Aeros Gameday

Published on December 16, 2006 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Nine things you need to know
- Aeros RW Matt Foy, the team's leading scorer, was reassigned to the team Wednesday by the NHL's Minnesota Wild. Foy has posted a goal and an assist in his first two games back, pushing his team-leading point total to 24 (12-12=24). Foy has nine points (6-3=9) in a five-game point streak for Houston, tying his longest career point streak. It's also the longest run for an Aero this season. Foy scored a third-period goal in San Antonio on Thursday, his first goal all season away from Toyota Center.
- Aeros RW Mattias Weinhandl wasted no time making an impact Thursday in his first game with Houston. Assigned this week from NHL Minnesota, Weinhandl scored a PPG on his first shot in his Aeros uniform. He finished Thursday's 3-1 victory over San Antonio with eight shots on goal - one off the team season-high, while creating numerous other scoring chances. Weinhandl notched two points (1-1=2) in 12 games with the Wild this season. The Sweden native played 33 games in the AHL with Bridgeport from 2002-04.
- Houston reached its magic number of three goals Thursday, and that meant a victory as is often the case. The Aeros are 10-4-0-2 when scoring three goals or more, and just 1-10-0-1 when scoring two or fewer.
- The Aeros are 0-1-0-2 in their last three home games, which is their longest home winless streak in more than two seasons. Houston went 0-1-2-0 from 3/28-4/2/04. The last time the Aeros went winless in more than three games at Toyota Center was a 0-1-5-1 stretch 12/28/03-1/16/04. The team record is eight games, set from 12/5-12/31/95.
- The Aeros are 4-for-35 (11.4 percent) on the power play in their last six games and rank 26th in the AHL at 12.5 percent. Tonight they face a Moose PK unit ranked second in the AHL at 88.6 percent. Manitoba has killed off 36-of-37 shorthanded chances (97.3 percent) in the last seven games, and it is a perfect 26-of-26 in the last five contests.
- The Aeros, who climbed as high as second in the league on the penalty kill, are fifth at 86.8 percent. But after allowing four goals on 12 chances for just a 66.7 percent kill rate in two games, the Aeros went 8-for-8 on the PK Thursday in San Antonio. Tonight's opponent, Manitoba, is 10th in the AHL on the power play at 18.1 percent.
- Aeros third-year G Josh Harding has played in all but two of the Aeros' first 28 games, including each of the last six. He has started all 13 of the Aeros' home games. Harding ranks first in the AHL in games played (26) and minutes (1,538), shots faced (791) and saves (729). He is tied for fifth in wins (10). Harding ranks tied for eighth in the AHL in gaa (2.42), and is tied for fourth in save pct. (0.922). Harding is 10-7-2 with a 2.22 gaa and a .928 save pct. in his last 19 decisions since starting the season 0-5-1. Counting back to last season and including the playoffs, Harding has appeared in 35-of-37 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.
- Manitoba head coach Scott Arniel is the first former Aero to defeat the team in Houston as a head coach. Arniel was a member of the original IHL Aeros in 1994-95, and also in 1995-96. He was the team's second leading scorer in its first season, and posted 121 points (55-68=121) in 136 games in two seasons. Peoria's Dave Baseggio led his Rivermen to a victory over the Aeros, but it came in Illinois. The pair is the only former Aeros to face the team as a head coach.
- Aeros veteran D Peter Ratchuk is averaging nearly a point per game over the last 13 contests, with three goals and seven assists in that span. Ratchuk's 14 points (3-11=14) tie him for 17th in the AHL in defensemen scoring.

Moose at Aeros (Aeros are 37-21-10-1 overall, Aeros are 19-10-5-1 at Houston)
- The Aeros went 2-1-0-1 last season versus Manitoba, including a 1-0-0-1 mark at Toyota Center.
- Houston is just 4-9-1-1 in the last 15 overall meetings, and 2-7-0-1 in the last 10.
- The Aeros are 2-4-0-1 versus the Moose in their three seasons at Toyota Center.
- Since the teams joined the AHL, Houston is 11-12-1-1 against Manitoba, including a 6-5-0-1 home mark.
- Houston and Manitoba once played five straight OT/SO games in the IHL; in their 25 AHL meetings, just two games have gone into extra time.
- The Aeros travel to Winnipeg for two games 3/20 and 3/21.

