From: Ryan Stanzel
Director of Communications
Monday, January 24, 2005
713.361.7930 (Direct Line)

Aeros Weekly Report

PDF version

This week on Aeros.com – Log on to www.aeros.com this Thursday to see the results of the Erik Reitz Q&A. Reitz scored his first goal of the season on Sunday. Also, the AHL All Star teams will be announced Wednesday and Thursday, so check www.aeros.com to see which of your Aeros will be headed to Manchester next month. The Junior Reporter Michael McHugh will also have a new feature story, available Tuesday.

Aeros out and about - Mike Smith, Brent Burns, Derek Boogaard and Marius Holtet (players subject to change) will appear at the First Colony Foley’s this Thursday from 6-7 p.m. Get their autograph by purchasing a “Raisin” black lab plush puppy for $20 to benefit “Bo’s Place”, a local charity that aids grieving children who have lost a loved one. The dogs will also be available for a $20 donation to Houston Aeros Charities as the Aeros’ games against Milwaukee on February 4-5. Mark Cullen, Ray Giroux, Erik Reitz, Junior Lessard and Dan Cavanaugh will attend the Sunshine Kids house from 3-5 p.m. Thursday, playing games and having a party with children with cancer. Cullen is a cancer survivor himself.

Coming attractions:

TUE, vs. MIL, 7:05 p.m.
The Aeros and Admirals have split four games this season, with each team going 1-1-0-0 at home. Milwaukee will be trying to avenge a 7-0 loss at Toyota Center back on January 11, a game that marked the most lopsided home victory in the Aeros’ 11-year history. Seven players notched multiple-point games, led by Rickard Wallin (1-2=3), and Mike Smith made 16 saves for the shutout. Milwaukee goalie Brian Finley, who entered the game with more wins against the Aeros than all but one goalie in history, allowed four goals on 29 shots as the Admirals were outshot 55-16. Milwaukee is 5-1-0-1 since that game, but it is winless in its last two (0-1-0-1). The Admirals still hold a five-point lead over second-place Chicago.

SAT, vs. CHI, 7:35 p.m.
Trading Cards, 1st set (3K)
The Aeros are 1-1-1-0 against Chicago, winning the lone Toyota Center meeting 4-3 in overtime on October 24. Kyle Wanvig won that contest in the extra session. In the last meeting on November 24, Chicago dealt Houston a 3-0 defeat at Allstate Arena to end the Aeros’ five-games-in-seven-nights road trip. This will mark former Aero Travis Roche’s second trip back to Toyota Center as an opponent. The Wolves also feature former Aeros Cory Larose and Greg Hawgood. The Wolves have lost three of four and four of six, but they are still in second place in the West by eight points over Cincinnati.

Third-period defense key - The Aeros rallied from a two-goal deficit in the third period Sunday to force overtime. Houston held Grand Rapids off the scoreboard in the final 20 minutes, something the Aeros have been very good at this season. Houston has allowed only 25 third-period goals in 39 games. Only Rochester (24) has allowed fewer goals in the final 20 minutes.

Let them shoot - The Aeros are 10-2-0-0 when getting outshot, or the shots are even. The Aeros, however, are just 9-14-2-2 when outshooting an opponent, including a shootout loss Sunday. Aeros goalies don’t mind work - they are only 2-9-1 when seeing 23 shots or less, but 17-9-1 when seeing 24 or more.

Reitz gets No. 1 - Aeros third-year defenseman Erik Reitz became the 20th player on the team to record a goal when he scored the team’s first goal Sunday. Reitz, who leads all Aeros blueliners with assists (12) and is tied for second in points (13), last scored on April 1 against Cincinnati. Reitz had a goal earlier this season, but it was later credited to Marius Holtet.

Player of the week C Mikko Koivu -
Tallied five points, including four goals, and was a plus-five as Houston went unbeaten in regulation last week at 2-0-0-1...Scored GWG in 2-0 win over Edmonton on Wednesday... Tallied pair of first-period goals, one on the PP, and was plus-three in 4-2 win at San Antonio on Friday...Scored goal and added assist in 4-3 shootout loss to Grand Rapids on Sunday...Has nine points (6-3=9) in team season-high six-game point streak, and five goals in four-game goal streak, the longest active streak in the AHL...Second on team with 23 points (12-11=23).

