Newcomer Night as first-place Chicago invades

Published on February 17, 2007 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Nine things you need to know

- The Aeros have played 10 straight one-goal games to establish a new franchise record, going 2-5-3-0 in that span. The previous record - eight - was originally set 2/28-3/17/95. Houston is 8-11-3-5 in one-goal games, but just 2-8-3-1 in its last 14 such games. The Aeros have only two non shootout one-goal wins, the last coming 3-2 at Iowa 11/9. Houston's 11 regulation losses and 19 total non-wins in one-goal games are the most in the AHL. Chicago also has just eight one-goal wins (8-4-2-5). Just two of the last seven meetings between the teams have been decided by one goal.

- Winless in their last eight road games (0-5-2-1) to come within one game of the franchise record, the Aeros open up a five-game homestand tonight. Houston is 3-1-1-0 in its last five home games to move to 11-11-1-3 at Toyota Center this season. Following tomorrow's game against Chicago, the Aeros host Iowa for two games next Thursday and Friday, and Milwaukee on 2/25.

- Aeros RW Matt Foy has a team-best and career-high 22 goals, including four tallies over the last three games. Foy's 41 points (22-19=41) are also a new career-high. Seventeen of Foy's 22 goals have come at Toyota Center. Foy has tied a season- and career-high with a five-game point streak, with seven points (4-3=7) in that span. The fourth-year winger is averaging a point per game in his last 13 contests (7-6=13). He leads the Aeros with five multiple-point games and nine multiple-point contests.

- Houston veteran D Curtis Murphy is closing in on becoming just the fourth player - and first blueliner - in team history to reach 200 points in his career. Murphy enters play tonight with 198 points (55-143=198) in 293 career games. Murphy, who has not missed a game in his four seasons with the Aeros, ranks tied for fifth among AHL defensemen with 29 points (6-23=29). Murphy, though, is still looking for his first PPG of the season. Murphy is the Aeros' all-time leader with 22 PPG, but hasn't scored one in the last 62 regular- and post-season games, dating back to 4/15/06 at Chicago.

- Tonight's marquee matchup features Chicago's third-ranked power play unit (20.9 percent) against Houston's penalty kill (85.8 percent), which is tied for fourth in the AHL. The Wolves' man advantage has been impressive against the Aeros in the last four games this season, going 7-for-25 (28.0 percent) since failing to score on 12 attempts in the first meeting. Chicago has gone on 407 power plays - 60 more than any other AHL team. That's not a good matchup for Houston, as only five AHL teams have gone shorthanded more than the Aeros (332).

- Houston is 0-3 in OT and 6-5 in shootouts. The Aeros' 11 shootouts are a league-high. Chicago has played 12 total extra time games, going 4-2 in OT but 1-5 in shootouts. One of the Wolves' SOL came against Houston 12/27, when the Aeros won 4-3.

- The Aeros have scored first in five of six games, after going eight in a row allowing the first goal. Houston has scored first in just 21 of its 53 games. The Aeros are 11-6-1-3 when scoring first, but 9-19-2-2 when allowing the first goal. Chicago, meanwhile, has scored first an AHL-high 35 times.

- Sunday's loss in Milwaukee dropped the Aeros to 2-10-2-1 in games where G Josh Harding doesn't play. Harding remains on recall to NHL Minnesota. Dating back to Harding's first lengthy call-up to Minnesota last March, the Aeros are 7-18-4-2 in the last 31 games in which Harding doesn't appear.

- The Aeros have hit their magic number - three - in each of their last three games, but they have lost each time. The Aeros are 18-9-1-4 when scoring three or more times. Houston is just 2-17-2-1 when scoring two or fewer goals.

Wolves at Aeros (Aeros are 40-29-14-4 all-time, Aeros are 24-9-8-2 at Houston)

- Tonight is the 88th all-time meeting between the Wolves and Aeros - 44th in Houston. Houston has played Chicago more times than any other team.

- Houston is 2-3-0-0 this season against Chicago. The Aeros have won the last two meetings after dropping the previous five. With a victory tonight, Houston will join Iowa, Milwaukee and Toronto as the lone AHL teams to defeat Chicago three times this season.

- Since joining the AHL in 2001-02, Houston is 22-20-9-4 overall versus the Wolves in the regular season.

- In the last meeting in Chicago, 1/3 in Chicago, Aeros D Erik Reitz and RW Mattias Weinhandl each posted a goal and an assist in a 5-3 Houston win.

- Chicago earned a 7-5 win at Toyota Center 12/22 behind two goals from former Aeros RW Kyle Wanvig, who has since been traded. LW Roman Voloshenko had a goal and two assists for the Aeros. The victory was the Wolves' second straight at Toyota Center in as many attempts this season.

- The teams once played 14 OT/SO games out of 20 from 1/9/03-2/12/05, so it's rather remarkable they have played just two OT/SO games in the last 17 meetings.

- Chicago G Fred Brathwaite hasn't lost in regulation against the Aeros in his career, going 4-0-2 with a 2.61 gaa and a .926 save pct.

- The Wolves own just nine regulation victories in 43 all-time trips to Houston.

Scouting the Aeros

The seventh-place Aeros (20-25-3-5) have 48 points and are two points behind sixth-place San Antonio, and eight behind Iowa and Peoria, who are tied for fourth place in the West Division...Houston begins a five-game homestand before going on the road for nine of 10 games...Team scoring leader RW Matt Foy has 41 points (22-19=41)...Next are veteran D Curtis Murphy (6-24=30) and rookie LW Benoit Pouliot (17-10=27)...G Josh Harding is 17-16-4 with a 2.48 gaa and a .920 save pct., but is on recall to NHL Minnesota...D Dieter Kochan is 1-6-0 with a 3.70 gaa and a .891 save pct...G Miroslav Kopriva is 2-2-1 with a 2.61 gaa and a .923 save pct.

