Aeros Gameday

Published on January 26, 2007 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Ten things you need to know
- Houston has allowed the game's first goal in 12 of its last 14 outings, including in each of the last seven games overall and its last seven road games. Houston is 2-4-1-0 in those past seven games overall. The Aeros have scored first in just 16 of their 45 games (35.6 percent). Only Worcester (15) has scored first fewer times. The Aeros haven't scored the first goal in a game since 1/7 against San Antonio. On the road, Houston hasn't taken a 1-0 lead since 12/14 at San Antonio, the only game in a span of 11 road games the Aeros have broken on top early.
- The Aeros try for their first win all season against an Eastern Conference opponent tonight. Houston, which only plays Atlantic Division opponents out of the East this season, is 0-3-0-0 against the opposing conference. Each of those three losses has come by one goal, including a 3-2 loss at Worcester on Wednesday. Houston was also winless versus the Atlantic, and the entire Eastern Conference last season, going 0-3-1-0. The Aeros' last win against the East came 3/4/05, a 3-1 home win over Hartford.
- Monarchs G Jason LaBarbera has enjoyed great success versus the Aeros in his career, including three straight shutouts for Hartford spanning the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons. LaBarbera trails only Brian Finley (five) in career shutouts against Houston. LaBarbera is 6-2-0 with a 1.83 gaa and a .942 save pct. in his career versus the Aeros. But since 2003-04, LaBarbera is 3-1-0 with a 0.78 gaa and a .973 save pct. LaBarbera's 1.830 career gaa versus the Aeros is behind only Milwaukee's Karl Goehring's 1.824 among active AHL netminders.
- Aeros RW Matt Foy has goals in each of his last two games, and his third-period tally Wednesday in Worcester was his first goal outside the state of Texas since 4/16/06. Amazingly, 15 of his 17 goals have come at Toyota Center. One other goal came at AT&T Center in San Antonio 12/14. Foy has a team-best 17 goals, a total that also marks his career high.
- The Aeros didn't hit their magic number - three - Wednesday in Worcester, and as has been the norm, it resulted in a loss. Houston is 1-15-1-1 when scoring two or fewer goals. However, the Aeros are 17-6-0-4 when scoring three or more.
- Houston has scored a shorthanded goal in four straight games and in five of its last six, including RW Joel Ward's first-period SHG in Worcester on Wednesday. The Aeros have 10 SHG this season - tied for the third-most in the AHL. Houston's team record for most SHG in a season is 15, set in 1994-95. RW Danny Irmen and D Curtis Murphy have two apiece - halfway to the team record set in 1994-95 by Mario Chitaroni and matched in 2003-04 by Stephane Veilleux. C Bryan Lundbohm has a hand in four of the Aeros' 10 SHG (1-3=4).
- Houston's third-year G Josh Harding is on recall to NHL Minnesota, leaving the crease in the hands of G Dieter Kochan and G Miroslav Kopriva. The Aeros are 0-6-0-1 this season in games in which Harding doesn't appear, and they are 18-15-1-4 when he does see action in a game. Kochan does have a win, as he relieved Harding in the third period of a 4-3 shootout win at Grand Rapids 10/21. But Kochan was injured in that game and didn't dress for the next 29 games.
- Houston has scored just three even strength goals in its last five games. One of those did come in its last game Wednesday, though, in the form of a third-period goal by RW Matt Foy.
- Aeros C Jason Morgan is set to play in his 599th career professional game tonight. Morgan has posted 290 career points (94=196=290) and 599 PIM's in 598 games with NHL Los Angeles, Calgary, Nashville, Chicago and Minnesota, AHL Springfield, Hamilton, Saint John, Lowell, Norfolk and Houston and IHL Phoenix, Long Beach and Cincinnati. Morgan began his pro career in 1996-97.
- Tuesday, the Aeros became the last AHL team to have a game decided in OT, falling 3-2 to Milwaukee. They are 4-5 in shootouts. Manchester has played 14 OT games - second-most in the league, going 4-6 in OT and 3-1 in shootouts. The Monarchs' six OTL losses are the most in the AHL.

Aeros at Monarchs (Aeros are 0-2-1-0 overall, Aeros are 0-1-0-0 at Manchester)
- Houston went 0-1-1-0 last season against Manchester, including a 0-1-0-0 mark at Verizon Wireless Arena.
- The teams met last Friday at Toyota Center, and Manchester's Jason LaBarbera made 22 saves and Matt Ryan, Noah Clarke and Marty Murray scored a goal apiece in a 3-2 victory. Roman Voloshenko scored a power play goal, Josh Olson added a shorthanded goal and Josh Harding made 30 saves for Houston.
- Manchester earned a 4-2 victory 2/10/06 at Verizon Wireless Arena, behind a pair of goals from Noah Clarke.

