AHL's two longest winning streaks collide

Published on March 4, 2006 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Eight things you need to know
- Since losing 4-3 in Hartford 2/11, the Aeros have won seven straight overall - one off their season-high, set 12/11-12/31. A victory tonight would tie the second-longest winning streak in team history. Houston has won eight in a row four times, including the run earlier this season. The Aeros won eight straight games just one other time in their AHL years, 10/11-10/26/02, beginning the Calder Cup championship season in 2002-03. Houston's longest winning streak ever is 11 games, from 11/27-12/20/96.
- Houston and Hartford have the two longest active winning streaks in the AHL at seven and five games, respectively. Philadelphia also has won five straight. This marks the second time this week the Aeros have faced off in a game against a team with the second-longest winning streak in the league, having snapped Hamilton's five-game run with a 3-2 victory Thursday.
- The Aeros enter tonight's game with 87 points - just five points off last season's total, and a magic number for clinching a playoff spot of 14 points. That's a combination of points won by the Aeros, and points lost by Iowa. The Stars can reach 100 points by winning their remaining 21 games.
- Houston's 42 victories are two better than last season's total (40-28-6-6), with 21 games remaining. The Aeros are on pace for 118 points - three behind the 1998-99 franchise-record, which was set in an 82-game season. Houston has more victories after 59 games than any other season in franchise history. Houston is a league-best 24-4-1-2 at home - one more win than last season's total (23-13-1-3) with nine games left. The Aeros' franchise record for most wins at home is 32 (32-6-3), set in 1998-99. Houston's 23 home wins are already the tied for the fourth most in team history. The Aeros are unbeaten in regulation in their last eight home games (7-0-0-1), a season-high. Houston was last unbeaten in nine straight home games from 12/5/03-1/4/04 (6-0-3-0).
- Murphy's Mission, benefiting I Have a Dream ®, started off in strong fashion Thursday when D Curtis Murphy picked up two assists for $200. An anonymous local donor is giving $300 per Murphy goal and $100 per assist to the charity. The "I Have a Dream"® Program helps children from low-income areas reach their education and career goals by providing a long-term program of mentoring, tutoring, and enrichment with an assured opportunity for higher education. A home hat trick at any point of the program will net the foundation a whopping $10,000.
- Aeros C Erik Westrum (29-55=84) leads RW Kirby Law (34-49=83) for the top spot in the AHL's points race. They and are trying to become the first duo from the same team to finish 1-2 in the league's scoring race since 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. Law has more goals in a single season than any Aero in the AHL years, as does C/LW Patrick O'Sullivan, who is first in rookie scoring and tied for sixth overall with 66 points (34-32=66). O ‘Sullivan has team rookie records in goals and points, and is tied with Cory Larose's team record assist total for a first-year player. Earlier this week, O'Sullivan became the first player ever to earn the Rbk Hockey/AHL Rookie of the Month award in consecutive months. LW Roman Voloshenko (27-17=44) is third among first-year players in goals and tied for ninth in points.
- The Aeros pulled off yet another come-from-behind win Thursday against Hamilton. Houston has trailed at some point in 18 of its 42 victories, with six of the wins coming when trailing by two goals. The Aeros had 16 come-from-behind victories in 2004-05. They are an impressive 15-8-0-0 when allowing the game's first goal, including four such wins in their seven-game winning streak.
- Both C Erik Westrum and LW Roman Voloshenko scored goals at Toyota Center on Thursday against Hamilton, so it doesn't come as a major surprise that the Aeros won the game. Houston is 13-0-0-0 when Westrum has a goal and 22-2-0-2 when he has a point at home. The Aeros are also 13-0-0-0 when Voloshenko has a goal, and a perfect 15-0-0-0 when he records at least one point at Toyota Center.

Wolf Pack at Aeros (Aeros are 5-4-0-2 all-time, Aeros are 3-1-0-1 at Houston)
- The teams meet for the 12th time tonight - the sixth game in Houston.
- The last three meetings in Houston have been decided by a total of four goals.
- The teams split two games last season, with Hartford winning 1-0 in a home shootout 11/1 and the Aeros emerging with a 3-1 victory at Toyota Center 3/4 to snap a string of three straight shutouts against the Wolf Pack.
- Five of the 11 meetings between these teams have ended with one team getting shut out.

Scouting the Aeros
The Aeros (42-14-1-2) have the AHL's best winning percentage (.737) and join Grand Rapids as the lone AHL teams with 40 or more wins...Houston has won seven consecutive games overall - one off its season-high...C Erik Westrum has 84 points (29-55=84), one up on RW Kirby Law (34-49=83) for the top spot in the AHL...C/LW Patrick O'Sullivan is first in rookie scoring and tied for sixth overall with 66 points (34-32=66)...O'Sullivan had a seven-game point streak snapped Thursday...He hasn't been held without a point in back-to-back games since 11/6-11/9...LW Roman Voloshenko (27-17=44) is third in goals and tied for ninth in points among rookies...D Curtis Murphy is third among AHL defensemen with 51 points (10-41=51)...G Josh Harding is 26-7-0 with a 2.53 gaa to rank second in wins, first in save pct. (.927) and seventh in gaa...G Seamus Kotyk is 12-6-2 with a 2.89 gaa - 21st-best in the AHL.

