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Houston home for critical tilt against Omaha

April 11, 2006 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Eight things you need to know
- Houston enters tonight with 100 points - four behind first-place Milwaukee, although the Aeros have two games in hand so they currently have control of their own destiny. Houston led the West by as many as nine points, the last time 1/12, when it had 58 points to Milwaukee's 49. The Admirals have just two games remaining - Friday against Chicago and Saturday at league-leading Grand Rapids. Houston, which has qualified for the playoffs in 10 straight seasons and 11 out of 12, has a magic number of nine points to clinch the West Division title, although by winning out the Aeros would hold the tiebreaker of wins and the magic number would drop to eight. That's a total of their own points gained and points lost by the Admirals. The Aeros own two division titles in their first 11 seasons - 1998-99 and 2002-03 - both championship campaigns. Houston is three points up on third-place Peoria, giving the Aeros a magic number of four points to clinch home ice in at least the West Division Finals. Houston has a game in hand on the Rivermen, which plays hosts to San Antonio today.
- Aeros RW Kirby Law is just the 95th player in the 70-year history of the American Hockey League to post 100 points in a season. He now has 106 (41-65=106), and he enters tonight's game with 199 career AHL goals. Law, who leads Grand Rapids LW Jiri Hudler by nine points, is on pace to have the biggest margin over a second-place finisher since the 1999-2000 season, when Christian Matte (104) beat Mike Maneluk (87) by 17 points. Law also has the third-highest AHL point total since 1997-98. The second-highest total in that span was Mike Cammalleri in 2004-05, with 109 points. Jason Spezza put up 117 for Binghamton in 2004-05. Brian Wiseman holds the team record with 109 points, in 1998-99.
- The Aeros became the first AHL team since 1998-99 to have three players selected to the league's First Team, as RW Kirby Law, C Erik Westrum and D Curtis Murphy each made the elite list last week. It was the first AHL post-season All-Star nod for Law and Westrum, while Murphy became just the seventh blueliner in AHL history - and the first in 30 years - to be named All-AHL First Team three times.
- Houston LW Patrick O'Sullivan continues his push towards a possible Rookie of the Year title, and his next goal will break Jeff Christian's 1998-99 team record total of 45. O'Sullivan owns rookie team records in all major offensive categories, and he leads all AHL rookies in goals (45) and points (87), while ranking third overall in the league in goals and tied for fifth in points. Since 11/9, O'Sullivan has racked up 80 points (42-38=80) in just 60 games. O'Sullivan has the third-most goals of any AHL roookie since 1990-91, and the fifth-most points of any first-year player since 1994-95.
- Aeros veteran D Curtis Murphy picked a great time Sunday for his first two-goal game in more than two years. Murphy put the Aeros ahead of San Antonio 4-3 with 5:41 left in regulation, and after the Rampage tied the game up with 10 seconds left, Murphy scored with 18 ticks left in the extra session for the game-winner. Murphy, second in the league in scoring among defenseman with 63 points (12-51=63), had been held without a goal in 17 straight games. Murphy tacked on an assist to make $700 on Sunday for "Murphy's Mission", benefiting I Have a Dream. An anonymous local donor is giving $300 per Murphy goal and $100 per assist to the cause.
- Houston is 28-6-2-2 at Toyota Center for a .789 points percentage - the second-best home percentage in the league. The Aeros have outscored their opponents 149-98 at home. Houston has been dominant at home in the regular season in April over the years, going 22-3-6-1. At Toyota Center, the Aeros have just one regulation loss in 10 April regular-season games (6-1-2-1).
- The Aeros have been outscored 26-9 in the third period over their last 17 games, and have allowed two OT goals and have lost in a shootout in that span. They are just 5-9-2-1 in that stretch. Houston is minus-eight (89-81) in the final 20 minutes this season.
- Six of the first eight meetings between Houston and Omaha have been decided by one goal. Five of the eight have gone into OT or a shootout - four of those in Omaha. The Aeros won the last Toyota Center meeting, 4-3 in OT, behind a Kirby Law goal in the extra session on 12/23. Houston is 22-7-3-3 in one-goal games, while Omaha is 15-10-3-10. Half of the Knights' 76 games have been decided by a single goal.

Knights at Aeros (Aeros are 5-1-1-1 overall, Aeros are 3-0-0-0 at Houston)
- The Aeros and Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights, the AHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames, meet for the ninth time, with game No. 10 Friday in the Aeros' regular season home finale.
- Houston won the first five meetings of the season - including four by a single goal and three in overtime or a shootout - before Omaha earned victories in the last three meetings - all in Nebraska. Two of the three games went to OT or a shootout.
- In the last meeting, 3/31 in Omaha, the Aeros carried a 1-0 lead into the final minutes, before Warren Peters forced OT with a PPG with 1:52 left in regulation, and Mark Giordano won it with a goal 63 seconds into the extra session.

Scouting the Aeros
The Aeros (47-23-3-3) have won two of three after a 1-6-2-1 stretch to move within four points of first-place Milwaukee...Houston is 2-1-0-0 on a five-game homestand that finishes Friday against the Knights...The Aeros are 28-6-2-2 at home, the second-best record in the AHL...RW Kirby Law has 106 points (41-65=106), nine points up on Grand Rapids' Jiri Hudler for the top spot in the AHL...C Erik Westrum has 94 points (32-62=94), third in the AHL, despite being in the NHL for three weeks...LW Patrick O'Sullivan is first in rookie scoring and tied for fifth overall with 87 points (45-42=87)...LW Roman Voloshenko (33-23=56) is third in goals among rookies and tied for ninth in points...D Curtis Murphy is second among AHL defensemen with a new career-best 63 points (12-51=63)...In the last two weeks, the Aeros have signed RW Danny Irmen, D A.J. Thelen and D Chris Ovington to amateur tryouts...Irmen and Ovington made their debuts Sunday...G Seamus Kotyk is 14-14-2 with a 3.01 gaa, while G Miroslav Kopriva is 6-4-1 with a 3.52 gaa.

