Aeros try to claim home ice tonight

April 10, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


The Aeros play host to Grand Rapids on Fan Appreciation Night tonight at 7 p.m. The Aeros will wear Minnesota Wild jerseys, so make sure to buy Jersey off their Backs tickets when you enter the arena. Several winners still remain. The 10-Year Aeros Celebration will happen prior to faceoff, so arrive early. The first 5,000 fans will receive an Aeros T-shirt commemorating both championships. Dave "Moose" Morissette, Brian Wiseman and several others will attend as Houston honors 10 years and two championships. Tonight's game can be heard on Star 790 KBME beginning at 7 p.m., or via www.aeros.com. Follow along on the website for complete period-by-period recaps as the Aeros strive for home ice in the Qualifying Round.

The Aeros will clinch home ice in the Qualifying Round if:

Houston wins and Cincinnati loses to Cleveland in regulation or overtime, or ties

Houston ties and Cincinnati loses in regulation

The Ducks will clinch home ice in the Qualifying Round if:

Cincinnati beats Cleveland, regardless of the Aeros' result

Cincinnati ties or loses in overtime against Cleveland and Aeros lose in regulation, overtime or tie

Both Cincinnati and Houston lose

Houston Aeros vs. Grand Rapids Griffins, 4/10

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

Last night, the Aeros qualified for their eighth straight post-season and ninth in 10 years of existence, thanks to San Antonio's 3-2 loss in Grand Rapids. In order to host the West Qualifying Round against Cincinnati, Houston must get at least one point tonight, and also finish with one more point than Cincinnati. Each team enters tonight's game with 72 points, and if they finish tied, the Ducks get the tiebreaker thanks to having more wins than the Aeros. Last night, Houston became the first AHL team to qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs without 30 wins since Adirondack won 21 games and made the post-season in 1999. Cincinnati, which plays host to Cleveland tonight, needs a win today to reach 30 victories.

Houston has enjoyed much success in season and home finales. The Aeros are 8-1-0 all-time in regular season-ending games, and 6-1-2 in home finales. Houston also hosted Grand Rapids in its home finale last season, with the Aeros claiming a 6-3 victory behind a pair of goals from Mark Cullen.

The Aeros are 4-for-61 (6.6 percent) on the power play over their last 11 games, including 0-for-28 the last five.

Aeros centerman Mark Cullen has helped raise $1050 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 goals and 15 assists since the campaign started March 5. Cullen was named Houston's American Specialty/AHL Man of the Year last week.

Grand Rapids' Derek King will play his final regular season game tonight. King, a veteran of 830 NHL games, has played four seasons for the Griffins. King was Aeros head coach Todd McLellan's teammate with the New York Islanders in 1987-88. King notched his 900th professional point last night.

Griffins at Aeros (Aeros trail all-time series 19-21-7-0, Aeros lead 11-8-5-0 at Houston)

Tonight is the 48th all-time meeting between the teams – 25th in Houston.

The Aeros are 5-9-0-0 in the last 14 regular-season meetings with Grand Rapids, but they are 4-3-0-0 in the last seven.

In the last 17 regular-season meetings, the Aeros have scored four or more goals three times and have been held to two or fewer on 12 occasions.

Grand Rapids and Milwaukee are the only active AHL teams that the Aeros have an overall losing record against.

The loser in each of the last seven meetings has scored either one goal or has been shut out.

In the teams' last meeting March 8, Kevin Mitchell, Mark Cullen and Dan Cavanaugh keyed a four-score third period with a goal and an assist apiece and Johan Holmqvist made 37 saves and helped thwart a pair of Grand Rapids five-minute power plays, as the Aeros pulled away from the Griffins for a 4-1 victory at Toyota Center.

Houston is 13-20-7-0 against Grand Rapids since starting off with a 6-1-0-0 mark.

