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Aeros take on arch-rival Wolves in Game One tonight

April 19, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Five things you need to know
• The Aeros are set to take on the Chicago Wolves in the West Division Semifinals, and it will mark the fourth post-season meeting between the teams since 1999. Each of the previous three occasions came in a conference final, and the winning team went on to claim the league championship. Houston, which played its first playoff series in 1995, has not faced any other opponent more than two times. The Aeros defeated Chicago in seven games in the 1999 IHL Western Conference Finals, but the Wolves have won the last two meetings - a 4-2 series win in the 2000 Western Conference Finals, and a five-game decision in the AHL's 2002 Western Conference Finals. Houston is 7-11 all-time in the post-season against Chicago, including a 3-6 home mark and a 4-5 road record. Despite the Wolves holding the advantage, they have outscored Houston just 52-51 in their post-season meetings. Houston is 0-2 in overtime versus Chicago, last losing Game 2 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals 14:00 into the second extra session on a goal by the late Dan Snyder. The goal tied the series 1-1, and Chicago won the next three games at home by a combined 13-2 score. Current Wolves Travis Roche and Cory Larose were on that Aeros team.
• The Aeros have are 11-1 all-time in Game 1's, counting only the team's best-of-seven playoff series. When winning Game 1, Houston is 7-4, while it won the lone series when dropping Game 1 - the 2000 Western Conference Semifinals against Utah. In all series, the Aeros had won nine straight Game 1's prior to getting swept in two games by Cincinnati in last season's West Division Qualifying Round. Houston is 3-0 in Game 1's against Chicago.
• Houston finished seventh in the AHL in the regular season allowing a franchise-record 195 goals, and the Aeros have done it behind 20-year-old Josh Harding and 23-year-old Mike Smith. The Aeros are one of only three AHL teams to have two goaltenders without any post-season action in the league. Lowell sports the young duo of Cam Ward and Brent Krahn, while Providence has Hannu Toivonen and Chris Madden. Toivonen, however, has 20 games of playoff experience in Finland. Both Houston goalies have been great as of late. Harding had a six-game winning streak snapped Sunday, but he hasn't lost in regulation in eight games since 3/20, going 6-0-2 with a 1.59 gaa. Harding set franchise records with a 2.01 gaa, fifth-best in the AHL, and a .930 save pct. in the regular season. Smith, meanwhile, has allowed two goals or fewer in six of his last seven starts, but in his last four non-wins, the Aeros have scored a total of one goal. Smith ranked 17th in the AHL with a 2.42 gaa. Houston was one of only three AHL teams with two goalies in the top 20 in gaa. Harding is 3-5-0 with a 3.05 gaa versus Chicago, but 18-11-2 with a sparkling 1.74 gaa versus the remainder of the AHL. The Wolves have scored 12 first-period goals against Harding, while the rest of the league has tallied 18. Chicago had 25 of the 80 goals tallied versus Harding in 2004-05. The rookie is 1-4-0 with a 3.27 gaa in Chicago. Smith, meanwhile, is 2-3-0 with a 3.19 gaa against Chicago, but 0-2-0 with a 4.01 gaa at Allstate Arena.
• Nineteen players on the Aeros' season-ending roster have played a combined 355 Calder Cup Playoff games, led by Stephane Veilleux (39) and Kirby Law (35). Four players have participated in the Stanley Cup Playoffs - Patrick Traverse (6), Todd Reirden (5), Pierre-Marc Bouchard (5) and Ray Giroux (4). Three of the four Aeros who have seen action in the NHL's post-season are defensemen. Three Aeros are making their fourth playoff trip in four seasons with the team - Veilleux, Kyle Wanvig and Dan Cavanaugh. Veilleux is the team's fifth-leading playoff scorer, while Wanvig's four game-winning goals are tied for the team post-season record.
• Houston went 1-2-2-0 at Allstate Arena this season. The Aeros' 5-4 shootout win 2/12 in Rosemont snapped an 11-game winless streak (0-6-3-2) in Chicago, their longest winless streak in an opposing building. The Aeros' last regulation win was 4/7/02, a 4-3 victory. Houston hasn't won a regulation game at Chicago in its last 15 attempts. Houston has also dropped its last four road games in Chicago. The 2/12 game also marked Houston's last road win over a team with an above .500 record.

Wolves at Aeros (Aeros are 33-23-14-4 overall, Aeros are 13-16-6-2 at Chicago in regular season; Aeros are 7-11 overall, 4-5 at Chicago in post-season play)
• The teams each registered 12 points in 10 regular season meetings, with Houston going 5-3-0-2 and Chicago tallying a 5-3-1-1 mark.
• The Aeros and Wolves met just four days ago, with Brent Burns scoring twice and Mike Smith making 36 saves and notching two assists in a 5-2 Houston win at Toyota Center. In the last Allstate Arena meeting 3/9, Kari Lehtonen made 24 saves and Tommi Santala's early third-period goal was the game-winner in a 3-1 Wolves' win.
• The Aeros outshot Chicago by an average of 35-28 in their 10 regular-season meetings and have held the shot edge in nine of those contests.
• Fourteen of the last 28 regular-season meetings between Houston and Chicago have gone into overtime, including four of 10 this season. Four of the first six meetings went to the extra session, but none of the last four did. That's tied for the longest non-overtime streak in the series since a seven-game run 1/24/99-3/19/00. Seven of the 10 games this season were decided by one goal.
• In an oddity that truly defines the Aeros/Wolves series, the team to score first has won just four of the 10 meetings this season. In three games, the losing team has coughed up a two- or three-goal lead. Chicago has outscored Houston 14-9 in the first period this season.
• Chicago has gone on the second most power plays in the AHL (472), but the Aeros have been shorthanded 358 times, the second fewest in the AHL. The Wolves have also had to kill off 466 shorthanded chances, most in the league.

