Aeros shoot for playoff berth, home-ice tonight

April 9, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


The Aeros can clinch a Calder Cup playoff berth tonight in Cincinnati with:

A win, tie, or overtime loss against Cincinnati, OR

A tie, loss or overtime loss by San Antonio in Grand Rapids

The Aeros can clinch home ice in the West Division Quailfying Round with:

A regulation or overtime win against Cincinnati

Tonight's game, the most important of the season for the Aeros, can be heard on Star 790 KBME or on www.aeros.com beginning at 6:35 p.m. (ct). You can follow along on the website with complete period-by-period recaps.

Houston Aeros at Cincinnati Mighty Ducks, 4/9

Five things you absolutely need to know before reading any further –

The Aeros' magic number to qualify for the post-season is one point, and they are three points away from home-ice in a Qualifying Round. Houston can both qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs, and guarantee hosting a Qualifying Round matchup, with a regulation or overtime victory tonight. Houston can also advance to the post-season if San Antonio loses or ties in Grand Rapids. An Aeros loss or tie would give Cincinnati a chance for fourth place when it plays Grand Rapids in its season finale tomorrow. Houston and Cincinnati are attempting to become the first non 30-win teams in the AHL post-season since Adirondack won 21 games and qualified in 1999. The Ducks still could reach 30 victories by winning their remaining two games.

Tonight the Aeros will try to post three straight road wins for the first time this season. Houston last won three straight road games from January 22-25, 2002 (Hartford once, Bridgeport twice). The Aeros' only other set of back-to-back road wins this season came in Cincinnati and Utah on December 20 and 23.

Houston is unbeaten in regulation in 10 straight games (6-0-3-1) versus teams with a sub .500 record.

The Aeros are 4-for-56 (7.1 percent) on the power play over their last 10 games, including 0-for-23 the last four. Cincinnati, meanwhile, has allowed only one man advantage goal on 16 chances (93.8 percent kill rate) over its last four games.

Aeros centerman Mark Cullen has helped raise $950 for "Sunshine Kids", which helps children struck with cancer and their families. An anonymous donor is giving $100 per Cullen goal and $50 per assist to the organization. Cullen, who was diagnosed with malignant melanoma last fall, has three and 13 assists since the campaign started March 5. Cullen was named Houston's American Specialty/AHL Man of the Year last week.

Aeros at Ducks (Aeros lead series 7-3-4-1 all-time, Aeros are 3-2-1-1 at Cincinnati)

Tonight is the 16th all-time meeting between the teams, eighth in Cincinnati.

The Aeros are 2-2-3-0 this season against Cincinnati and 7-2-4-0 in the last 13 meetings overall.

Houston is winless in the last four meetings (0-1-3-0), although the Aeros have points in three of those games.

Three of the last four meetings have ended in a tie, and the teams have played six overtime games in 15 chances.

Houston has outscored Cincinnati 8-2 in the third period of their seven meetings this season.

The Ducks have been outchanced 42-26 in power plays in the season series, but they have scored four man-advantage goals, one more than the Aeros.

The Aeros are 3-2-1-1 all-time at Cincinnati, including only one loss in the last five meetings (3-1-1-0).

Tonight is the last of eight regular-season meetings between the teams, with a playoff series possibly on the horizon.

2003-04 meetings (Eighth of eight meetings, Aeros are 2-2-3-0 overall, Aeros are 1-1-1-0 at Cincinnati)

December 5: Cincinnati 1 at Houston 3

December 19: Houston 2 at Cincinnati 4

December 20: Houston 2 at Cincinnati 1

January 2: Houston 2 at Cincinnati 2 (OT)

January 27: Cincinnati 3 at Houston 1

April 1: Cincinnati 4 at Houston 4 (OT)

April 2: Cincinnati 3 at Houston 3 (OT)

Tonight: Houston at Cincinnati

Last game – The line of Dan Cavanaugh (2g, 1a), Billy Tibbetts (3a) and Kyle Wanvig (1g, 2a) combined for every point on all three Aeros goals in a span of 3:31 early in the second period, and the Houston Aeros and the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks skated to a 3-3 tie at Toyota Center last Friday. Frederic Cloutier made 31 saves for Houston. Cavanaugh earned his fourth career two-goal game, and his first since March 29, 2003, at Utah. This was his first career three-point game. The teams skated to their second straight tie, after the Aeros rallied dramatically in the waning seconds 24 hours before for a 4-4 final.