2003-04 meetings (Tenth of 10 meetings, Aeros trail series 4-5-0-0 overall, series tied 2-2-0-0 Houston)

October 18: Houston 2 at Grand Rapids 4

November 11: Houston 2 at Grand Rapids 6

November 19: Houston 3 at Grand Rapids 1

December 12: Houston 2 at Grand Rapids 1

February 14: Houston 0 at Grand Rapids 3

February 16: Grand Rapids 3 at Houston 1

February 18: Grand Rapids 1 at Houston 4

March 5: Grand Rapids 3 at Houston 1

March 8: Grand Rapids 1 at Houston 4

Tonight: Grand Rapids at Houston

Last game – Ilya Bryzgalov turned aside 30 shots for his sixth shutout of the season and Mike Mottau and Tony Martensson scored 54 seconds apart late in the first period, as the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks beat Houston 4-0 at Cincinnati Gardens to draw even with the Aeros for fourth place (72 points) in the West Division. Joel Perrault and Alexei Smirnov scored 1:50 apart early in the third for the Ducks, who can claim the No. 4 seed and home-ice in a Qualifying Round series against Houston with a victory tonight at home versus Cleveland. Kyle Kettles made 17 saves and allowed all four goals before being replaced by Frederic Cloutier for Houston.

Scouting the Aeros – Houston, 8-5-4-1 in its last 18, needs to put points on the board tonight and scoreboard watch in hopes of hosting a Qualifying Round series against Cincinnati. The Aeros were shut out for the fifth time last season, 4-0 in Cincinnati. Winger Kyle Wanvig has moved into the top scoring spot with 40 points (24-16=40), and his 24 goals also lead the team. Stephane Veilleux (12-26=38), defenseman Travis Roche (8-30=38) and Dan Cavanaugh (15-23=38) are tied for second with 38 points apiece. Houston got Veilleux, 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 4-9-5 with a 2.80 goals against average but has deserved a better fate. In 18 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 3.31 goals against average. Cloutier, who made 31 saves in a 3-3 tie against Cincinnati eight days ago, has spent most of the 2003-04 season with ECHL Louisiana. No other Aero besides Cavanaugh, Wanvig or Billy Tibbetts has a point in the last six regulation periods.

Scouting the Griffins – Grand Rapids, which led the AHL in points a month ago, appears to have righted the ship by winning its last two after a 3-9-0-0 stretch. The Griffins knocked off San Antonio 3-2 at home last night after trouncing Toronto 6-0 Sunday. Last night, Kevin Miller scored twice as Grand Rapids held off the Rampage. Veteran winger Michel Picard (17-37=54) leads Grand Rapids in scoring, while Nathan Robinson (24-25=49) is second in scoring and leads the Griffins in goals. Grand Rapids gets less offensive numbers from its defenseman than most teams. Veteran Travis Richards has 23 points (2-21=23), as the top seven Griffins scorers are all forwards. Goalie Marc Lamothe, yet another veteran, got his first start since March 21 last night, since he's been in Detroit backing up Manny Legace. Lamothe has seen action in only six games since February 7, but he still sports a strong 21-15-5 mark with a 2.01 goals against average. Lamothe, who notched his 100th AHL win last night, can tie Mike Fountain's franchise record of 55 wins with a victory tonight. Joey MacDonald has shouldered the load with Lamothe recalled, and he's done it very well, going 22-11-3 with a 1.97 goals against average.

Aeros/Griffins connections –

Griffins winger Derek King played for the New York Islanders in the 1987-88 season, when Aeros head coach Todd McLellan suited up for his only five NHL games. They also saw each other briefly with AHL Springfield in both the 1987-88 and 1988-89 seasons. King is more than eight months older than McLellan and will play his final regular season game tonight.

Houston's Erik Reitz and Grand Rapids' Ryan Barnes were teammates in 1999-2000 with OHL Barrie.

The Aeros' Stephane Veilleux and Grand Rapids' Danny Groulx played together in 1999-2000 with Victoriaville of the QMJHL.

Houston's Rickard Wallin and the Griffins' Niklas Kronwall both hail from Stockholm, Sweden. Houston has two other Sweden natives on its team – Johan Holmqvist (Tolfta) and Mika Hannula (Huddinge).

The Aeros' Johan Holmqvist and Grand Rapids' Anders Myrvold were teammates with Hartford in 2001-02.

Grand Rapids defenseman Ryan Bonni played with Houston's Jan Vodrazka in 2000-01 in Kansas City.

The Aeros' Kevin Mitchell and Grand Rapids' Jeff Nelson were teammates in Cleveland in 2002-03.

Houston defenseman Travis Roche played two seasons (1999-2000, 2000-01) at North Dakota with the Griffins' Aaron Schneekloth and Tim Skarperud. Schneekloth and Kyle Wanvig both hail from Calgary.

