Aeros Gameday

Published on April 10, 2007 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Nine things you need to know

- Since going winless in a franchise-record 15 straight road games (0-12-2-1) from 1/3-3/18, the Aeros have points in four straight road tilts (3-0-1-0). That's one of Houston's season-high road point streak, which was straight wins from 10/21-11/15.

- Aeros rookie G Tony Quesada made 41 saves in Saturday's 1-0 OT win in Omaha. It marked Quesada's first win and shutout after an 0-8-0 beginning to the season. His 41 saves in a shutout are the second most ever by an Aero - and the most since Frederic Chabot blanked Long Beach 6-0 on 43 shots 2/15/97. The game was Houston's seventh 1-0 win in team history, but the first in OT or a shootout.

- Houston is 1-4 in OT and 7-6 in shootouts. The Aeros have suffered three of their four OTL in the opening minute, including last Friday against Peoria. The Aeros then defeated Omaha 1-0 in overtime on Saturday, with D Curtis Murphy scoring with 37 seconds left, as Houston became the last AHL team to win an OT decision this season. Houston's last regular season overtime victory came last 4/9/06 against San Antonio, with Murphy providing the heroics in a 5-4 decision at Toyota Center. Milwaukee, meanwhile, has played an AHL-record 27 OT/SO games, going 9-4 in OT and 5-9 in shootouts.

- Houston has been outshot 117-57 in the last three games, and hasn't outshot any of its last 12 opponents.

- Houston veteran C Jason Morgan celebrated his 500th career AHL game Friday with a third-period assist, and he also assisted on D Curtis Murphy's OT game-winner Saturday in Omaha. Morgan has 279 points (93-186=279) in 501 career AHL games. Morgan has points in six of his last eight games, with eight points (3-5=8) in that span.

- Aeros rookie D John Scott had one assist in the season's first 55 games, but in five games since, he has posted five points (1-4=5), including his first pro goal Friday in Peoria. Scott, who began the season on the blueline, was converted to forward and then switched back, is a team-best plus-seven over the last eight games.

- The Aeros established a new team record 4/3 with their 16th SHG of the season - scored by RW Joel Ward. The original mark was set in the inaugural 1994-95 campaign. Ward, RW Danny Irmen and D Erik Reitz have three SHG apiece - one off the team's individual SHG mark, set three times - most recently by Stephane Veilleux in 2003-04. C Bryan Lundbohm 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 have not held a scoring advantage in the third period in 22 of their last 28 games. In their last 17 games, the Aeros have been outscored 22-9 in the final 20 minutes, and in their last 24 games, it has been a 32-12 deficit. Houston has been outscored 81-59 in the third period this season. Only Toronto (54) has scored fewer third-period goals.

- Houston is 10-13-4-6 in one-goal games, and just 4-10-4-2 in its last 20 such games. The Aeros have only three non shootout one-goal wins, and Saturday's was the first since a 3-2 victory at Iowa 11/9. Milwaukee is 23-8-4-9 in one-goal games, the third-most one-goal victories in the AHL.

Aeros at Admirals (Aeros are 36-38-9-2 overall, Aeros are 16-21-4-0 at Milwaukee)

- The historic rivals meet for the 86th time tonight. The Aeros have only played Chicago (90) more times.

- Houston is 0-2-1-0 in the last three meetings after a 6-1-0-1 stretch.

- Since winning 5-1 at Milwaukee 10/17/03, the Aeros are 10-18-4-2 in the last 34 regular season meetings overall.

- The Admirals won the last meeting, 3-1 at Toyota Center on 2/25. C Rich Peverley scored twice and G Pekka Rinne made 31 saves.

- In the last Bradley Center meeting, 2/11, Milwaukee rallied from a pair of one-goal deficits for a 4-3 win over Houston. Former Aeros C Nicolas Corbeil tallied a hat trick and G Pekka Rinne stopped 35 shots. G Dieter Kochan had 36 saves for the Aeros.

- Houston is 4-9-3-0 in its last 16 regular season trips to Bradley Center since the aforementioned win 10/17/03, and 4-11-3-0 in 18 games counting the playoffs. The Aeros are winless in three trips to Milwaukee this season (0-1-0-2), and are 0-3-0-2, counting the playoffs, since their last win there, 4-2 on 11/15/06.

Scouting the Aeros

The Aeros (26-39-4-6) finish off a three-game road trip tonight, before playing three of their final four games at home beginning tomorrow versus Iowa...Team scoring leader RW Matt Foy has 50 points (27-23=50) but was recalled by the NHL's Minnesota Wild last week...Next are veteran LW Mattias Weinhandl (18-21=39), veteran D Curtis Murphy (9-29=38), rookie RW Danny Irmen (17-20=37) and rookie LW Benoit Pouliot (19-17=36)...D Dieter Kochan is 6-14-1 with a 3.28 gaa and a .903 save pct...G Miroslav Kopriva is 2-5-1 with a 3.88 gaa and a .894 save pct....G Tony Quesada is 1-8-0 with a 4.44 gaa and a .874 save pct.

