Aeros Weekly Report

February 7, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Heid recalled - The Aeros announced this morning that they have recalled defenseman Chris Heid from ECHL Louisiana. Heid becomes the third player recalled from the IceGators since Thursday, joining David Bararuk and Mark Rooneem. The 21-year-old Heid, who had 13 points (3-10=13) in 58 games with Houston in his rookie 2003-04 campaign, tallied eight points (2-6=8) in 17 games with Louisiana. He missed the first two months of the season due to injury.

This week on Aeros.com – Continue voting on aeros.com for the subject of the next aeros.com Q&A session. Also, the Aeros' Junior Reporter Michael McHugh will have a feature story on Matt Foy later this week. McHugh's Josh Harding feature will run later today on www.theahl.com. Remember, you can access all Aeros broadcasts on aeros.com

Heid recalled - The Aeros announced this morning that they have recalled defenseman Chris Heid from ECHL Louisiana. Heid becomes the third player recalled from the IceGators since Thursday, joining David Bararuk and Mark Rooneem. The 21-year-old Heid, who had 13 points (3-10=13) in 58 games with Houston in his rookie 2003-04 campaign, tallied eight points (2-6=8) in 17 games with Louisiana. He missed the first two months of the season due to injury.



This week on Aeros.com – Continue voting on aeros.com for the subject of the next aeros.com Q&A session. Also, the Aeros' Junior Reporter Michael McHugh will have a feature story on Matt Foy later this week. McHugh's Josh Harding feature will run later today on www.theahl.com. Remember, you can access all Aeros broadcasts on aeros.com



Coming attractions:

TUE, vs. UTA, 11:05 a.m. (Internet only broadcast)

Chronicle in Education Kids Game

The Aeros and Grizzlies get an early wake-up call for an 11:05 a.m. faceoff. More than ninety schools are signed up for the Chronicle in Education Kids Game. Utah makes its first trip to Toyota Center since November 28, when the Aeros won 5-2 in a game marred by a late hit on Josh Harding, who missed two months with a concussion. The teams split the two-game series in November, with the Grizzlies winning 5-3. Utah is 0-2-0-1 in its last three and has lost 11 straight on the road.



WED, at GR, 6 p.m. (Broadcast joined in progress at 7 p.m.)

The Aeros make their fourth and final trip to Van Andel Arena this season. Houston is 2-1-0-1 versus the Griffins this season, including a 2-1-0-0 mark in Grand Rapids. Each of the three meetings at Van Andel has been decided by one goal, including a pair of 1-0 games - one win by each team.



THU, at MIL, 7 p.m.

The Admirals, who made their final trip of the season into Toyota Center last weekend, have split two games with Houston at Bradley Center this season. Brian Finley blanked the Aeros 2-0 in the last meeting. Houston is 1-4-1-0 in its last six trips to Milwaukee.



SAT, at CHI, 7:30 p.m. (new time)

The Aeros are winless in their last 11 trips to Allstate Arena (0-6-3-2), their longest winless streak in any arena. Thirteen of the last 23 meetings overall have gone to overtime, including two of the three Allstate meetings this season.



Bouchard's point streak up to six games - Pierre-Marc Bouchard's six-game point streak is one off Mikko Koivu's team season-high, and his six-game assist streak is two longer than any teammate has had this season. The assist run is also two games longer than any other active streak in the AHL. Bouchard has nine points (3-6=9) in his last six games.



Back-to-back no problem - The Aeros are 3-8-0-0 in game one of back-to-back or back-to-back situations, but 10-5-1-0 in games two/three.



A popular score - Houston has been involved in five 1-0 games - four with Josh Harding in net - one more than the franchise record set in 1999-2000.



We'll be busy - The Aeros have played 44 games, two fewer than any other AHL team and 10 fewer than in-state rival San Antonio. Houston's winning percentage of .534 ranks seventh of 14 Western Conference teams, yet the Aeros' point total of 47 is tied for 12th in the conference due to the lack of games played.



PK on quite the run - Houston killed off 16-of-17 shorthanded chances last week to move to 88.6 percent on the penalty kill, second in the AHL. Only Edmonton (88.8 percent) has been better. Houston has yielded only 23 power play goals, six fewer than any other AHL team.



Nearing new team record for shutouts - The Aeros have seven shutouts, tied with the 1996-97 and 2001-02 teams for the most ever.



Down on the farm - The CHL's Austin Ice Bats are 22-18-3, in second place in the Southeast Division, just two points behind Corpus Christi...F Dallas Anderson has 15 points (8-7=15) and 267 PIM's...Anderson is second in the CHL in PIM's...The ECHL's Pensacola Ice Pilots are 30-11-4 after eight straight wins and own the league's best record...LW Jordan Krestanovich has 35 points (14-21=35)...RW Jason Beckett has 19 points (7-12=19) and is team-best plus-21...D Ryan Stokes has 11 points (1-10=11) and 94 PIM's and is a plus-10...LW Bill Kinkel has four points (3-1=4) and 115 PIM's in 21 games...ECHL Louisiana is 17-23-3...Currently with the Aeros, LW David Bararuk (14-22=36) is second on the team in scoring while RW Mark Rooneem, also in Houston, has 21 points (13-8=21)...D Maxime Fortunus has 17 points (6-11=17)...D Chris Heid has eight points (2-6=8) in 17 games and was recalled today...G Kyle Kettles is 4-6-0 with a 3.61 gaa...UHL Quad City is 20-19-7, in fourth place in the West...G Robert Gherson is 9-6-4 with a 2.48 gaa....C Mike Kompon has a team-best 44 points (14-30=44)...Kompon is second among UHL rookies in points and is first in assists.



