Aeros return home tonight, giving away cash to celebrate

November 26, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Five things you need to know
• The Aeros start an eight-game homestand tonight after a 3-2-0-0 road trip and a stretch of 13 out of 15 games on the road. Houston is 3-3-0-0 at Toyota Center, but the Aeros are 2-1-0-0 since a 1-2-0-0 start. Starting tonight, the Aeros play 13 of 16 games and 20 of 25 at home.
• Utah has scored one first-period goal - seven fewer than any other AHL team. Houston, meanwhile, has 24 first-period goals, one off Manchester's league lead. The Grizzlies' lone first-period goal came opening night 10/13 vs. Cincinnati. Utah has gone 13 straight games without a first-period goal.
• Sometime this weekend, Aeros goalie Mike Smith will face his former team, although only Jarrod Skalde remains from the Grizzlies team Smith played for in each of the last two seasons. Utah was Dallas' AHL affiliate prior to hooking up with Springfield this season. Smith has won six of his last seven decisions, including a 2-0-0 mark with a 1.44 gaa in his last two starts. Since allowing three goals on six shots at Worcester 11/3, Smith is 4-1-0 with a 1.98 gaa. Aeros defenseman John Erskine played parts of four seasons with Utah.
• Aeros center Mark Cullen and left wing Stephane Veilleux each need two points to become the 18th player in team history to reach 100.
• Utah (2-11-0-1) is still looking for its first regulation victory this season. Both wins have come via the shootout.

Grizzlies at Aeros (Aeros are 45-38-4-1 overall, Aeros are 23-15-3-1 at Houston)
• Tonight marks the 89th all-time meeting between Houston and the Utah franchise, including its play in Denver in 1994-95. The 89 meetings are the most between the Aeros and an opponent.
• The Aeros went 5-4-1 versus Utah, then Dallas' affiliate, in 2003-04.
• Houston is 5-2-1 in the last eight meetings after losing three straight 3/20-11/7/03.
• Houston is 14-7-1 in the last 22 meetings and 17-12-2-1 versus the Grizzlies since joining the AHL.
• Utah has been held to one goal or less in five of the last eight meetings.
• The Aeros are 8-2-1 in the last 11 meetings in Houston, including a 3-0-1 mark in the last four games. Utah last won at Toyota Center 10/26/03, a 2-1 victory behind 48 saves from current Aero Mike Smith.
• The teams skated to a 5-5 tie 3/23 in their last game at Toyota Center.

Scouting the Aeros
Houston is 10-5-0-1 in its last 16 games and is opening up an eight-game homestand...Pierre-Marc Bouchard (5-11=16) is Houston's leading scorer, while Mark Cullen (4-9=13) and Stephane Veilleux (6-7=13) are just off the pace...Houston has 18 players with at least one goal...Nineteen-year-old Brent Burns (3-7=10) and Erik Reitz (0-8=8) anchor the blueline...Rookie goalie Josh Harding is 4-7-1 with a 2.01 gaa, while Mike Smith is 7-2-0 with a 2.81 gaa.

Scouting the Grizzlies
Utah (2-11-0-1), in its first year as Phoenix' AHL affiliate, is still looking for its first regulation victory on the season...Both Grizzlies wins have come via the shootout, including a 2-1 home decision Tuesday over San Antonio, their first win of the season at ‘E' Center...The Rampage rebounded with a 1-0 win Wednesday...Jeff Taffe (4-5-9) is Utah's leading scorer, although Peter White, obtained from Philadelphia two weeks ago, has 11 total points (2-9=11) with both teams...The Grizzlies leading defensive scorer is Matthew Spiller (2-2=4)...David LeNeveu, an AHL All Star in his rookie 2003-04 campaign, is 2-7-0 with a 2.84 gaa...Jean-Marc Pelletier is 0-4-1 with a 4.87 gaa.

