Aeros Shooting for Fifth Straight Win

Published on January 24, 2006 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Six things you need to know

Aeros C Erik Westrum (22-46=68) and RW Kirby Law (27-37=64) have combined for 11 points in the last two games and rank first and second in the AHL in scoring. They are trying to become the first duo from the same team to finish 1-2 in the league's scoring race Paul Gardner (112 points) and Jody Gage (99) turned the trick for Rochester exactly 20 seasons ago - in 1985-86. No two teammates have reached the 100-point plateau since a trio of Carolina Monarchs did it in 1995-96. Westrum has 19 points (8-11=19) in an eight-game point streak, including six multiple-point games and four straight, while Law has 16 points (5-11=16) in that span. Westrum's eight-game assist streak is one off C Petr Taticek's team season-high. Law has a franchise-record and career-high 16-game point streak (13-18=30) - one off the AHL season-high - and he has 39 points (17-22=39) in his last 20 contests alone. Rookie C Patrick O'Sullivan is first in rookie scoring with 46 points (23-23=46). He trails only fellow rookie LW Roman Voloshenko (24-13=37) for the lead in goals among first-year players. Voloshenko is tied for sixth in overall rookie scoring. Aeros RW and captain Kirby Law's 16-game point streak (13-18=31) is a new franchise-record and career-best. Brian Wiseman had a 15-game streak 12/27/98-1/30/99. Law's next goal will tie him with Aeros special assistant to hockey Cam Stewart for 10th place on the team's all-time goal list with 54. Law has played in 145 consecutive AHL games - 124 with Houston. Law's 27 goals are five off his 2003-04 career-high, and he's only nine points shy of his career-best total of 73. Houston has won four straight road games to tie a season-high and come within one victory of the second-longest such run in team history. The Aeros have strung together five consecutive road wins four times - most recently 10/18-10/24/02. Houston's franchise-best nine-game road winning streak was set 11/22-12/31/96. The Aeros are 12-6-0-0 away from Toyota Center for a .667 winning percentage. Only Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (17-3-1-1, .818) has a better road mark. Aeros fifth-year G Seamus Kotyk, getting the bulk of work in place of injured G Josh Harding, is 6-1-0 with a 1.35 gaa in his last seven appearances. Kotyk has won three straight starts - one off his career-high - with a miniscule 0.66 gaa in that span. Kotyk has strung together four consecutive victories twice - the last time 10/20-11/20/04. Kotyk has improved to 9-3-0 with a 2.46 gaa overall on the season. His career high for victories in a season is 13, set in 2003-04 with Cleveland. Kotyk carries a shutout sequence of 101:22 into tonight's game. Not only does Houston have the top power play unit in the AHL at 21.5 percent, but it strikes quickly. Over their last 18 games, the Aeros have scored on their first or second power play of the game 14 times. Twice in that span, Houston has scored on both its first and second opportunities. In each of their last four consecutive victories, the Aeros scored on either their first or second power play. Since Hamilton G Yann Danis helped beat the Aeros 7-1 on 12/10, the Aeros have played in 10 games against goalies who have played in the NHL at some point this season. Houston is 9-1-0 against those netminders, and the goalies have a 4.99 gaa and a .845 save percentage against the Aeros. The lone NHL goalie to beat the Aeros in that span was Grand Rapids' Jimmy Howard in a wild 6-5 game on January 6 that saw the Griffins score five power play goals in the third period. Overall this season, goalies who have played in the NHL in 2005-06 are 7-13-1 with a 3.62 gaa and a .875 save percentage versus the Aeros. Houston figures to face an "NHL goalie" in no less than six of its next seven games. Houston has faced Peoria's Patrick Lalime twice, and fellow former NHL All-Star Chris Osgood once. The goalies are a combined 0-3-0 with a 6.62 gaa versus the Aeros. Lalime is 0-2-0 with a 7.00 gaa versus the Aeros this season.