Scouting the Wolf Pack
Hartford (36-16-2-6), AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers, won its fifth straight last night, 4-2 in San Antonio...The victory improved the Wolf Pack to 12-1-0-1 in the last 14 games...C Jarkko Immonen leads Hartford with 59 points (28-31=59)...LW Nigel Dawes has 49 points (28-21=49) after a hat trick last night to rank second among rookies in goals...Rookie D Daniel Girardi paces the blueline with 31 points (5-26=31)...Rookie G Al Montoya is 18-5-1 and ranks ninth in the AHL with a 2.61 gaa...G Robert Gherson is 15-7-2 with a 2.70 gaa.

2005-06 meetings (2nd of 2 meetings, Aeros are 0-1-0-0 overall, First meeting at Houston)
February 11 Houston 3 at Hartford 4
Tonight Hartford at Houston

Quick Hits
- Houston is third in the AHL in scoring at 3.75 gpg, trailing only Grand Rapids' 3.97 gpg and Portland's 3.77 gpg. Since getting shut out 3-0 by Milwaukee 11/27, the Aeros have scored 145 goals in 35 games for a 4.14 gpg average. Houston is trying 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 exactly 300 goals.
- In their last 11 victories, the Aeros have outscored their opponents 24-9 in the first period. In the last 24 games overall, Houston has a 37-18 goal margin in the opening 20 minutes, and overall on the season the Aeros are an AHL-best plus-30 (72-42). Houston has trailed after one period just twice in its last 19 games.
- Aeros D Curtis Murphy, an All-Star for the seventh time in as many North American seasons, became the team's all-time point and goal scorer from the blueline last month. Murphy now has 152 points (45-107=152) in 219 games with the Aeros. Murphy trails only Greg Hawgood in assists among blueliners (109). Murphy, a two-time Eddie Shore Winner as AHL Defenseman of the Year, is third among all AHL blueliners in points this season (10-41=51). Murphy's 41 assists are already a new AHL-high for him - his career-best was 43 with IHL Orlando in 1999-2000.
- The Aeros are 40-4-0-1 when scoring three goals or more, but they are 2-10-1-1 when scoring two or fewer. Three is also the magic number defensively, as Houston is 37-4-1-1 when allowing three of fewer goals and 5-10-0-1 when yielding four or more.
- Houston is 13-1-0-0 when allowing 29 or fewer shots this season, but also an impressive 10-1-1-0 when yielding 40 or more.
- The Aeros are 18-5-1-2 in one-goal games, and an impressive 25-8-1-2 in games decided by two goals or less. Houston has seen 10 of its last 12 games be decided by one or two goals, going 7-2-0-1.
- Veteran C Rem Murray has six points (2-4=6) in the last five games, including a three-point performance (1-2=3) Sunday in Milwaukee.
- The Aeros' blueline tandem of veteran Curtis Murphy and rookie Clayton Stoner ranks tied for fourth in the AHL in plus-minus (plus-19).
- Houston is 8-1-0-0 at Toyota Center in the month of March in the last two seasons.
- After tonight's game, each of Houston's final 20 games will come against the West Division. The Aeros are 30-8-0-1 against the West this season, and 42-12-0-2 versus the Western Conference. Houston is 0-2-1-0 against the Eastern Conference, going 0-1-0-0 against Hartford and 0-1-1-0 versus Manchester.
- Hartford has scored a league-high 18 SHG, including a league-high six by Alexandre Giroux.

Power play update
- Houston is second in the league on the power play at 21.1 percent.
- The Aeros are 53-for-222 (23.9 percent) with the man advantage in the last 35 games.
- Houston is 14-for-51 (27.5 percent) on the power play in its last eight games after going without a PPG in two straight games for the first time this season.
- The Aeros are 23-4-0-1 when scoring at least two PPG. Houston has scored two or more PPG in 18 of its last 34 games.
- Houston has been outscored on the power play just five times in its last 37 games.
- Hartford is 11th in the AHL on the penalty kill at 83.2 percent.
- The Wolf Pack has killed off just 33-of-45 shorthanded chances (73.3 percent) in the last six games.
- Houston went 3-for-9 on the power play against Hartford 2/11.

Penalty kill update
- Houston is third in the AHL on the penalty kill at 85.6 percent.
- In the last 19 games, Houston is 114-of-128 (89.1 percent) on the PK.
- Houston is 21-3-0-2 when not allowing a power play goal and 33-7-1-1 when allowing one power play goal or fewer.
- Hartford ranks tied for sixth in the AHL on the power play at 19.3 percent.
- The Wolf Pack is a stellar 34.3 percent (12-for-35) with the man advantage in the last four games.
- Hartford went 1-for-6 on the power play against Houston 2/11.

Aeros/Wolf Pack connections
- Hartford G Robert Gherson was under contract with the Aeros in 2004-05, but didn't appear in a game. He did back up several times.
- Aeros D Erik Reitz spent one season playing alongside Hartford D Daniel Girardi in OHL Barrie in 2001-02.
- Houston C Erik Westrum and Hartford D Martin Grenier were teammates in Springfield from 2001-03. Westrum played in Utah in 2004-05 with Wolf Pack LW Martin Sonnenberg.
- Aeros G Seamus Kotyk and Hartford RW Chad Wiseman spent the first two seasons of their pro career together in Cleveland from 2001-03.

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American Hockey League Stories from March 4, 2006


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