 2002-03 Hamilton team that lost to the Aeros in the Calder Cup Finals. San Antonio D Matt Jones and G Karl Goehring and Houston D Curtis Murphy and C Bryan Lundbohm all attended the University of North Dakota. Goehring was Murphy's teammate for one season, and Lundbohm's for three. Aeros C Erik Westrum, a Phoenix draft pick, played with the Coyotes prospects last season in Utah. San Antonio D Ray Schultz was a member of Milwaukee's 2003-04 Calder Cup winning team alongside Houston D Curtis Murphy and C Bryan Lundbohm.

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