Baseball giveaway tonight as Aeros host Rampage

Published on April 2, 2005 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Five things you need to know
• With just two weeks and two days left in the AHL's regular season, and the Aeros are tied for third place with Cincinnati at 79 points, but just one up on fifth-place Grand Rapids. The Ducks won 3-1 in San Antonio last night, while the Griffins lost a 2-1 home shootout to last-place Utah. Each team has nine games remaining. Beginning tonight, Houston plays six of its last nine games against San Antonio and Utah, the bottom two teams in the West. Cincinnati is at home to face Chicago tonight and Utah tomorrow. Grand Rapids, meanwhile, plays host to Utah again tonight, and is in Hamilton tomorrow to kick off a five-game road trip
• Houston is 3-0-1-0 at home versus San Antonio this season, and it has shut out the Rampage in each of the last two meetings at Toyota Center. The Aeros won 2-0 on March 2 behind 21 saves from Mike Smith, and a record-tying 8-0 victory 3/12, getting 24 saves from Josh Harding. San Antonio hasn't scored a goal at Toyota Center in 142:46, dating back to Greg Campbell's second-period goal 12/23.
• Through the season's first 65 games, the Aeros allowed only 41 third-period goals, but in the last six games, they've given up eight while scoring five. Houston is still second in the AHL with its 49 third-period goals allowed. Only Hartford (43) is better. In their last 15 wins, the Aeros have outscored their opponents in the third by a huge 20-3 margin, but Houston is 3-14-2-2 in its last 21 games when allowing a third-period goal.
• The Aeros have scored the first goal in three straight games, after going nine of 10 games allowing the first goal. This marks the first time this season Houston has scored first in three straight games. The Aeros are 12-22-4-4 when allowing the first goal, but 22-4-2-1 when scoring it. Houston has scored first just 29 times in 71 games (41 percent). Only four other AHL teams have scored first fewer times.
• Houston has won two straight, and a victory tonight would mark its fifth three-game winning streak of the season but first since 12/16-12/23. The Aeros have yet to string together four straight wins this season, joining Utah as the only AHL teams to not win four consecutive games. The Aeros' 5-3-0-2 mark in the last 10 games has put them eight games over the .500 mark at 34-26-6-5, tying their season-high. Houston was 29-21-6-3 after a 3-1 win over Grand Rapids 3/7, before losing three of four.

Rampage at Aeros (Aeros are 20-5-5-2 all-time, Aeros are 13-2-1-0 at Houston)
• Tonight is the 33rd all-time meeting between the teams - 17th in Houston.
• San Antonio has been held to two or fewer goals in 14 of its last 15 games against the Aeros.
• Houston is 5-1-2-0 this season against the Rampage, outscoring San Antonio 27-14 in the process. The Aeros have only two regulation losses in the last 20 meetings (12-2-4-2).
• The teams have gone to overtime in nine of 32 meetings. The Aeros are 1-4-3 against San Antonio in the extra session and 1-0 in the shootout.
• Houston is unbeaten in regulation in their last seven home meetings (6-0-1-0). The Rampage last earned a regulation win in Houston on 1/16/04, a 6-3 decision. San Antonio only has two regulation wins in Houston in its three years.
• In the last meeting, 3/12 at Toyota Center, the Aeros blanked San Antonio 8-0, tying their team record for most goals in a game and biggest shutout victory.
• Aeros centerman Mikko Koivu has 10 points, including seven goals, in eight games versus the Rampage.
• While Houston's plus-21 PPG (60-39) ratio is among the tops in the AHL, San Antonio is minus-32 (71-39).

Scouting the Aeros
Houston is 7-1-0-1 in its last nine home games and is 3-0-0-1 on a five-game homestand that ends tonight...Pierre-Marc Bouchard (12-36=48) leads the Aeros in scoring and has 29 points (7-22=29) in his last 33 games...Veteran Ray Giroux (11-19=30) anchors a well-balanced blueline along with 20-year-old prospect Brent Burns (9-14=23)...Mike Smith is 18-15-3 with a 2.42 gaa and five shutouts, while Josh Harding is 16-16-2 with four shutouts and a 2.08 gaa to rank ninth in the AHL but first in the Western Conference.

Scouting the Rampage
San Antonio, the AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers, lost 3-1 at home to Cincinnati last night, as it lost for the seven time in eight games...San Antonio, which was outshot 37-10 and had one shot in the third period, is 3-14-1-1 since winning three straight 1/30-2/4...Since late February, San Antonio has loaned out more than 500 games of NHL experience to other AHL teams...The team has scored four goals in its last six games and 11 in its last 11...The Rampage's leading active scorer who has been with the team all season is Ryan Jardine (12-17=29)...Lukas Krajicek leads the way among the blueliners with 23 points (2-21=23)...The Aeros will get their first look at Anthony Stewart, Florida's No. 1 pick in 2003 and a World Junior star...Travis Scott is 17-25-4 with a 2.36 gaa, while Patrick DesRochers is 8-17-1 with a 3.03 gaa.

