Aeros Gameday
Published on March 17, 2007 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release
Seven things you need to know
- Last night, Aeros D Curtis Murphy missed his first game ever as an Aero - 348 games counting the regular- and post-seasons. He had played in 282 straight regular-season games overall since missing the 2003-04 season opener to attend Dan Snyder's funeral. Murphy had missed just one of his prior 521 games. Earlier this month, Murphy played in his 300th game with the Aeros, and tonight D Erik Reitz will match that plateau.
- Aeros LW Peter Olvecky, who had one goal in 10 games since 1/23 entering play last Saturday, notched his third career two-goal game in a 4-3 shootout win over Peoria. He also scored the deciding shootout goal. It marked Olvecky's first two-goal outing since 3/17/06, at Milwaukee. Olvecky's only other two-goal home game had come 10/21/05, versus Grand Rapids.
- Aeros RW Matt Foy has team-best and career-highs in goals (24) and points (45). Foy has 62 career goals with the Aeros, tying him with Brian Wiseman for fifth place on the franchise's all-time list. Only Kirby Law has more goals (68) among the Aeros' AHL players. Eighteen of Foy's 24 goals this season have come at Toyota Center. Foy also has a flare for the dramatic - 11 of his 24 goals have come in the third period. However, Foy has only one goal in the last 10 games after scoring five times in a four-game stretch. Foy has 382 career PIM to move into 10th place on the team's all-time list, becoming the second player player to be ranked in the top 10 of the Aeros' all-time lists in both points and PIM. Foy is seventh with 133 points. Mike Yeo is also in the top 10 on both lists, ranking tied for 10th in points and fourth in PIM's.
- Houston is 0-10-2-1 in its last 13 road games since defeating Iowa 3-1 on 1/12. The 13-game slide is a new franchise record. Houston was 0-7-2-0 from 1/31-2/26/04. The Aeros' seven straight road regulation losses are also a new team record, eclipsing the old record of five, set earlier this season. Houston's winless slide is the longest in a single season since Springfield went winless in 16 games from 12/31/04-4/3/05.
- Houston is 9-13-3-6 in one-goal games, and just 3-10-3-2 in its last 18 such games. The Aeros have only two non shootout one-goal wins, the last coming 3-2 at Iowa 11/9. Syracuse is, however, a league-worst 4-8-3-7 in one-goal contests. No other team has fewer than nine one-goal victories.
- Slow starts are one of the main causes of the Aeros' recent woes. The Aeros have allowed the game's first goal in eight of their last 10 games, and haven't led after one period in any of those 10 games. Not surprisingly, Houston is just 1-8-0-1 in that stretch. The Aeros did snap a streak of five consecutive games without a first-period goal Saturday against Peoria, and last night they scored two goals in the opening 20 minutes for the first time since 2/17 against Chicago.
- The Aeros have not held a scoring advantage in the third period in 14 of their last 17 games. In their last six games, the Aeros have been outscored 8-1 in the final 20 minutes, and in their last 13 games, it has been an 18-4 deficit. Houston has been outscored 67-51 in the third period this season.
Aeros at Crunch (Aeros are 3-2-0-0 all-time, Aeros are 1-1-0-0 at Syracuse)
- The Crunch defeated the Aeros 4-1 at Toyota Center 1/6 in the teams' first meeting of the season, behind a goal and two assists from Joakim Lindstrom.
- That game was the teams first meeting in more than two seasons, since a 6-3 Aeros win at Syracuse 11/20/04. That came 13 days after a 3-0 home win over the Crunch.
- The Aeros' other loss was in the first ever meeting, 11/28/03. The Aeros sprinted to a 4-0 lead but lost 5-4 in New York.
Scouting the Aeros
The Aeros (22-33-3-6) begin March by playing nine of 10 games on the road, with tonight's tilt the second of a five-game road trip through the North Division...Team scoring leader RW Matt Foy has 45 points (24-21=45)...Next are veteran D Curtis Murphy (7-26=33), rookie RW Danny Irmen (16-15=31), rookie LW Benoit Pouliot (18-13=31) and LW Mattias Weinhandl (13-16=29)...G Josh Harding is 17-16-4 with a 2.48 gaa and a .920 save pct., but is on recall to NHL Minnesota...The Aeros are 4-18-2-2 this season in games in which Harding does not appear...D Dieter Kochan is 3-12-1 with a 3.29 gaa and a .899 save pct...G Tony Quesada is 0-5-0 with a 4.59 gaa and a .879 save pct.