Player of the week G Josh Harding -

Went 1-1-0 with a 1.45 gaa and a .957 save percentage, with his lone loss coming in overtime...Stopped 33 shots but fell 3-2 in the extra session to Chicago on Wednesday...Helped kill off a five-minute major in the third period, plus two full minutes of a 5-on-3...Made 34 saves for his third shutout on Saturday, a 1-0 win over Milwaukee, which entered the game with the second best offensive in the AHL...Was the fourth time this season he's been involved in a 1-0 game (2-1-1)...Is 2-1-0 with a 1.63 gaa since missing two months with a concussion...Ranks second in AHL in gaa at 1.94 and is tied for first in save percentage (.934).

Harding this week...

2/2 at CHI L 33-36

2/5 vs. MIL W 34-34

Totals - 2gp, 1-1-0, 1.45 gaa, .957 pct.



Aeros pick up three of six points

CHI 3, HOU 2 (OT); MIL 5, HOU 3; HOU 1, MIL 0

The Aeros went 1-1-1-0 in three games last week, with a thrilling 1-0 win over Milwaukee capping off the stretch of three games in four nights.

Wednesday: Brad Larsen completed a natural hat trick just after a power play expired with 43 seconds left in overtime, as the Chicago Wolves rallied from two goals down for a 3-2 victory over the Aeros at Allstate Arena. Kari Lehtonen made 23 saves for Chicago, which avenged a 3-2 loss at Houston January 29 in which it couldn't hold a two-goal lead.

Josh Harding made 33 saves, and Brent Burns and Pierre-Marc Bouchard scored 1:41 apart in the second period for Houston.

Friday: Jordin Tootoo snapped a tie with 9:19 left in regulation and Andrew Hutchinson tallied a goal and two assists, as the Milwaukee Admirals held off the Houston Aeros 5-3 at Toyota Center. Darren Haydar, Tony Hrkac and Jerred Smithson also scored and Brian Finley made 32 saves for his 12th career win against Houston.

David Bararuk scored in his Aeros debut and Mikko Koivu and Erik Reitz also scored for Houston.

Saturday: In a stirring goaltenders' duel, Harding made 34 saves for his third shutout and Matt Foy snapped a tie with 5:45 left in regulation, as the Houston Aeros outlasted Finley and the defending Calder Cup champions Milwaukee Admirals 1-0 at Toyota Center.

Finley stopped 39 shots for Milwaukee.

Harding, making his first start against the Ads, made eight saves in the first period, 14 in the second and 12 in the third to improve to 2-1-0 since returning from a concussion which forced him to miss two months. The lone loss came in overtime in Chicago – a place Houston hasn't won in more than two seasons – on Wednesday.

It took Houston 34 shots to solve Finley, who entered the game with a 12-5-1 career mark against the Aeros. Bouchard sent an awkward shot from just below the goal line on the right side, and Finley made the save. The puck popped loose, and Foy just pushed it through the netminder's skates for his sixth goal of the season – first since December 18.



West Standings - The Aeros enter this week in sixth place with 47 points, but their .534 winning percentage is third best in the division. Houston has three games in hand on fifth-place Grand Rapids and 10 in hand on fourth-place San Antonio.

West Division Standings, 2/7

Milwaukee 33-14-2-2=70

Chicago 27-18-4-1=59

Cincinnati 25-22-1-3=54

San Antonio 22-26-2-4=50

Grand Rapids 23-22-1-1=48

Houston 21-18-3-2=47

Utah 12-31-0-3=27



Aeros' Practice schedule:

Monday - 10-11:30, Sugar Land

Tuesday - vs. UTA, 11:05 a.m.

Wednesday - at GR, 6 p.m.

Thursday - at MIL, 7 p.m.

Friday – in Chicago

Saturday - at CHI, 7:30 p.m. (note new time)

Sunday – Off



Aeros fans, the 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic is just a few days away. Be sure to catch all the action of the Skills Competition and All-Star Game on the 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic TV network.



On Monday, February 14 at 7:00 PM (EST) the 2005 AHL All-Star Game will be televised live on ESPN2 (U.S.) and Rogers Sportsnet (Canada).



The 2005 AHL All-Star Skills Competition will take place on Sunday, February 13 at 7:00 PM (EST). TV listings for the entire event are listed below.



2005 AHL All-Star Game - Monday, February 14, 7:00 PM (EST)

-ESPN2 (live)

-Rogers Sportsnet (live)



2005 AHL All-Star Skills Competition – Sunday, February 13, 7:00 PM (EST)*

-Rogers Sportsnet (live, except delay Ontario region, 2/13 8:30 PM)

-America One (live)

-Comcast Chicago (delay, 2/14 1:00 PM)

-Comcast Michigan (live)

-Comcast Mid-Atlantic (delay, 2/18 7:00 PM)

-Comcast Philadelphia (delay, 2/13 8:30 PM)

-Comcast Southeast (delay, 2/15 9:00 PM, 2/16 12:30 PM)

-Comcast West (delay 2/14, 9:00 PM)

-Fox Sports Net New England (delay, 2/13 8:45 PM)

-Fox Sports Net New York (delay, 2/13 8:30 PM)

-Fox Sports Net Ohio (check listings)

-Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh (delay, 2/14 1:00 PM)

-Sunshine Network (delay, 2/16 3:30 PM, 2/19 3:00 PM, 2/23 4:00 PM, 2/24 12:00 PM)



*All Skills Competition network times local.



For more information about the 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic visit www.theahl.com.



American Hockey League Stories from February 7, 2005


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