Game in Iowa opens three-in-three set

Published on January 12, 2007 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Nine things you need to know
- Aeros D Curtis Murphy has 10 points (2-8=10) over his last 11 games to move to 21 points (5-16=21) this season - moving him into a tie for seventh among AHL defensemen. This comes after a cold spell where Murphy was held pointless in six games - a season-high. Earlier this week, Murphy was selected to participate in the 2007 Rbk Hockey AHL All-Star Classic - his fifth appearance in as many AHL seasons. A three-time International Hockey League All-Star, Murphy has participated in eight All-Star games in as many professional seasons in North America.
- Murphy isn't the only Aeros blueliner who is red hot. In 17 games since 11/19, D Erik Reitz has posted 14 points (2-12=14). He had just a goal and an assist in the season's first 16 games. Reitz' current run leaves him with 101 career points (21-80=101), and Sunday he became just the fifth blueliner in team history to reach 100 points.
- Aeros RW Mattias Weinhandl has a team-best 14 points (7-7=14) in 14 games since getting assigned by the Minnesota Wild last month. Weinhandl led the Aeros' attack Sunday against San Antonio with two goals and an assist in the Aeros' 4-1 win.
- Houston's third-year G Josh Harding has played in all but five of the Aeros' first 38 games. Harding ranks tied for first in the AHL in games played (33), is first in minutes (1,966), and is second in shots faced (1006) and saves (924), and third in wins (15). Harding is 10th in gaa (2.50) and tied for fifth in save pct. (.918). Harding is 15-9-2 with a 2.38 gaa and a .923 save pct. in his last 26 decisions since starting the season 0-5-1. The Aeros' record for most games played by a goalie in one season is 72 - set by Frederic Chabot in 1996-97 in an 82-game season.
- Aeros LW Roman Voloshenko has points in six of his last seven games, with six points (3-3=6) in that span. A night after having his season-high five-game point streak snapped Saturday against Syracuse, Voloshenko picked up an assist Sunday versus San Antonio. Voloshenko, who netted 60 points (33-27=60) in his rookie season of 2005-06, currently ranks tied for fifth on the Aeros roster with 18 points (6-12=18).
- Houston C Bryan Lundbohm has posted three assists and is plus-five over his last four games. Lundbohm has 12 points (3-9=12) in 35 games this season. The Aeros are 7-2-0-1 when Lundbohm records at least one point.
- Houston has been falling behind early lately, having been outscored 9-4 in the first period of its last six games. The Aeros, who have scored first just twice in that span, have faced a 2-0 deficit in five of their last nine games.
- Fourteen of Aeros RW Matt Foy's career-high-tying 15 goals have come at Toyota Center. His other goal also came in Texas - at AT&T Center in San Antonio 12/14. Foy's last regular season goal outside of the Lone Star State was actually in Iowa - 4/16/06.
- With the halfway point of the Aeros' regular season happening tomorrow in Omaha, the Aeros are playing just their third set of three games in three nights this season. Houston had back-to-back weekends of three-in-threes in late November. Houston went 1-2-0-0 in the first set, and 2-1-0-0 in the second. Houston is 6-8-0-0 when playing the first game of back-to-backs, 7-5-0-2 in game two, and has split its two outings when playing its third game in three nights.

Aeros at Stars (Aeros are 9-6-0-0 all-time, Aeros are 5-4-0-0 at Iowa)
- Tonight is 16th meeting between the Aeros and Stars, who joined the AHL in 2005-06.
- The teams met five times in the season's first 34 days, but haven't played since
- The Aeros went 7-3-0-0 last season against the Stars, including a 3-2-0-0 mark at Wells Fargo Arena.
- Aeros RW Matt Foy has tallied 16 points (5-11=16) in 14 career games against Iowa.
- Houston G Josh Harding was a perfect 4-0-0 with a 2.32 gaa and a .931 save pct. versus the Stars in 2005-06. This season he is just 2-3-0, but with a better gaa (2.29) and save pct. (.933).
- Former Aero F Junior Lessard has posted 10 points (5-5=10) in 14 career games against Houston.
- The Stars swept three games from the Aeros in the opening two weeks of the season, including two wins at Wells Fargo Arena. Houston responded with a pair of victories 11/9-11/10, with G Josh Harding stopping 76-of-79 shots in the two-game set.

