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Aeros Gameday

December 30, 2006 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Nine things you need to know
- The Aeros have just two home regulation losses against the Rampage in 27 attempts (23-2-2-0), including an unbeaten in regulation 16-0-2-0 mark since the last regulation loss, a 6-3 decision 1/16/04. The 18-game home unbeaten in regulation mark is the longest in Aeros' team history against one opponent. Houston has outscored San Antonio 72-31 at home in the last 18 meetings. Houston is 18-1-2-0 all-time against San Antonio at Toyota Center. Aeros G Josh Harding is 14-3-1 with a 2.03 gaa and a .931 save pct. in his career against the Rampage, but at home he has been even better, going 8-0-0 with a 1.39 gaa and a .934 save pct. After dropping his first lifetime meeting with the Rampage, Harding is 14-2-1 in the last 17 decisions.
- The Aeros are 7-7-0-2 at home, and tonight they look to get above the .500 mark at Toyota Center for the first time this season. Houston has won four of six overall to move to 31 points, good for sixth in the West Division. But the Aeros trail fifth-place Peoria by just four points, and fourth-place Iowa by five points.
- Houston has needed a shootout in each of its last two victories. Wednesday in Chicago, Houston rallied from two goals down to take a 3-2 lead into the final minute, but Chicago's Brett Sterling forced OT. It marked the third extra attacker goal versus the Aeros in their last six games, after San Antonio's Jeff Taffe goal with 1.8 seconds remaining Tuesday made OT a necessity.
- The Aeros have welcomed C Jason Morgan back to the lineup this week. Morgan returned Tuesday after missing 22 games due to call-ups and injuries. Morgan was recalled to Minnesota 10/28, but in his fourth game with the Wild, he suffered a deep bruise that required surgery to relieve the pressure. After playing eight games with the Aeros earlier this season without recording a point, Morgan had an assist Tuesday, and then his first goal as an Aero on Wednesday.
- Houston is 4-2-0-0 since RW Mattias Weinhandl was assigned to the team from the National Hockey League's Minnesota Wild. Weinhandl has nine points (4-5=9) in six games, and he has a hand in each of Houston's last five regulation goals over the last two games. He scored both of the Aeros' goals last night in San Antonio.
- The Aeros played their league-high seventh shootout on Wednesday in Chicago, and they are tied for the league lead with four shootout wins. Aeros G Josh Harding improved to 3-3 this season in shootouts - he has appeared in a league-high six shootouts, and his three wins are tied for the league lead. Second-year D Shawn Belle has scored the deciding shootout goal in each of the last two games. LW Roman Voloshenko is 5-for-10 in shootouts, having taken a league-high 10 shots. The Aeros are the lone AHL team to not have a game decided in OT.
- Aeros third-year G Josh Harding has played in all but three of the Aeros' first 33 games, but had an 11-start streak snapped last night when he missed the game with the flu. Harding ranks tied for first in the AHL in games played (30), first in minutes (1,787), and second in shots faced (919) and saves (845). He is third in wins (13). Harding ranks 10th in the AHL in gaa (2.49) and fifth in save pct. (0.919). Harding is 13-8-2 with a 2.34 gaa and a .925 save pct. in his last 23 decisions since starting the season 0-5-1. Counting back to last season and including the playoffs, Harding has appeared in 39-of-42 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.
- Houston D Ryan Stokes is a team-best plus-six in his last five games, with one goal in that span. The run has moved Stokes to plus-two overall - tops among Aeros blueliners.
- San Antonio is just 1-9-1-1 on the road - no other Western Conference team has fewer than five road victories, and no other AHL team has less than four. The Rampage has been outscored 52-30 on the road, but has picked up points in each of the last two tries with OT/SO losses. San Antonio is winless in its last seven games (0-5-1-1) away from AT&T Center dating back to its only road win of the season - 6-3 at Manchester 11/8.

Rampage at Aeros (Aeros are 36-10-6-3 overall, Aeros are 23-2-2-0 at Houston)
- Tonight is the 56th all-time meeting between the teams - 28th in Houston.
- The Aeros are 21-5-2-1 in the last 29 overall meetings.
- Since a three-game winless slide in the series 12/27/03-1/17/04, the Aeros have unleashed a 26-6-3-2 mark.
- Houston and San Antonio met Tuesday at Toyota Center. Aeros G Josh Harding made 22 saves and stopped Jeff Taffe in the final shootout round after Taffe forced overtime with 1.8 seconds left in regulation, and D Shawn Belle scored the deciding shootout goal, as the Aeros defeated San Antonio 3-2.
- Last night, Chris Ferraro tallied a goal and an assist, Bill Thomas and Pascal Rheaume had a goal apiece and Josh Tordjman made 20 of his 38 saves in the third period, as the Rampage defeated the Aeros 3-2 at AT&T Center.
- The Aeros are 8-0-2-0 all-time versus the Rampage in the month of December.