Playoff picture set, except for home ice – The Aeros earned their eighth straight post-season appearance last night despite their 4-0 loss in Cincinnati, thanks to Grand Rapids' 3-2 win over San Antonio. Houston and Cincinnati enter tonight's regular season finales tied at 72 points and will face each other in a best-of-three Qualifying Round. The Mighty Ducks hold a tiebreaker over Houston thanks to having more wins, so Houston must garner more points tonight than Cincinnati in order to host the Qualifying Round. The Ducks are at home tonight against Cleveland, which is fighting to stay out of the North Division Qualifying Round, and can clinch home ice regardless of what the Aeros do with a victory.

Game has importance to Grand Rapids, too – Tonight's game doesn't just have meaning to Houston. Grand Rapids is tied with Chicago for second in the West with 96 points, four behind division-leading Milwaukee. The Griffins could clinch at least second place with a victory tonight, meaning home ice in a West Division Semifinal matchup with Chicago, which plays its final game tonight at home against the Admirals. The Griffins could still, however, manage to earn the top seed out of the West, by winning their final two games and hoping Chicago beats Milwaukee tonight in regulation. Grand Rapids is in San Antonio tomorrow.

Aeros, Ducks rack up the PIM's – If their West Division Qualifying Round series is anything like last night's matchup, fans should be entertained by Houston and Cincinnati next week. The teams combined for 151 penalty minutes – 93 by Cincinnati. There were 104 penalty minutes assessed at the 13:51 mark, although time technically expired. The second round of penalties immediately on the ensuing faceoff, and referee Fred Hoberg left the game due to injury after breaking up the second fracas. Home cookin' – The Aeros are 4-1-3-0 in their last eight at home, and have also gone 8-4-3-0 in the last 15 at Toyota Center since falling 3-1 to Cincinnati January 27.

The Aeros are averaging 3.33 goals per game over the last 12 home games, in which they are 6-3-3-0.

Houston started off its first season in Toyota Center just 2-6-1-1 but has improved to 17-12-8-2 at its new home. In the last 29 Toyota Center games, the Aeros have only five regulation losses and are 15-6-7-1.

Houston's season-best, nine-game home unbeaten streak was snapped January 8 in a 1-0 overtime loss to Hartford.

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 had a five-game point streak (1-4=5) snapped last night. The run was one off his season- and career-high.

Veilleux has 17 points (7+10=17) in the last 23 games. He has an assist in seven of the last 10 games and a point in 11 of the last 14 contests and 13 of 17.

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, snapped last night, was a new career-best and was tied for the longest current run in the AHL.

Michalek has 18 points (5+13=18) in 53 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 and Kyle Wanvig 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 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. No other Aero besides Cavanaugh, Tibbetts or Wanvig has a point in the last six regulation periods.

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-four in seven games since joining the team.

The energetic forward has 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.

Aeros are 3-2-3-0 in last eight –

Houston still has lost just two games over the last eight (3-2-3-0), but it is winless in four straight (0-2-2-0). The Aeros are 8-5-4-1 over their last 18 games (.583 win pct).

Houston has 13 wins in its last 47 games (13-20-12-2), but is one game above the .500 mark the last 57 games (22-21-12-2).

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 59 games, the Aeros have yielded just 2.58 goals per game. The defensive streak has helped Houston move out of the basement to 2.77 goals against per game, 19th in the AHL.

April good to the Aeros – Houston has played at a .644 clip (regular season) in franchise history in the month of April, going 33-16-10-0. The Aeros are 6-2-2-0 in April over the past three seasons, and 11-4-2-0 in the last four campaigns.

"O" exploding –

The Aeros are averaging 3.05 goals per game in the last 20 games to improve to 2.46 goals per game, 18th in the AHL.

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

The Aeros have scored two goals or less in 45 of 79 games (57.0 percent) this season and last night were shut out for the fifth time.

Hoggan has seven goals in 10 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 two games, has seven goals in the last 10 games and nine in the last 14.

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 twice, and he is plus-16 in that span to move to plus-six 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 15 assists since the drive started, totaling $1050 since March 5.

An official scoring change has credited Cullen with two more assists for a total of four in a 5-3 win over Norfolk March 21. The four assists were a new career-high, and the four points tied his career best.