Scouting the Knights
Omaha (34-29-3-10), AHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames, is winless in its last five (0-3-1-1), scoring just six goals in the process, and is 2-4-1-2 in its last nine after running off a 14-2-0-1 stretch...The rut has dropped the Knights to tied for fifth in the West Division at 81 points, three behind Iowa for the fourth and final playoff spot in the West Division ...All-Star D Mark Giordano paces the Knights with 58 points (16-42=58) but is currently in the NHL with Calgary...RW Carsen Germyn is the team's leading active scorer with 49 points (23-26=49), while rookie LW David Moss has 48 points (21-27=48) but hasn't played since 3/13 due to injury...G Brent Krahn is 25-19-8 with a 2.45 gaa - fourth-best in the AHL, while rookie G Curtis McElhinney is 9-13-2 with a 2.50 gaa - sixth in the league.

2005-06 meetings (9th of 10 meetings, Aeros are 5-1-1-1 overall, Aeros are 3-0-0-0 at Houston)
October 18 Houston 6 at Omaha 5 (SO)
October 20 Houston 4 at Omaha 3 (SO)
November 9 Omaha 1 at Houston 2
November 11 Omaha 1 at Houston 5
December 23 Omaha 3 at Houston 4 (OT)
March 12 Houston 1 at Omaha 6
March 23 Houston 4 at Omaha 5 (SO)
March 31 Houston 1 at Omaha 2 (OT)
Tonight Omaha at Houston
Friday Omaha at Houston

Quick Hits
- The Aeros snapped a five-game losing streak in one-goal games on Sunday. They had been 0-2-2-1 in their last five. Houston is still an eye-popping 22-7-3-3 in such contests, and an impressive 29-13-3-3 in games decided by two goals or less. Gearing up for what promises to be a very tight Calder Cup Playoffs, Houston has seen 22 of its last 28 games be decided by one or two goals, going 11-7-2-2. The Aeros' 22 one-goal wins are just one off Grand Rapids' league high.
- Omaha, meanwhile, has played 38 one-goal games - exactly half of its schedule - but has won just 15, going 15-10-3-10.
- In their last 16 victories, the Aeros have outscored their opponents 31-12 in the first period. In the last 41 games overall, Houston has a 51-30 goal margin in the opening 20 minutes, and on the season the Aeros are an AHL-best plus-32 (86-54). The Aeros are 28-7-1-1 when leading after one period this season.
- The Aeros pulled off yet another come-from-behind win Sunday against San Antonio. Houston has trailed at some point in 20 of its 47 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 16-14-1-0 when allowing the game's first goal, although Sunday was the first time in the last eight games Houston won when not scoring first.
- Houston is 14-5-2-0 when allowing 29 or fewer shots this season, but also an impressive 10-2-1-0 when yielding 40 or more.
- The Aeros are 45-6-0-2 when scoring three goals or more, but they are 2-17-3-1 when scoring two or fewer. Three is also the magic number defensively, as Houston is 39-6-3-1 when allowing three of fewer goals and 8-17-0-2 when yielding four or more.

Power play update
- Houston is down to seventh in the league on the power play at 19.8 percent.
- Houston is 3-for-58 (5.2 percent) with the man advantage in the last 10 games, with two PPG coming 3/25 in Iowa.
- The Aeros are 25-7-0-1 when scoring at least two PPG. Houston has scored two or more PPG in 23 of its last 51 games.
- Omaha is fifth in the AHL on the penalty kill at 85.0 percent.
- The Knights have allowed seven goals on 27 shorthanded chances (74.1 percent) in their last four games.
- Houston is 8-for-58 (13.8 percent) on the power play against Omaha, but just 0-for-9 in the last two meetings.

Penalty kill update
- Houston is seventh in the AHL on the penalty kill at 83.9 percent.
- The Aeros have allowed 24 PPG on 101 chances in the last 14 games for just a 76.2 percent PK rate, and they allowed a season-high-tying five PPG 3/28 in Peoria.
- Houston is 24-6-1-3 when not allowing a power play goal and 37-12-3-2 when allowing one power play goal or fewer.
- Omaha is 16th in the AHL on the power play at 16.8 percent.
- The Knights haven't scored on 23 man advantage chances in their last four games.
- Omaha is 11-for-59 (18.6 percent) on the power play against Houston, including a stellar 7-for-25 (28.0 percent) in the last three games. However, the Knights are 0-for-15 at Toyota Center.

Aeros/Knights connections
- Knights D Steve Bancroft played for the Aeros for part of the 1999-2000 season. Bancroft, Omaha D Mark Giordano and Houston LW Joel Ward each hail from Toronto, Ont. Bancroft also played for the Aeros in 1999-2000.
- Houston G Seamus Kotyk was a teammate off Knights D Steve Bancroft (2001-02) and LW Lynn Loyns in Cleveland (2001-04).
- Aeros D Shawn Belle and Knights LW Justin Taylor both hail from Edmonton, Alta.

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