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Home Opener Tonight

October 7, 2006 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Six things you need to know
- Seventeen of the 25 players on the Aeros' Opening Night roster spent at least part of the 2005-06 regular season or playoffs with the Aeros. Included in that list are three-time AHL First-Team D Curtis Murphy, and G Josh Harding, who was named to the 2005-06 AHL All-Star Classic roster but didn't participate due to injury. Harding's 50 wins trail only Frederic Chabot's 126 for the franchise record, and Harding ranks second on the team's ledgers in career gaa (2.33) and first in save pct. (.926).
- Since dropping their first home opener at Toyota Center, 5-2 against Cleveland in 2003-04, the Aeros have won two in a row. Houston defeated San Antonio 6-5 last season behind a hat trick from rookie LW Roman Voloshenko. The Aeros played Grand Rapids in their 1998-99 home opener, defeating the Griffins 4-3 in a shootout.
- The Aeros are 5-5-2 all-time in home openers. Houston is 5-4-3 in season openers, but has won four of its last five season lidlifters. This marks the second straight season the Aeros have opened the slate at Toyota Center, having knocked off San Antonio 6-5 one year ago today.
- As they open their 13th season tonight and bring back the beloved "Bomber" logo, the Aeros honor four members of their inaugural 1994-95 team - Mark Freer, Al Conroy, Graeme Townshend and Steve Jaques. Freer is the team's career leader in virtually all offensive categories. The festivities continue tomorrow, as the Aeros welcome Mr. Hockey (R) Gordie Howe, who starred for the Aeros of the Western Hockey Association in the 1970's after his famous career with the Detroit Red Wings. Howe's No. 9 will go up in the Toyota Center rafters.
- Aeros D Curtis Murphy is one goal away from becoming just the 13th player in team history to score 50 goals. His 49 tie him with Stephane Veilleux for 13th on the team's all-time list. Murphy is the Aeros' all-time leader among defenseman in goals (49), assists (119) and points (168).
- Houston D Erik Reitz is the Aeros' all-time leader in PIM's with 490 since the team moved to the American Hockey League. Only three Aeros have reached the 500-PIM mark in team history - Trent Cull (724), Steve Jaques (634) and Mike Yeo (511).

Griffins at Aeros (Aeros are 27-24-7-2 all-time, Aeros are 15-9-5-2 at Houston)
- Tonight is the 61st all-time meeting between the teams - 32nd for Houston at home.
- Houston took three of the four regular season meetings in 2005-06, but the teams split two games at Toyota Center.
- Nine of the last 12 meetings in the last two seasons have been decided by one goal.
- Grand Rapids beat Houston 6-5 in its last trip to Toyota Center 1/6/06, snapping the Aeros' four-game winning streak in the series. The Griffins scored five goals - all on the power play - in the final period to rally from a 4-1 deficit.
- The winning team has scored six or more goals in each of the last three meetings. This follows a stretch of 12 straight encounters where the winning team didn't score more than three goals in regulation.
- Houston is 5-1-0-2 in the last eight home meetings with the Griffins.
- Aeros LW Roman Voloshenko scored six goals in three games against Grand Rapids last season, including four goals at Toyota Center 10/21.

Scouting the Aeros The Aeros embark on their sixth American Hockey League season and 13th overall...D Curtis Murphy is the team's leading returning scorer with 67 points (14-53=67)...LW Roman Voloshenko had a great rookie campaign with 60 points (33-27=60) in 69 games, and he tied a team record with 20 PPG...RW Matt Foy was sixth on the roster last season with 40 points (15-25=40)...Many of the 18 returnees were just with the Aeros briefly at the end of the season, including Minnesota's first-round pick in 2005, LW Benoit Pouliot, and RW Danny Irmen...G Josh Harding returns to begin his third season, and was 29-8-0 with a 2.68 gaa last season...His .922 save pct. tied for first in the AHL...G Miroslav Kopriva went 6-4-1 with a 3.52 gaa and a .890 save pct...The Aeros also have veteran G Steve Shields, who missed most of last season due to injuries, and rookie G Tony Quesada, who starred at Holy Cross for four seasons.

Scouting the Griffins Grand Rapids (0-0-0-1) opened the 2006-07 campaign with a 5-4 overtime loss in San Antonio last night...While the Aeros retained 17 players for this season, Grand Rapids returns just eight...The Griffins' top six scorers are all gone, and their leading returning scorer is RW Darryl Bootland, who posted 56 points (27-29=56) while accumulating a whopping 390 PIM's...D Kyle Quincey notched 33 points (7-26=33) last season and is the leading returnee on the blueline, a year after placing second among Griffins rookies in scoring...AHL All-Rookie G Jimmy Howard does return after racking up a 27-6-2 mark and a 2.58 gaa in 2005-06...He'll share time with G Stefan Liv, Detroit's fourth-round pick in 2000 who who has played most of the last seven seasons in the Swedish Elite League.