Scouting the Crunch
Syracuse (24-31-3-7), AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets, is 0-2-1-0 in its last three following a 6-1-0-1 stretch...Last night, Hamilton defeated the Crunch 5-4 in OT in Syracuse...C Zenon Konopka leads active Crunch players with 44 points (14-30=44), although he has nine points (3-6=9) in 11 games with Syracuse since being acquired from the Anaheim organization...LW Joakim Lindstrom has 39 points (18-21=39)...D Filip Novak paces the Crunch blueliners with 34 points (5-29=34)...G Tomas Popperle is 18-16-3 with a 2.92 gaa and a .900 save pct...G Dan LaCosta is 3-6-1 with a 3.14 gaa and a .882 save pct.
2006-07 meetings (2nd of 2 meetings, Aeros are 0-1-0-0 overall, First meeting at Syracuse)
January 6 Syracuse 4 at Houston 1
Tonight Houston at Syracuse
Friday's game
Jaime Sifers, John Mitchell, Tyson Nash and Chris Harrington scored a goal apiece, as the Toronto Marlies knocked off the Houston Aeros 4-3 at Ricoh Coliseum. Justin Pogge made 20 saves and Aleksander Suglobov had three assists for Toronto. Benoit Pouliot tallied a goal and an assist, Aaron Voros and Danny Irmen each added a goal and Dieter Kochan made 28 saves for Houston.
Quick Hits
- Ten of the Aeros' 22 victories have been in come-from-behind fashion. On 2/1 against Milwaukee, the Aeros trailed 2-1 with seven minutes remaining, but won 3-2 in a shootout. The Aeros have trailed in 22 of their last 24 games.
- The Aeros are winless (0-21-1-4) when allowing four goals or more.
- Houston is 0-3 in OT and 7-6 in shootouts. The Aeros' 13 shootouts are a league-high. Syracuse is 2-3 in OT and just 1-7 in shootouts.
- The Aeros are 20-10-1-4 when scoring three or more times, but just 2-23-2-2 when scoring two or fewer goals.
- C Bryan Lundbohm has a hand in six (2-4=6) of the Aeros' 13 SHG. Lundbohm, RW Joel Ward, RW Danny Irmen, D Erik Reitz and D Curtis Murphy each have two SHG this season. This is the first time since 2000-01 that the Aeros have five players with at least two SHG. The Aeros' 13 SHG are two shy of the team record, set in 1994-95.
- Houston has allowed 205 goals in 64 games for a 3.20 team gaa. The Aeros are on pace to allow 256 goals - the most since yielding a franchise-record 328 in 1995-96, the only season in team history they didn't make the playoffs.
- The Aeros have scored 164 goals in 64 games for an average of 2.61 gpg. That's on pace for 209 goals scored, which would trail only the 2003-04 campaign (197) for the fewest in team history.
Power play update
- Houston is tied for 24th in the AHL with the man advantage at 14.1 percent.
- The Aeros are 4-for-48 (8.3 percent) on the power play in their last 10 games.
- Syracuse is 17th in the AHL on the penalty kill at 82.2 percent.
- The Crunch has allowed a whopping eight PPG on 21 chances in the last three games for just a 61.9 percent kill rate.
Penalty kill update
- Houston is eighth in the AHL on the PK at 84.5 percent.
- Opponents are 19-for-89 (21.3 percent) on the man advantage in the last 13 games, and have scored at least one PPG in nine straight games.
- Syracuse is 10th in the AHL on the power play at 17.8 percent.
- The Crunch is 8-for-36 (22.2 percent) with the man advantage in the last five games.
Aeros/Crunch connections
- Crunch D Andrew Canzanello, Syracuse C Trevor Frischmon and Aeros assistant coach Matt Shaw are both alumni of Colorado College.
- Syracuse C Trevor Frischmon and Aeros RW Danny Irmen were teammates in 2001-02 with USHL Lincoln.
- Aeros C Bryan Lundbohm and Syracuse D Tomas Kloucek were teammates in Milwaukee in 2002-03.
- Aeros RW Joey Tetarenko, Houston LW Josh Olson and Syracuse D Filip Novak were teammates in San Antonio in 2002-03
- Aeros C Jason Morgan and Syracuse LW Darcy Verot were teammates in Saint John during the 2002-03 season.
American Hockey League Stories from March 17, 2007
- Rivermen Stun Ak-Sar-Ben Knights, 5-4 - Abbotsford Heat
- Rivermen Squeak by Omaha 5-4 on the Road - Peoria Rivermen
- Admirals Come Out of Gates Firing in Win - Norfolk Admirals
- B-Sens cruise past Pirates 5-2 - Binghamton Senators
- Road slide hits 14 - Houston Aeros
- Moose Take Another 3-2 Win Over Griffins - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Bears post 40th win, down Phantoms 5-2 - Hershey Bears
- Admirals Defeat Sound Tigers - Bridgeport Islanders
- Rivals top Phantoms 5-2 - Adirondack Phantoms
- Right Wing MacMurchy Recalled from ECHL Alaska - Peoria Rivermen
- Aeros Gameday - Houston Aeros
- Falcons Host Wolf Pack Tonight - Springfield Falcons
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