From: Patrick Armstrong, Director of Communications
713.361.7920 (Direct Line)
Scott Henninger, Communications Manager
713.361.7930 (Direct Line)
Monday, March 10, 2008

HOUSTON AEROS WEEKLY UPDATE: MARCH 10

HOUSTON, Texas – The Houston Aeros extended their winning streak to seven games after three wins last week. Barry Brust recorded wins in all seven of those contests and Ryan Hamilton is now on a three-game goal-scoring streak with one goal in each contest last week. Brust was also named the Rbk/AHL Player of the Week for his efforts. This was the first time an Aeros player was given the award since Jean-Guy Trudel was honored with Player of the Week on October 21, 2002.

Sunday’s win moved the club into a fourth-place tie with Milwaukee at 73 points but Houston (34-22-2-3) has three games in-hand over the Admirals. The Aeros will play two games this week as part of the tightest home-stretch of the season with six games in nine nights. The Hanson Brothers of the movie Slap Shot are coming this Saturday, don’t miss out on your chance to see them in person! Call 713.974.PUCK to learn more about the special offers surrounding this event, including a meet-and-greet!

Several Aeros players will be on the ice at the Galleria on Tuesday from 1:30 - 3 p.m. The players will be taking part in a sled hockey event with Memorial Hermann and TIRR Sports. The Galleria is located at 5085 Westheimer Road, the corner of Westheimer and Post Oak Boulevard just off the 610 Loop.

LAST WEEK
3/4 – HOU 3 vs. PRO 2 – OTW,
3/7 – HOU 1 vs. HFD 0 – W,
3/9 – HOU 3 vs. ROC 2 – OTW

Tuesday, March 4:
The Houston Aeros’ Maxim Noreau scored the game-winning goal in overtime to complete a come-from-behind victory over the Providence Bruins 3-2 Tuesday night at Toyota Center in front of 3,556 fans. Adrian Foster’s goal with 26 seconds remaining in regulation helped propel the Aeros to their 32nd win of the season over the league-leading Bruins. Houston goaltender Barry Brust has started the last five games, all Aeros wins with his shutout streak coming to an end at 190:29 consecutive minutes.

Friday, March 7:
Houston Aero’s goaltender Barry Brust blocked all 23 shots faced in 1-0 victory over the Hartford Wolf Pack in front 6,718 fans at Toyota Center Friday night. The shutout marked Brust’s third in four games. With the win the Aeros moved back into a tie for fifth in the West Division as the Wolf Pack remained second in the Atlantic.

Sunday, March 9:
Under the skates of Benoit Pouliot the Houston Aeros defeated the Rochester Americans 3-2 in overtime in front of 4,596 fans at Toyota Center Sunday night. With the win, the Aeros extended their winning streak to seven games. Aeros' goaltender Barry Brust has been in net in each of the seven wins in the current streak. Click here to see the exciting game-winning goal by Pouliot.

THIS WEEK
TUE. – practice at SLICE, 10:45 a.m. – 12 p.m.
WED. – practice at SLICE, 10:45 a.m. – 12 p.m.
THR. vs. RFD, 7:05 p.m. CST
SAT. vs. RFD, 7:35 p.m. CST

Thursday
The Rockford IceHogs come to town for the last time this season for a pair of games at Toyota Center. The Aeros will make an attempt their eighth-straight win in Thursday’s 7:05 p.m. contest but it’s not guaranteed, the clubs have split the first four games this season. The Aeros lost the first two contests on 10/17 at home and 11/28 on the road but recorded 6-1 and 3-1 victories in the two February match-ups. Thursday is a Happy Hour Game which includes $10 in Toyota Center Bucks, free parking and a Maple Leaf Pub drink coupon along with a ticket to the game. Packages start at only $23 dollars! Call 713.974.PUCK for more details.

Saturday
Houston hosts the IceHogs in the sixth and final game of the season-series at 7:35 p.m. Saturday night. Rockford is currently ranked second in the division, only seven points up on the Aeros but have played in five more contests than Houston. This pair of games could play a significant role in playoff positioning as the next 11 games are against divisional opponents. Saturday is when the Hanson Brothers come to town with their wild antics seen in the classic hockey movie Slap Shot. Don’t miss out on this rare opportunity, call 713.974.PUCK for special packages and more information!