Scouting the Aeros – Houston, 8-4-4-1 in its last 17, will likely play tonight with nearly a full compliment of players for the first time since late February, when then leading scorer Stephane Veilleux (12-26=38) was recalled to Minnesota. Winger Kyle Wanvig has moved into the top scoring spot with 40 points (24-16=40), and his 24 goals also lead the team. Veilleux, defenseman Travis Roche (8-30=38) and Dan Cavanaugh (15-23=38) are tied for second with 38 points apiece. Houston also got Rickard Wallin (14-17=31) and defenseman Zbynek Michalek (5-14=19) back from Minnesota this week. Last season's Calder Cup Most Valuable Player, goalie Johan Holmqvist, played 59 of the team's first 74 games, going 23-27-7 with a 2.56 goals against average and three shutouts before getting injured. Kyle Kettles, in his first year in the AHL, is 4-8-5 with a 2.68 goals against average but has deserved a better fate. In 17 starts, the Aeros have scored 33 goals in front of the rookie netminder. Kettles is backed up by Frederic Cloutier, who is 0-2-2 with a 3.56 goals against average. Cloutier, who made 31 saves in a 3-3 tie against Cincinnati one week ago, has spent most of the 2003-04 season with ECHL Louisiana.

Scouting the Mighty Ducks – Cincinnati enters tonight's game winless in four straight games (0-1-3-0) after finishing off a six-game road trip with a 2-2 tie in Cleveland on Wednesday. The Ducks are 7-14-6-0 in their last 27 games since pulling within one game of the .500 mark February 14 versus Manitoba. Swede Tony Martensson (15-34=49) assisted on both Cincinnati goals Wednesday to take the team scoring lead. Martensson had been tied with Keith Aucoin (18-29=47). Defenseman Chris Armstrong, who played three games with the Minnesota Wild in 2000-01, is the third leading scorer on the team with 44 points (9-35=44), including two goals last week. Ilya Bryzgalov is a workhorse netminder, playing in 62 games with a record of 26-24-10 and a goals against average of 2.27. His backup is Frenchman Eddy Ferhi, who is 2-12-3 with a 3.11 goals against average.

Aeros/Ducks connections –

Cincinnati's Mike Mottau was a teammate of Houston goalie Johan Holmqvist for most of three seasons, from 2000-2003, in Hartford. Mottau also spent time in Saint John last season alongside current Aero Jan Vodrazka.

Mighty Ducks defenseman Chris Armstrong spent one season in the Wild organization. He played 77 games with Cleveland in 2000-01 under head coach Todd McLellan, and also saw action in three games with Minnesota that season.

Houston's Kyle Wanvig and Cincinnati's Joel Stepp each played for WHL Red Deer in 1999-2000 and 2000-01, and they helped the Rebels to a Memorial Cup title.

Cincinnati's Tony Martensson played two seasons with Brynas IF Gavle of the Swedish Elite League. That same team produced Houston netminder Johan Holmqvist in 2000.

Houston's Maxime Fortunus played alongside Cincinnati's Joel Perrault with QMJHL Baie-Comeau from 2000-2003.

Playoff picture getting clearer – The Aeros are only one point away from their eighth straight playoff berth and ninth in 10 seasons. Fourth-place Houston is two points up on Cincinnati and six ahead of San Antonio. Utah, meanwhile, has been eliminated. Cincinnati, which tied Cleveland 2-2 Wednesday, is at home tonight versus the Aeros and tomorrow against Cleveland to wrap up the season. San Antonio, which lost 4-3 in Chicago on a last-second goal Wednesday, is in Grand Rapids tonight, then plays home tomorrow against Utah and Sunday against Grand Rapids. Houston can assure itself of both a playoff berth, and home ice in a qualifying round, with a regulation or overtime victory tonight. The Aeros can also clinch a post-season berth with a regulation loss if San Antonio loses or ties in Grand Rapids. Should Houston and Cincinnati tie tonight, the Ducks could still clinch home-ice in the qualifying round with a victory tomorrow and an Aeros regulation loss. If Cincinnati is victorious in regulation tonight, the Ducks would only need to match the Aeros' Saturday point output to clinch the No. 4 seed. The Mighty Ducks would hold the first tiebreaker – total wins.

