Houston looking to snap skid in San Antonio

Published on December 14, 2006 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Eight things you need to know
- Aeros RW Matt Foy, the team's leading scorer, was reassigned to the team yesterday afternoon by the NHL's Minnesota Wild. Foy, who landed in Houston less than two hours before gametime and got on the ice halway through warm-ups, didn't waste much time making an impact, assisting on D Erik Reitz' goal to push his point total to 23 points (11-12=23). Foy has eight points (5-3=8) in his last four games with Houston. This is Foy's second four-game point streak of the season. Only rookie LW Benoit Pouliot has also strung together four straight games with a point. Foy has an assist in three consecutive games. While reassigning Foy, the Wild recalled RW Joel Ward, who posted seven points (3-4=7) with the Aeros. Ward will look to make his NHL debut or Minnesota, which is in Edmonton tonight.
- Aeros veteran D Peter Ratchuk is averaging nearly a point per game over the last 12 contests, with three goals and seven assists in that span. Ratchuk's 14 points (3-11=14) tie him for 12th in the AHL in defensemen scoring.
- Houston has lost five straight games in regulation on the road dating back to its last victory - 11/15 in Milwaukee. That game was the Aeros' fifth straight road victory. Houston's five-game road regulation losing streak is the longest in team history, but still short of the team record for road winless slide. That was an 0-7-2-0 mark from 1/31-2/26/04. The Aeros have scored six goals in the last five road games, including a pair of shutouts in Omaha. Houston is tied with San Antonio for the longest regulation road losing streak in the AHL this season.
- Houston is winless at 0-3-0-1 in the last four meetings with San Antonio at AT&T Center. It's the Aeros' longest ever winless slide in San Antonio, and one shy of their five-game winless streak in Omaha as the longest current slide in an opposing city. Houston is 12-7-4-3 all-time at AT&T Center.
- The Aeros and Rampage have played just four times in the first two months of the season, but they match up four times in the next 17 days. Three of those four meetings are in a five-day stretch in late December. Four of the Aeros' seven games to end 2006 are versus San Antonio.
- Houston is 0-3-0-2 in its last five games, one behind its season-long six-game winless slide (0-5-0-1) to begin the season. Houston has scored five goals in its last five games and has led in just one of those contests - 12/9 against Omaha.
- The Aeros, who climbed as high as second in the league on the penalty kill, are down to eighth at 86.2 percent after allowing four goals on 12 chances for just a 66.7 percent kill rate in the last two games. It's the first time all season that Houston has allowed two PPG in consecutive games. Opponents are 6-for-22 (27.3 percent) with the man advantage in the last three road games. Tonight's opponent, San Antonio, is fifth in the AHL on the power play at 20.0 percent.
- Aeros third-year G Josh Harding has played in all but two of the Aeros' first 27 games. Harding ranks first in the AHL in games played (25) and minutes (1,478), shots faced (749) and saves (688). He is tied for sixth in wins (nine) but is 0-3-2 in his last five starts. Harding ranks tied for 11th in the AHL in gaa (2.48), and tied for seventh in save pct. (0.919). Harding is 9-7-2 with a 2.29 gaa and a .925 save pct. in his last 18 decisions since starting the season 0-5-1. Counting back to last season and including the playoffs, Harding has appeared in 34-of-36 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 34-9-6-3 overall, Aeros are 12-7-4-3 at San Antonio)
- Tonight is the 53rd all-time meeting between the teams - 27th in San Antonio.
- The Aeros are 19-4-2-1 in the last 26 overall meetings.
- Since a three-game winless slide in the series 12/27/03-1/17/04, the Aeros have unleashed a 24-5-3-2 mark.
- Aeros RW Matt Foy tallied a natural hat trick all in the game's final seven minutes as the Aeros rallied for a 5-3 win at Toyota Center 11/24. Foy scored the tying, winning and empty net goals.
- In the last meeting at AT&T Center, Rampage G Josh Tordjman made 55 saves to lead San Antonio to a 4-2 victory.
- Aeros G Josh Harding is 12-3-1 with a 2.11 gaa and a .928 save pct. in 16 career decisions against San Antonio.

