Ryan Stanzel
Director of Communications
Monday, November 21, 2005
713.361.7930 (Direct Line)

AEROS WEEKLY REPORT

Buy Tickets for the Aeros’ next homestand, which begins this Friday against Milwaukee on Cash or Prizes Night. The Aeros are offering a "Thanksgiving Special" for both Friday and Sunday's games. Do you have extra family in town for Turkey Day? Bring them on down. Center ice seats, normally $28, are just $20, while corner seats, regularly $20, are only $15. Log on to www.aeros.com/themenights to order. Username is Turkey, password is Aeros. The offer is good only through this website, or by calling the Aeros office at 713.974.PUCK.

FRI, vs. MIL, 7:35 p.m.
Cash or Prizes Night
Buy Tickets
The first 3,000 fans at the day-after-Thanksgiving game will receive an envelope containing either cash or a great prize. Milwaukee enters the week as one of the hottest teams in the AHL despite a 3-2 loss at Chicago on Saturday that snapped the Admirals’ seven-game winning streak. Houston has struggled in recent times with the Admirals. The Aeros have lost three straight meetings in regulation by a combined 14-1 score, and are winless in four straight against the Ads overall (0-3-1-0). Since a 5-1 win at Bradley Center to begin the 2003-04 campaign, the Aeros are only 3-14-2-1 versus Milwaukee.

SUN, vs. MIL, 5:05 p.m.
Family Day; Coloring Books (3K)
Buy Tickets
The Family Day package includes four seats, four gifts, free parking, $20 in Toyota Bucks AND a special post-game family activity. This package starts at just $59 and can also be upgraded. Click here to download an order form to fax in, or order online. Username is Family, password is Days. Sunday's post-game activity is a photograph in the penalty box. (Bring your own camera).
Houston has just two wins in the 10 Toyota Center meetings with the Admirals (2-7-0-1). One of the victories was 7-0, last January 11. Milwaukee goalie Brian Finley owns more wins (15) and shutouts (four) against the Aeros than any other goalie. Finley, who didn’t play in Milwaukee’s 6-1 home win over Houston on October 28, hasn’t allowed a goal to the Aeros in 129:31, including two straight shutouts.

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.

Aeros serve dinner at Open Door Mission on Tuesday – Erik Reitz, Bryan Lundbohm, Bill Kinkel and Clayton Stoner will serve food at Open Door Mission this Tuesday from 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Chilly, Sonic Boom at Thanksgiving Day Parade – Chilly and Sonic Boom will attend the Houston Thanksgiving Day Parade as guests of Everyone's Internet. Aditionally, Chilly will attend the Run Through the Woods event at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion from 7:45-9:45 a.m.

Chilly's Holiday Party Saturday in Sugar Land – Come join Chilly at Sugar Land Ice & Sports Center from 1-3 p.m. for the Chilly Holiday Party.

Notables –

Houston returns home for a four-game homestand beginning Friday. Houston is 7-1-1-1 this season at home, and in its last 18 regular-season games dating back to the last season, it has lost only once in regulation at Toyota Center (13-1-1-3). The Aeros closed the 2004-05 regular season with a 6-0-0-2 home run.

The Aeros have six regulation losses, and in five of those six games, they've allowed more than one third-period goal. Houston has yielded 29 third-period goals this season in 22 games.

Houston has trailed at some point in eight of its 14 victories, including four of its last five wins. The Aeros had 16 come-from-behind victories in 2004-05, so they are halfway to that mark already. Impressively, five of the eight come-from-behind wins this season have been on the road.

The Aeros are 13-1-0-0 when scoring three goals or more, but 1-5-1-1 when scoring two or fewer. Friday night marked Houston’s first loss when reaching three goals. Three is also the magic number defensively, as Houston is 11-1-1-1 when allowing three of fewer goals and 3-5-0-0 when yielding four or more.

Aeros defenseman Kurtis Foster, recalled Thursday by the Minnesota Wild, scored his first two NHL goals Saturday against Nashville. Foster is the seventh former Aero to score a goal in the NHL this season alone.

Houston played a league-high 22 games in 44 days since opening the season October 7. But over the next 46 days, through January 5, the Aeros play just 13 times.

G Josh Harding has 31 wins in an Aeros uniform, tied with Rob Dopson for fifth place on the team's all-time list. Troy Gamble and Manny Fernandez are tied for third with 34. Derek Gustafson (37 wins) is the only Aero with more victories in the AHL than Harding currently has.

The Aeros are 7-2-0-1 in November with three games left to play. Only last year's team (8-6-0-1) had more victories in November.

Player of the Week C Petr Taticek
11/17 at MTB 1-0=1, -1
11/18 at MTB 1-2=3, +1
11/19 at TOR 0-0-0, -2
Totals 3gp, 2-2=4, -2

Aeros return home after 2-2-0-0 road trip
MTB 5, HOU 4; HOU 3, MTB 2; TOR 4, HOU 2
Thursday: Former Aero Sven Butenschon and Rick Rypien each scored in the final nine minutes, as the Manitoba Moose came back for a 5-4 victory over Houston at MTS Centre to snap the Aeros’ five-game winning streak and hand them their first regulation loss of November. Prestin Ryan, Jimmy Roy and Jesse Schultz also scored, Butenschon added two assists and rookie Rob McVicar made 30 saves and turned away a penalty shot for Manitoba.
Kirby Law, Patrick O’Sullivan and Erik Westrum each notched a goal and an assist, and Petr Taticek also scored for Houston, which led by a single goal three times.

Friday: Taticek finished off a three-point night with the game-winning goal with 3:47 left in regulation, as the Houston Aeros rallied from two goals down for a 3-2 victory over the Manitoba Moose at MTS Centre. Curtis Murphy added a goal and an assist, Westrum also scored and O’Sullivan set up two goals, including Taticek’s deciding tally. Josh Harding made 23 saves for Houston.

Saturday: Martin Sagat snapped a tie with 7:02 left in regulation and Jean-Sebastien Aubin stopped 24 shots and helped kill off all 10 Houston power plays, as the Toronto Marlies held off the Aeros 4-2 at Ricoh Coliseum in the first-ever meeting between the teams. Ian White and Johnny Pohl scored 5-on-3 goals 1:32 apart early in the second period and Bates Battaglia also scored for the Marlies, who won for the fifth time in seven games. Pohl and Jeremy Williams each added two assists.
Toronto native Joel Ward scored his first pro goal and added an assist, Josh Olson also scored and Ontario native Seamus Kotyk finished with 26 saves for Houston.

Aeros’ Practice schedule:
Monday – 1-2, Sugar Land
Tuesday - 10-11:30, Sugar Land
Wednesday – 10-11:30, Sugar Land
Thursday – TBA
Friday – 10-11, pre-game skate, vs. MIL 7:35 p.m.
Saturday – TBA, Sugar Land
Sunday – vs. MIL 5:05 p.m.


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