Aeros tackle Wolves on Autographed Team Picture Day

Published on October 24, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Five things you need to know
· Eleven of the last 19 meetings between these teams have gone into overtime, and six of the last nine in Houston have needed the extra session.
· The Aeros are winless in their last eight meetings (0-4-4-0) with Chicago, two more than their previous longest winless streak in the series (11/6/99-4/16/00). Houston last beat Chicago 12/7/03, 3-1 at Toyota Center.
· Dan Cavanaugh is set to play in his 225th game, which will pass Frederic Chabot for seventh place on the Aeros' all-time list. Mark Freer leads the way with 469 games played.
· The Aeros are trying to avoid a third straight home regulation loss. That hasn't happened since 12/6-12/12/02, during Houston's Calder Cup championship season.
· Chicago's Steve Maltais has an astounding 55 points (28-27=55) in 59 career games versus the Aeros, the most of any opposing player in each of the three scoring categories.

Wolves at Aeros (Aeros lead all-time series 28-20-13-4, Aeros are 16-6-8-2 at Houston)
· Tonight is the 66th all-time meeting between the Wolves and Aeros - 33rd in Houston.
· The Wolves handed Houston a 5-4 overtime loss in Chicago on Wednesday.
· The Aeros went 1-5-4 against Chicago in 2003-04, including a 1-1-3 home mark and a 0-4-1 record on the road.
· The Aeros are winless in the last eight meetings (0-4-4-0), two more than their previous longest winless streak in the series (11/6/99-4/16/00).
· Houston last beat Chicago 12/7/03, 3-1 at Toyota Center.
· Houston's longest winless streak against any opponent is 13 games - an 0-12-1 start versus Orlando in the IHL days. The Aeros' AHL mark for longest winless streak against an opponent is nine games - an active 0-7-1-1 run against Milwaukee since 10/17/03.
· The Aeros have just three wins in the last 17 matchups (3-6-5-3) but have points in 11 of those games
· Eleven of the last 19 meetings have gone into overtime, including four of 10 last season and the first 2004-05 meeting. Six of the last nine meetings in Houston have gone into the extra session, including five of the last seven.
· Houston is 3-6-7 versus Chicago in overtime and 3-4 in shootouts.
· Chicago's Steve Maltais has an astounding 55 points (28-27=55) in 59 career games versus the Aeros, the most of any opposing player in each of the three scoring categories.
· The Wolves have four former Aeros on the roster - Travis Roche and Cory Larose are the top two point-getters in AHL Aeros history, while Greg Hawgood and Brendan Yarema also play for Chicago.

Scouting the Aeros Third-year Aero Mark Cullen and second-year player Matt Foy lead the Aeros through four games with four points apiece...They each have a goal and three assists...Houston has one player (Rickard Wallin, +1) above the break even point in plus-minus...The Aeros return eight of their top 11 scorers from a year ago, including leading point-getter Kyle Wanvig (25-16=41)...Rookie netminder Josh Harding (0-3-0, 2.86) is one of a slew of talented newcomers...That list also includes goalie Mike Smith (1-1-0, 3.27) and last year's Hobey Baker winner Junior Lessard, who notched his first pro goal last night.

Scouting the Wolves Chicago (2-2-0-0) has its first winning streak of the season after the most improbable of victories, a 3-2 overtime decision at home last night over Milwaukee...Former Aero Travis Roche sent the game into overtime with a goal with two seconds left in regulation, and the defenseman then won it 1:47 into overtime..Steve Maltais scored the Wolves' first five goals this season, and he leads the team with seven points (5-2=7)...Former Aero Cory Larose has three assists, plus a game-winner in OT versus the Aeros Wednesday...Goalie Kari Lehtonen, the top prospect in all of minor hockey, is 2-2-0 with a 3.70 g.a.a.

2004-05 meetings (Second of 10 meetings, Aeros are 0-0-1-0 overall, Aeros are 0-0-0-0 at Houston) Wednesday: Houston 4 at Chicago 5 (OT) TONIGHT: Chicago at Houston November 24: Houston at Chicago January 9: Chicago at Houston February 2: Houston at Chicago February 12: Houston at Chicago February 18: Chicago at Houston February 19: Chicago at Houston March 9: Houston at Chicago April 15: Chicago at Houston

Last Night Grant Stevenson snapped a tie 29 seconds into the second period and Dmitri Patzold made 39 saves, as the Cleveland Barons defeated the Aeros 4-1 at Toyota Center...Shane Joseph also scored, and Josh Prudden and Nick Bootland each added empty net goals for Cleveland, which swept the two-game series from Houston...Junior Lessard had his first pro goal and Josh Harding turned aside 22 shots for the Aeros.