Scouting the Aeros
The Aeros (10-14-0-3) have 23 points, one point behind Milwaukee for fifth place in the West...Houston plays host to Manitoba on Saturday...Team scoring leader RW Matt Foy (11-12=23) was returned by the NHL's Minnesota Wild yesterday...Next among forwards are a trio of rookies: LW Benoit Pouliot (12-4=16), RW Danny Irmen (7-6=13) and C Ben Thomson (6-7=13)...D Peter Ratchuk (3-11=14) and D Curtis Murphy (3-8=11) pace the blueline...G Josh Harding is 9-12-3 with a 2.48 gaa and a .919 save pct. this season...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 (9-16-0-0), AHL affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes, beat Milwaukee 3-2 in a shootout last Saturday to snap a three-game skid...The Rampage, at 18 points in seventh place in the West Division, is 2-5-0-0 in its last seven, with both wins coming in extra time...San Antonio is playing game three of a six-game homestand...C Yanick Lehoux leads the Rampage in scoring with 25 points (10-15=25) - eight more than any other teammate...Veteran D Bryan Helmer paces the blueline with 10 points (4-6=10)...G Josh Tordjman is 4-4-0 with a 2.46 gaa...G David LeNeveu is 1-6-0 with a 4.09 gaa.

2006-07 meetings (5th of 12 meetings, Aeros are 2-1-0-1 overall, Aeros are 0-1-0-1 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
Tonight Houston at San Antonio
December 26 San Antonio at Houston
December 29 Houston at San Antonio
December 30 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
Drew McIntyre made 35 stops for his third straight win, and former Aero defensemen Maxime Fortunus and Dustin Wood each scored a goal, as the Manitoba Moose topped Houston 4-1 at Toyota Center. Nathan Smith and Adam Keefe also scored for Manitoba. Erik Reitz scored a goal and Josh Harding made 24 saves for Houston.

Quick Hits
- Five of the Aeros' 10 victories have been in come-from-behind fashion.
- The Aeros are 4-4-0-3 in one-goal games. But after eight of their first 12 games were decided by one goal, just three of Houston's last 15 contests has been decided in that fashion.
- Thirty of Houston's 70 goals have come from rookies.
- Aeros G Josh Harding picked up a minor penalty for tripping last night, giving him 10 PIM's this season and 29 in his career. Last night's infraction moved him into third place on the team's all-time list, past former teammate and current Dallas Star Mike Smith (28). Up next on the list is Troy Gamble (45). Frederic Chabot has more PIM's than any other Aero (46).
- San Antonio is 8-7-0-0 at home, compared to a 1-9-0-0 road mark.
- The Rampage has been outscored 39-18 in the first period this season. Only Springfield (17) has scored fewer first-period goals.
- San Antonio ranks 27th and last in the AHL allowing 3.92 goals per game. But Houston is tied for 24th in offense at 2.60 gpg

Power play update
- Houston is 26th in the AHL with the man advantage at 12.1 percent.
- The Aeros are 3-for-32 (9.4 percent) on the power play in their last five games.
- Houston is 2-for-38 (5.3 percent) with the man advantage in their last six road contests. The Aeros have scored just seven PPG on the road all season in 85 chances (8.2 percent).
- San Antonio is 20th in the AHL on the PK at 80.8 percent.
- The Rampage has killed off 34-of-38 (89.5 percent) of its shorthanded opportunities in the last five games.
- Houston is 4-for-25 (16.0 percent) with the man advantage this season against San Antonio.

Penalty kill update
- Houston is eighth in the AHL on the PK at 86.2 percent.
- Opponents are 11-for-57 (19.3 percent) with the man advantage in the last eight games.
- San Antonio is fifth in the AHL on the power play at 20.0 percent.
- The Rampage has scored on 5-of-24 (20.8 percent) power play opportunities in the last five games.
- San Antonio is 3-for-15 (20.0 percent) with the man advantage this season against Houston.

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 14, 2006


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