Home-and-home opens in San Antonio

Published on December 29, 2006 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Seven things you need to know
- Tonight the Aeros look to get back to the .500 mark for the first time since 11/18, when a 3-0 loss in Omaha dropped them to 8-8-0-1. Houston has been above the break even mark once - at 8-7-0-1 following a 4-1 win over San Antonio 11/17. That game was Houston's fifth straight victory. A win tonight would be the Aeros' third straight - they haven't won three in a row since that five-game run 11/4-11/17. Houston has won four of five to move to 31 points, good for sixth in the West Division. But the Aeros trail fifth-place Iowa by just three points, fourth-place Peoria by four and third-place Milwaukee by only five points with a game in hand.
- Houston has needed a shootout in each of its last two games - both victories. Wednesday in Chicago, Houston rallied from two goals down to take a 3-2 lead into the final minute, but Chicago's Brett Sterling forced OT. It marked the third extra attacker goal versus the Aeros in their last six games, after San Antonio's Jeff Taffe goal with 1.8 seconds remaining Tuesday made OT a necessity. Houston did outscore Chicago 2-1 in the third period on Wednesday - just the second time in the last 10 games the Aeros have "won" the third period. The Aeros have scored 24 third-period goals all season - four behind Hartford for the AHL low.
- The Aeros have welcomed C Jason Morgan back to the lineup this week. Morgan returned Tuesday after missing 22 games due to call-ups and injuries. Morgan was recalled to Minnesota 10/28, but in his fourth game with the Wild, he suffered a deep bruise that required surgery to relieve the pressure. After playing eight games with the Aeros earlier this season without recording a point, Morgan had an assist Tuesday, and then his first goal as an Aero on Wednesday.
- Houston is 4-1-0-0 since RW Mattias Weinhandl was assigned to the team from the National Hockey League's Minnesota Wild. Weinhandl has seven points (2-5=7) in five games, and he had a hand in each of Houston's three regulation goals Wednesday in Chicago. Weinhandl posted a goal late in regulation to go along with two power play assists.
- The Aeros played their league-high seventh shootout on Wednesday in Chicago, and they are tied for the league lead with four shootout wins. Aeros G Josh Harding improved to 3-3 this season in shootouts - he has appeared in a league-high six shootouts, and his three wins are tied for the league lead. Second-year D Shawn Belle has scored the deciding shootout goal in each of the last two games. LW Roman Voloshenko is 5-for-10 in shootouts, having taken a league-high 10 shots. The Aeros are the lone AHL team to not have a game decided in OT.
- Aeros G Josh Harding is 14-3-1 with a 2.03 gaa and a .931 save pct. in 18 career appearances versus San Antonio. After dropping his first lifetime meeting with the Rampage, Harding is 14-2-1 in the last 17 decisions.
- Aeros third-year G Josh Harding has played in all but two of the Aeros' first 32 games, including each of the last 11. Harding ranks first in the AHL in games played (30), minutes (1,787) and shots faced (919), and second in saves (845). He is third in wins (13). Harding ranks 11th in the AHL in gaa (2.49) and fifth in save pct. (0.919). Harding is 13-8-2 with a 2.34 gaa and a .925 save pct. in his last 23 decisions since starting the season 0-5-1. Counting back to last season and including the playoffs, Harding has appeared in 39-of-41 games. 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. The AHL record is 74 - set by Baltimore's Mike O'Neill in 1995-96. O'Neill also made an AHL-record 2,005 saves that season.

Aeros at Rampage (Aeros are 36-9-6-3 overall, Aeros are 13-7-4-3 at San Antonio)
- Tonight is the 55th all-time meeting between the teams - 28th in San Antonio.
- The Aeros are 21-4-2-1 in the last 28 overall meetings.
- Since a three-game winless slide in the series 12/27/03-1/17/04, the Aeros have unleashed a 26-5-3-2 mark.
- After beginning the season series 0-1-0-1 against San Antonio, Houston has won the last three games.
- Houston and San Antonio met Tuesday at Toyota Center. Aeros G Josh Harding made 22 saves and stopped Jeff Taffe in the final shootout round after Taffe forced overtime with 1.8 seconds left in regulation, and D Shawn Belle scored the deciding shootout goal, as the Aeros defeated San Antonio 3-2.
- In the last meeting at AT&T Center, Aeros G Josh Harding finished with 41 saves and RW Mattias Weinhandl scored a power play goal on his first shot in an Aeros uniform, as Houston defeated San Antonio 3-1. Rookie LW Ryan Hamilton and RW Matt Foy had a goal apiece for Houston
- The teams finish off a three-meeting, five-day stretch with tomorrow's game at Toyota Center, where Houston is 16-0-2-0 in the last 18 meetings.

