Chicago in town, 1/2 Price at Center Ice

Published on March 7, 2006 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Seven things you need to know
- 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 13 points. That's a combination of points won by the Aeros, and points lost by Iowa. The Stars can reach 99 points by winning their remaining 19 games. Houston holds a two-point lead (87-85) over second-place Milwaukee, which plays host to Peoria tonight. The Aeros do have two games in hand.
- Murphy's Mission, benefiting I Have a Dream ®, started off in strong fashion last week when D Curtis Murphy picked up a combined four assists for $400. 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. Murphy, who last month became the top defenseman goal and point scorer in team history, is set to complete the scoring trio with his next assist. His 109 helpers with the Aeros are tied with Greg Hawgood for the top spot on the team's ledgers. Murphy ranks second among AHL blueliners with 53 points (10-43=53), and his assist total ties his career-high. Murphy has six points (1-5=6) in a four-game point streak - one off his season-high - and is averaging more than a point per game since New Year's. Murphy has 27 points (7-20=27) in 26 games in 2006.
- Aeros RW Kirby Law (34-51=85) leads C Erik Westrum (29-55=84) 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. LW Patrick O'Sullivan is first in rookie scoring and eighth overall with 68 points (36-32=68). 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. LW Roman Voloshenko (27-17=44) is tied for second among first-year players in goals and ninth in points.
- Houston LW Patrick O'Sullivan continues his push towards a possible Rookie of the Year title. O'Sullivan, who last week became the first player ever to win back-to-back AHL Rookie of the Month Awards, leads all rookies in goals (36) and points (68). His 36 goals place him third in the AHL. Many rookies go through peaks and valleys, but O'Sullivan has been the exception. The Winston-Salem, N.C., native hasn't gone back-to-back games without a point since 11/6 and 11/9. Since that point, O'Sullivan has racked up 61 points (33-28=61) in just 45 games. O'Sullivan has points in nine of his last 10 games, with 14 points (8-6=14) in that span. O'Sullivan has an eye-popping 17 goals in the last 20 games. He has two of Houston's three goals in the last two games, both coming on the power play.
- The Aeros' power play unit continues to click like it has been doing all season, scoring 17 times in the last 10 games, including three goals over the last two contests. However, those three PPG are the only goals the Aeros have scored in the last 128:00, as they haven't tallied an even-strength marker since C Erik Westrum scored at 12:00 of the third period last Thursday against Hamilton. Houston has been outscored 8-0 in even-strength situations in its last two games - both losses.
- Houston has lost back-to-back game in regulation for just the fourth time this season. The Aeros haven't lost three straight regulation games in more than two seasons. It last happened 2/20-2/22/04. Houston is trying to avoid dropping back-to-back home games for the first time in more than one season, since 1/14-1/16/05.
- The Aeros are 18-5-1-2 for 39 points in 26 one-goal games, while Chicago is 9-6-3-6 for 27 points in 24 such games.

Wolves at Aeros (Aeros are 35-24-14-4 all-time, Aeros are 21-8-8-2 at Houston)
- Tonight is the 78th all-time meeting between the Wolves and Aeros - 40th in Houston. The teams play three times in the next nine days, and Houston plays five of its final 19 games against Chicago.
- Aeros G Josh Harding is 3-6-0 with a 3.23 gaa in his career against the Wolves, but 44-18-3 with a 2.16 gaa against the remainder of the AHL.
- Chicago earned a five-game win over the Aeros in the 2005 West Division Semifinals en route to the Calder Cup Finals.
- The Aeros have won two straight against the Wolves for just the third time since joining the AHL in 2001-02. Houston's last three-game winning streak versus Chicago was from 2/10-3/3/01, and it hasn't won four in a row against the Wolves since a five-game run 4/9/95-1/11/97.
- Since joining the AHL, Houston is 17-15-9-4 versus Chicago, including a 11-5-5-2 home record and a 6-10-4-2 road mark.
- The Aeros have just eight wins in the last 24 matchups (8-10-6-0) but have points in 13 of those games.
- Since 14 of 23 regular-season meetings went to OT or a shootout from 1/9/03-2/12/05, the Aeros have played seven straight games that have ended in regulation. It's the first stretch that long without OT or a shootout since 1/24/99-3/19/00.
- Eleven of the last 16 meetings in Houston have been decided by one goal or finished in a tie.

Scouting the Aeros
The Aeros (42-16-1-2) have the AHL's best points percentage (.713) and best home points percentage (.797)...RW Kirby Law has 85 points (34-51=84), one up on C Erik Westrum (29-55=84) for the top spot in the AHL...C/LW Patrick O'Sullivan is first in rookie scoring and eighth overall with 68 points (36-32=68)...LW Roman Voloshenko (27-17=44) is tied for second in goals and ninth in points among rookies...D Curtis Murphy is second among AHL defensemen with 53 points (10-43=53)...G Josh Harding is 26-8-0 with a 2.61 gaa to rank second in wins, tied for first in save pct. (.925) and ninth in gaa...G Seamus Kotyk is 12-7-2 with a 2.94 gaa.

