First-ever trip to Toronto tonight

November 19, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Five things you need to know

A trio of Aeros ride five-game point streaks into tonight's game. Rookie C Patrick O'Sullivan has eight points (3-5=8) in the span, including two helpers in last night's 3-2 win at Manitoba. O'Sullivan is sixth among all AHL rookies with 15 points (6-9=15). The 20-year-old native of Winston-Salem, N.C., has at least one assist in four straight games, tied with D Erik Reitz for the team season-high. D Curtis Murphy also has points in five straight, with six points (2-4=6) in the run, including a power play goal last night. Murphy's point streak is one off his career-best mark of six, set with Houston from 12/30/02-1/10/03. Murphy had goals in each one of those games. The streak has helped Murphy take over first place among AHL defensemen in points with 17 (3-14=17). Rookie LW Roman Voloshenko also has points in five straight (3-4=7).

Aeros C Petr Taticek has made quite the impression since being acquired on loan from the Florida Panthers 10/15. Taticek, who had been reassigned by the Panthers to ECHL Florida, has eight 11 points (6-5=11) in only 15 games since the transaction. Taticek missed two games due to injury earlier this month, but he's returned with a vengeance after going scoreless in his first two games back. Taticek has seven points (3-4=7) in his last five games, with at least one point in four of the five games. He has a goal in two straight games and in three of four contests. The change of scenery has done wonders for the 22-year-old who spent the last two AHL seasons with in-state rival San Antonio. Taticek is just one goal shy of his career-high, with just more than one quarter of the season gone. Taticek, one of three former San Antonio players on the Aeros roster, totaled 22 points (7-15=22) in 67 games with the Rampage in 2004-05.

Houston C Erik Westrum's has goals in each of his last two games to stay atop the AHL's scoring race with 30 points (10-20=30). Westrum had 33 points (18-15=33) in 80 games last season for Utah. Westrum tied the game early in the third period last night, but that's to be expected. Nine of Westrum's goals have either tied the game or put Houston on top, including seven goals that have given the Aeros the lead. RW Kirby Law is fourth in the AHL in scoring with 23 points (10-13=23). He is tied for sixth in goals and tied for fifth in assists. Rookie LW Roman Voloshenko, who plays on a line with Westrum and Law, is tied for ninth in scoring with 18 points (12-6=18). Voloshenko is tied with Syracuse's Geoff Platt for the most goals and points among first-year players. Voloshenko's 12 goals are tied for third overall in the AHL. At least one of the three has scored a goal in 17 of the Aeros' 21 games.

Houston has trailed at some point in eight of its 14 victories, including four of its last five wins. The Aeros had 16 come-from-behind victories in 2004-05, so they are halfway to that mark already. Impressively, five of the eight come-from-behind wins this season have been on the road.

Houston has allowed a league-high 27 third-period goals, but the Aeros were perfect last night in the final 20 minutes. Houston has kept its opponent off the scoreboard in the third period eight times in 21 games, and it's no surprise that they are 7-0-1-0 in such situations. The Aeros have five regulation losses this season - and in four of those five games, Houston allowed at least two goals in the third period.

Aeros at Marlies (First-ever meeting)

Tonight is the first ever meeting between the Aeros and Marlies, the AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Houston also didn't play the St. John's Maple Leafs. The NHL Leafs moved their affiliate from "The Rock" to Ricoh Coliseum this season.

Albany, Binghamton, Hamilton, Hershey, Lowell, Portland and Springfield are the lone franchises that Houston has never faced in the regular season. The Aeros have played Hamilton and Hershey in the post-season, and they have their first regular-season meeting with Hamilton in December.

Five Aeros hail from Ontario: G Seamus Kotyk, D Ryan Stokes, C Rem Murray, RW Joel Ward and D Dustin Wood. Ward is from Toronto. Seven Aeros played junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League - Kotyk, Stokes, Ward, Wood, D Erik Reitz, LW Bill Kinkel and C Patrick O'Sullivan.

Scouting the Aeros

The Aeros have won six of seven and are 7-1-0-1 in their last nine after splitting one-goal decisions in Manitoba the last two nights...C Erik Westrum has 30 points (10-20=30) to pace the AHL in scoring...Westrum has a team-best 10 multiple-point games...RW Kirby Law is fourth in the league with 23 points (10-13=23) and is tied for sixth in goals...Rookie LW Roman Voloshenko is tied for third in the AHL with 12 goals, and he ranks tied for first among AHL rookies in goals and points (18)...With D Kurtis Foster (4-11=15) recalled to NHL Minnesota, teammate D Curtis Murphy has taken over the lead among AHL defensemen with 17 points (3-14=17)...G Josh Harding is 10-4-0 with a 2.65 gaa...Harding is 16-4-1 in his last 21 regular-season games dating back to a 3-2 SOL vs. Grand Rapids 3/25, and one of the four losses was in OT...Harding leads the AHL in wins (10), minutes (814) and saves (421)...Harding had 31 wins in his two seasons with the Aeros, tying Rob Dopson for fifth place on the team's all-time list...G Seamus Kotyk is 3-1-1, with a 3.24 gaa.