April 1, Cullen posted 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 has posted a positive rating in eight of his last 10 games, and he's a plus-11 in that span to move to a team-best plus-13 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 (0-34-2-0). 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 eight – Houston rookie Matt Foy has a goal and four assists in his last eight games, and he has posted nine points (4-5=9) in 17 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).

Aeros goalies a combined 0-2-0 against Grand Rapids – Kyle Kettles is 0-1-0 with a good 1.23 goals against average in two career appearances against the Griffins. Frederic Cloutier is 0-1-0 with a no decision and a 6.89 goals against average in two games (and just 35 minutes) against Grand Rapids. Cloutier was pulled in both 2002-03 starts versus the Griffins, who won the games by a combined 13-0 score.

Lamothe usually successful versus Aeros – Veteran Marc Lamothe is 9-5-1 with a dynamite 2.18 goals against average versus Houston. His nine wins against the Aeros are the most of any active netminder. He is 1-2-0, however, with a 2.67 goals against average in three games against Houston this season after going 4-2-1 with a 1.49 goals against average and two shutouts versus the Aeros in 2002-03. Lamothe yielded four third-period goals in a 4-1 loss to the Aeros March 8. Teammate Joey MacDonald is 5-4-0 with a 2.25 goals against average in his career against the Aeros, including a 4-2-0 mark and a 1.84 goals against average this season. MacDonald is 5-2-0 in his last seven decisions after starting his career 0-2-0 against 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 79 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, 166 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, played two straight extra sessions April 1-2 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 and Cincinnati 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 allowed first goal in last five – Houston has scored the game's first goal in 10 of its last 17 games, but in only two of the last eight and in none of the last five. The Aeros are 20-8-6-2 overall when scoring first.

But when not scoring first... - The Aeros are 7-26-7-2 when allowing the game's first goal and picked up their first road win in such situations (1-17-4-0) 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 against Cincinnati, but rallied to get a point for the first time this season when trailing by as many as three goals.

Not comeback artists – Houston is one of three AHL teams without a win when trailing after two periods (0-28-7-1). The Aeros became the last team to record a win when trailing after one period (1-23-4-2) 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 79-game mark – The Aeros passed the official midway point of the season with a 14-15-8-3 mark and now sport a 27-34-14-4 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 71-79 3-3-3-0, 9 pts. GF: 27 GA: 27 PP: 3-50 (6.0%) PK: 29-37 (78.4%)

Penalty kill update –

The Aeros' overall 84.9 percent penalty kill rate (303-357) is tied for 15th 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-326 (16.6 percent) on the power play.

Opponents are an eye-popping 19-for-91 (20.9 percent) on the power play over the last 21 games and have scored 25 man-advantage goals in the last 28 games.

Houston has allowed 11 power play goals on 43 chances (25.6 percent goal rate) in the last nine games, including four games with two or more goals.

The Aeros have yielded no power play goals in 40 of their 79 games, and have points in all but nine of those games (16-10-10-4).

Grand Rapids ranks tied for fourth in the AHL on the power play at 16.6 percent.

The Griffins snapped out of an 0-for-15 power play skid with two goals in five chances last night against San Antonio.

Grand Rapids is 8-for-43 (18.6 percent) with the man advantage versus the Aeros, and Kevin Miller is the lone Griffin with more than one man advantage goal in the series.

Power play update –

Houston enters tonight's game 52 of 435 on the power play (12.0 percent), tied for 24th among 28 AHL teams.

The Aeros have gone 39-for-292 (13.4 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 12.0.

The Aeros are 4-for-61 (6.6 percent) on the power play over their last 11 games, including 0-for-28 the last five.

Houston's 435 power plays are the most in the AHL, 15 more than second-place Manitoba. The Aeros also led the league in 2002-03 with 514 chances.

The Aeros have only seven wins in 41 games (7-24-9-1) when not scoring a power-play goal.

Grand Rapids is ninth in the AHL on the penalty kill at 87.0 percent.

The Griffins have killed off 17-of-20 (85.0 percent) of their shorthanded chances over the last five games.

Houston is 7-for-44 (15.9 percent) on the power play versus Grand Rapids, with seven different players scoring. The Aeros are 3-1-0-0 this season against the Griffins when scoring at least one power play goal, and 1-4-0-0 when failing to register one. Houston is 5-for-16 (31.3 percent) against Grand Rapids over its last three games.

