Aeros host defending champs tonight

January 25, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Five things you need to know
· Houston's Mikko Koivu enters tonight's game with team season-highs with a six-game point streak and a four-game goal streak. Koivu has nine points (6-3=9) in the last six games, and five goals in the four-game goal streak. His goal streak is the longest active run in the AHL. Koivu is second on the team with 23 points (12-11=23), despite missing 12 games due to an appendectomy in late October. Koivu's six-game point streak is the best for an Aero since Dan Cavanaugh had a six-gamer last season.
· Aeros goalie Mike Smith has appeared in 18 straight games - with 16 starts in that span - including one game where he replaced the injured Josh Harding with five seconds remaining 11/28. Smith's 18-game run is a new franchise record, eclipsing Frederic Chabot's old mark of 15, set 12/8/99-1/21/00. Smith, one of five Aeros goalies ever with four shutouts in a season, is 7-7-1 since Harding got hurt, but he sports an impressive 2.06 gaa in that span.
· Houston captain Kirby Law, who played in his 500th professional game last week, picked up another milestone Sunday, when he notched his 300th career AHL point (144=156=300) in his 425th game.
· Houston is an amazing 10-2-0-0 when getting outshot, or the shots are even. The Aeros, meanwhile, are just 9-14-2-2 when outshooting an opponent. Aeros goalies don't mind work - they are only 2-9-1 when seeing 23 shots or less, but 17-9-1 when seeing 24 or more. Sunday, the Aeros outshot Grand Rapids 49-22 and lost 4-3 in a shootout.
· Milwaukee netminder Brian Finley owns more wins against the Aeros than any active AHL netminder, and he trails only Allan Bester's overall lead of 11 victories. Finley is 10-5-1 with a 2.47 gaa versus Houston, including a stellar 8-1-0 mark in 2003-04. He has won 10 of his last 13 decisions against Houston. Milwaukee's Simon Gamache has 29 points (13-16=29) in 24 career games versus the Aeros, including a hand in each of the Ads' last six goals in the series (1-5=6). Since 2002-03, Gamache has points in 14 of his 20 games against Houston, and his teams (Chicago/Milwaukee) are 12-1-1-0 when he has a point, 9-1-1-0 when he scores a goal but a winless 0-4-2-0 when he's held off the scoresheet.

Admirals at Aeros (Aeros are 28-29-6-1 overall, Aeros are 15-13-4-1 at Houston)
· Houston and Milwaukee, the last two Calder Cup champions, meet for the 65th time tonight - 34th in Houston.
· The Aeros are 2-9-1-1 in their last 13 games against the Admirals, but are coming off a 7-0 home win 1/11.
· Houston's 7-0 home win 1/11 snapped a six-game home winless streak against Milwaukee (0-5-0-1). The Admirals had won the first six meetings at Toyota Center by a combined 26-10 margin.
· The teams have split the first four meetings this season, with each team going 1-1-0-0 at home.
· Houston snapped an 0-7-1-1 winless streak versus Milwaukee with a 5-2 win at Bradley Center 11/13 behind a goal and an assist from Marius Holtet, snapping the Admirals' 17-game regulation unbeaten streak.

Scouting the Aeros
Houston, 2-0-0-1 in its last three, tries to match a season-high with a four-game regulation unbeaten streak tonight...Stephane Veilleux (13-14=27) is the Aeros' leading scorer, ahead of Mikko Koivu (12-11=23)...Houston has 20 players with at least one goal...Nineteen-year-old Brent Burns (5-10=15) anchors a well-balanced blueline that includes three players with 12 or 13 points...Mike Smith is 14-10-1 with a 2.41 gaa, while Josh Harding (5-7-1, 2.01 gaa) has missed the last 16 games with a concussion.

Scouting the Admirals
Despite a two-game winless skid (0-1-0-1), Milwaukee has been one of the hottest teams in the AHL, going 8-2-0-1 in its last 11...The Admirals reeled off five straight wins after losing 7-0 in Houston 1/11...Simon Gamache leads the way offensively with 55 points (19-36=55), while Andrew Hutchinson paces the blueliners with 31 points (9-22=31)...Brian Finley is 21-9-2 with a 2.18 gaa, while Seamus Kotyk is 6-4-0 with a 3.27 gaa.

2004-05 meetings (Fifth of 10 meetings, Aeros are 2-2-0-0 overall, Aeros are 1-1-0-0 at Houston)
November 13: Houston 5 at Milwaukee 2
December 29: Milwaukee 4 at Houston 1
January 8: Houston 0 at Milwaukee 2
January 11: Milwaukee 0 at Houston 7
Tonight: Milwaukee at Houston
February 4: Milwaukee at Houston
February 5: Milwaukee at Houston
February 10: Houston at Milwaukee
March 10: Houston at Milwaukee
April 5: Houston at Milwaukee

Last game
Joey MacDonald made 46 saves and Eric Himelfarb followed a regulation goal with the game-winner in the shootout, as the Grand Rapids Griffins held off the Houston Aeros 4-3 at Toyota Center. Pierre-Marc Bouchard forced overtime with 5:42 left in regulation, and he and Mikko Koivu each tallied a goal and an assist for Houston.