2006-07 meetings (1st of 4 meetings) Tonight Grand Rapids at Houston October 20 Houston at Grand Rapids October 21 Houston at Grand Rapids November 26 Grand Rapids at Houston

Quick Hits
- Houston enters tonight's game having scored 2,998 regular season goals in 973 games in franchise history. The Aeros have accumulated a 505-343-104-21 mark in 12 seasons.
- The Aeros went 1-1-0-0 in two pre-season games against San Antonio. RW Matt Foy tallied two goals and an assist in a 5-4 shootout win at Sugar Land Ice & Sports Center, while C Alex Leavitt notched his second goal in as many nights in the second game, a 4-2 loss in San Antonio.

It's "Hards" to get anything by him
- Aeros G Josh Harding is expected to get his third straight Opening Night start tonight, after getting assigned earlier this week by the Minnesota Wild.
- Harding is 1-1-0 in season openers.
- The third-year pro is 35-8-2 in his last 45 regular season decisions and 15-2-0 in his last 17.
- Harding excels at Toyota Center, where he has a 29-8-2 career mark with a 2.31 gaa (90 gaa, 2341 minutes).

From here to there
- The Aeros have eight representatives on the Minnesota Wild's 22-man Opening Night roster, including RW Pierre-Marc Bouchard, C Mikko Koivu and D Kurtis Foster.
- Other notable Aeros alumni in the NHL this season are Colorado C Brett McLean, Dallas G Mike Smith and Phoenix D Zbynek Michalek.

October struggles at home
- October is historically the Aeros' worst month at home. They are 23-22-7 for a .510 points percentage in October.
- Since moving to Toyota Center in 2003, Houston is 5-5-2-0 at home in October.

Draft Notes
- The Aeros feature 16 draft picks on their 25-man roster, including three first-rounders, a pair of second-rounders and three third-rounders.
- Houston's first-round picks are LW Benoit Pouliot (No. 4 overall by Minnesota in 2005), D Peter Ratchuk (No. 25 overall by Colorado in 1996) and D Shawn Belle (No. 30 overall by Dallas in 2003).

Not short on experience
- The Aeros have 10 players who have a combined 549 games of NHL experience.
- Those with NHL time range from G Steve Shields, with 246 games, to D Curtis Murphy, with one.
- Four of Houston's 10 with NHL experience have played with the Wild - G Josh Harding, D Curtis Murphy, D Erik Reitz and RW Matt Foy.

Power play update
- Houston finished the 2005-06 season with a 20.0 percent power play percentage, tied for second in the AHL.
- Grand Rapids ranked 12th in the AHL on the penalty kill last season at 83.1 percent.

Penalty kill update
- Houston ranked tied for eighth in the league last season on the penalty kill at 83.4 percent.
- Grand Rapids finished the 2005-06 season first in the AHL on the power play at 21.8 percent.

Aeros/Griffins connections
- Griffins D Jason Beckett played the 2003-04 season with the Aeros, totaling 11 points (4-7=11) and 168 PIM's in 72 games. Beckett also played with Aeros C Bryan Lundbohm (2001-03) and C Wyatt Smith (2002-03) in AHL Milwaukee.
- Grand Rapids LW Brock Radunske and D Kyle Quincey, and Aeros assistant coach Cam Stewart each hail from Kitchener, Ont.
- Aeros C Alex Leavitt and Griffins C Matt Hussey were teammates the University of Wisconsin in 2001-02.
- Houston RW Matt Foy and Grand Rapids C Evan McGrath are both from Oakville, Ont.
- Houston D Ryan Stokes played 13 games for OHL Barrie in 2002-03. The Colts' leading scorer that season was Grand Rapids C Eric Himelfarb. Stokes also played the 2003-04 OHL season alongside Griffins D Kyle Quincey, in Mississauga.
- Grand Rapids C Himelfarb and Houston RW Joel Ward each hail from Toronto, Ont.
- Griffins RW Brendan Brooks teamed with Aeros assistant coach Matt Shaw, then Quad Cities' head coach, to win the UHL's regular-season title with the Mallards in the 1999-2000 season.
- Aeros D Curtis Murphy and Griffins D Nick Naumenko were teammates at the University of North Dakota from 1994-96.
- Grand Rapids assistant coach Jim Paek had two stints with the Aeros, in 1995-96 and 1998-99, totaling 10 points (2-8=10) in 36 games.



American Hockey League Stories from October 7, 2006


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