Koivu this week...
1/19 vs. EDM 1-0-1, +1
1/21 at SAN 2-0-2, +3
1/23 vs. GR 1-1=2, +1
Totals - 3gp, 4-1=5, +5

Down on the farm - The CHL’s Austin Ice Bats are 19-15-2, in second place in the Southeast Division, just two points behind Corpus Christi...F Dallas Anderson has 10 points (5-5=10) and 204 PIM’s in 30 games...Anderson is fourth in the CHL in PIM’s...The ECHL’s Pensacola Ice Pilots are 24-11-4 and are up by six points in the South Division...LW Jordan Krestanovich has 30 points (11-19=30)...RW Jason Beckett has 18 points (6-12=18) and is team-best plus-19...D Ryan Stokes has nine points (1-8=9) and 88 PIM’s and is a plus-six...LW Bill Kinkel has two goals and 81 PIM’s in 15 games...ECHL Louisiana is 16-20-3 and in fifth place in the six-team South Division...LW David Bararuk (11-18=29) is second on the team in scoring while D Maxime Fortunus has 15 points (4-11=15)...RW Mark Rooneem has 15 points (8-7=15)...D Chris Heid has seven points (2-5=7) in 13 games since being reassigned December 23...UHL Quad City is 18-16-7, in fourth place in the West...G Robert Gherson is 8-5-4 with a 2.38 gaa, fourth in the UHL, and he’s unbeaten in regulation in his last seven starts (4-0-3), allowing two goals or fewer in the last six games....C Mike Kompon has a team-best 42 points (13-29=42)...Kompon is tied for first among UHL rookies in points and is first in assists.

Aeros unbeaten in regulation last week
HOU 2, EDM 0; HOU 4, SAN 2; HOU-GR (PPD); GR 4, HOU 3 (SO)

Wednesday: Mike Smith made 39 saves to notch his fourth shutout of the season in his new Aeros-record 16th straight appearance, as Houston snapped a two-game skid with a 2-0 win over the Edmonton Road Runners at Toyota Center. Mikko Koivu and John Erskine scored 1:05 apart midway through the first period for the Aeros.
Mike Morrison stopped 34 shots for Edmonton.
Smith, who has seen action in every game since November 26 due to an injury to Josh Harding, made 10 saves in the first period, 17 in the second and 12 in the third.
Friday: Koivu scored two goals and Smith made 28 saves, as the Aeros held on for a 4-2 victory over the San Antonio Rampage at SBC Center. Ray Giroux and Kirby Law also scored and Stephane Veilleux tacked on two assists for Houston, which has won two straight and equaled its 2003-04 road victory total (10) in just its 19th road game.
Houston got an emotional lift as Josh Harding backed up Smith, putting on an Aeros uniform for the first time since he was knocked out with a concussion November 28 against Utah.
Juraj Kolnik and Joel Kwiatkowski each scored and Patrick DesRochers stopped 11-of-14 shots for San Antonio
Saturday: The Aeros’ home game against Grand Rapids was postponed until a later date since the Griffins didn’t arrive in Houston in time for the game due to the massive snowstorm in the Midwest and Northeast. A make-up date will be announced in the near future. Tickets for the January 22 game will be valid on the rescheduled date. Tickets for the January 22 game may be exchanged for a ticket of equal value to any remaining Houston Aeros home game in the 2004-05 regular season. Exchanges are based on availability. Season ticket, group and www.aeros.com/themenights customers can contact an Aeros representative at 713.974.PUCK to make an exchange. Customers who purchased tickets at the Toyota Center Box Office, a neighborhood Randalls location, via 1.866.GO.AEROS or the Toyota Center website, please make the exchange at the Toyota Center Box Office. Hours are Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sunday: Joey MacDonald made 46 saves and Eric Himelfarb followed a regulation goal with the game-winner in the shootout, as the Grand Rapids Griffins held off the Aeros 4-3 at Toyota Center. Kip Miller and Brett Lebda also scored for Grand Rapids, which has won two straight after a 1-10-0-1 stretch.
Pierre-Marc Bouchard forced overtime with 5:42 left in regulation, and he and Koivu each tallied a goal and an assist for Houston, which is unbeaten in regulation in its last three (2-0-0-1). Erik Reitz scored his first goal of the season and Smith made 18 saves for Houston.
The Aeros outshot Grand Rapids 49-22.

West Standings - The Aeros have 42 points, tied with San Antonio for fifth, although Houston has eight games in hand on the Rampage. The Aeros are two points back of fourth-place Grand Rapids (one game in hand) and three back of Cincinnati with six games in hand.
West Division Standings, 1/24
Milwaukee 27-11-2-2=58
Chicago 24-15-4-1=53
Cincinnati 21-21-1-2=45
Grand Rapids 21-17-1-1=44
Houston 19-16-2-2=42
San Antonio 18-23-2-4=42
Utah 10-28-0-2=22

Aeros’ Practice schedule:
Monday - 10-11:30, Sugar Land
Tuesday - 10-11, pre-game skate; vs. MIL 7:05 p.m.
Wednesday - 10-11:30, Sugar Land
Thursday - 10-11:30, Sugar Land
Friday - 10-11:30, Sugar Land
Saturday - 10-11, pre-game skate, vs. CHI 7:35 p.m.
Sunday - Off


---HOUSTON AEROS, BE A FAN---