2004-05 meetings (Ninth of 12 meetings, Aeros are 5-1-2-0 overall, Aeros are 3-0-1-0 at Houston)
October 15: Houston 1 at San Antonio 2
December 3: San Antonio 2 at Houston 1 (OT)
December 23: San Antonio 2 at Houston 5
January 21: Houston 4 at San Antonio 2
February 27: Houston 3 at San Antonio 2 (SO)
March 2: San Antonio 0 at Houston 2
March 3: Houston 3 at San Antonio 4 (OT)
March 12: San Antonio 0 at Houston 8
Tonight: San Antonio at Houston
Tomorrow: Houston at San Antonio
April 9: Houston at San Antonio
April 10: San Antonio at Houston

Quick Hits
• The Aeros have only two regulation losses in 25 regular-season home games in the month of April (17-2-6-0).
• In its 34 wins, Houston has allowed just 13 third-period goals, but in the remainder of its 37 games, it has yielded 36.
• The Aeros have scored five goals in their last seven losses (0-5-0-2), but 25 in their last five wins.
• San Antonio has allowed 69 first-period goals, third most in the league, and its minus-23 first-period margin is third worst in the AHL. The Rampage is minus-21 in the third period (63-42), third worst in the league.
• Eighteen of the Rampage's 25 wins have come by one goal. The Rampage is 18-10-3-5 in one-goal games, but just 7-29-0-0 in games decided by two or more.
• Rampage goalie Travis Scott has a 1.56 gaa in his last eight appearances, but he has just a 1-4-0 mark to show for it.
• At 21, rookie winger Bill Kinkel became the youngest Aero to ever notch a hat trick Wednesday. The 6-foot-5, 239-pounder was the first Aeros rookie with a hat trick since Mark Cullen 12/26/02. Mike Yeo, at 22 years, 4 months and 13 days, was the previous youngest Aero to get three goals in a game. Kinkel will see a familiar face on the opposing bench tonight - he played junior hockey with San Antonio's Anthony Stewart.

Last Game
Rookie Bill Kinkel, a 6-foot-5, 239-pound winger recalled from ECHL Pensacola earlier Wednesday and appearing in his fourth career AHL game, got a hat trick as the Houston Aeros took over sole possession of third place in the West Division with a 4-1 victory over the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks at Toyota Center. Josh Harding made 34 saves to snap a four-game winless streak, Kirby Law tacked on an empty-net tally and Mikko Koivu added two assists for Houston.

Harding back in a big way
• Aeros 20-year-old rookie goalie Josh Harding missed 17 games due to a concussion, but he has returned strong, going 11-9-1.
• Harding is ninth in the league in gaa (2.08), but he leads the Western Conference. Harding is second among rookies to Lowell's Cam Ward (1.99).
• Harding, the second youngest goalie in the AHL behind WBS' Marc-Andre Fleury, has four shutouts. No other Aeros rookie goalie had more than one shutout.
• Harding has allowed 28 goals in the first period, but only 20 in the second and 19 in the third. He's allowed only four third-period goals in 14 Toyota Center appearances.
• Harding is 9-3-1 with a 1.79 gaa at home, but 7-13-1 with a 2.25 gaa on the road.

Smith establishes franchise mark
• 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 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 7-4-2 with a 2.60 gaa on the road but 11-11-1 with a better 2.31 gaa at Toyota Center. Each of Smith's five shutouts have come at home.
• In his last four Toyota Center appearances, including a no decision in relief, Smith is 3-0-0 with a 1.09 gaa. He is unbeaten in regulation in his last four starts overall, going 3-0-1 with a 1.47 gaa. Smith's recent run has improved his record to 18-15-3 with a 2.42 gaa and a .913 save percentage. After going winless (0-2-1) with a 2.89 gaa in February, Smith went 4-2-1 with a 2.21 gaa in March, his second lowest gaa of any month this season.

PP unit eighth
• The Aeros are eighth in the league on the power play at 17.1 percent.
• Houston is 3-for-33 (9.1 percent) on the man advantage over its last seven games after scoring six times in three games.
• Houston's Pierre-Marc Bouchard has been on the ice for six of his team's last seven PPG, and eight of the last 10.
• In their last 54 games, the Aeros have outscored their opponents 49-29 on the power play.
• Overall, the Aeros have outscored their opponents 60-39 on the power play.
• Houston is 23-12-5-2 when scoring a PPG and 11-14-1-3 when not scoring a PPG.
• San Antonio is 25th in the AHL on the penalty kill at 80.4 percent.
• The Rampage has killed off 28-of-35 shorthanded chances (80.0 percent) in the last six games.
• Houston is 9-for-34 (26.5 percent) on the power play against San Antonio this season, including a massive 7-for-20 mark (35.0 percent) at home.

Houston tied for third on PK
• Houston is tied for third in the league on the penalty kill at 87.6 percent. The Aeros have yielded 39 PPG, two off the league lead.
• Following a 46-of-48 kill streak 2/4-2/23, the Aeros have allowed 15 goals on 84 chances (82.1 percent kill rate) over their last 19 games.
• Houston is 24-13-2-3 when not allowing a PPG and 10-13-4-2 when allowing a PPG.
• San Antonio is 24th in the league on the power play at 13.5 percent, having scored 39 PPG - second fewest in the AHL.
• The Rampage is 1-for-20 (5.0 percent) on the power play in the last six games.

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American Hockey League Stories from April 2, 2005


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