APRIL 1, 2011
HOUSTON AEROS – 2nd, West Division (44-27-1-5, 94 pts.)
at MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS – 1st, West Division (41-19-6-8, 96 pts.)
BRADLEY CENTER (7:05 p.m. CST)

OVERVIEW
The Houston Aeros and Milwaukee Admirals square off in a battle for first place in the AHL’s West Division. The Aeros fell 5-3 to Chicago on Thursday while Milwaukee last played to a 3-2 shootout win at San Antonio on March 30.  Ironically, that result helped the Aeros clinch a playoff berth. Houston has won three of its last four and seven of its last nine games. The Ads are winners in four of their last five and have points in five straight.

AEROS CLINCH PLAYOFF BERTH
The Aeros clinched a berth in the 2011 Calder Cup Playoffs on March 30 thanks to a San Antonio shootout loss versus Milwaukee.

WHERE THEY STAND
The Aeros, with 94 points, are in second place in the West Division and sit two points behind the Milwaukee Admirals. The Ads have three games in hand on Houston.

WHAT THE GAME MEANS
The Aeros are battling for first place in the West Division and Western Conference with Milwaukee. If Houston wins, they tie the Admirals with 96 points.
 
SERIES NOTES
Houston is tied at 2-2-0-1 (2-1-0-0 at home, 0-1-0-1 on the road)…  MIL has scored the first goal in the last four games of the series… HOU is 3/25 on the PP while MIL is 4/18.

AEROS LAST GAME QUICK RECAP
Warren Peters scored the deciding goal with 4:20 left in regulation and the Houston Aeros won for the seventh time in eight games and also set a season-high six-game home winning streak with a 5-4 victory over the Oklahoma City Barons in front of 4,582 on Sunday at Toyota Center. Chad Rau, Colton Gillies, Robbie Earl and Jon DiSalvatore also notched goals for Houston while Maxim Noreau and Jed Ortmeyer chipped in with a pair of assists. Peters also added an assist to mark his fourth multi-point game of the season.

NHL AFFILIATES
Houston Aeros (Minnesota Wild)
Milwaukee Admirals (Nashville Predators)

WILD UPDATE
The Wild is 37-32-8 and is 11th in the NHL’s Western Conference with 80 points. They sit eight points out of a playoff spot with five games remaining.

AEROS UPCOMING GAMES
April 1 at MIL, 7 p.m.
April 2 at CHI, 7 p.m.
April 10 vs. OKC, 4:05 p.m.

BROADCAST INFO
Follow the Aeros on News Talk 1070 KNTH and online at AEROS.COM with Joe O’Donnell providing the play-by-play call. Watch every game at www.ahllive.com.

AEROS NOTABLES
--- The 5-1win over SA on March 19 gave the Aeros 40 wins in a season for the 10th time as a franchise.
--- Houston is 34-20-1-1 vs. West Division teams (19-9-1-0 at home).
--- Opponents have scored the first goal in 10 of the last 15 games.
--- The Aeros have scored the first goal in three straight.
--- The three-goal first period by the Aeros on March 25 matched a season-high in the opening period set three other times, most recently March 2 versus Rockford.
--- The Aeros have had 30 or more shots in 16 of the last 21 games.
--- The Aeros are 26-10-0-3 since Jan. 1.
--- 42 of Houston’s 44 wins have come when the team allows three or fewer goals.
--- The Aeros have earned 32 of their 44 victories when scoring the first goal of the game.
--- Jon DiSalvatore leads the team with 14 multi-point games and six multi-goal games.
--- Robbie Earl set a career-high with his 20th goal on March 26 vs. OKC.
--- Maxim Noreau registered his 11th multiple assist game of the season with a pair of helpers on March 27 vs. OKC.
--- The Aeros added LW Kris Foucault on March 23 and signed him to an Amateur Tryout Contract. He was selected by the Minnesota Wild (round 4 #103 overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. At Calgary (WHL) in 2010-11, he posted 48 points (25-23-48) in 65 games.
---The Wild reassigned D Josh Caron on March 24 from Kamloops (WHL) to Houston after he finished his junior season.
--- Maxim Noreau was named an AHL First Team All-Star on March 31. He was a Second Team All-Star last season and represented the Aeros at the 2011 AHL All-Star Game.

AEROS GOALIES
Matt Hackett is 5-1-1 in his last seven decisions…  Hackett won a personal season-high four in a row from March 13-20…  Hackett improved to 12-4-2 at home with the March 27 win vs. OKC… Hackett had won five in a row at Toyota Center until taking the loss on March 31 vs. CHI… Josh Tordjman is 4-1-0 in six appearances this season.

AEROS HOT STREAKS
--- Chad Rau, points in four straight (3-5-8)
--- Maxim Noreau, points in four straight (0-6-6)
--- Robbie Earl, goals in three straight (4-0-4)
--- Patrick O’Sullivan, assists in three straight (0-3-3)

AEROS INJURY UPDATE
Jamie Fraser is out with an upper body injury… Matt Kassian is out with a lower body injury… Tyler Cuma is out for the season with a knee injury suffered Feb. 13, 2011 vs. PEO.

AEROS SPECIAL TEAMS
POWER PLAY --- Is 8/23 in the last four games… Has multiple PPG in 14 games and is 10-2-0-2 in those games… Set franchise record and AHL season-high with six PPG on March 2 vs. RFD… Was held to one or no PPG in 15 straight games prior to Feb. 4 (2-for-4).

PENALTY KILL --- Opponents are 9/25 on the PP in the last six games… Held opponents to one or no PPG in 15 straight games until TOR went 2-for-5 on Jan. 23…Has allowed multiple PPG in nine games and is 2-7-0-0 in those contests.

AEROS RECENT ROSTER MOVES
F Casey Wellman was reassigned by MIN on March 31… F Casey Wellman was recalled by MIN on March 29… D Nate Prosser was reassigned by MIN on March 27… F Warren Peters was reassigned by MIN on March 25… LW Kris Foucault was signed to an ATO on March 24… D Josh Caron was reassigned by MIN from Kamloops (WHL) on March 23… D Nate Prosser was recalled by MIN on March 19… F Joel Broda was reassigned to BAK on March 18.

AEROS PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
6 - scan-DELL-uh
8 – car-ON
10 – FOO-coh
14 – deh-SAL-vuh-tohr
20 – ROWH (like now)
22 – ORT-migh-uhr
26 – Max-uhm naw-roh
32 – FRED-haym
42 – KAS-ee-uhn
61 – KOO-muh
62 – DAH-ooh
Yeo – YOH
Sydor – sugh-DOHR
Tretiak – TREE-tee-ack