Aeros Gameday

Published on December 9, 2006 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Eight things you need to know
- Houston has been shut out in each of the first three meetings with Omaha this season, including the Knights' 1-0 shootout win at Toyota Center on Thursday. This marks just the second time in team history the Aeros have been shut out by the same team in three straight games - although the last time, it took two seasons. Hartford G Jason LaBarbera shut out Houston three straight times, 11/19/03, 1/8/04 and 11/1/04. Knights G Curtis McElhinney will look to join LaBarbera as the lone goalie to blank Houston in three straight games. Only Milwaukee G Brian Finley recorded three shutouts against the Aeros in a single season. This is the third time in team history the same team has shut out the Aeros three times in one season. Grand Rapids did it in 2002-03, and Milwaukee followed in 2004-05. No team has ever earned four shutouts versus the Aeros in a single campaign. Overall, Houston hasn't scored in 86:05, and it has scored one goal in the last three games.
- Aeros veteran D Peter Ratchuk is averaging nearly a point per game over the last 10 contests, with two goals and six assists in that span. Ratchuk's 12 points (2-10=12) tie him for 20th in the AHL in defensemen scoring.
- Houston has lost five straight on the road - a new franchise record - but is playing seven of its final 10 December games at home. Two of the three road games are in San Antonio, so the Aeros go outside Texas just once before New Year's - 12/27 at Chicago. The Aeros are 2-0-0-1 in their last three home games. Through 1/7, Houston plays 10 of its next 14 games within the friendly confines of Toyota Center.
- Since allowing their opponents to go 4-for-17 on the power play in their first two home games, the Aeros have killed off 50-of-52 shorthanded chances (96.2 percent) in their last nine games at Toyota Center. The Aeros currently rank tied for second (with Omaha) on the PK at 87.7 percent.
- Aeros third-year G Josh Harding has played in all but two of the Aeros' first 25 games. Harding ranks first in the AHL in games played (23) and minutes (1,353), and second in shots faced (681) and saves (627). He is tied for fifth in wins (nine). Harding ranks eighth in the AHL in gaa (2.39), and tied for sixth in save pct. (0.921). Harding is 9-6-1 with a 2.15 gaa and a .928 save pct. in his last 16 decisions since starting the season 0-5-1. Counting back to last season and including the playoffs, Harding has appeared in 32-of-34 games. The Aeros' record for most games played by a goalie in one season is 72 - set by Frederic Chabot in 1996-97 in an 82-game season. The AHL record is 74 - set by Baltimore's Mike O'Neill in 1995-96. O'Neill also made an AHL record 2,005 saves that season.
- With leading scorer RW Matt Foy recalled by NHL Minnesota, the Aeros are the lone AHL team to have three rookies leading the team in scoring. LW Benoit Pouliot has 16 points (12-4=16), ranking tied for 13th in rookie scoring and third in goals among first-year players. Pouliot is a team-best plus-five. RW Danny Irmen is next with 13 points (7-6=13), just ahead of C Ben Thomson (6-6=12). Twenty-nine of Houston's 66 goals have come from rookies, including 26 total from Pouliot, Thomson and Irmen. Foy has missed five games this season - the Aeros are 1-3-0-1 and have scored just five regulation goals in those five games.
- Of the 17 skaters in the Aeros' Opening Night lineup, four are are currently on the Minnesota Wild's roster - D Shawn Belle, C Wyatt Smith, RW Matt Foy and C Jason Morgan, who had hip surgery last month and is in Houston, but hasn't yet been assigned to the Aeros. The quartet has scored 16 of Houston's 66 goals this season. A fifth player, LW Benoit Pouliot, has also spent time with the Wild. The Aeros have had seven call-ups already to the NHL - matching their entire total from the 2005-06 season.
- Houston is in the midst of a difficult stretch of the schedule where it plays Omaha and Peoria - the second- and third-place teams in the West Division - in four straight games. The Knights and Rivermen rank third and fourth in the entire Western Conference. Going back to the Aeros' 11/25 game in Chicago, five of six games are versus the top three teams in the division..

Knights at Aeros (Aeros are 7-3-1-2 overall, Aeros are 5-0-0-1 at Houston)
- Omaha's shootout victory Thursday snapped a 10-game winning streak for the home team in the series.
- The Aeros are 5-0-0-1 all-time at home versus the Knights, outscoring them 20-11.
- Seven of the 13 all-time meetings between the teams have gone into OT or a shootout.
- The Aeros won the first five meetings of 2005-06, but they are just 2-3-1-2 since.

