From: Ryan Stanzel
Director of Communications
Monday, January 31, 2005
713.361.7930 (Direct Line)
Photos by Bob Levey

Aeros Weekly Report

Aeros winger Christoph Brandner starts Saturday's comeback with acrobatic goal

Coming attractions:

WED, at CHI, 7 p.m.
Houston is winless in its last 10 trips to Allstate Arena (0-6-2-2), tying its longest winless streak in an opposing building (Milwaukee’s Bradley Center). The Aeros' last win in Chicago was a 5-4 overtime affair 1/15/03, and their last regulation win was 4/7/02, a 4-3 victory. The Aeros are 2-1-1-0 this season against the Wolves, with a 5-4 overtime loss in Chicago on October 20 and a 3-0 shutout loss at Allstate Arena on November 24.

FRI, vs. MIL, 7:35 p.m.
Trading Cards, 2nd set (3K)
The Aeros are 2-3-0-0 against the Admirals this season, including a 1-2-0-0 home mark. First-place Milwaukee is 7-1-0-0 all-time at Toyota Center, with the lone loss being 7-0 on 1/11. Milwaukee goalie Brian Finley has 11 career wins against Houston, tied with Allan Bester for the most ever. The Admirals are 2-3-0-0 on a seven-game road trip that ends with this two-game set.

SAT, vs. MIL, 7:35 p.m.
Car Flags (3K)
The Admirals make their fifth and final trip to Toyota Center this season. Houston still has three games left at Bradley Center.

Houston Aeros Charities and Bo’s Place are partnering to offer up “Raisin” the stuffed black lab at both Friday and Saturday’s game. For a $20 donation to Houston Aeros Charities/Bo’s Place, Raisin can be yours. All proceeds benefit Bo’s Place, a local charity which offers aid and relief to grieving children and their families.

This week on Aeros.com – Log on to aeros.com this week to read “Junior Reporter” Michael McHugh’s feature story on the return of goalie Josh Harding. Also, the Erik Reitz Q&A has been posted. Vote for the next Q&A session this week on aeros.com. Click here for an audio interview with the Aeros’ All-Star representative, Mikko Koivu.

What a second half remaining - It took the Aeros 103 days to play their first 40 games of the 2004-05 campaign. It will be a much busier second half. Starting with last Saturday’s game against Chicago, Houston will take only 79 days to play its final 40 games. The Aeros have at least two games in hand on every AHL team, and they have at least five in hand on 20 of the 27 other teams.

Speed kills - The Aeros have had 16 power play chances in their last three games while allowing only six in that span. Houston has enjoyed a 4-1 power play goal advantage in the last three games.

A rare one - Houston’s 3-2 win over Chicago on Saturday was its first one-goal, non-shootout victory since beating Rochester 2-1 on November 19. The Aeros are 9-7-2-2 in one-goal games this season.

Let ‘em rip - The Aeros, who have outshot their last three opponents 129-61, have totaled double-digits in shots in each of their last 10 periods and in 23 of their last 27 over the last nine games.

Glad to have him back - Aeros winger Christoph Brandner returned Saturday after missing 16 games due to injury. He scored Houston’s first goal in the 3-2 win over Chicago, and usually Brandner finding the scoresheet is a good thing for his team. Houston sports a 7-1-0-0 mark when Brandner has a point, and a 4-1-0-0 record when he scores a goal.

Comeback kids - Saturday, the Aeros improved to 4-14-1-1 when trailing after two periods. Houston, which didn’t win a game in 2003-04 when trailing after 40 minutes, is tied for fifth this season with four such wins.

Down on the farm - The CHL’s Austin Ice Bats are 21-16-3, in second place in the Southeast Division, just two points behind Corpus Christi...F Dallas Anderson has 13 points (7-6=13) and 254 PIM’s in 34 games...Anderson is second in the CHL in PIM’s...The ECHL’s Pensacola Ice Pilots are 27-11-4 and are up by eight points in the South Division after five straight wins...LW Jordan Krestanovich has 30 points (11-19=30)...RW Jason Beckett has 18 points (6-12=18) and is team-best plus-18...D Ryan Stokes has 11 points (1-10=11) and 88 PIM’s and is a plus-10...LW Bill Kinkel has three goals and 96 PIM’s in 18 games...ECHL Louisiana is 16-22-3 and has lost five straight...LW David Bararuk (13-20=33) is second on the team in scoring while RW Mark Rooneem has 17 points (10-7=17)...D Maxime Fortunus has 15 points (4-11=15)...D Chris Heid has eight points (2-6=8) in 15 games since being reassigned December 23...G Kyle Kettles is 4-6-0 with a 3.46 gaa...UHL Quad City is 19-18-7, in fourth place in the West...G Robert Gherson is 8-6-4 with a 2.42 gaa, tied for sixth in the UHL....C Mike Kompon has a team-best 44 points (14-30=44)...Kompon is tied for first among UHL rookies in points and is first in assists.

Brent Burns and Pierre-Marc Bouchard celebrate Burns' game-winner Saturday

Aeros split a pair of 3-2 decisions
MIL 3, HOU 2; HOU 3, CHI 2
Four days after failing to hold a two-goal lead in a 3-2 loss to Milwaukee, the Aeros rallied from two down to defeat Chicago by the same score on Saturday.
Tuesday: Jerred Smithson snapped a tie 2:50 into the third period on Milwaukee's lone shot of the final 20 minutes, and Brian Finley made 34 saves, as the Admirals rallied from two goals down to earn a 3-2 victory over the Houston Aeros at Toyota Center. Kevin Klein and Timofei Shishkanov also scored for first-place Milwaukee, which avenged a 7-0 loss at Toyota Center earlier this month.
Rickard Wallin and Stephane Veilleux each scored power play goals and Mike Smith made 17 saves in his team-record 19th straight appearance for Houston.
The last time the Aeros led a game by two goals and lost in regulation was January 3, 2004, against Chicago.
Saturday: Brent Burns snapped a tie with 50.7 seconds left in regulation and Josh Harding made a triumphant return to the lineup by making 17 saves, as the Houston Aeros rallied from two goals down to defeat the Chicago Wolves 3-2 in front of 9,590 at Toyota Center. Christoph Brandner, returning from a 16-game injury break, and Pierre-Marc Bouchard also scored goals for Houston.
Bouchard added an assist on Burns’ game-winner, and Kirby Law chipped in with two assists.
Harding allowed the first two shots by him, but stopped the final 17. He last played November 28 and missed the last two months following a Grade 3 concussion suffered at the end of a game versus Utah.
The Aeros earned their second win of the season after trailing by two goals, the other coming November 5 in Grand Rapids, a 4-3 overtime victory.
Brad Larsen and Derek MacKenzie scored 28 seconds apart midway through the first period and Kari Lehtonen made 41 saves for Chicago, which had its three-game winning streak snapped.

Player of the week C Pierre-Marc Bouchard -
Totaled three points (1-2=3) in two games last week as the Aeros went 1-1-0-0...Tallied an assist and career-high 14 PIM’s in 3-2 loss to Milwaukee on Tuesday...Scored game-tying goal early in third period, then helped set up Brent Burns’ game-winner with 50.7 seconds left in regulation, in 3-2 win over Chicago on Saturday...Has five points (2-3=5) over his last three games, and his three-game point streak is his longest since missing more than a month due to injury in November and December...In a three-way tie for second on the Aeros with 24 points (7-17=24) in only 31 games.

Bouchard this week...
1/25 vs. MIL 0-1=1, E
1/29 vs. CHI 1-1=2, +1
Totals - 2gp, 1-2=3, +1

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