Aeros at Rivermen (Aeros are 7-5-1-0 all-time, Aeros are 2-4-0-0 on road) Tonight is the 14th all-time meeting between the franchises. This is the second of three meetings in a seven-day stretch. After playing in Iowa on Thursday, the Aeros return to Peoria on Friday. The teams met Saturday in Houston, with the Aeros prevailing 5-1 behind two goals and an assist from LW Roman Voloshenko, four assists from C Erik Westrum and a goal and two helpers from RW Kirby Law. The quartet of Voloshenko, Westrum, Law and C Patrick O'Sullivan have combined for 31 points (13-18=31) in the five meetings.

Scouting the Aeros The Aeros (32-10-1-1) have the AHL's second-best winning percentage (.750), trailing only Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (32-6-3-1=68, .810 pct)...The Aeros' West Division lead is six points over Milwaukee, which has a game in hand and hosts San Antonio tonight...Houston has won 14 of 16 and 17 of 20 overall...Houston has won its last four games by a combined 18-3 margin without trailing at any point...The Aeros play game four of a stretch of seven games in nine nights in four cities...C Erik Westrum has 68 points (21-46=68), four up on RW Kirby Law (27-37=64) for the top spot in the AHL...C Patrick O'Sullivan is first in rookie scoring with with 46 points (23-23=46)...LW Roman Voloshenko (24-13=37) has the league lead in goals among rookies...D Curtis Murphy is second among AHL defensemen with 37 points (8-30=37)...G Josh Harding is 21-7-0 with a 2.63 gaa to rank first in the league in wins, fourth in save pct. (.923) and tied for 10th in gaa...G Seamus Kotyk is 8-3-1 with a 2.66 gaa, while G Miroslav Kopriva is 2-1-0 with a 3.23 gaa.

Scouting the Rivermen Peoria (22-16-1-2), AHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues, is resurgent, having won five of six...Peoria is in third place in the West with 47 points...RW Mike Glumac is tied for 11th in the AHL in scoring with 45 points (22-23=45)...LW Peter Sejna is tied for 19th in scoring with 42 points (17-25=42) but suffered an ankle injury against Houston on Saturday...D Mike Mottau paces the blueline with 29 points (3-26=29)...G Reinhard Divis is 3-6-1 with a 3.21 gaa...G Patrick Lalime, a former NHL All-Star, is 5-4-1 with a 3.09 gaa.

2005-06 meetings (6th of 10 meetings, Aeros are 4-1-0-0 overall, Aeros are 1-1-0-0 at Peoria) October 14 Houston 3 at Peoria 1 October 30 Houston 0 at Peoria 4 December 16 Peoria 3 at Houston 5 December 17 Peoria 2 at Houston 7 Saturday Peoria 1 at Houston 5 Tonight Houston at Peoria Friday Houston at Peoria March 28 Houston at Peoria April 1 Peoria at Houston April 2 Peoria at Houston

