Road trip wraps up in Hartford

Published on January 27, 2007 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


- Aeros C Jason Morgan is set to play in his 600th career professional game tonight. Morgan has posted 290 career points (94=196=290) and 599 PIM's in 600 games with NHL Los Angeles, Calgary, Nashville, Chicago and Minnesota, AHL Springfield, Hamilton, Saint John, Lowell, Norfolk and Houston and IHL Phoenix, Long Beach and Cincinnati. Morgan began his pro career in 1996-97. Morgan will join D Curtis Murphy as Aeros with 600 games played. Morgan has played 473 of his games in the AHL.
- Houston C Bryan Lundbohm has an assist in three straight games, giving him 17 points (3-14=17) in 43 games this season. Despite going 17 games since his last goal 12/16, Lundbohm has enjoyed a stellar month of January. Lundbohm has eight helpers in 12 outings in the new year, and he is a team-best plus-nine in the month. Lundbohm has recorded a minus for a game just once in 2007.
- Houston has allowed the game's first goal in 13 of its last 15 outings, including in each of the last eight games overall and its last eight road games. Houston is 2-5-1-0 in those past eight games overall. The Aeros have scored first in just 16 of their 46 games (34.8 percent). Only Worcester (15) has scored first fewer times. The Aeros haven't scored the first goal in a game since 1/7 against San Antonio. On the road, Houston hasn't taken a 1-0 lead since 12/14 at San Antonio, the only game in a span of 12 road games the Aeros have broken on top early.
- The Aeros try for their first win since March 2005 against an Eastern Conference opponent tonight. Houston, which only plays Atlantic Division opponents out of the East this season, is 0-4-0-0 against the opposing conference. Each of those four losses has come by one goal, including a 3-2 loss at Worcester on Wednesday and a 3-2 defeat in Manchester last night. Houston was also winless versus the Atlantic, and the entire Eastern Conference last season, going 0-3-1-0. The Aeros' last win against the East came 3/4/05, a 3-1 home win over Hartford.
- The Aeros have lost seven straight one-goal games (0-5-1-1) to fall to 6-8-1-5 in such contests. Houston's last one-goal win was a 4-3 shootout decision at Chicago on 12/27. The Aeros have only two non shootout one-goal wins, the last coming 3-2 at Iowa on 11/9.
- The Aeros didn't hit their magic number - three - Friday in Manchester, and as has been the norm, it resulted in a loss. Houston is 1-16-1-1 when scoring two or fewer goals, including a winless 0-10-3-0 road mark. However, the Aeros are 17-6-0-4 overall when scoring three or more.
- Houston's third-year G Josh Harding is on recall to NHL Minnesota, leaving the crease in the hands of G Dieter Kochan and G Miroslav Kopriva. The Aeros are 0-7-0-1 this season in games in which Harding doesn't appear, and they are 18-15-1-4 when he does see action in a game. Kochan does have a win, as he relieved Harding in the third period of a 4-3 shootout win at Grand Rapids 10/21. But Kochan was injured in that game and didn't dress for the next 29 games.
- The Aeros are 1-4-1-1 in their last seven games - and the only game in which they led was the victory, 6-1 over Milwaukee 1/21.
- Houston has scored a shorthanded goal in four of its last five games and in five of its last seven, including RW Joel Ward's first-period SHG in Worcester on Wednesday. The Aeros have 10 SHG this season - tied for the third-most in the AHL. Houston's team record for most SHG in a season is 15, set in 1994-95. RW Danny Irmen and D Curtis Murphy have two apiece - halfway to the team record set in 1994-95 by Mario Chitaroni and matched in 2003-04 by Stephane Veilleux. C Bryan Lundbohm has a hand in four of the Aeros' 10 SHG (1-3=4).

Aeros at Wolf Pack (Aeros are 5-6-0-2 all-time, Aeros are 2-3-0-1 at Hartford)
- The teams meet for the 14th time tonight - the seventh game in Hartford.
- Houston is 1-4-0-2 in the last seven meetings overall, and winless in the last three road games (0-2-0-1).
- Five of the 13 meetings between these teams have ended with one team getting shut out.
- Hartford is the lone Eastern Conference team that the Aeros have faced in each of their six seasons in the league.
- Houston fell 4-3 at home to Hartford 11/19, despite leading 3-2 with eight minutes left in the game. D Dale Purinton scored his second goal of the game with 7:57 left in regulation, and C Dwight Helminen tallied the GWG with 27 ticks remaining. G Steve Valiquette made 19 saves to get the win in relief. C Ben Thomson and RW Matt Foy posted a goal and an assist each for Houston. The teams combined for 101 PIM's - 60 by Hartford.
- Aeros Joey Tetarenko and Wolf Pack RW Francis Lessard fought twice in the 11/19 meeting, and they have duked it out six times in their career.