Scouting the Wolves

Chicago (34-15-2-5), AHL affiliate of the Atlanta Thrashers, leads the West Division by nine points over Omaha, which has three games in hand...The Wolves are 3-0-1-1 in their last five and have just one regulation loss in their last 13 games (8-1-1-3)...Chicago is coming off a 6-2 home win over Syracuse on Sunday, but the Wolves are 0-0-1-1 in their last two road tilts...RW Darren Haydar has a league-leading 89 points (30-59=89) in only 49 games, while rookie LW Brett Sterling is second with 74 points (43-31=74)...Sterling leads all AHL players in goals (43) and PPG (18)...Rookie D Nathan Oystrick paces all AHL blueliners with 29 points (11-18=29), while veteran D Andy Delmore (14-15=29) recently joined the Wolves in a trade...G Fred Brathwaite is 18-7-4 with a 2.52 gaa and a .911 save pct., while G Michael Garnett is 15-10-1 with a 3.33 gaa and a .891 save pct.

2006-07 meetings (6th of 8 meetings, Aeros are 2-3-0-0 overall, Aeros are 0-2-0-0 at Houston)

November 1 Chicago 4 at Houston 2

November 25 Houston 3 at Chicago 7

December 22 Chicago 7 at Houston 5

December 27 Houston 4 at Chicago 3 (SO)

January 3 Houston 5 at Chicago 3

Tonight Chicago at Houston

Tomorrow Chicago at Houston

March 7 Houston at Chicago

Quick Hits

- Ten of the Aeros' 20 victories have been in come-from-behind fashion, including five of their last seven. On 2/1 against Milwaukee, the Aeros trailed 2-1 with seven minutes remaining, but won 3-2 in a shootout. The Aeros have trailed in 14 of their last 15 games, and in 20 of 22.

- The Aeros are 6-3-1-2 this season when allowing 40 or more shots.

- The Aeros are winless (0-16-1-4) when allowing four goals or more.

- Houston hasn't outscored an opponent in the third period in its last six games.

- The Wolves have drowned their opponents in the first period by a margin of 77-42, easily the best margin in the AHL. They are not, however, a one-period show. Chicago has scored the most first period, second period (82) and third period (84) goals in the AHL.

- Chicago enters tonight's game averaging 4.43 gpg - 1.66 gpg more than Houston, and more than a half goal more than any other AHL team.

- The Wolves are an eye-popping 26-6-4-0 within the West Division, but 8-9-3-0 against the rest of the AHL.

- Fifteen of Chicago's 34 wins have come by four or more goals, including 11 on the road. Eight of those 11 road blowouts have come by five or more goals.

Sunday's game

Budding Aeros-killer Nicolas Corbeil registered a hat trick and Chris Durno's third-period goal went down as the game-winner, as the Milwaukee Admirals outlasted Houston 4-3 at Bradley Center. Pekka Rinne stopped 35 shots for Milwaukee. Matt Foy, Erik Reitz and Roman Voloshenko scored a goal apiece for Houston, which got 36 saves from Dieter Kochan.

Power play update

- Houston is 23rd in the AHL with the man advantage at 15.1 percent.

- The Aeros are 5-for-26 (19.2 percent) on the power play in their last five games - the first time all season they have scored a PPG in five straight games.

- Chicago is 18th in the AHL on the penalty kill at 82.0 percent.

- The Wolves have killed off just 23-of-29 shorthanded chances (79.3 percent) in their last four games.

- Houston is 8-for-36 (22.2 percent) on the power play against Chicago this season, including a 6-for-19 (31.6 percent) performance in the last three games.

Penalty kill update

- Houston is tied for fourth in the AHL on the PK at 85.8 percent.

- Opponents are only 4-for-20 (20.0 percent) on the man advantage in the last three games.

- Chicago is third in the AHL on the power play at 20.0 percent.

- The Wolves are 8-for-38 (21.5 percent) with the man advantage in the last five gaes.

- Chicago is 7-for-37 (18.9 percent) on the power play against Houston this season, including 7-for-25 (28.0 percent) in the last four meetings after going 0-for-12 in the first.

Aeros/Wolves connections

- Chicago features former Aeros C Cory Larose, who tallied 120 points (50-70=120) in 136 games from 2001-03. Larose was traded to the New York Rangers in exchange for Jay Henderson late in the 2002-2003 season. Larose's 50 goals place him 13th on the Aeros' all-time (IHL/AHL) list, while he is tied for 13th in points.

- Aeros assistant coach Matt Shaw was an assistant coach under John Anderson in Chicago in 1998-99.

- Aeros G Dieter Kochan was released from a PTO in October by Chicago, a day before signing with Houston. Kochan spent parts of two seasons in the Tampa Bay Lightning organization alongside Chicago C Steve Martins.

- Chicago D Jim Fahey played alongside Aeros D Shawn Belle last season in AHL Iowa.

- Wolves RW Darren Haydar played in Milwaukee from 2002-06. He was teammates with Aeros D Curtis Murphy and Aeros C Bryan Lundbohm. The Admirals were Calder Cup champs in 2004. Haydar and Aeros RW Joel Ward each hail from Toronto, Ont.

- Aeros LW Josh Olson was Chicago D Troy Milam's teammate in San Antonio in 2003-04.

- Aeros G Josh Harding and Chicago D Nathan Oystrick each hail from Regina, Sask. Oystrick and Aeros G Dieter Kochan each attended Northern Michigan University, albeit six years apart .

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American Hockey League Stories from February 17, 2007


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