Houston – 72 points (2 games left, 1H, 1R)

GR (1H/0R), CIN (0H/1R)

Cincinnati – 70 points (2 games left, 2H, 0R)

CLE (1H/0R), HOU (1H/0R)

San Antonio – 66 points (3 games left, 2H, 1R)

GR (1H/1R), UTA (1H/0R)

Trying for three straight on the road –

Tonight the Aeros, 3-2-1-1 in their last seven away from Toyota Center, will try to post three straight road wins for the first time this season. Houston last won three straight road games from January 22-25, 2002 (Hartford once, Bridgeport twice). The Aeros' only other set of back-to-back road wins this season came in Cincinnati and Utah on December 20 and 23.

Houston is 10-21-6-2 on the road, including a 4-13-6-0 mark in the last 23 games since December 23.

Houston's 21 road defeats have tied its franchise record, set in 1995-96, with only tonight's game remaining. The Aeros have 10 road wins, meaning they will establish a new franchise record. Houston went 15-21-5 on the road in 1995-96.

Aeros get important threesome back – Minnesota assigned left wing Stephane Veilleux, center Rickard Wallin and defenseman Zbynek Michalek to the Aeros on Monday. The trio combined for 88 points with Houston this season, and they notched 21 total points with the Wild in a little more than a month's time.

Veilleux was the team's leading scorer (13-25=38) at the time of his February 27 recall and currently rides a five-game point streak (1-4=5) with the Aeros, one off his season- and career-high, set February 3-13.

Veilleux has 17 points (7+10=17) in the last 22 games. He has an assist in seven of the last nine games and a point in 11 of the last 13 contests and 13 of 16.

Veilleux is also tied for the AHL lead with a team record tying four shorthanded goals. The Aeros haven't posted a shorthanded tally since Veilleux's recall.

Wallin's four-game goal streak is a new career-best and is tied for the longest current run in the AHL. Wallin is two games shy of his career-best six-game point streak and last played in Houston March 5 against Grand Rapids.

Michalek has 18 points (5+13=18) in 52 games – three more assists, one more goal and four more points than he had in 62 games last season.

"Pure energy" line of Cavanaugh, Tibbetts and Wanvig on a roll – The Aeros line of Dan Cavanaugh, Billy Tibbetts has been among the team's most productive since Tibbetts joined the team March 22. The trio combined for all three goals in Houston's last game, a 3-3 tie against Cincinnati April 2. Cavanaugh tied a career best with two goals and set a new career high with three points, Tibbetts matched his AHL high with three assists and Wanvig posted a goal and two helpers. The most impressive stat of all is that the three goals all happened in a span of 3:31 early in the second period. Cavanaugh's two goals helped him set a new career high in that category with 15, two more than he had in his sophomore campaign of 2002-03.

Tibbetts has done nothing but "help" out since arriving –

Aeros winger Billy Tibbetts, signed to a PTO March 21, has totaled eight points, all assists, and is a plus-seven in six games since joining the team.

The energetic forward has a three multiple assist games, and the Aeros are unbeaten (1-0-2-0) in those contests.

Tibbetts matched his AHL high with assists on all three goals (in a span of 3:31) April 2 against Cincinnati.

Rest not always good – The Aeros have had a six-day break since playing back-to-back games against Cincinnati last Thursday and Friday. Rest hasn't always treated Houston well this season. When playing with at least five days rest, the Aeros are 0-3-0 this season, getting outscored by a combined score of 14-6.

Aeros are 3-1-3-0 in last seven –

Houston still has lost just one game over the last seven (3-1-3-0) after a pair of ties last week against Cincinnati. The Aeros are 8-4-4-1 over their last 17 games (.618 win pct).

Houston has 13 wins in its last 46 games (13-19-12-2), but is two games above the .500 mark the last 56 games (22-20-12-2).

The Aeros' 13-game winless streak (0-5-7-1) December 27-January 23 was five more than their previous franchise record eight-game streak (0-6-1-1), November 20-December 3 of this season.

Houston ran off a season-high seven straight games without a loss (3-0-4-0) December 20-January 2, including four straight ties December 27-January 2.