Quick Hits Houston is all the way up to second in the AHL in scoring at 3.82 gpg, trailing only Grand Rapids' 3.98 gpg. Since getting shut out 3-0 by Milwaukee 11/27, the Aeros have scored 92 goals in 20 games for a whopping 4.60 gpg average. Just twice since the shutout have the Aeros been held to fewer than three goals. Houston is on pace to score 300 goals for just the second time in team history. The Aeros scored a franchise-record 307 goals in 1998-99, but that came in an 82-game season. This season Houston is on pace for 305 goals through 44 games. In their last four games - all victories - the Aeros have outscored their opponents 10-1 in the first period. In the last nine games, Houston has a 19-6 goal margin in the opening 20 minutes, and overall on the season the Aeros are an AHL-best plus-23 (54-31). Houston has been equally brilliant as of late in the second period. The Aeros have outscored their opponents 8-2 in the second period in their last seven games. Houston rookies Patrick O'Sullivan and Roman Voloshenko each have four goals in a three-game goal streak. O'Sullivan has nine points (4-5=9) in a new season-best six-game point streak. O'Sullivan has six GWG - already one off the single-season franchise-record. Four different Aeros have posted seven GWG, with Kyle Wanvig the last to do it in 2003-04. O'Sullivan also has a pair of shootout GWG, but those don't count in the statistics. Aeros RW Kirby Law was minus-seven after going minus-one 12/23 vs. Omaha. Since then, the Aeros captain has posted a positive rating in each of the last 12 games, going plus-18 in that span to move to plus-12 on the season. Law was a season-worst plus-nine 12/20. Since finishing minus-three 12/10 at Hamilton, C Erik Westrum has posted an even rating or better in each of his last 16 games, going plus-20 in that span, including plus-18 in the last 12 games. Aeros D Curtis Murphy, named an All-Star earlier this month for the seventh time in as many North American seasons, is on the verge of becoming the Aeros' all-time goal leader among defensemen. Murphy is tied with Jeff Tory for the top spot among blueliners with 42 tallies. Murphy's 138 points trail only Greg Hawgood's total of 145 for the most in team history among defensemen. Murphy has 20 points (4-16=20) in his last 20 games, including 11 points (4-7=11) in the last nine games. Murphy ranks second among all AHL defensemen in points this season (7-30=37). Murphy is tied for third among all AHL players at plus-18. The Aeros are 12-4-1-1 in one-goal games, and an impressive 18-5-1-1 in games decided by two goals or less. Thirteen of the Aeros' first 21 games were decided by one goal. Since then, however, just five of the last 23 games has been of the one-goal variety. Houston has scored at least two goals in a period in 12 consecutive games. Houston has trailed at some point in 13 of its 32 victories, with four of the wins coming when trailing by two goals. The Aeros had 16 come-from-behind victories in 2004-05. They are an impressive 11-5-0-0 when allowing the game's first goal. The Aeros are 31-2-0-0 when scoring three goals or more, but 1-8-1-1 when scoring two or fewer. Three is also the magic number defensively, as Houston is 29-3-1-1 when allowing three of fewer goals and 3-7-0-0 when yielding four or more. Houston is 15-1-0-0 when outshooting an opponent, but it has been outshot in eight of its last nine games. The Aeros are 11-0-0-0 when allowing 29 shots or fewer. The Aeros already have four 20-goal scorers. No other AHL team has more than two. Houston has had more than four 20-goal scorers just twice in team history - it had five in 1995-96 and 1996-97.

Power play update Houston is first in the league on the power play at 21.5 percent. The Aeros are 34-for-125 (27.2 percent) with the man advantage in the last 20 games. Houston is 15-for-60 (25.0 percent) in the last 10 games, scoring at least two PPG in seven of the games. The Aeros are 20-2-0-0 when scoring at least two PPG. Houston has scored two or more PPG in 12 of its last 19 games. Houston has been outscored on the power play just twice in its last 22 games. Houston has a trio of players with at least 10 power play goals - including C Erik Westrum's league-leading total of 14. There are only 13 AHL players who have reached double digits in that category. Only Grand Rapids and Peoria have as many as two. The Aeros have had more than two players with 10 power play markers just once in team history, when four accomplished the feat in 1998-99, including Jeff Christian's franchise-record 20. Peoria is 10th in the AHL on the penalty kill at 83.8 percent. The Rivermen have killed off 27-of-28 shorthanded chances (96.4 percent) in the last six games, with Houston LW Roman Voloshenko scoring the lone goal on Saturday. Houston is 7-for-25 (28.0 percent) on the power play against Peoria this season, but just 1-for-8 (12.5 percent) on the road.

Penalty kill update Houston is tied for third in the AHL on the penalty kill at 85.8 percent. The Aeros are 41-of-42 (97.6 percent) on the PK in the last seven games since Grand Rapids went 5-for-10 on 1/6, and they've held their opponent without a PPG in eight of the last 10 games. Houston is 15-2-0-1 when not allowing a power play goal and 25-4-1-1 when allowing one power play goal or fewer. Peoria ranks fifth in the AHL on the power play at 19.9 percent. The Rivermen are 3-for-34 (8.8 percent) with the man advantage in the last five games. Peoria is 6-for-33 (18.2 percent) on the power play against Houston this season, including 3-for-16 (18.8 percent) at home.

Last Game (Sunday) Seamus Kotyk made 30 saves for his first shutout in more than two seasons, Erik Westrum posted two goals and an assist and Roman Voloshenko and Patrick O'Sullivan each added a goal and a helper, as the Houston Aeros knocked off the Chicago Wolves 4-0 for their first regulation win at Allstate Arena in their last 21 attempts.

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American Hockey League Stories from January 24, 2006


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