Scouting the Aeros
The Aeros (10-13-0-2) have 22 points, tied with Milwaukee for fifth place in the West...Houston is playing its 999th game in team history (515-356-104-23)...Team scoring leader RW Matt Foy (11-11=22) is currently on recall to the NHL's Minnesota Wild...Next is a trio of rookies: LW Benoit Pouliot (12-4=16), RW Danny Irmen (7-6=13) and C Ben Thomson (6-6=12)...D Peter Ratchuk (2-10=12) and D Curtis Murphy (3-8=11) pace the blueline...G Josh Harding is 9-11-2 with a 2.39 gaa and a .921 save pct. this season...Rookie G Tony Quesada, a Holy Cross product, is 0-2-0 with a 4.30 gaa and a .901 save pct.

Scouting the Knights
Omaha (15-7-2-0), AHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames, has won three in a row after a four-game slide (0-3-1-0)...The Knights are 7-7-2-0 after an 8-0-1-0 start...Omaha is an impressive 9-3-2-0 on the road...Only Chicago (10-2-0-0) has more road victories among Western Conference teams...C Dustin Boyd is fifth among AHL rookies with 24 points (10-14=24) - seven more than any other Knight...Veteran D Eric Godard is down from the NHL and leads Omaha and ranks 12th in the AHL with 69 PIM's...Second-year G Curtis McElhinney is 8-4-0 with a 1.81 gaa, ranking second-best in the AHL...McElhinney's three shutouts are tied for second most in the AHL...G Brent Krahn, a former first-round pick, is 7-5-0 with a 2.48 gaa to rank 12th in the league...Thursday, the Knights signed G Marc Magliarditi to a PTO...Magliarditi was signed to an Aeros contract in 2001-02 and spent that season in ECHL Louisiana...Magliarditi is the ECHL's all-time shutout leader with 25, and ranks second in wins with 214.

2006-07 meetings (4th of 10 meetings, Aeros are 0-2-0-1 overall, Aeros are 0-0-0-1 at Houston)
November 18 Houston 0 at Omaha 3
December 2 Houston 0 at Omaha 4
Thursday Omaha 1 at Houston 0 (SO)
Tonight Omaha at Houston
January 13 Houston at Omaha
February 6 Omaha at Houston
February 8 Omaha at Houston
March 2 Houston at Omaha
March 24 Omaha at Houston
April 7 Houston at Omaha

Thursday's game
Curtis McElhinney made 29 saves for his third shutout this season, and Andrei Taratukhin's shootout goal gave Omaha a 1-0 victory over the Aeros at Toyota Center. Josh Harding had 26 stops for Houston.

Quick Hits
- Five of the Aeros' 10 victories have been in come-from-behind fashion.
- The Aeros are 4-4-0-2 in one-goal games. But after eight of their first 12 games were decided by one goal, just two of Houston's last 13 contests has been decided in that fashion.
- Omaha has the top defense in the AHL, allowing 2.25 gpg. A big reason for that is the fact that Knights goalies face an AHL-low 25.4 shots per contests. Houston is tied for 10th allowing 2.92 gpg, but it yields 32.0 shots - 21st in the 27-team AHL.
- The Knights rank fourth in the AHL in PIM/game with 24.4. Houston is 23rd at 17.9.
- Aeros D Curtis Murphy turned 31 Sunday.

Power play update
- Houston is 27th and last in the AHL with the man advantage at 11.8 percent.
- The Aeros are 1-for-21 (4.8 percent) on the power play in their last three games.
- Omaha is tied for second, with Houston, in the AHL on the PK at 87.7 percent.
- The Knights have killed off 32-of-37 (86.5 percent) of their shorthanded chances in the last seven games.

Penalty kill update
- Houston is tied for second, with Omaha, in the AHL on the PK at 87.7 percent.
- Since allowing their opponents to go 4-for-17 on the power play in their first two home games, the Aeros have killed off 50-of-52 shorthanded chances (96.2 percent) in the last nine home games.
- Omaha is 24th in the AHL on the power play at 13.4 percent.
- The Knights are 5-for-52 (9.6 percent) with the man advantage in their last seven games.

Aeros/Knights connections
- Aeros RW Danny Irmen played alongside Omaha RW Kris Chucko at the University of Minnesota from 2004-06.
- Houston RW Joey Tetarenko and Omaha D Brad Ference were both in the Florida Panthers organization together from 1999-2003. Godard was also Tetarenko's teammate briefly from 1999-2001 in the Panthers organization.
- Knights C Justin Taylor and Aeros D Shawn Belle and C Alex Leavitt all hail from Edmonton, Alta.
- Omaha assistant coach Scott Allen coached both Aeros RW Joey Tetarenko and LW Josh Olson in AHL San Antonio.

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American Hockey League Stories from December 9, 2006


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