Aeros go 0-2-1 in three games last week

Published on January 19, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Week in review: SAN 6, HOU 3; HOU 1, SAN 1 (OT); CHI 5, HOU 2

The Aeros, playing without head coach Todd McLellan (out with a severe case of the flu), went 0-2-1 last week, as they saw their winless streak hit a franchise-record 11 games (0-3-7-1). Houston, though, has still picked up points in eight of those games, including one last week.

Friday, an AHL season-high crowd of 13,342 was on hand to see Roger Clemens drop the puck and the Aeros fall to San Antonio 6-3 in the opener of a home and home set.

Eric Beaudoin scored twice and added a helper and Brent Cullaton supplied three assists for the Rampage, which got 36 saves from Travis Scott. Christoph Brandner scored his first two goals as an Aero and Erik Reitz added a goal and an assist for Houston.

Saturday, Houston picked up its only point of the week by rallying in the third to forge a 1-1 tie in San Antonio. Travis Roche's shorthanded goal 8:17 into the third period gave the Aeros the deadlock. Kyle Kettles made 23 saves to run his unbeaten streak to six starts (0-2-4) and also pick up his fourth tie in as many starts.

Sunday, former Aero Brendan Yarema had two first-period goals, Steve Maltais scored twice on the power play and Frederic Cassivi finished with 34 saves, and the Chicago Wolves held on for a 5-2 victory over road-weary Houston at Allstate Arena.

Matt Foy and Michael Schutte each scored and Johan Holmqvist turned aside 28 shots for Houston. Houston traveled Sunday morning and arrived in Chicago at 12:30 p.m. – 2 ½ hours before gametime.

Coming attractions:

WED, HOU at CLE, 6:05 p.m.

This will mark the third of four meetings this season between the Aeros and Barons. The teams split two games at Toyota Center in October, with Cleveland helping to spoil the October 24 home opener, 5-2. The Barons enter the week winners of two in a row and in fourth place in the North Division. Miroslav Zalesak is tied for the AHL lead with 47 points (21g, 26a), including seven power-play goals. Seamus Kotyk is just back from San Jose and sports 6-4-4 mark and a 2.27 goals against average. Former Aero Greg Labenski now plays for the Barons.

FRI, HOU at CLE, 6:05 p.m.

The Aeros finish off the season series in Cleveland, where they are 3-1-0 all-time.

SAT, HOU vs. SYR, 7 p.m.

Johan Holmqvist Bobblehead Night (3,000), presented by Memorial Hermann Hospital INTERNET ONLY BROADCAST

The Aeros will try to avenge a 5-4 loss to the Crunch in Syracuse on November 28, a game that saw the Aeros hold a four-goal lead in the first period. Syracuse is in fifth place in the North with 44 points after a run of 6-2-0-1 in its last nine games. Donald MacLean (14g, 21a) and Brad Moran (12g, 23a) each have 35 points to lead the Crunch. Syracuse's blueline is led by long-time Aero Trent Cull. Former first-round pick Pascal Leclaire lasted four-plus minutes in the teams' first meeting. Syracuse will make its first ever trip to Houston for this game.

Quite the crowd – The Aeros' crowd Friday night was their biggest in nearly five full seasons, since Game 7 of the 1999 IHL Turner Cup Finals against Chicago, on June 5 (15,242). It was also the biggest crowd in the AHL this season, bettering Chicago's 12,818, versus Grand Rapids on November 1. Houston jumped from averaging 4,359 fans per game to 4,767 fans per game, moving from 17th in the league to 13th. The Aeros' largest regular season crowd since that 1999 Turner Cup Finals game was 11,816, on January 18, 2003, against Manitoba. That night, like Friday, was Boy Scout Night.

A welcomed return - Houston welcomed Mark Cullen back to the lineup Friday. The second-year center had missed 22 straight games with a separated shoulder, after missing the first three games of the season due to having a cancerous mole removed in September, and the ensuing treatments. Cullen had two shots and two penalty minutes in his first two games back and was a scratch Sunday. He also was the starting center Friday, meaning he was greeted at the ceremonial puck drop by future Hall of Fame major leaguer Roger Clemens. Cullen has also fought back from a broken vertebrae at college, in addition to a broken ankle in last season's Western Conference Quarterfinals.