The Aeros won six straight December 5-17, outscoring their opponents 18-6 in the process.

In the season's first 20 games, Houston allowed a league-worst 3.40 goals per game. In the last 58 games, the Aeros have yielded just 2.55 goals per game. The defensive streak has helped Houston move out of the basement to 2.76 goals against per game, tied for 18th in the AHL.

And down the stretch they come – Houston has just one game left after tonight, at home tomorrow night versus Grand Rapids. The Aeros are playing their final eight games against the West Division. Houston is 20-24-11-2 against the West this season, including a 10-10-5-1 mark in the last 26 games.

April good to the Aeros – Houston has played at a .655 clip in franchise history in the month of April, going 33-15-10-0. The Aeros are 6-1-2-0 in April over the past three seasons, and 11-3-2-0 in the last four campaigns.

"O" exploding –

The Aeros are averaging 3.10 goals per game in the last 19 games to improve to 2.49 goals per game, 16th in the AHL.

Houston has scored three or more goals in six of its last seven games.

The Aeros have scored two goals or less in 44 of 78 games (56.4 percent) this season.

Hoggan has seven goals in nine games –

Aeros right winger Jeff Hoggan had his five-game goal streak snapped March 27, but he rebounded with goals in the next two games. Hoggan, who was held without a point in his last game, has seven goals in the last nine games and nine in the last 13.

Hoggan's five-game goal streak tied Kyle Wanvig for the team season-high, and Wanvig and several others for the AHL season-high.

The rugged winger has 36 points (21+15=36), and his 21 goals are second on the team. In his rookie season in 2002-03, Hoggan totaled just 11 points (6+5=11).

In his last 20 games, Hoggan has posted a negative plus-minus rating just once, and he is plus-17 in that span to move to plus-seven on the season, joining Mark Cullen as the only Aeros regulars above the break even point.

Hoggan is tied for second on the team with three game-winning goals.

The Aeros are 16-6-6-2 when Hoggan notches a point and 9-6-4-2 when he scores a goal.

Cullen for Kids is quite the hit – Aeros center Mark Cullen has put up some good numbers when healthy all season, but nothing like what he's done since an anonymous donor announced he's giving $100 per Cullen goal and $50 per assist to Sunshine Kids, a charity which helps children struck with cancer and their families.

Cullen has three goals and 13 assists since the drive started, totaling $950 since March 5.

April 1, Cullen tied his season-high with three points (1-2=3), including two assists in the final 1:32 as the Aeros rallied from two goals down to tie Cincinnati 4-4. Cullen's three points were one off his career high.

Cullen has posted a positive rating in eight of his last nine games (he was even in the other), and he's a plus-12 in that span to move to a team-best plus-14 on the season.

Do call it a comeback – April 1, the Aeros trailed 3-0 and 4-1, but tied Cincinnati 4-4. Houston hadn't garnered a point all season when trailing by more than two goals. Houston got goals from Kevin Mitchell and Jeff Hoggan in the final 1:32. It marked the Aeros' second point when trailing with five minutes left in the game (0-32-2-0). The other tie came February 26 against Milwaukee (3-3).

It was so fun, we'll do it twice – In the first 76 games this season, the Aeros didn't score with the extra attacker in the waning minutes of the game. April 1, Houston's Kevin Mitchell and Jeff Hoggan each scored in the last 92 seconds with Frederic Cloutier on the bench.

Wanvig reaches 20-goal mark – Aeros right wing Kyle Wanvig has gotten to the 20-goal plateau for the first time in his pro career. Wanvig, who scored his 20th February 28 against San Antonio, picked up No. 24 April 2 against Cincinnati. Wanvig has 41 total points between Houston and Minnesota, and 40 alone with the Aeros (24+16=40). Wanvig's previous career-high for goals was 14 combined (13 with Houston) last season, when he had 30 points, 29 with the Aeros.

Foy has points in five of seven – Houston rookie Matt Foy has a goal and four assists in his last seven games, and he has posted nine points (4-5=9) in 16 games since returning from a month-long bout with mononucleosis February 27. Foy is the Aeros' leading rookie scorer with 24 points (11-13=24).