2004-05 meetings (First of 10 meetings, Aeros are 0-0-0-0 overall, Aeros are 0-0-0-0 at Houston)
TONIGHT: Utah at Houston
Sunday: Utah at Houston
February 8: Utah at Houston
February 21: Houston at Utah
February 23: Houston at Utah
March 16: Houston at Utah
March 18: Houston at Utah
March 23: Utah at Houston
April 6: Houston at Utah
April 17: Utah at Houston

Wednesday's game
Kari Lehtonen made 39 saves for his second straight shutout and former Aero Cory Larose's goal 82 seconds into the game was all he needed, as the Chicago Wolves beat Houston 3-0 at Allstate Arena. Stephen Baby and Karl Stewart also scored for Chicago, which has won three of four. Josh Harding turned aside 30 shots for Houston, which had its three-game winning streak snapped. The Aeros finished their five-game road trip 3-2-0-0

Quick Hits
• Houston is 7-3-1-1 in one-goal games, tied with Philadelphia (7-1-0-0) and Grand Rapids (7-3-1-0) for the league lead in one-goal victories. In 2003-04, the Aeros were 8-6-0-4 in such games.
• The Aeros are 8-3-0-0 when playing the second or third game of back-to-back situations. Last season, Houston was 11-13-6-2 in those situations.
• Utah has played just four road games, the fewest in the AHL. Grand Rapids has played five games away from Van Andel Arena.
• The Grizzlies have outshot only two opponents. No other team has outshot fewer than six opponents.
• Utah has led after one period and after two periods just once all season
• The Grizzlies are 28th and last in the AHL in goals for (1.71) and 27th in goals against (3.79).

Cullen, Veilleux in a race of their own
• Aeros center Mark Cullen and left wing Stephane Veilleux are in a race to become the 18th player in team history with 100 points.
• Cullen and Veilleux are tied for 18th on the team's all-time point list with 98.
• Veilleux has 11 points (5-6=11) in his last 12 games.
• Dan Cavanaugh is next on the ledger with 90 points.

Smith has won six of seven
• Aeros goalie Mike Smith has won six of his last seven decisions, including a 2-0-0 mark with a 1.44 gaa in his last two starts.
• Since allowing three goals on six shots at Worcester 11/3, Smith is 4-1-0 with a 1.98 gaa.
• Smith's four straight wins 10/24-11/13 tied his career high, set 11/28-12/7/03.
• Smith is a perfect 7-0-0 in seven starts when allowing zero or one goal in the first period, but he's 0-2-0 with a no decision when yielding two or more.
• Smith has never lost an overtime or regulation game in his AHL career. He's 3-0 in OT and 2-0 in shootouts.

It's not "Hard" to figure out his talent with these stats
• Aeros rookie netminder Josh Harding sports a 2.01 gaa, eighth best in the AHL and tops among rookies.
• Since falling to 0-3-0 October 23, the 20-year-old Harding, the second youngest goalie in the AHL behind Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's Marc-Andre Fleury, is 4-4-1 with a 1.68 gaa.
• Harding is the first Aeros rookie netminder ever with two shutouts.
• Harding has stopped an eye-popping 119-of-126 shots in the third period for a .949 save percentage.
• Harding made 40 saves 11/6 for his second shutout in three starts. He joined Frederic Chabot as the lone Aeros goalies with 1-0 road wins, and his 40 saves trail only Chabot's 43 on 2/15/97, versus Long Beach for most in a shutout.

It's all about support
With his 2.01 gaa, Houston rookie goalie Josh Harding seemingly deserves better than his 4-7-1 record. The Aeros are averaging 1.91 goals per game when Harding gets the start, and they've been shut out in three of his outings. The 20-year-old has allowed two goals or less in seven of his 11 starts. Mike Smith, meanwhile, has a 2.81 gaa, but his record is 7-2-0 and Houston scores 3.40 goals per game when he starts. Smith has tightened up in his last two games, allowing only three total goals. Smith isn't complaining about the support. In his 16 losses over two seasons with Utah, the Grizzlies scored 25 goals for him.

Aeros PPG streak snapped
• Houston, which is ninth on the power play at 17.9 percent, has failed to notch a PPG in its last two games after five consecutive games with a PPG. The Aeros, who had a franchise-record-trying four PPG Saturday in Syracuse, are 8-for-33 (21.6 percent) in the last seven games.
• The Aeros are 8-4-1-0 when scoring a PPG and 3-4-0-1 when not scoring a PPG.
• Houston's Pierre-Marc Bouchard has a hand in 11 of the Aeros' 19 PPG this season. He has been on the ice for 13 of the 19, including 11 of the last 14.
• The Aeros have allowed an AHL-high-tying five shorthanded goals, including a pair by Syracuse's Alexander Svitov 11/20.
• Utah is tied for 25th on the penalty kill at 78.0 percent.
• The Grizzlies are only 24-for-32 (75.0 percent) in the kill over their last five games, including a pair of games in which they gave up three PPG.