Quick hits

Houston's minus-18 first period margin (66-48) is the second worst in the AHL (Springfield, 74-49, minus-25). The Griffins, meanwhile, are plus-12 (65-53) in the first period, the sixth best margin in the league.

The Aeros have led after one period once in the last 13 games, and they dropped that contest 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.

Grand Rapids outscored Houston 10-1 in the third period in their first eight meetings, but the Aeros roared back with a 4-1 advantage in winning a decision by the same score March 8.

Grand Rapids has yielded just 40 third-period goals (0.53 per third period played), eight fewer than any other AHL team. The Griffins' plus-17 third-period margin is fourth in the league.

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 netminder Frederic Cloutier is unbeaten in his last two decisions (0-0-2). The Quebec native is 0-5-4 since his last AHL win, January 29, 2003, a 5-2 decision in Rochester.

Aeros vs. Griffins, career

2 Heid 7gp, 0g, 1a, 1 pt

3 Beckett 18gp, 1g, 2a, 3 pts

5 Reitz 14gp, 1g, 0a, 1 pt

6 Michalek 18gp, 1g, 8a, 9 pts

7 Roche 28gp, 2g, 10a, 12 pts

8 Brandner 5gp, 0g, 0a, 0 pts

10 Krestanovich 4gp, 0g, 1a, 1 pt

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

14 Cavosie 16gp, 1g, 4a, 5 pts

15 Wallin 15gp, 2g, 9a, 11 pts

16 Cavanaugh 28gp, 3g, 4a, 7 pts

17 Cullen 17gp, 7g, 4a, 11 pts

18 Tibbetts 0gp, 0g, 0a, 0 pts

19 Hannula 8gp, 1g, 3a, 4 pts

20 Mitchell 10gp, 2g, 2a, 4 pts

22 Hoggan 14gp, 0g, 2a, 2 pts

24 Veilleux 22gp, 2g, 7a, 9 pts

25 Schutte 2gp, 0g, 0a, 0 pts

26 Wanvig 20gp, 6g, 0a, 6 pts

28 Vodrazka 14gp, 2g, 1a, 3 pts

31 Boogaard 5gp, 0g, 1a, 1 pt

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

34 Foy 5gp, 0g, 1a, 1 pt

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

35 Kettles 2gp, 0-1-0, 1.23 gaa, .955 sv. pct.

39 Cloutier 2gp, 0-1-0, 6.89 gaa, .600 sv. pct.

Griffins vs. Aeros, career

2 Lebda 0gp, 0g, 0a, 0 pts

4 Groulx 18gp, 1g, 1a, 2 pts

7 Picard 28gp, 8g, 21a, 29 pts

8 Robinson 12gp, 2g, 3a, 5 pts

9 King 27gp, 6g, 11a, 17 pts

11 Bonni 17gp, 0g, 1a, 1 pts

12 Boisvert 37gp, 1g, 4a, 5 pts

14 Miller 13gp, 7g, 3a, 10 pts

15 Schneekloth 10gp, 0g, 1a, 1 pt

16 Nelson 17gp, 4g, 13a, 17 pts

17 Van Drunen 31gp, 1g, 2a, 3 pts

18 Kopecky 13gp, 4g, 4a, 8 pts

19 Skarperud 11gp, 2g, 2a, 4 pts

21 Brisson 6gp, 1g, 0a, 1 pts

23 Ellis 7gp, 1g, 1a, 2 pts

24 Richards 50gp, 7g, 13a, 20 pts

25 Barnes 17gp, 2g, 6a, 8 pts

26 Hudler 6gp, 3g, 2a, 5 pts

27 Bootland 8gp, 2g, 0a, 2 pts

32 Bilotto 0gp, 0g, 0a, 0 pts

33 Karlander 10gp, 1g, 4a, 5 pts

42 Himelfarb 0gp, 0g, 0a, 0 pts

44 Myrvold 9gp, 0g, 0a, 0 pts

31 MacDonald 10gp, 5-4-0, 2.25 gaa, .926 sv. pct.

35 Lamothe 15gp, 9-5-1, 2.18 gaa, .938 sv. pct.



American Hockey League Stories from April 10, 2004


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central