Kettles unbeaten in two decisions versus Ducks – Aeros netminder Kyle Kettles is 1-0-1 with a 2.36 goals against average in three games against Cincinnati in this, his rookie season. Kettles posted 33 saves as the teams battled to a 2-2 tie January 2, after making 24 saves in a 2-1 Aeros win December 20. Frederic Cloutier has faced the Ducks twice, both in the last eight days, and is 0-0-2 with a 2.36 goals against average versus Cincinnati.

Bryzgalov 2-6-3 versus Aeros – Mighty Ducks netminder Ilya Bryzgalov has not fared well against Houston in his career, notching only two wins in 11 decisions. The Russia native is 2-6-3 with a 2.85 goals against average versus the Aeros, although both of those victories have come this season. Bryzgalov snapped a five-game losing streak against Houston by making 22 saves in a 4-2 win December 19. He is 2-2-3 with a 2.34 goals against average this season versus the Aeros.

Aeros have one at 40 – It's been a balanced offensive attack this season for the Aeros, who have 12 players with at least 20 points and eight with 30. Kyle Wanvig became the first Aero with 40 points this season when he had a goal and two assists April 2, helping Houston avoid becoming the first team in at least 10 seasons to not have at least one player reach that mark. Since 1994-95, six teams have had players in the 40's, but not reach a 50-point scorer. The last were Springfield (49) and Lowell (43) last season.

The youth shall lead them – Houston's "kids" are leading the way in 2003-04. Through 78 games, roughly half of the Aeros' scoring has come from players in their first or second year in the North American pro game. Of Houston's 528 scoring points, 262 (49.6 percent) have come from players in either their first or second season in North America, while 263 (49.8 percent) have come from players born in 1980 or after. Five of the team's eight top scorers were born during the Reagan administration.

Career highs all around – You'd be hard pressed to find an Aero who hasn't set at least one AHL career-high in 2003-04. Among them: Johan Holmqvist (59 games played, 3467 minutes, 2.56 goals against average); Erik Reitz (19 assists, 24 points); Zbynek Michalek (5 goals, 14 assists, 19 points); Marc Cavosie (10 goals, 21 assists, 31 points); Dan Cavanaugh (15 goals, 23 assists, 38 points); Kevin Mitchell (6 goals, 16 assists, 22 points); Jeff Hoggan (21 goals, 15 assists, 36 points); Stephane Veilleux (13 goals tie career high, 25 assists, 38 points); Kyle Wanvig (16 assists tie career high, 24 goals, 40 points, 147 PIM's); Jason Beckett (4 goals, 148 PIM's); Rickard Wallin (14 goals); and Mark Cullen (26 assists).

Aeros still winless in OT – The Aeros, winless at 0-4-14 in overtime, have played two straight extra sessions for the first time since three straight games January 4-9. Houston, which needed overtime in eight of 10 games from December 27-January 17, is the lone AHL team without an overtime win, and just one team (Cleveland) has only one overtime win. The last teams to go through a season without an overtime win were Hamilton and Hartford last season. The Aeros went 8-3-7 in overtime in 2002-03, second in the league in extra session wins (Chicago, 11). The Aeros' 14 ties are one more than Portland for the AHL lead. Grand Rapids (6-0-8) and San Antonio (7-0-8) are without a loss in overtime this season.

Aeros have first goal in 10 of 16 games – Houston has scored the game's first goal in 10 of its last 16 games, but in only two of the last seven and in none of the last four. The Aeros are 20-8-6-2 overall when scoring first.

But when not scoring first... - The Aeros are 7-25-7-2 when allowing the game's first goal and picked up their first road win in such situations (1-16-4-0) March 21 in Norfolk. The game marked the first time all season Houston has trailed on the road at any point in a game and emerged victorious. The Aeros trailed 2-0 March 27 against San Antonio and won, the first time this season they've rallied from two goals down for a win. Houston was down 3-0 and 4-1 April 1, but rallied to get a point for the first time this season when trailing by as many as three goals.

Houston has five wins when allowing more than one goal - The Aeros are an unbeaten in regulation 22-0-3-1 when allowing one or zero goals this season, and they have five wins (5-33-11-3) when yielding two or more.

Not comeback artists – Houston is one of three AHL teams without a win when trailing after two periods (0-27-7-1). The Aeros became the last team to record a win when trailing after one period (1-22-3-2) when they rallied for a 5-3 win March 21 in Norfolk. Last season, the Aeros were second in the AHL with six wins when trailing after two periods. Grand Rapids led the circuit with seven, while Philadelphia has seven such wins this season.