Scouting the Aeros
The sixth-place Aeros (14-15-0-3) have 31 points and have won four of five...Houston plays four games this week, and eight in a 12 day stretch beginning this past Tuesday...Team scoring leader RW Matt Foy has 25 points (13-12=25)...Next is a pair of rookies: LW Benoit Pouliot (12-5=17) and C Ben Thomson (6-11=17) and veteran D Peter Ratchuk (4-12=16)...D Curtis Murphy (4-11=15) is on Ratchuk's heels...G Josh Harding is 13-13-3 with a 2.49 gaa and a .919 save pct....Rookie G Tony Quesada, a Holy Cross product, is 0-2-0 with a 4.30 gaa and a .901 save pct.

Scouting the Rampage
San Antonio (10-20-1-1), AHL affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes, is last in the West Division with 22 points...The Rampage is winless in its last four (0-2-2-0) and 1-4-1-1 in its last seven after allowing a late SHG in a 4-3 home loss to Omaha on Wednesday...San Antonio has gone 14 games since its last regulation win, 11/21 versus the Aeros...Each of the Rampage's three wins since has come in OT/SO...C Yanick Lehoux leads the Rampage in scoring with 32 points (14-18=32) - 11 more than any other teammate...Veteran D Bryan Helmer paces the blueline with 13 points (4-9=13)...G Josh Tordjman is 4-6-1 with a 2.40 gaa...G David LeNeveu is 2-9-0 with a 4.15 gaa.

2006-07 meetings (7th of 12 meetings, Aeros are 4-1-0-1 overall, Aeros are 1-1-0-1 at San Antonio)
October 15 Houston 4 at San Antonio 5 (SO)
November 17 San Antonio 1 at Houston 4
November 21 Houston 2 at San Antonio 4
November 24 San Antonio 3 at Houston 5
December 14 Houston 3 at San Antonio 1
Tuesday San Antonio 2 at Houston 3 (SO)
Tonight Houston at San Antonio
Tomorrow San Antonio at Houston
January 7 San Antonio at Houston
January 14 Houston at San Antonio
April 14 Houston at San Antonio
April 15 San Antonio at Houston

Wednesday's game
Mattias Weinhandl tallied a goal and two assists, Josh Harding made 38 saves, and defenseman Shawn Belle scored the deciding shootout goal for the second time in as many nights, as the Houston Aeros rallied from a two-goal deficit to earn a rare win at Allstate Arena, 4-3 over the Chicago Wolves. Jason Morgan tallied the tying goal on a power play midway through the third period, and Roman Voloshenko added a power play goal in the second period for the Aeros.

Quick Hits
- Six of the Aeros' 14 victories have been in come-from-behind fashion.
- The Aeros are 6-4-0-3 in one-goal games. But after eight of their first 12 games were decided by one goal, just five of Houston's last 20 contests has been decided in that fashion.
- Each of San Antonio's last five games has been decided by one goal (1-2-1-1), including four straight losses. The Rampage is 6-5-1-1 in one-goal games.
- Thirty-two of Houston's 87 goals have come from rookies.
- Aeros rookie C Ben Thomson has an assist in each of his last two games, and four over his last four. In his last six games, Thomson has five helpers. He is tied for third on the team with 17 points (6-11=17).
- The Aeros are 13-5-0-2 when scoring three goals or more, and just 1-10-0-1 when scoring two or fewer.
- San Antonio has scored first in a league-low 10 games (6-4-0-0). Houston is 8-4-0-2 when scoring first.
- The Rampage has been outscored by an AHL-high 22 goals in the first period (45-22).

Power play update
- Houston is up to 26th in the AHL with the man advantage at 13.4 percent.
- The Aeros are a much improved 5-for-21 (23.8 percent) in their last three games.
- Houston is 26th in the league on the power play on the road, at just 10.6 percent and with only 10 goals in 16 games. But the Aeros scored two PPG in Chicago on Wednesday - their first two PPG road game all season.
- San Antonio is tied for 20th in the AHL on the penalty kill at 80.0 percent.
- The Rampage has killed off just 21-of-27 (77.8 percent) of its shorthanded chances in the last four games.
- Houston is 6-for-37 (16.2 percent) with the man advantage against San Antonio this season.

Penalty kill update
- Houston is tied for third in the AHL on the PK at 86.8 percent.
- Opponents are 3-for-30 (10.0 percent) on the power play in the last five games.
- San Antonio is ninth in the AHL on the power play at 18.1 percent.
- The Rampage is 4-for-24 (16.7 percent) with the man advantage in the last five games.
- San Antonio is 4-for-29 (13.8 percent) on the power play against Houston this season.

Aeros/Rampage connections
- Rampage D Matt Jones enrolled at the University of North Dakota in 2001-02, a season after Aeros C Bryan Lundbohm left campus, and four after Aeros D Curtis Murphy graduated.
- Rampage D Nick Martens is an alum of the University of Michigan, as is assistant coach Cam Stewart.
- Houston LW Josh Olson played for San Antonio from 2002-05, while RW Joey Tetarenko skated with the Rampage in 2002-03

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American Hockey League Stories from December 29, 2006


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