Scouting the Aeros
The sixth-place Aeros (16-18-0-4) have 36 points and are six points behind fifth-place Milwaukee in the West Division...Houston plays three-in-three on the road this weekend, going to Omaha on Saturday and San Antonio on Sunday...Team scoring leader RW Matt Foy has 30 points (15-15=30)...Next are veteran D Curtis Murphy (5-16=21) and rookie LW Benoit Pouliot (14-6=20)...G Josh Harding is 15-14-3 with a 2.50 gaa and a .918 save pct....D Dieter Kochan is 1-0-0 with a 0.00 gaa and a 1.000 save pct., and returned to back up last week after missing 29 games due to injury.

Scouting the Stars
Iowa (21-16-1-0), AHL affiliate of the Dallas Stars, is fourth in the West Division with 43 points, two behind Peoria and one ahead of Milwaukee...The Stars are an unbeaten 2-0-1-0 in their last three, and are 6-1-0-1 in their last eight...Iowa is coming off back-to-back shutouts at Hamilton and Toronto by rookie G Steve Silverthorn, who made his first two career AHL starts and followed them up with a shutout for ECHL Idaho...G Dan Ellis is 11-9-0 with a 3.37 gaa, while G Tobias Stephan is 8-8-0 with a 2.73 gaa but is on recall to Dallas...C Joel Lundqvist paces the Stars in scoring with 33 points (15-18=33), ahead of former Aeros RW Junior Lessard (12-13=25) and rookie C Marty Sertich (9-16=25)...D Mark Ardelan (5-12=17) and former Aeros D Marty Wilford (4-11=15) lead the Stars blueline corps.

2006-07 meetings (6th of 10 meetings, Aeros are 2-3-0-0 overall, Aeros are 2-2-0-0 at Iowa)
October 8 Iowa 6 at Houston 3
October 12 Houston 1 at Iowa 3
October 14 Houston 3 at Iowa 4
November 9 Houston 3 at Iowa 2
November 10 Houston 3 at Iowa 1
Tonight Houston at Iowa
February 22 Iowa at Houston
February 23 Iowa at Houston
April 11 Iowa at Houston
April 13 Iowa at Houston

Sunday's game
Mattias Weinhandl tallied two goals and an assist, Jason Morgan and Benoit Pouliot each scored a goal and Josh Harding made 23 saves, as the Houston Aeros snapped the San Antonio Rampage's four-game winning streak, 4-1 at Toyota Center. Matt Foy and Erik Reitz added two assists apiece for Houston.

Quick Hits
- Seven of the Aeros' 16 victories have been in come-from-behind fashion.
- The Aeros are 6-5-0-4 in one-goal games. But after eight of their first 12 games were decided by one goal, just seven of Houston's last 26 contests has been decided in that fashion.
- Houston is15-6-0-3 when scoring three goals or more, and just 1-12-0-1 when scoring two or fewer.

Power play update
- Houston is 26th in the AHL with the man advantage at 13.4 percent.
- The Aeros are 9-for-50 (18.0 percent) on the power play in their last eight games.
- Iowa is 16th in the AHL on the penalty kill at 82.1 percent.
- The Stars are a perfect 13-of-13 on the PK in the last three games.
- Houston is 4-for-38 (10.5 percent) on the power play against Iowa this season.

Penalty kill update
- Houston is third in the AHL on the PK at 86.9 percent.
- Opponents were 4-for-50 (8.0 percent) on the power play in a nine-game stretch 12/14-1/4, but they are 3-for-13 (23.1 percent) in the last two games.
- Iowa is 23rd in the AHL on the power play at 14.3 percent.
- The Stars are 3-for-27 (11.1 percent) with the man advantage in the last five games.
- Iowa is 6-for-46 (13.0 percent) on the power play against Houston this season.

Aeros/Stars connections
- Aeros D John Scott and Iowa LW Chris Conner were teammates at Michigan Tech for four seasons, 2002-06. Iowa D Greg Amadio was a senior during their freshman season of 2002-03.
- Aeros D Peter Ratchuk (2000-01) and RW Joey Tetarenko (2000-01, 2002-03) were teammates with Iowa C Mike Green in the Florida Panthers system.
- Iowa LW Marius Holtet posted 12 points (7-5=12) in 54 games for the Aeros in 2004-05, while C Junior Lessard put up 22 points (11-11=22) in 71 games.
- Stars D Marty Wilford was an Aero in 1999-00, and he was briefly Aeros C Bryan Lundbohm's teammate in Milwaukee in 2001-02. Wilford also spent the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons alongside Aeros C Jason Morgan in AHL Norfolk.
- Aeros D Shawn Belle began his pro career with Iowa in 2005-06 before being acquired by Minnesota from Dallas last March.

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American Hockey League Stories from January 12, 2007


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