Houston at 78-game mark – The Aeros passed the official midway point of the season with a 14-15-8-3 mark and now sport a 27-33-14-4 record. Below is a breakdown of Houston's season so far in 10-game segments.

Games 1-10 3-6-1-0, 7 pts. GF: 23 GA: 33 PP: 6-62 (9.7%) PK: 37-40 (92.5%)

Games 11-20 2-5-1-2, 7 pts. GF: 26 GA: 35 PP: 6-60 (10.0%) PK: 51-60 (85.0%)

Games 21-30 7-3-0-0, 14 pts. GF: 24 GA: 17 PP: 8-69 (11.6%) PK: 43-47 (91.5%)

Games 31-40 2-1-6-1, 11 pts. GF: 18 GA: 19 PP: 7-49 (14.3%) PK: 29-33 (87.9%)

Games 41-50 3-6-1-0, 7 pts. GF: 25 GA: 34 PP: 7-57 (12.3%) PK: 39-49 (79.6%)

Games 51-60 2-7-1-0, 5 pts. GF: 22 GA: 32 PP: 8-41 (19.5%) PK: 40-48 (83.0%)

Games 61-70 5-3-1-1, 12 pts. GF: 29 GA: 22 PP: 6-47 (12.8%) PK: 34-43 (79.1%)

Games 71-78 3-2-3-0, 9 pts. GF: 27 GA: 23 PP: 3-45 (6.7%) PK: 26-34 (76.5%)

Penalty kill update –

The Aeros' overall 84.7 percent penalty kill rate (300-354) is tied for 17th in the AHL, after spending much of season in the upper half of the top 10.

Houston killed off its first 31 shorthanded chances this season. Since then, opponents are 54-for-323 (16.7 percent) on the power play.

Opponents are an eye-popping 19-for-88 (21.6 percent) on the power play over the last 20 games and have scored 25 man-advantage goals in the last 27 games.

Houston has allowed 11 power play goals on 40 chances (27.5 percent goal rate) in the last eight games, including four games with two or more goals.

The Aeros have yielded no power play goals in 39 of their 78 games, and have points in all but nine of those games (16-9-10-4).

Cincinnati ranks 26th in the league on the power play at 11.7 percent and has given up an AHL worst 14 shorthanded goals.

The Ducks are 3-for-8 (37.5 percent) on the man advantage in the last three games after an 0-for-16 stretch the previous three.

Cincinnati is 4-for-26 (15.4 percent) on the power play this season against Houston. The Ducks have been outchanced 42-26 in power plays in the season series but have scored one more goal than the Aeros have with the man advantage.

Power play update –

Houston enters tonight's game 52 of 430 on the power play (12.1 percent), 24th among 28 AHL teams.

The Aeros have gone 39-for-287 (13.6 percent) since Matt Foy snapped a streak of 37 straight unsuccessful power plays December 5, raising their percentage from a season-low 8.3 to 12.1.

The Aeros are 4-for-56 (7.1 percent) on the power play over their last 10 games, including 0-for-23 the last four.

Houston's 430 power plays are the most in the AHL, 16 more than second-place Manitoba. The Aeros also led the league in 2002-03 with 514 chances.

The Aeros have only seven wins in 40 games (7-23-9-1) when not scoring a power-play goal.

Cincinnati ranks third in the league on the penalty kill at 88.7 percent. The Ducks are actually much better on the penalty kill on the road (89.3) than at Cincinnati Gardens (87.9 percent).

The Ducks have killed off 15-of-16 (93.8 percent) of their shorthanded chances over the last four games.

Houston is 3-for-42 (7.1 percent) on the power play this season against Cincinnati. The Aeros are 0-for-20 in the last four meetings since December 20.

Quick hits

Houston's minus-16 first period margin (63-48) is the third worst in the AHL. The Aeros have led after one period once in the last 12 games, and they dropped that game 5-2 in Worcester March 17.

The Aeros' 48 first-period goals are the third lowest total in the AHL. Portland (39) and Bridgeport (41) have scored fewer.

The Ducks have scored the game's first goal just 29 times, and have won less than half (14) of those games (14-9-6-0). Cincinnati's 29 first goals trail only Springfield's 27 for the fewest in the AHL.