Scouting the Aeros
The sixth-place Aeros (14-16-0-3) have 31 points and have won four of six...Houston plays its fourth game of the week, and plays eight in a 12 day stretch beginning this past Tuesday...Team scoring leader RW Matt Foy has 25 points (13-12=25)...Next are a pair of rookies: LW Benoit Pouliot (12-5=17) and C Ben Thomson (6-11=17), and veteran D Peter Ratchuk (4-12=16)...D Curtis Murphy (4-11=15) is on Ratchuk's heels...G Josh Harding is 13-13-3 with a 2.49 gaa and a .919 save pct....Rookie G Tony Quesada, a Holy Cross product, is 0-3-0 with a 3.92 gaa and a .898 save pct.

Scouting the Rampage
San Antonio (11-20-1-1), AHL affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes, is last in the West Division with 24 points...C Yanick Lehoux leads the Rampage in scoring with 32 points (14-18=32) - 10 more than any other teammate...Veteran D Bryan Helmer paces the blueline with 13 points (4-9=13)...G Josh Tordjman is 5-6-1 with a 2.37 gaa...G David LeNeveu is 2-9-0 with a 4.15 gaa.

2006-07 meetings (8th of 12 meetings, Aeros are 4-2-0-1 overall, Aeros are 3-0-0-0 at Houston)
October 15 Houston 4 at San Antonio 5 (SO)
November 17 San Antonio 1 at Houston 4
November 21 Houston 2 at San Antonio 4
November 24 San Antonio 3 at Houston 5
December 14 Houston 3 at San Antonio 1
Tuesday San Antonio 2 at Houston 3 (SO)
Last Night Houston 2 at San Antonio 3
Tonight San Antonio at Houston
January 7 San Antonio at Houston
January 14 Houston at San Antonio
April 14 Houston at San Antonio
April 15 San Antonio at Houston

Friday's game
Chris Ferraro tallied a goal and an assist, Bill Thomas and Pascal Rheaume had a goal apiece and Josh Tordjman made 20 of his 38 saves in the third period, as the San Antonio Rampage defeated the Houston Aeros 3-2 at AT&T Center. Mattias Weinhandl scored two goals and Tony Quesada made 24 stops for the Aeros.

Quick Hits
- Six of the Aeros' 14 victories have been in come-from-behind fashion.
- The Aeros are 6-5-0-3 in one-goal games. But after eight of their first 12 games were decided by one goal, just six of Houston's last 21 contests has been decided in that fashion.
- Each of San Antonio's last six games has been decided by one goal (2-2-1-1). The Rampage is 7-5-1-1 in one-goal games.
- Thirty-two of Houston's 89 goals have come from rookies.
- The Aeros are 13-5-0-2 when scoring three goals or more, and just 1-11-0-1 when scoring two or fewer.
- San Antonio has scored first in a league-low 11 games (7-4-0-0). Houston is 8-4-0-2 when scoring first.
- The Rampage has been outscored by an AHL-high 22 goals in the first period (46-24).

Power play update
- Houston is tied for 25th in the AHL with the man advantage at 13.4 percent.
- The Aeros are a much improved 5-for-24 (20.8 percent) in their last four games.
- San Antonio is tied for 19th in the AHL on the penalty kill at 80.3 percent.
- The Rampage has killed off 24-of-30 (80.0 percent) of its shorthanded chances in the last five games.
- Houston is 6-for-39 (15.4 percent) with the man advantage against San Antonio this season.

Penalty kill update
- Houston is fifth in the AHL on the PK at 86.8 percent.
- Opponents are 3-for-31 (9.7 percent) on the power play in the last six games.
- San Antonio is 10th in the AHL on the power play at 18.0 percent.
- The Rampage is 4-for-25 (16.0 percent) with the man advantage in the last six games.
- San Antonio is 4-for-30 (13.3 percent) on the power play against Houston this season.

Aeros/Rampage connections
- Rampage D Matt Jones enrolled at the University of North Dakota in 2001-02, a season after Aeros C Bryan Lundbohm left campus, and four after Aeros D Curtis Murphy graduated.
- Rampage D Nick Martens is an alum of the University of Michigan, as is assistant coach Cam Stewart.
- Houston LW Josh Olson played for San Antonio from 2002-05, while RW Joey Tetarenko skated with the Rampage in 2002-03



American Hockey League Stories from December 30, 2006


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