Houston ninth on the PK
• Other than a 2-for-4 power play performance by Milwaukee 11/13, Houston has been rock solid to move to ninth in the AHL at 86.9 percent.
• The Aeros have killed off 54-of-59 (91.5 percent) shorthanded chances over the last 11 games.
• Houston is 5-5-0-1 when not allowing a PPG and 6-3-1-0 when allowing a PPG.
• The Aeros are tied for fourth in the AHL with four SHG.
• Utah ranks 17th in the AHL on the power play at 14.3 percent, including a stout 23.1 percent on the road - fourth in the AHL.
• The Grizzlies are 4-for-24 with the man advantage (16.7 percent) over their last five games.

Aeros may need directions to find their home
• The Aeros return home tonight after a 3-2-0-0 road trip and a stretch of 13 out of 15 games on the road. Houston is 3-3-0-0 on home ice, but the Aeros are 2-1-0-0 since a 1-2-0-0 start.
• Houston is 3-0-0-0 when scoring first at home, but 0-3-0-0 when giving up the first goal.
• The Aeros continue the homestand Sunday versus Utah, then Thursday against Rochester and next Sunday versus San Antonio. Houston's eight-game homestand is its longest since a nine-game run from 1/2-1/28/00.
• Starting tonight, Houston plays 13 of 16 games and 20 of 25 at home.

Aeros approaching 2003-04's road win total
• The Aeros have won six of nine on the road, and their eight wins and 18 road points trail only Manitoba's nine and 19 for the AHL lead.
• Each of Houston's first nine road games was decided by one goal, tying the franchise record originally set 1/27-3/1/97. The Aeros are now 6-3-1-1 in one-goal road games, and they have a league-best six wins and 14 points in one-goal road games.
• The Aeros won three straight on the road 11/19-11/23, the first time they've done that since 1/22-1/25/03. The Aeros haven't won four straight road games since going 5-0-0-0 to open up the 2002-03 road slate (10/18-10/24/02).
• The Aeros, 8-5-1-1 on the road this season, were 5-8-1-1 in 2003-04 through their first 15 road games.
• Houston won only 10 road games all of last season (10-22-6-2), and didn't record its eighth road victory until 2/27 at San Antonio in its 34th road game (8-19-6-1).

Getting better as they go
Houston has allowed an AHL-high 24 first-period goals this season, but the goalies get downright stingy after that, especially in the final 20 minutes. In the third period, Aeros goalies have allowed only 12 goals on 209 shots (.943 save percentage). Opponents do have four empty-net goals. Houston's save percentage increases from .890 in the first period to .931 in the second and .943 in the third.

First and last two minutes are crucial
Houston has scored just four goals in the first or last two minutes of a period this season, the latest coming Friday night on Dan Cavanaugh's game-winning goal with two minutes left in the first period. The Aeros' opponents, meanwhile, have 13 goals in this crucial time, including Cory Larose's game-winner 1:22 into the game Wednesday in Chicago.

Attendance up 23 percent
Houston is averaging 4,985 fans per game through six home games, a 23.1 percent increase over the same span in 2003-04, when the Aeros increased their average attendance for the first time in team history.

Aeros/Grizzlies connections
• Aeros defenseman Ray Giroux played collegiately at Yale, as did Utah's Joe Callahan, although they did not attend together.
• Todd Reirden played 34 games with the Springfield Falcons and seven contests with NHL Phoenix, alongside many of the Grizzlies players.
• Houston's Erik Reitz played one season of juniors with Sheldon Keefe, who won the OHL's leading scorer trophy in that 1999-2000 campaign.
• Utah's Jarrod Skalde and Houston's Mike Smith each spent 2003-04 with the Grizzlies. Skalde also played alongside Kirby Law in AHL Philadelphia in 2001-02.
• Aeros captain Kirby Law and Utah's Peter White played three seasons together in AHL Philadelphia. White is the Phantoms' all-time leading scorer, while Law ranks third on the list.



American Hockey League Stories from November 26, 2004


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