What's on tap After today's game, the Aeros play 13 of 15 games on the road beginning Friday and Saturday with their first ever trip to Edmonton, Alberta.

Better starts needed The Aeros have scored first in one of their first five games, and they won that game 3-1 vs. Cincinnati 10/16. In 2003-04, Houston won only eight games (8-26-7-2) when failing to score the game's first goal. The Aeros have not led in any game except the victory over the Ducks.

Aeros have 19 straight OT non-wins Wednesday's 5-4 overtime loss in Chicago extended Houston's run of being winless in overtime to 19 games. The Aeros went 0-4-14 in overtime in 2003-04 after going second in the league in OT wins in 2002-03 with eight. Houston's last overtime win came in San Antonio 3/20/03, when Hnat Domenichelli scored 12 seconds into the extra session for a 5-4 victory.

A new era The AHL has instituted a shootout if the score is still tied after a five-minute overtime period. The Aeros last played a shootout game 4/13/01, a 3-2 win at Utah.

How the Aeros were built
· The Aeros have a franchise record three first-round picks, plus five second-rounders and four third rounders. Kyle Wanvig was drafted twice, once in the second round by Boston and again in the third by Minnesota. All but four of Houston's players were drafted.
· Five Aeros have their NHL rights owned by the Dallas Stars - Mike Smith, Junior Lessard, Patrick Traverse, Marius Holtet and John Erskine.
· Houston had 15 players from Canada on its Opening Night roster, five from the United States and one each from the Czech Republic, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Austria. Marius Holtet, a second-round pick by Dallas, is the highest drafted Norwegian player in NHL history.

Aeros have trio of first-round picks for first time ever
· The Aeros have three first-round draft picks (Mikko Koivu, Brent Burns and Pierre-Marc Bouchard) on their roster at one time for the first time in their 11-year history.
· Overall, Houston has now had 14 No. 1 picks wear its uniform. Two skated last season - Burns and Jason Marshall.
· Koivu, selected sixth overall by Minnesota in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, is the fourth highest draft pick ever to play for Houston. Only Sylvain Turgeon (No. 2, 1983), Neil Brady (No. 3, 1986) and Zarley Zalapski (No. 4, 1986) were higher picks.
· Burns and Bouchard are two of Minnesota's three first-round picks who played in the NHL the season immediately after being drafted. Burns, 19, was already the youngest player in Aeros history, as he played one game last season at the age of 18.

Harding is second-highest goalie draft pick to play for Houston Not only is Josh Harding the Aeros' youngest goalie in franchise history, but he's also the second highest drafted netminder to play for the team. Harding was picked by the Wild 38th overall in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. Only Troy Gamble (No. 25, 1985) was a higher pick.

Aeros have 11 who played in NHL in 2003-04
· Eleven Aeros played a total of 250 games in the NHL in 2003-04, and including Patrick Traverse, who has 278 games of NHL experience but none last season, 12 Aeros have 884 games of NHL experience.
· Another two Aeros - Mike Smith and Erik Reitz - were recalled to Dallas and Minnesota, respectively, last season but didn't see action in a game.

Aeros/Wolves connections
· Wolves defenseman Greg Hawgood played two full seasons for the Aeros from 1997-99. Hawgood totaled 145 points (36g, 109a) in 157 games with Houston. Hawgood was John Erskine's teammate in Utah in 2001-02 and 2002-03.
· Chicago centerman Brendan Yarema had 31 points (18g, 13a) in 77 games with the Aeros in 2001-02.
· Chicago's Colin Stuart played two seasons with Houston's Mark Cullen at Colorado College.
· Wolves assistant coach Marty Howe won a pair of AVCO Cups with the WHA Houston Aeros in 1974-75.
· Houston's Kyle Wanvig and Chicago netminder Michael Garnett played two seasons together at WHL Red Deer, helping the Rebels to a Memorial Cup title over the Aeros' Stephane Veilleux.
· Aeros assistant coach Matt Shaw was an assistant coach under John Anderson in Chicago in 1998-99.
· Chicago defenseman Jeff Dwyer and the Aeros' Ray Giroux each went to Yale.
· Chicago's Brad Larsen played for Aeros head coach Todd McLellan for three junior seasons with WHL Swift Current from 1994-1997.
· Houston's Matt Foy and Chicago's Adam Smyth were teammates with OHL Ottawa in 2002-03.
· Houston's Todd Reirden totaled 15 points (3-12=15) in 88 games over two seasons with IHL Chicago from 1995-97.

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American Hockey League Stories from October 24, 2004


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