Like father, like son – Houston's penchant for overtime and tie games is remarkably similar to parent club Minnesota. The Wild, 3-3-9 in the last 15, and the Aeros, 9-4-7-1 in the last 21, have combined for only seven regulation losses but also only 12 wins in their last 36 games (12-7-16-1). Both teams are winless in overtime – Minnesota is 0-0-14, while Houston sports an 0-3-9 extra session mark. Both teams tied Saturday night, meaning they are a combined 0-3-23 in overtime in 2003-04. The Aeros' last OT victory was on March 20 of last season, when Hnat Domenichelli scored in San Antonio for a 5-4 Aeros win.

My kingdom for a regulation game – The Aeros have gone into overtime in eight of their last 11 games. The Aeros, winless at 0-3-9 in overtime, are one of just three AHL teams without an extra session win. Houston's 12 OT non-wins are the most of those three teams. The Aeros went 8-3-7 in overtime last season, second in the league in extra session wins (Chicago, 11). Houston's 12 overtime games this season are still not even halfway to the franchise record of 26 shootout games in the 1998-99 season. The AHL record for overtime games is also 26, set in 2001-02 by both Albany and Rochester. The Aeros' nine ties are halfway to the AHL overtime era record, set in 1997-98 by St. John's. New Haven played to 20 ties in 1972-73, but that was before the AHL played overtime periods.

Penalty kill struggles - Houston yielded four power play goals on 17 chances last week (23.5 percent), falling from third in the league on the penalty kill to sixth. The Aeros allowed a pair of man-advantage goals Friday against San Antonio and Sunday in Chicago. Houston is winless in seven games (0-6-1-0) when yielding two or more power play goals. On the flip side, the Aeros have yielded no power play goals in 27 of their 43 games, and have points in all but seven of those games (9-7-8-3).

Winless streak at 11 - Houston's franchise-record winless streak has reached 11 games, three more than the previous mark, set from November 20-December 3 of this season. The Aeros have just three losses in the span (0-3-7-1) and have gone to overtime in eight of those contests. Houston's last win was a 2-1 home decision over San Antonio on December 26. The Aeros' 11-game winless streak is the longest in the AHL since Cleveland had a 13-game streak from last March 15 to the end of the season. Houston is winless in its last six home games (0-1-4-1), a season-high and two shy of the franchise record. The Aeros are 0-2-3-0 in their last five road games and haven't won away from Toyota Center since a 3-1 decision in Utah December 23. Houston enters the upcoming week 8-7-5-2 at home and 6-10-4-1 on the road.

Kettles unbeaten in six starts -Aeros netminder Kyle Kettles suffered the loss in relief Friday night against San Antonio, surrendering three goals on 11 shots. Kettles, however, rebounded the next night with a 23-save performance in a 1-1 tie in San Antonio. That moved Kettles' unbeaten start streak to six games (0-2-4), and was also his fourth straight start that resulted in a tie. Kettles has turned aside 145 of 151 shots (96.0 percent) in his last six starts. He is 2-4-4 with a solid 2.19 goals against average this season. His record could be better, but the Aeros have mustered just 10 goals in support of him in his nine starts. The last time the Aeros lost a game which Kettles started was six weeks ago, on December 1 at home versus Milwaukee. Kettles has been especially stingy on the road, going 2-2-3 with a 2.03 goals against average.

Player of the week LW Christoph Brandner - North American rookie made a splash in his AHL debut, posting two power-play goals in a 6-3 loss to San Antonio at home on Friday...First goal put Houston on top 1-0...Began the season with Minnesota, posting nine points (4g, 5a) in 35 games...6-foot-4, 225-pound winger is first Austrian skater to play in the NHL (Reinhard Divis, a goalie, was first player overall)...28-year-old was Player of the Year for Krefeld in German Elite League in 2002-03. Brandner this week...

1/16 vs. SAN 2-0-2, -2

1/17 at SAN 0-0-0, -1

1/18 at CHI 0-0-0, +1

Totals - 3gp, 2g, 0a, 2 pts, -2, 2 PPG

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American Hockey League Stories from January 19, 2004


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