Scouting the Marlies

Toronto, the AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs, finished up a 4-2-0-0 road trip last night with a 3-0 loss in Binghamton...The Marlies haven't played at home since a 4-1 loss to Hamilton 11/3, a defeat that dropped them to 3-6-0-0...Former Worcester IceCats C John Pohl, a college teammate of Houston C Erik Westrum at the University of Minnesota, leads the Marlies in scoring with 14 points (6-8=14)...Pohl had a seven-game point streak snapped last night...C Jeremy Williams is averaging well more than a point per game with 13 points (5-8=13) in only 10 games...The Marlies also feature eight-year NHL veteran and former Stanley Cup Finalist LW Bates Battaglia, who is third on the team with 12 points (5-7=12)...G Jean-Francois Racine is 4-5-0 with a 3.39 gaa, while G Jean-Sebastien Aubin is 3-3-0 with a 4.30 gaa.

2005-06 meetings (1st of 2 meetings)

Tonight Houston at Toronto

January 10 Toronto at Houston

Quick Hits

The Aeros are 13-1-0-0 when scoring three goals or more, but 1-4-1-1 when scoring two or fewer. Friday night marked Houston's first loss when reaching three goals. Three is also the magic number defensively, as Houston is 11-1-1-1 when allowing three of fewer goals and 3-4-0-0 when yielding four or more.

Houston has outshot five of its last seven opponents and is 8-0-0-0 in those situations this season.

Houston is a league-best 9-2-1-1 in one-goal games, and an impressive 12-2-1-1 in games decided by two goals or less.

Houston improved to 5-1-0-1 last night in the second night of back-to-back games. The Aeros are 1-1-1-0 in the third game in three nights, with the victory coming Sunday in San Antonio, when they turned a 1-0 third-period deficit into a 3-1 win.

Last night marked the first time Houston allowed less than 30 shots on the road. The Aeros are 4-0-0-0 overall when yielding 30 or fewer.

And the youth shall lead them

Much has been said and written about the Aeros' veterans this season, but the youngsters have been just as important to the 14-5-1-1 start. Houston has nine players 22 years of age or under, and the budding superstars have accounted for 32 of the team's 71 goals (45.1 percent). LW Roman Voloshenko has 12, C Petr Taticek has seven, LW Peter Olvecky has six, C Patrick O'Sullivan has six, and D Clayton Stoner has two. Youth is also served in the goaltending department, as 21-year-old G Josh Harding leads the AHL in wins with 10.

Power play update

Houston is ninth in the league on the power play at 19.4 percent. The Aeros are 8-for-30 (26.7 percent) in the last four games.

The Aeros are 8-1-0-0 when scoring at least two PPG, with the lone loss coming Friday in Manitoba.

Toronto is 27th and last in the league on the penalty kill at 75.0 percent. The Marlies have allowed 31 PPG, the most in the AHL.

The Marlies have allowed 14 goals on 51 shorthanded chances in six November games, just a 72.5 percent kill rate. They've yielded at least three PPG four times this month.

Penalty kill update

Houston is tied for 15th in the AHL on the penalty kill at 83.8 percent.

After the Aeros yielded at least one man advantage goal in each of their first 13 games this season, they went 31-of-32 (96.9 percent) in the next six games. However, Manitoba went 4-for-18 in the two-game series in Winnipeg.

The Aeros are 11-1-1-1 when allowing one power play goal or fewer.

Toronto is 16th in the AHL on the power play at 14.3 percent.

The Marlies are 3-for-33 (9.1 percent) with the man advantage in their last five games.

Murphy climbing charts

Aeros D Curtis Murphy's not only leads all AHL defensemen in scoring with 17 points (3-14=17), he continues his march up the Aeros' all-time leaderboard despite spending just more than two seasons in the team's sweater. Murphy's 118 points not only rank 14th on Houston's ledger, but he is fourth among all defensemen, trailing 2003 Calder Cup champion teammate Travis Roche by two points. Murphy is 14th among all players in points, one behind another former teammate, Mark Cullen. Murphy's 80 assists rank seventh all-time, five behind Roche for sixth.

A shoutout for the shootout

The Aeros are 4-1 in shootouts this season, after going only 5-6 in shootouts in 2004-05.

C Patrick O'Sullivan is 4-for-5 in shootouts, with two deciding tallies.

C Erik Westrum is 3-for-6, as he shot twice in one shootout.

LW Roman Voloshenko missed on his first three attempts, but his tally 11/12 against San Antonio was the deciding goal.

Last Game (Friday)

Petr Taticek finished off a three-point night with the game-winning goal with 3:47 left in regulation, as the Houston Aeros rallied from two goals down for a 3-2 victory over the Manitoba Moose at MTS Centre. Curtis Murphy added a goal and an assist, Erik Westrum also scored and Patrick O'Sullivan set up two goals, including Taticek's deciding tally. Josh Harding made 23 saves for Houston, which has won six of seven and is 7-1-0-1 in its last nine.

Aeros/Marlies connections

Toronto's Brad Brown played for the Minnesota Wild from 2001-2004.

Houston captain Kirby Law and Toronto's Ian MacNeil were teammates in 2002-03 and 2003-04 in Philadelphia.

Toronto's Tyson Marsh and Houston's Adam Courchaine were teammates in WHL Vancouver from 2001-04.

Houston's Erik Westrum and Toronto's Johnny Pohl attended the University of Minnesota together from 1998-2001.



American Hockey League Stories from November 19, 2005


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