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Three road games this week

February 13, 2006 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Coming Attractions:

WED, at CLE, 6:05 p.m. (Broadcast joined in progress at 7 p.m.)
The Aeros made 13 trips during their International Hockey League days to take on the Lumberjacks, and tonight they'll likely play their 10th and final game at Quicken Loans Arena versus the Barons. San Jose will move its AHL affiliate to Worcester, Mass., next season. Houston is 3-0-0-0 this season against the Barons, outscoring them 16-5, and has won four in a row overall in the series after a 1-7-0-0 stretch. RW Kirby Law tallied two goals and an assist and former Barons G Seamus Kotyk made 25 saves in the last meeting, December 11 in Cleveland. The Barons are winless in their last 10 games (0-8-1-1) to drop to 20-32-2-2, in sixth place in the seven-team North Division with 44 points.

FRI, at IOW, 7:05 p.m.
The Aeros won the first three meetings against the Stars, but Iowa has won the last two. In Houston's only previous trip to Wells Fargo Arena, Loui Eriksson scored two goals and Krys Barch netted the game-winner midway through the third period, just 12 seconds after Houston's Scott Ferguson had tied things up at 4-4. The Stars went on to a 6-4 victory in that game, January 26.

SAT, at IOW, 1:05 p.m. (new start time, Internet only broadcast)
The Stars are winless in their last three (0-1-0-2), although they've picked up a point in two of the three games. Iowa enters the week in fourth place in the West with 53 points, but just two ahead of fifth-place Omaha, which has won five straight. The Stars have two games in hand.

All Aeros games are broadcast live on KNTH 1070-AM and through aeros.com. For $6, you can also watch the game live via B2 Networks. Visit aeros.com 10 minutes prior to gametime to order.

It's a Sweetheart of a Deal - The Houston Aeros' Sweetheart of a Deal package is still available! The Sweetheart of a Deal includes four open ended vouchers for use at any 2005-06 regular season game, one free ticket to the Thursday, Feb. 23 game, and an Aeros puck. Packages are $44 for upper end zone, $64 for lower end zone, $80 for corners and $112 for center ice. Click here or call 713.974.PUCK to order for your valentine today!

Skate with the Pros finale February 20 at SLICE - Fifteen Aeros players will attend "Skate with the Pros" at Sugar Land Ice & Sports Center, the Official Training Facility of the Houston Aeros. The event is from 7-8 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 20. $10.00 admission includes Skate Rentals, Autographs, Popcorn, Ice Cream, and more. For more information, please visit www.sugarlandice.com.

Player of the Week D Erik Reitz
2/7 vs. MIL 0-1=1, E
2/10 at MCH 1-0=1, +1
2/11 at HAR 0-1=1, -1
Totals 3gp, 1-2=3, E
Only Aero to notch a point in each game last week, totaling three points (1-2=3) as Aeros went 1-2-0-0...Has four points (1-3=4) in last five games...Three-game point streak is one off season-high, set twice...Ranks second among Aeros defensemen with 22 points (5-17=22)...Assist total and point total are two off his career highs, set in 2003-04, and his five goals are one off 2002-03 career-high.

Notables -
- Aeros captain and RW Kirby Law has 398 points (188-210=398) in 518 AHL games.
- D Curtis Murphy's 143 points trail only Greg Hawgood's 145 for the all-time lead among Aeros defensemen. Murphy is tied with Jeff Tory with 42 goals for the most ever among Aeros blueliners.
- Houston has held its opponent without a goal in the third period 21 games this season, and it hasn't lost in regulation (19-0-1-1). The Aeros have won their last 17 games when not allowing a goal in the final 20 minutes.
- The Aeros have been tied at some point of the third period in each of their last four non wins (0-3-0-1).
- Houston D Scott Ferguson is quickly approaching the 1,000-PIM mark in his AHL career. Ferguson has 999 PIM's in 505 career AHL games.
- The Aeros have dropped two straight road games for the second time this season. Houston lost two in a row on the road three times last season, and hasn't dropped three straight away from Toyota Center since a franchise-record-tying four-game run February 13-22, 2004.
- The Aeros have put 44,948 fans in Toyota Center in the last five games for an average of 8,890, and 30,191 in the last three contests for an average of 10,064.
- A total of nine former Aeros - Robert Esche, Robert Lang, Filip Kuba, Mikko Koivu, Mika Hannula, Paul DiPietro, Tony Tuzzolino, Andre Signoretti and Mario Chitaroni are participating in the 2006 Olympic Games in Torino. Esche is on Team USA, Lang and Kuba will play for the Czech Republic, Koivu will represent Finland, Hannula will play for Sweden, DiPietro will represent Switzerland while Tuzzolino, Signoretti and Chitaroni will skate for host Italy.

Aeros lose two of three, still lead West by two points
HOU 3, MIL 2; MCH 4, HOU 2; HAR 4, HOU 3
Despite losing two of three games last week, Houston (35-14-1-2) still holds the AHL's third best record, and leads the West Division by two points over Milwaukee (33-14-4-1). The teams have both played 52 games. The Aeros visit Bradley Center for two games February 25-26.
Tuesday: Joel Ward and Patrick O'Sullivan scored 1:27 apart early in the first period, Bryan Lundbohm also scored and Miroslav Kopriva made 21 saves, as the Houston Aeros defeated the Milwaukee Admirals 3-2 in front of 7,367 on Houston Chronicle in Education Field Trip day at Toyota Center.
Brandon Segal and Simon Gamache both scored and Brian Finley made 25 stops for Milwaukee.
Friday: Noah Clarke snapped a pair of ties - scoring with two seconds left in the second period and notching the game-winner on a shorthanded breakaway with 6:55 left in the third, as the Manchester Monarchs defeated the Houston Aeros 4-2 in Houston's first ever trip to Verizon Wireless Arena. Former Minnesota Wild draft pick Barry Brust made 26 saves and Bernard Bernakevitch and Greg Hogeboom also scored for Manchester.
Defensemen Scott Ferguson and Erik Reitz each scored, Erik Westrum tallied two assists and Seamus Kotyk made 30 saves for Houston.
Saturday: Thomas Pock's second goal of the game snapped a tie with 3:56 left in regulation, as the Hartford Wolf Pack held off the Houston Aeros 4-3 at Hartford Civic Center. Martin Sonnenberg and Craig Weller also scored while former Aeros farmhand Robert Gherson made 19 stops in relief of an injured Al Montoya (15 saves).
Kirby Law, Joel Ward and Bryan Lundbohm each scored a power play goal and Miroslav Kopriva made 30 saves for Houston.

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