Scouting the Aeros
The sixth-place Aeros (18-21-1-5) have 42 points and are seven points behind Iowa and Peoria, who are tied for fourth...Houston plays game two of a three-game Atlantic Division road trip, visiting Hartford tomorrow to head into the All-Star Break...Team scoring leader RW Matt Foy has 33 points (17-16=33)...Next are veteran D Curtis Murphy (5-19=24), rookie LW Benoit Pouliot (16-8=24) and LW Roman Voloshenko (8-15=23)...G Josh Harding is 17-16-4 with a 2.48 gaa and a .920 save pct., but is currently on recall to NHL Minnesota...D Dieter Kochan is 1-2-0 with a 4.13 gaa and a .842 save pct., and is back after missing 29 games due to injury...G Miroslav Kopriva is 0-0-1 with a 2.00 gaa and a .927 save pct.

Scouting the Monarchs
Manchester (27-12-6-1), AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, has won five straight - one off its season high - and has won 12 of 14...The Monarchs lead the Atlantic Division by eight points over Hartford...G Jason LaBarbera has been in net for each of the last five wins and eight games overall, and he made 26 saves in a 4-2 home win over Springfield on Wednesday...LaBarbera is a leading AHL MVP candidate, with a 24-14-1 record, a 2.26 gaa and a .931 save pct...He also leads the league in games played (40), minutes (2,359), shots faced (1,284) and saves (1,195)...He is tied for third in gaa and is second in save pct...G Barry Brust, just down from NHL Los Angeles, is 1-4-0 with a 3.04 gaa...LW Noah Clarke paces Manchester in scoring with 35 points (16-19=35), ahead of former Aero C Patrick O'Sullivan (17-17=34), who was recalled by the Kings yesterday...The Monarchs' next six top scorers are amazingly all rookies...Rookie T.J. Kemp leads the blueline corps with 25 points (3-22=25).

2006-07 meetings (2nd of 2 meetings, Aeros are 0-1-0-0 overall, First meeting at Manchester)
January 19 Manchester 3 at Houston 2
Tonight Houston at Manchester

Quick Hits
- Nine of the Aeros' 18 victories have been in come-from-behind fashion, including four of their last five.
- The Aeros are 6-7-1-5 in one-goal games. But after eight of their first 12 games were decided by one goal, just 11 of Houston's last 33 contests has been decided in that fashion. Manchester is tied for the league lead with 24 one-goal games, going 13-6-6-1.
- The Aeros are 5-1-0-2 this season when allowing 40 or more shots.

Wednesday's game
Tomas Plihal netted the game-winner with 2:27 left in regulation and Dmitri Patzold made 22 saves, as the Worcester Sharks knocked off the Houston Aeros 3-2 at DCU Center. Brad Staubitz and Mike Iggulden added a goal apiece for Worcester. Joel Ward tallied Houston's fourth shorthanded goal in as many games, Matt Foy also scored and Dieter Kochan made 17 stops in his second start of the season for Houston.

Power play update
- Houston is up to 22nd in the AHL with the man advantage at 14.9 percent.
- The Aeros are 17-for-80 (21.3 percent) on the power play in their last 15 games.
- Houston is 0-for-6 with the man advantage in the last two home games.
- Manchester is 20th in the AHL on the penalty kill at 80.7 percent.
- The Monarchs are an improved 24-of-28 (85.7 percent) on the PK in their last five games.

Penalty kill update
- Houston is sixth in the AHL on the PK at 85.7 percent.
- Opponents are 8-for-32 (25.0 percent) with the man advantage against the Aeros in the last five games.
- Manchester is fourth in the AHL on the power play at 19.9 percent.
- The Monarchs are 0-for-10 with the man advantage in their last two games after going 8-for-21 (38.1 percent) in their previous three games.

Aeros/Monarchs connections
- Manchester C Patrick O'Sullivan was an Aero in 2005-06, ranking fourth in the AHL tallying 93 points (47-46=93). O'Sullivan's 47 goals were an Aeros franchise record. O'Sullivan and Aeros D Ryan Stokes were teammates with OHL Mississauga for two seasons.
- Aeros assistant coach Matt Shaw teamed with Manchester D Brendan Buckley to advance to the UHL Finals in 1999-2000 with Quad City. Buckley was teammates with Aeros D Peter Ratchuk with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2001-02.

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American Hockey League Stories from January 26, 2007


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