Scouting the Aeros
The sixth-place Aeros (18-22-1-5) have 42 points and are seven points behind fifth-place Peoria and nine behind fourth-place Iowa...Houston, which is 0-3-0-1 in its last four road games, plays the finale of a three-game Atlantic Division road trip...Team scoring leader RW Matt Foy has 33 points (17-16=33)...Next are veteran D Curtis Murphy (5-20=25), rookie LW Benoit Pouliot (16-8=24) and LW Roman Voloshenko (8-15=23)...G Josh Harding is 17-16-4 with a 2.48 gaa and a .920 save pct., but is currently on recall to NHL Minnesota...D Dieter Kochan is 1-3-0 with a 3.80 gaa and a .887 save pct., and is back after missing 29 games due to injury...G Miroslav Kopriva is 0-0-1 with a 2.00 gaa and a .927 save pct.

Scouting the Wolf Pack
Second-place Hartford (26-17-3-0), AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers, is eight points behind Manchester in the Atlantic Division...The Wolf Pack beat Bridgeport 4-2 at home last night for its ninth win in 10 games, and to improve to 11-1-1-0 in its last 13 games...Hartford began the season 5-11-1-0 but is 21-6-2-0 since...Rookie RW Ryan Callahan paces the Wolf Pack in scoring with 39 points (26-13=39), ahead of rookie LW Dane Byers (11-17=28)...Byers also has 121 PIM - one of four Wolf Pack players to have hit the 100 mark already...D Daniel Girardi leads the blueliners with 24 points (2-22=24) but is on recall to the New York Rangers...G Steve Valiquette is 15-10-0 with a 2.27 gaa, while G Al Montoya is 11-10-0 with a 2.42 gaa.

2006-07 meetings (2nd of 2 meetings, Aeros are 0-1-0-0 overall, First meeting at Hartford)
November 19 Hartford 4 at Houston 3
Tonight Houston at Hartford

Quick Hits
- Nine of the Aeros' 18 victories have been in come-from-behind fashion, including four of their last five.
- The Aeros are 6-8-1-5 in one-goal games. But after eight of their first 12 games were decided by one goal, just 12 of Houston's last 34 contests has been decided in that fashion.
- The Aeros are 5-2-0-2 this season when allowing 40 or more shots.
- Hartford is just 11-11-3-0 at home, but has an impressive 15-6-0-0 road mark.
- The Wolf Pack has scored 35 third-period goals this season - second-fewest in the AHL (Albany 33).
- Aeros RW Matt Foy's third-period tally Wednesday in Worcester was his first goal outside the state of Texas since 4/16/06. Amazingly, 15 of his 17 goals have come at Toyota Center. One other goal came at AT&T Center in San Antonio 12/14. Foy has a team-best 17 goals, a total that also marks his career high.
- Tuesday, the Aeros became the last AHL team to have a game decided in OT, falling 3-2 to Milwaukee. They are 4-5 in shootouts. Hartford is 2-3 in OT but a perfect 4-0 in shootouts. Hartford is one of three AHL teams without a SOL this season.

Friday's game
Matt Moulson, Noah Clarke and Shay Stephenson scored a goal apiece and Barry Brust made 28 saves, as the Manchester Monarchs defeated the Houston Aeros 3-2 at Verizon Wireless Arena. Danny Irmen scored two goals and Dieter Kochan made 46 saves for the Aeros.

Power play update
- Houston is up to 22nd in the AHL with the man advantage at 14.6 percent.
- Houston is 0-for-12 with the man advantage in the last three road games.
- Hartford is sixth in the AHL on the penalty kill at 85.2 percent.
- The Wolf Pack has killed off 25-of-28 shorthanded chances (89.3 percent) in the last five games.

Penalty kill update
- Houston is fourth in the AHL on the PK at 85.9 percent.
- Opponents are 8-for-36 (22.2 percent) with the man advantage against the Aeros in the last six games.
- Hartford is 15th in the AHL on the power play at 17.2 percent.
- The Wolf Pack is 6-for-27 (22.2 percent) on the power play in the last five games.

Aeros/Wolf Pack connections
- Aeros D Ryan Stokes and Wolf Pack D Daniel Girardi were teammates in OHL Barrie from 2001-03. Houston D Erik Reitz was also Girardi's teammate from 2000-02.
- Houston RW Danny Irmen and Hartford D Jake Taylor were teammates at the University of Minnesota from 2003-04.

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American Hockey League Stories from January 27, 2007


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