Scouting the Admirals

Milwaukee (38-25-4-9), AHL affiliate of the Nashville Predators, will finish third in the West Division, meaning a first-round playoff matchup against either arch-rival Chicago, or Omaha...The Admirals have lost two straight to see their chances for a division title disappear, and they finish off their schedule at Peoria tomorrow, then at home Friday versus Chicago and Sunday against Peoria...C Rich Peverley leads the Ads and is tied for 21st in the AHL with 65 points (29-36=65) despite spending much of the last month with Nashville...All-Star D and Eddie Shore frontrunner Sheldon Brookbank leads all AHL blueliners with 50 points (14-36=50)... G Pekka Rinne is 13-7-5 with a 2.43 gaa and a .917 save pct., while G Karl Goehring is 21-15-4 with a 2.73 gaa and a .906 save pct.

2006-07 meetings (8th of 8 meetings, Aeros are 3-2-2-0 overall, Aeros are 0-1-0-2 at Milwaukee)

November 15 Houston 4 at Milwaukee 2

January 21 Milwaukee 1 at Houston 6

January 23 Milwaukee 3 at Houston 2 (OT)

February 1 Milwaukee 2 at Houston 3 (SO)

February 2 Houston 2 at Milwaukee 3 (OT)

February 11 Houston 3 at Milwaukee 4

February 25 Milwaukee 3 at Houston 1

Tonight Houston at Milwaukee

Saturday's game

Rookie Tony Quesada was brilliant, making 41 saves for his first career win and shutout, and two-time Eddie Shore winner Curtis Murphy scored the game-winning goal with 37 seconds left in overtime, as the Houston Aeros knocked off first-place Omaha 1-0. Curtis McElhinney stopped 18 shots for Omaha.

Quick Hits

- Ten of the Aeros' 26 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 29 of their last 34 games.

- The Aeros are winless (0-26-2-4) when allowing four goals or more.

- The Aeros are 22-12-2-4 when scoring three or more times, but just 4-27-2-2 when scoring two or fewer goals.

- Houston has allowed 251 goals in 75 games for a 3.35 team gaa. The Aeros are on pace to allow 268 goals - the most since yielding a franchise-record 328 in 1995-96, the only other season in team history they didn't make the playoffs.

- The Aeros have scored 196 goals in 75 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.

- Saturday's game marked the Aeros' first 1-0 road win since 11/6/04, when Josh Harding made 40 saves in Grand Rapids. It was Houston's first 1-0 win of any kind since defeating Milwaukee 1-0 on 2/5/05, behind 34 saves from Harding and a Matt Foy goal

Power play update

- Houston is 26th in the AHL with the man advantage at 13.8 percent.

- The Aeros are 8-for-96 (8.3 percent) on the power play in their last 21 games, including 0-for-9 in the last three.

- Milwaukee is tied for third in the AHL on the penalty kill at 86.0 percent.

- The Admirals killed off 23-of-27 shorthanded chances (85.2 percent) in their last five games.

- Houston is 6-for-34 (17.6 percent) on the power play against Milwaukee this season.

Penalty kill update

- Houston is 11th in the AHL on the PK at 83.6 percent.

- The Aeros have killed off nine-of-nine shorthanded chances in the last two games, after surrendering 11 goals on 23 chances over a four-game stretch - all at home - for just a 52.2 percent PK rate.

- Milwaukee is 13th in the AHL on the power play at 17.4 percent.

- The Admirals are an impressive 6-for-23 (26.1 percent) on the man advantage in their last five games.

- Milwaukee is 6-for-43 (14.0 percent) on the power play against Houston this season.

Aeros/Admirals connections

- The Aeros face one of their former friends as a foe tonight, Lane Lambert serves as an assistant coach with the Admirals. Lambert spent parts of three seasons with the Aeros, helping the team to a Turner Cup title in 1999 along with current Aeros assistant coach Cam Stewart.

- Houston D Curtis Murphy and C Bryan Lundbohm were each on the Admirals' 2004 Calder Cup winning team. Lundbohm was injured. Murphy played for the Ads for that one season, while Lundbohm spent four (2001-05) in a Milwaukee sweater.

- Admirals G Karl Goehring attended the University of North Dakota from 1997-98. He was Aeros D Curtis Murphy's teammate in 1997-98, and Aeros C Bryan Lundbohm's teammate from 1998-2001.

- Milwaukee D Alex Henry was a member of the Minnesota Wild organization from 2003-06, serving as captain at one point.

- Aeros assistant coach Cam Stewart and Milwaukee D Kevin Klein and D T.J. Reynolds all hail from Kitchener, Ont.

- Aeros RW Joel Ward and Milwaukee C Cal O'Reilly are both from Toronto, Ont

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American Hockey League Stories from April 10, 2007


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