Scouting the Aeros
The sixth-place Aeros (11-14-0-3) have 25 points, but are just one point behind Milwaukee for fifth place in the West and are just four points out of third place in the tight division race...After tonight, Houston is off until next Saturday, when it hosts first-place Chicago...Team scoring leader RW Matt Foy (12-12=24) was returned by the NHL's Minnesota Wild earlier this week and rides a five-game point streak into play tonight...Next among forwards are a trio of rookies: LW Benoit Pouliot (12-4=16), C Ben Thomson (6-9=15) and RW Danny Irmen (7-6=13)...D Peter Ratchuk (3-11=14) and D Curtis Murphy (3-9=12) pace the blueline...G Josh Harding is 10-12-3 with a 2.42 gaa and a .922 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 Moose
Manitoba (14-12-3-2), AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks, has won four in a row after routing San Antonio 6-1 last night to kick off a stretch of three games in three nights...Manitoba has 33 points - tied with Hamilton for second place in the North Division...C Brad Moran leads Manitoba in scoring with 35 points (13-22=35), just ahead of LW Jason Jaffray (17-14=31)...D Joe Rullier (2-6=8) and rookie D Alex Edler (0-8=8) pace the blueline...G Wade Flaherty is 7-7-0 with a 2.80 gaa, while G Drew MacIntyre is 6-5-2 with a 2.38 gaa.

2006-07 meetings (2nd of 4 meetings, Aeros are 0-1-0-0 overall, Aeros are 0-1-0-0 at Houston)
Wednesday Manitoba 4 at Houston 1
Tonight Manitoba at Houston
March 20 Houston at Manitoba
March 21 Houston at Manitoba

Thursday's game
Josh Harding finished with 41 saves and Mattias Weinhandl scored a power play goal on his first shot in an Aeros uniform, as Houston defeated San Antonio 3-1 at AT&T Center to snap a pair of five-game winless streaks. Rookie Ryan Hamilton and Matt Foy had a goal apiece for Houston (11-14-0-3), which was 0-3-0-2 in its last five games overall and had lost five straight road games in regulation.

Quick Hits
- Five of the Aeros' 11 victories have been in come-from-behind fashion.
- The Aeros are 4-4-0-3 in one-goal games. But after eight of their first 12 games were decided by one goal, just three of Houston's last 16 contests has been decided in that fashion.
- Thirty-one of Houston's 73 goals have come from rookies.
- Aeros G Josh Harding picked up a minor penalty for tripping Wednesday, giving him 10 PIM's this season and 29 in his career. Last night's infraction moved him into third place on the team's all-time list, past former teammate and current Dallas Star Mike Smith (28). Up next on the list is Troy Gamble (45). Frederic Chabot has more PIM's than any other Aero (46).

Power play update
- Houston is 26th in the AHL with the man advantage at 12.5 percent.
- The Aeros are 4-for-35 (11.4 percent) on the power play in their last six games.
- Houston is an improved 14-of-88 (15.9 percent) with the man advantage at home.
- Manitoba is second in the AHL on the PK at 88.6 percent.
- The Moose has killed off 36-of-37 shorthanded chances (97.3 percent) in the last seven games, and it is a perfect 26-of-26 in the last five contests.

Penalty kill update
- Houston is fifth in the AHL on the PK at 86.8 percent.
- Opponents are 11-for-65 (16.9 percent) with the man advantage in the last nine games.
- Manitoba is 10th in the AHL on the power play at 18.1 percent.
- The Moose is 13-for-48 (27.1 percent) with the man advantage in the last seven games.

Aeros/Moose connections
- Manitoba head coach Scott Arniel was a member of the original IHL Aeros in 1994-95, and also in 1995-96. He was the team's second leading scorer in its first season, and posted 121 points (55-68=121) in 136 games in two seasons.
- Aeros D Curtis Murphy, C Bryan Lundbohm and Manitoba G Wade Flaherty were teammates on Milwaukee's 2004 Calder Cup winning team.
- Manitoba G Wade Flaherty and Houston RW Joey Tetarenko were teammates in the Florida Panthers organization in the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons.
- Aeros D Maxime Fortunus played 25 games for Houston in the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons, with two assists and six penalty minutes.
- Moose D Dustin Wood tallied seven points (1-6=7) and 48 PIM's in 64 games for Houston in 2005-06. He was loaned to Syracuse for LW Greg Mauldin in March.
- Manitoba RW Lee Goren attended the University of North Dakota, where he was Aeros C Bryan Lundbohm's teammate for two seasons, and Aeros D Curtis Murphy's for one.

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American Hockey League Stories from December 16, 2006


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