Scouting the Wolves
Chicago (25-26-3-6), AHL affiliate of the Atlanta Thrashers, has won three in a row and is 7-2-1-0 in its last 10 to draw within four points of fourth-place Omaha for the fourth and final West Division playoff spot, with a game in hand...Chicago has scored 16 goals in the three-game winning streak...A victory tonight would put the Wolves at the .500 mark for the first time since they were 3-3-1-1 on 10/28...LW Ramzi Abid paces Chicago and is tied for 16th in the AHL with 59 points (27-32=59)...D Mark Popovic leads the blueline with 29 points (9-20=29)...Rookie G Tuomas Tarkki is 12-6-3 with a 2.89 gaa, while G Michael Garnett is 5-9-3 with a 4.24 gaa.

2005-06 meetings (4th of 8 meetings, Aeros are 2-1-0-0 overall, Aeros are 1-1-0-0 at Houston)
October 25 Chicago 5 at Houston 1
January 22 Houston 4 at Chicago 0
January 28 Chicago 4 at Houston 5
Tonight Chicago at Houston
Thursday Chicago at Houston
March 15 Houston at Chicago
March 24 Houston at Chicago
April 15 Houston at Chicago

Quick Hits
- The Aeros are beginning their 15th set of back-to-back games against one opponent. They are 11-1-1-1 in Game 1, and 11-3-0-0 in Game 2. Houston has swept eight of 14 opponents in back-to-back sets, including the last two and five of the last seven.
- Houston is fourth in the AHL in scoring at 3.67 gpg. Since getting shut out 3-0 by Milwaukee 11/27, the Aeros have scored 148 goals in 37 games for a 4.00 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 294 goals.
- In their last 11 victories, the Aeros have outscored their opponents 24-9 in the first period. In the last 26 games overall, Houston has a 38-19 goal margin in the opening 20 minutes, and overall on the season the Aeros are an AHL-best plus-30 (73-43). Houston has trailed after one period just three times in its last 21 games.
- The Aeros are 40-4-0-1 when scoring three goals or more, but they are 2-12-1-1 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 5-12-0-1 when yielding four or more.
- Houston is 13-3-0-0 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 25-9-1-2 in games decided by two goals or less. Houston has seen 11 of its last 14 games be decided by one or two goals, going 7-3-0-1.
- The Aeros pulled off yet another come-from-behind win 3/2 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 15-9-0-0 when allowing the game's first goal.

Power play update
- Houston is second in the league on the power play at 21.2 percent.
- The Aeros are 56-for-234 (23.9 percent) with the man advantage in the last 37 games.
- Houston is 17-for-63 (27.0 percent) on the power play in its last 10 games after going without a PPG in two straight games for the first time this season.
- The Aeros are 23-5-0-1 when scoring at least two PPG. Houston has scored two or more PPG in 19 of its last 36 games.
- Houston has been outscored on the power play just five times in its last 39 games.
- Chicago is tied for 19th in the AHL on the penalty kill at 81.5 percent.
- The Wolves have allowed six goals on 27 power play chances in the last five games for a 77.8 percent kill rate.
- Houston is 4-for-26 (15.4 percent) on the power play against Chicago this season.

Penalty kill update
- Houston is third in the AHL on the penalty kill at 85.8 percent.
- In the last 20 games, Houston is 124-of-139 (89.2 percent) on the PK.
- Houston is 21-4-0-2 when not allowing a power play goal and 33-9-1-1 when allowing one power play goal or fewer.
- Chicago ranks tied for 20th in the AHL on the power play at 15.8 percent.
- The Wolves are 14-for-38 (36.8 percent) with the man advantage in the last six games, scoring at least two PPG in each game.
- Chicago is 2-for-29 (6.9 percent) on the power play against Houston this season.

Aeros/Wolves connections
- Wolves D Travis Roche was an Aero from 2001-04, racking up 120 points (35-85=120) in 185 games.
- Wolves assistant coach Marty Howe won a pair of AVCO Cups with the WHA Houston Aeros in 1974-75.
- Aeros assistant coach Matt Shaw was an assistant coach under John Anderson in Chicago in 1998-99.
- Houston D Curtis Murphy attended the University of North Dakota for two years with Chicago D Nick Naumenko.
- Aeros C Erik Westrum and Wolves LW Ramzi Abid both played for Springfield in 2001-02 and 2002-03.
- Aeros RW Kirby Law played most of three seasons alongside Chicago D Francis Lessard at AHL Philadelphia from 1999-2002.
- Chicago RW Billy Tibbetts notched eight assists in eight regular season games and played one playoff game for Houston in 2003-04.

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American Hockey League Stories from March 7, 2006


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