SATURDAY, FEB. 26, 2011
HOUSTON AEROS (34-22-1-4) at OKC BARONS (31-20-25)   
COX CONVENTION CENTER (7:05 p.m. CST)

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OVERVIEW
The Aeros continue a three-game weekend as they visit the OKC Barons in a West Division matchup. This is the sixth of 10 meetings between the teams. Houston edged Texas 4-3 in overtime last night while the Barons slipped past San Antonio in a 3-2 final last night.

WHERE THEY STAND
The Aeros, with 73 points, sit two points out of first place behind the Milwaukee Admirals. Milwaukee battles Rockford on the road tonight. OKC holds the No. 4 spot in the West and is four points behind Houston.

WHAT THE GAME MEANS
An Aeros win coupled with a Milwaukee regulation loss ties the two teams for first place in the West Division. An Aeros regulation loss and wins by either Texas or Peoria creates a tie for second place in the Division.

SERIES NOTES
Houston is 4-1-0-0 vs. OKC this season and has won two straight… The Aeros have scored the first goal in four of the five games… Matt Hackett has been in goal for three of the games and is 2-1-0… Anton Khudobin has started the last two games… The last meeting was on Dec. 7 and resulted in a 4-3 Houston victory.

LAST GAME
Casey Wellman redirected home the winning goal on the power play 29 seconds into overtime to lead the Houston Aeros past the Texas Stars 4-3 in front of 7,582 fans on Friday night at Toyota Center. The win pushed the Aeros into sole possession of second place in the West Division and gave them their 33rd win of the season, equaling last season’s total win output.

NHL AFFILIATES
Houston Aeros (Minnesota Wild) --- The Wild is 33-23-6 with 72 points and won 3-2 in OT over Anaheim last night. They are in second place in the Northwest Division and sixth in the Western Conference playoff race.
OKC Barons (Edmonton Oilers) --- Edmonton is 20-34-8 and is last in the Western Conference with 48 points.

AEROS UPCOMING GAMES
Feb. 27 vs. RFD, 5:05 p.m.
March 2 vs. RFD, 7:05 p.m.
March 4 vs. SYR, 7:35 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 AT A GLANCE
STANDING…………………………………….2nd /West Division
RECORD……………………………………….34-22-1-4, 73 pts.
HOME……………………………………………………16-9-1-1
ROAD…………………………………………………...18-13-0-3
STREAK………..………………………………………….WON 1

AEROS SPECIAL TEAMS
PP: 16.8% (19TH)…………………………………..PK: 83.5% (14TH)
PPG: 47……………………………………………………….SHG: 5
 
AEROS LEADERS
Points………………………………………………...DiSalvatore (42)
Goals…………………………………………………………Earl (16)
Assists………………………………….............................Noreau (28)
PPG…………………………………………Almond /DiSalvatore (7)
PP-Pts……………………………………………………..Noreau (20)
SHG……………………………………………………..McMillan (3)
SH-Pts...…………………………………………………McMillan (4)
PIM…..…………………………………………………Kassian (118)

NOTABLES
•    Jed Ortmeyer and Warren Peters were reassigned by MIN on Feb. 26.  
•    Warren Peters was recalled by MIN this on Friday while Nate Prosser was reassigned to the Aeros from the Wild.
•    The Aeros equaled their 2009-10 wins total with a 4-3 OT victory over TEX on Feb. 25.
•    Maxim Noreau’s next goal will be his 50th as a pro. He leads the team with 10 multi-point games.
•    Since Jan. 1, Houston is 16-5-0-2.
•    All 34 of Houston’s wins have come when the team allows three or fewer goals.
•    27 of Houston’s wins have come when they score the first goal.
•   The Aeros have had 35 or more shots in each of the last five games for an average of 36.8. The season average for the team is 29.6.

AEROS GOALIES --- Anton Khudobin is 19-12-1 with a 2.58 GAA and .911 SV%. He had won six straight games until suffering three straight losses Feb. 13-22... Matt Hackett is 13-11-3 with a 2.38 GAA and .915 SV%. He is 3-1-1 in his last five decisions.

SCORING STREAKS
•    DiSalvatore; 7 games (4-4-8)... 16 of 18 (8-13-21)
•    O’Sullivan; 4 games (3-5-8)... 15 of 17 as an Aero this season (11-11-22)
•    Prosser, Rau, Noreau; 3 games.

INJURY UPDATE --- Casey Wellman returned to the lineup on Feb 25 after missing 10 games with an upper body injury… Tyler Cuma is out for the season with a knee injury suffered Feb. 13, 2011 vs. PEO.

SPECIAL TEAMS
POWER PLAY --- Is 3/14 in the last two games… Has multiple PPG in 11 games and is 7-2-0-2 in those games…Was held to one or no PPG in 15 straight games prior to Feb. 4 (2-for-4)…Set a season-high with three PPG on Nov. 19… PPG in back-to-back games for the first time this season Nov. 5-6…Snapped an 0-for-28 skid Oct. 29 at SAN… Went 2-for-7 in the season opener Oct. 8 at OKC.

PENALTY KILL --- Opponents are 3/8 in last two 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…Opponents went 5-for-19 over a four-game losing skid Dec. 15-21…Stopped 18 in a row over five games (Nov. 9-19)…Stopped 23 in a row over four games (Oct. 30 – Nov. 6)…Turned away 10 of 10 in two games Oct. 30-31... OKC went 4-for-8 on PP Oct. 17…Was perfect on 16 kills through first three games this season.