Quick Hits
· Houston plays just three of its remaining 41 games against non West Division opponents. The Aeros have a home game left versus Hartford 3/4, before traveling to Manitoba on 3/19-20. Currently, the Aeros have played 21 out-of-division games but only 18 within the West.
· Tonight the Aeros play game two of a five-game stretch against Milwaukee, Chicago and Grand Rapids, the teams with the top three winning percentages in the West.
· The Aeros have allowed 25 third-period goals. Only Rochester (24) has been better defensively in the final 20 minutes.
· In four games, Milwaukee has scored eight goals versus Houston, but five have come on the power play.

Smith at franchise mark
· Aeros goalie Mike Smith has appeared in 18 straight games - 16 of the appearances starts - including one game where he replaced the injured Josh Harding with five seconds remaining 11/28. Smith's 18-game run is a new franchise record, eclipsing Frederic Chabot's old mark of 15, set 12/8/99-1/21/00.
· Smith recorded his third shutout of the run and fourth overall 1/19, making 39 saves in a 2-0 win over Edmonton. It marked the third-highest save total for an Aeros goalie in a shutout, trailing only Chabot's 43 and Harding's 40. Smith, one of five Aeros goalies ever with four shutouts in a season, is 7-7-1 since Harding got hurt, but sports an impressive 2.06 gaa in that span.
· Smith is 14-6-1 when allowing zero or one goal in the first period, but he's 0-4-0 with a no decision when yielding two or more.
· Smith is 3-1 in his AHL career in OT and 3-1 in shootouts, and he went 3-1 in shootouts with ECHL Lexington in 2002-03.
· His three shootout wins are two off Jason LaBarbera's league-best total of five.
· The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder is 6-1-0 with a 2.37 gaa on the road but 8-9-1 with a 2.43 gaa at Toyota Center.
· In 18 home games, Smith has allowed 34 goals in the first two periods but just six in the third.
· Smith has yielded only five third-period goals in 16 games played in December and January.

PP unit seventh
· The Aeros are seventh in the league on the power play at 18.1 percent.
· Houston is 2-for-20 (10.0 percent) in the last four games on the man advantage and is 5-for-43 (11.6 percent) in the last eight games after scoring at least one PPG in a franchise-record 10 straight games. In their last 22 games, the Aeros have outscored their opponents 27-13 on the power play.
· The Aeros are 15-9-2-1 when scoring a PPG and 4-7-0-1 when not scoring a PPG.
· Overall, the Aeros have outscored their opponents 38-22 on the power play.
· The Aeros have allowed seven shorthanded goals, the last by Norfolk's Quintin Laing 12/18.
· Milwaukee is eighth in the AHL on the penalty kill at 86.8 percent.
· The Admirals have killed off 10-of-12 (83.3 percent) of their shorthanded chances over their last five games. In Sunday's 3-1 loss in San Antonio, the Rampage didn't go on the power play.

Houston tied for fourth on PK
· Houston is tied for fourth in the league on the penalty kill at 87.8 percent.
· Houston has killed off 53-of-59 shorthanded chances in the last 15 games (89.8 percent), and Milwaukee has three of the last six PPG versus Houston.
· The Aeros have killed off 119-of-132 (90.2 percent) of their shorthanded chances over the last 29 games.
· Houston is 12-8-1-1 when not allowing a PPG and 7-8-1-1 when allowing a PPG.
· The Aeros are tied for sixth in the AHL with six SHG, all by different players. Only Lowell and Manchester also have six different players with a SHG.
· Milwaukee is third in the AHL on the power play at 20.4 percent, including tops in the league on the road at 20.3 percent.
· The Admirals are 3-for-19 (15.8 percent) on the power play over their last five games.

First and last two minutes are crucial
Houston has scored just 12 goals in the first or last two minutes of a period this season. The Aeros' opponents, meanwhile, have 22 goals in this crucial time. Houston is 1-7-0 this season when allowing a goal in the opening two minutes of a period.

Aeros/Admirals connections
· Houston's Stephane Veilleux and the Admirals' Simon Gamache were two of the leading scorers for QMJHL Val d'Or from 1999-2001.
· Houston defenseman Erik Reitz played two seasons (1999-2001) with Milwaukee goalie Brian Finley at OHL Barrie.
· Milwaukee's Dan Hamhuis and Houston's Derek Boogaard were teammates for two seasons with WHL Prince George in 1999-2000 and 2000-01.
· Houston's Junior Lessard (2004) and Milwaukee's Tony Hrkac (1987) each won the Hobey Baker Award for being college hockey's top player, albeit 17 years apart. Hrkac and Houston's Todd Reirden were teammates with the Atlanta Thrashers in 2001-02.
· Milwaukee's Cam Severson played parts of two junior seasons for Houston head coach Todd McLellan in Swift Current. Severson was also teammates with Houston's Todd Reirden for the past two seasons in Cincinnati.
· Houston's captain Kirby Law was teammates with Milwaukee's Brad Tiley from 2000-2003 at AHL Philadelphia.
· Milwaukee's Jeremy Yablonski and Houston's Kyle Wanvig were junior teammates in WHL Kootenay in 1998-99.



American Hockey League Stories from January 25, 2005


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