Cincinnati has yielded a league-worst 14 shorthanded goals. The Ducks have only a plus-29 goal advantage (43-14) on their opponents when on the man advantage.

The Aeros need wins in each of their last two games to avoid setting a franchise record for fewest wins in a season. The 1995-96 Houston squad went 29-45-8. This year's team already has six more points than that team though.

Houston's 14 ties have set a new team record. The Aeros had 13 shootout losses, which counted as ties, in the 1998-99 season.

Aeros defenseman Kevin Mitchell is a plus five in his last six games to improve to a minus four on the season.

Cincinnati has scored first in five of the teams' first seven meetings this season.

Aeros vs. Ducks, career

2 Heid 5gp, 0g, 1a, 1 pt

3 Beckett 17gp, 0g, 2a, 2 pts

4 Starling 4gp, 0g, 0a, 0 pts

5 Reitz 9gp, 3g, 3a, 6 pts

6 Michalek 6gp, 1g, 2a, 3 pts

7 Roche 10gp, 1g, 3a, 4 pts

8 Brandner 2gp, 0g, 0a, 0 pts

10 Krestanovich 7gp, 1g, 1a, 2 pts

12 Fortunus 2gp, 0g, 0a, 0 pts

14 Cavosie 9gp, 0g, 5a, 5 pts

15 Wallin 6gp, 0g, 3a, 0 pts

16 Cavanaugh 17gp, 4g, 5a, 9 pts

17 Cullen 5gp, 2g, 2a, 4 pts

18 Tibbetts 6gp, 1g, 7a, 8 pts

19 Hannula 5gp, 1g, 1a, 2 pts

20 Mitchell 6gp, 1g, 2a, 3 pts

22 Hoggan 10gp, 5g, 1a, 6 pts

24 Veilleux 9gp, 2g, 2a, 4 pts

25 Schutte 6gp, 0g, 0a, 0 pts

26 Wanvig 8gp, 2g, 5a, 7 pts

28 Vodrazka 8gp, 0g, 1a, 1 pt

31 Boogaard 6gp, 0g, 0a, 0 pts

32 Wade 1gp, 0g, 0a, 0 pts

34 Foy 5gp, 2g, 1a, 3 pts

36 Marsh 2gp, 0g, 0a, 0 pts

35 Kettles 3gp, 1-0-1, 2.36 gaa, .928 sv. pct.

39 Cloutier 2gp, 0-0-2, 2.36 gaa, .915 sv. pct.

Ducks vs. Aeros, career

3 Mottau 11gp, 1g, 4a, 5 pts

4 Alen 7gp, 0g, 0a, 0 pts

5 Aucoin 7gp, 2g, 3a, 5 pts

6 O'Brien 6gp, 0g, 1a, 1 pt

7 Popovic 10gp, 0g, 1a, 1 pt

8 Reierson 7gp, 0g, 2a, 2 pts

9 Martensson 9gp, 1g, 6a, 7 pts

10 Perrault 6gp, 2g, 0a, 2 pts

12 Pohanka 4gp, 0g, 3a, 3 pts

14 Kunitz 6gp, 2g, 3a, 5 pts

16 Stepp 7gp, 0g, 1a, 1 pt

17 Brookbank 15gp, 0g, 0a, 0 pts

19 Smith 6gp, 0g, 2a, 2 pts

20 Glencross 1gp, 2g, 0a, 2 pts

21 Smirnov 6gp, 1g, 0a, 1 pt

22 Holmqvist 1gp, 0g, 0a, 0 pts

23 Chistov 0gp, 0g, 0a, 0 pts

25 Parenteau 6gp, 3g, 3a, 6 pts

26 Gratton 1gp, 0g, 0a, 0 pts

27 Bylsma 20gp, 3g, 4a, 7 pts

29 Hankinson 13gp, 4g, 5a, 9 pts

32 Armstrong 15gp, 5g, 3a, 8 pts

55 Davis 1gp, 0g, 0a, 0 pts

30 Ferhi 0gp, 0-0-0, 0.00 gaa, .000 sv. pct.

35 Bryzgalov 11gp, 2-6-3, 2.85 gaa, .919 sv. pct.



American Hockey League Stories from April 9, 2004


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