Quick Hits
• Through the season's first 65 games, the Aeros allowed only 41 third-period goals, but in the last 15 games of the regular season, they gave up 16. Houston finished second in the AHL with 57 third-period goals allowed. Hartford led the way with 49. In its 40 wins, Houston has allowed just 18 third-period goals, but in the remainder of its 40 games, it has yielded 39.
• The Aeros have scored 48 goals in their last 10 wins, but just eight goals in their last 10 losses (0-7-0-3).
• Houston goalies Josh Harding and Mike Smith finished the regular season with 21 and 19 wins, respectively, marking just the second time in Aeros history two goalies have won at least 19 games. Frederic Chabot (23) and Jason Elliott (19) accomplished the feat in 2000-01.
• The Aeros are 14-24-4-4 when allowing the first goal, but 26-4-2-2 when scoring it.
• Chicago's 87 first-period goals tied Binghamton for the AHL lead.

Harding unbeaten in last eight
• Aeros 20-year-old rookie goalie Josh Harding missed 17 games due to a concussion, but he has returned strong, going 15-9-2.
• Harding, who finished fifth in the league in gaa (2.01), is 6-0-2 with a 1.59 gaa in his last eight decisions.
• Harding is the second youngest goalie in the AHL behind WBS' Marc-Andre Fleury.
• Harding is 11-3-2 with a 1.76 gaa at home, but 10-13-1 with a 2.18 gaa on the road.

Smith strong too
• Aeros goalie Mike Smith appeared in 19 straight games - 17 of the appearances starts - from 11/26-1/25. Smith's 19-game run was a new franchise record, eclipsing Frederic Chabot's old mark of 15, set 12/8/99-1/21/00.
• Smith finished 17th in the AHL with a 2.42 gaa.
• Smith joins Frederic Chabot (seven) and Ryan Bach (five) as the lone Aeros netminders with five shutouts in a season, and his five overall trail only Chabot (18) and Derek Gustafson (six) for the most in team history.
• The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder is 7-6-2 with a 2.58 gaa on the road but 12-11-1 with a better 2.30 gaa at Toyota Center. Each of Smith's five shutouts have come at home.
• In his last five Toyota Center appearances, including a no decision in relief, Smith is 4-0-0 with a 1.29 gaa.
• Smith notched two assists last Friday against Chicago, the first Aeros goalie ever to accomplish that in one game. He has four helpers overall, two more than any other Aero netminder had in any one season. Frederic Chabot had five in his Aeros career, but it took him 224 games to get there.

PP unit eighth
• The Aeros finished the regular season eighth in the AHL on the power play at 16.6 percent.
• Houston is 5-for-35 (14.3 percent) over its last seven games.
• The Aeros outscored their opponents 66-43 on the power play in the regular season
• Houston is 26-13-5-3 when scoring a PPG and 14-15-1-3 when not scoring a PPG.
• Chicago ranks 14th in the league on the penalty kill at 84.5 percent.
• The Wolves have killed off 28-of-29 (96.6 percent) shorthanded chances over their last five games.
• Houston is 8-for-48 (16.7 percent) on the power play against Chicago, with Kyle Wanvig registering two goals. At Allstate Arena, the Aeros were only 2-of-17 (11.8 percent).

Houston third on PK, ties AHL record for fewest home PPG allowed
• Houston finished third in the league on the penalty kill at a franchise-record 88.0 percent, allowing only 43 goals, tied for the league lead and another club mark. The Aeros were 92.5 percent at home (149-161), tying an AHL record for fewest home PPG allowed with 12. Portland also allowed 12 in 2003-04.
• The Aeros have killed off 32-of-35 shorthanded chances (91.4 percent) over their last seven games. They've got two SHG in the last four games.
• Houston is 27-15-2-4 when not allowing a PPG and 13-13-4-2 when allowing a PPG.
• Chicago ranked 10th in the AHL on the power play at 16.1 percent, but a much improved 19.5 percent at home - sixth in the league.
• The Wolves are only 1-for-36 (2.8 percent) on the power play in their last five games.
• Chicago is 6-for-51 (11.8 percent) with the man advantage against the Aeros this season, including a 4-for-30 home mark (13.3 percent). The Wolves have gone without a goal on 20 straight PP opportunities in the last four meetings. Steve Maltais and Kip Brennan each have two PPG in the series.



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