Aeros Player of the Week: G Barry Brust

Day       Opponent           Shots     Saves     GA       Notes
Tue.      vs. Providence     34     32        2       Overtime win
Fri.        vs. Hartford        23      23       0       Third shutout in four games
Sun.      vs. Rochester       28      26       2       Overtime win, seventh straight win
Totals                                85      81       4        .953 save pct., 1.28 GAA in three games

Earning the Rbk/AHL Player of the Week award, Aeros goaltender Barry Brust backstopped the team’s defense to three wins this week and seven in a row. The Swan River, Manitoba native stopped 81 of 85 shots this week and had two overtime wins vs. Providence and Rochester. In between those overtime wins was his third shutout in four games when he stopped all 23 shots against the Hartford Wolf Pack on Friday night. Brust had a .953 save pct. and 1.28 goals against average in the three games and has run his and the team’s win streaks to seven straight games. He recorded his 5,000th professional minute in net during Sunday’s game against the Americans. During the seven game win streak, Brust has a save pct. of .956 (195 saves-204 shots) and a GAA of 1.24. Overall, he is 16-10-3 with a 2.21 GAA and .925 save pct.

TEAM NOTES
• The Aeros have won seven straight games and moved into a fourth place tie in the West Division with the Milwaukee Admirals. Houston has three games in hand on Milwaukee and they trail the San Antonio Rampage by just five points for third in the division, however the Peoria Rivermen are just one point behind the Aeros and Admirals in the highly competitive division.
• G Barry Brust has been the Aeros netminder in every game of their seven-game win streak and he has only given nine goals. The Aeros’ goaltender is 10-1-1 in his last 12 starts.
• The Aeros second ranked penalty kill unit continues to shine. Houston has not allowed a power play goal in nine straight games going 43-43 in that time and they have killed 46 straight penalties. Overall, the Aeros have killed 283 of 325 penalties this season for a .871 percentage. Only the Toronto Marlies have a better kill rate (.878).
• Houston is 17-5-1-1 this season against opponents outside the West Division including seven straight wins.
• Right wing Ryan Hamilton is currently on a three-game goal-scoring streak, the longest such streak this season for the Aeros.
• The Aeros have recorded eight shutouts this season. Nolan Schaefer has five shutouts and Brust has three. The team is just one shutout away from tying the team record of nine set in the 2004-05 season by Mike Smith (5) and Josh Harding (4).
• Center Steve Kelly was called up to NHL Minnesota on Saturday for his first call-up of the season. He is the fifth player to be called up to the Wild this season (Voros, Clutterbuck, Schaefer, Pouliot).

Affiliation News
The Minnesota Wild (37-26-7) tops the Northwest Division with 81 points. Calgary and Colorado are only one point back and Vancouver trails by only three points. Each of the four teams are currently in playoff spots with Edmonton as the only Northwest Division team not currently in the top eight of the conference.

Marian Gaborik leads the club with 69 points and 34 goals. Pierre-Marc Bouchard leads Minnesota with 45 assists and is second with 57 points. Minnesota lost the last two games in a shootout and the two prior in regulation. The Wild plays Thursday and Saturday this week at home against New Jersey and Los Angeles.

The ECHL’s Texas Wildcatters (47-6-3-6) have already clinched a playoff birth and can clinch their division with a win or any Gwinnet loss. The 103 points for the team leads the league by ten points and tops the South Division by 24. John McNabb leads the team with 69 points (26-43=69) and has recorded 70 PIM in 62 games. The Wildcatters host the Augusta Lynx in a three-game home set this Friday through Sunday as the club tries to clinch the division and extend their eight-game undefeated streak.

The Aeros are running Spring Break specials including $22 center ice seats! The deal is good for the March 17, 19 and 20 games. This special package also includes a post-game picture in the penalty box and a shot on goal for kids 3-14 years old. Don't miss out on the Spring Break special and order your tickets today!

---HOUSTON AEROS---