Houston Aeros vs. Iowa Stars October 8, 2006

From: Ryan Stanzel
Director of Communications
Sunday, October 8, 2006
713.361.7930 (Direct Line)

Houston Aeros (0-1-0-0) vs.
Iowa Stars (1-0-0-0),
5:05 p.m.

tosNOW.jpg

Join us for the pre-game party on the pad beginning at 3 p.m., music by Olyn D. Taylor (DJ Specialist) and Lloyd C. Lively (Lively DJs). Today the Aeros retire the jersey of Mr. Hockey ® Gordie Howe. It’s an Aeros Family Day – call 713.974.PUCK, it’s not too late to get your Family Day package! Four tickets, four pucks, $20 in Toyota Bucks and free parking, all for just $67! It’s also Magnetic Schedule Night!

Printable Game Notes

Click here to listen to Ken Double’s broadcast, also available live on 1070 KNTH-AM. Also, every AHL game is available for viewing for $6 via B2 Networks. Visit aeros.com 10 minutes prior to gametime for ordering information. Users must have broadband access.

Aeros.com will also have updates throughout the game.

Aeros Game Day

Five things you need to know
# The Aeros try to avoid their second ever 0-2-0-0 start in this evening’s matchup against Iowa. Houston began its 1995-96 campaign with an 0-6-0-0 mark. The Aeros have lost their first two home games just twice - in 1995-96, and 2003-04 - their first season at Toyota Center. Houston is 5-6-2-0 in October at Toyota Center in the last four seasons.
# Seventeen of the 25 players on the Aeros’ Opening Night roster spent at least part of the 2005-06 regular season or playoffs with the Aeros. Included in that list are three-time AHL First-Team D Curtis Murphy, and G Josh Harding, who was named to the 2005-06 AHL All-Star Classic roster but didn’t participate due to injury. Harding’s 50 wins trail only Frederic Chabot’s 126 for the franchise record, and Harding ranks second on the team’s ledgers in career gaa (2.34) and first in save pct. (.925).
# Tonight, the Aeros welcome back Mr. Hockey (R) Gordie Howe, who starred for the Aeros of the World Hockey Association in the 1970’s after his famous career with the Detroit Red Wings. Howe’s No. 9 will go up in the Toyota Center rafters. Howe led the Aeros to a pair of AVCO World Trophies. Howe, now 78, skated in at least one professional game in six different decades and ranks second among all NHL players in goals (801) and third most in points (1,850). Counting his National Hockey League and WHA totals, Howe played in a record 2,421 regular season and playoff games. Howe played 26 NHL seasons – 25 with the Detroit Red Wings – before joining the Aeros of the fledgling WHA in 1973-74. In 1974, at the age of 46, Howe was named the WHA’s MVP, while playing alongside sons Marty and Mark. It marked the first time in major sports history that a father played with a son. Howe retired from hockey at the age of 52 in 1980, but returned to the ice to play one shift for Detroit of the International Hockey League in 1996-97. He’s a member of 11 different Hall of Fames, won six NHL Most Valuable Player Trophies and led the Red Wings to four Stanley Cup titles.
# Aeros D Curtis Murphy is one goal away from becoming just the 13th player in team history to score 50 goals. His 49 tie him with Stephane Veilleux for 13th on the team’s all-time list. Murphy is the Aeros’ all-time leader among defenseman in goals (49), assists (119) and points (168).
# Houston D Erik Reitz is the Aeros’ all-time leader in PIM’s with 492 since the team moved to the American Hockey League. Only three Aeros have reached the 500-PIM mark in team history - Trent Cull (724), Steve Jaques (634) and Mike Yeo (511).

Stars at Aeros (Aeros are 7-3-0-0 all-time, Aeros are 4-1-0-0 at home)
# Tonight is the11th meeting between the Aeros and Stars, who joined the AHL in 2005-06.
# Houston won four of the five home games against Iowa last season.
# Aeros RW Matt Foy tallied 10 points (4-6=10) in nine games against Iowa last season.
# Houston G Josh Harding was a perfect 4-0-0 with a 2.32 gaa and a .931 save pct. versus the Stars in 2005-06.
# Tonight marks the first of three straight meetings for the teams, who play next Thursday and Saturday in Des Moines.
# The next five meetings are all in Iowa. The Stars don’t return to Houston until 2/22.

Scouting the Aeros
The Aeros are embarking on their sixth American Hockey League season and 13th overall...D Curtis Murphy is the team’s leading returning scorer with 67 points (14-53=67)...LW Roman Voloshenko had a great rookie campaign with 60 points (33-27=60) in 69 games, and he tied a team record with 20 PPG...RW Matt Foy was sixth on the roster last season with 40 points (15-25=40)...Many of the 18 returnees were just with the Aeros briefly at the end of the season, including Minnesota’s first-round pick in 2005, LW Benoit Pouliot, and RW Danny Irmen...G Josh Harding returns to begin his third season, and was 29-8-0 with a 2.68 gaa last season...His .922 save pct. tied for first in the AHL...G Miroslav Kopriva went 6-4-1 with a 3.52 gaa and a .890 save pct...The Aeros also have veteran G Steve Shields, who missed most of last season due to injuries, and rookie G Tony Quesada, who starred at Holy Cross for four seasons.

Scouting the Stars
Iowa (1-0-0-0) opened the 2006-07 campaign with a 5-4 win in San Antonio last night...The Stars built a 4-1 lead, but needed F Mark Ardelan’s tiebreaking goal on the power play midway through the third to notch the victory...G Dan Ellis made 22 saves...Iowa features a pair of Hobey Baker winners - former Aero F Junior Lessard and F Marty Sertich, and another former Aero in D Marty Wilford...Iowa F Marius Holtet also played in Houston in 2004-05.

Last Night
Krys Kolanos, Josh Langfield and Matt Ellis each scored a goal apiece and Stefan Liv made 33 saves, as the Grand Rapids Griffins spoiled the Houston Aeros’ home opener with a 3-1 win in front of 8,329 at Toyota Center. Ben Thomson scored his first pro goal, and Josh Harding made 32 stops for Houston.

Quick Hits
# Houston enters tonight’s game having scored 2,999 regular season goals in 974 games in franchise history. The Aeros have accumulated a 505-344-104-21 mark in 12 seasons.
# The Aeros’ crowd of 8,329 for the season and home opener is the fourth biggest Opening Night crowd in the AHL so far this season. Fifteen of the league’s 27 teams have played a home game.
# The Aeros went 1-1-0-0 in two pre-season games against San Antonio. RW Matt Foy tallied two goals and an assist in a 5-4 shootout win at Sugar Land Ice & Sports Center, while C Alex Leavitt notched his second goal in as many nights in the second game, a 4-2 loss in San Antonio.

It’s “Hards” to get anything by him
# Aeros G Josh Harding got his third straight Opening Night start last night, after getting assigned earlier this week by the Minnesota Wild.
# The third-year pro is 35-9-2 in his last 46 regular season decisions and 15-3-0 in his last 18.
# Harding excels at Toyota Center, where he has a 29-9-2 career mark with a 2.33 gaa (93 gaa, 2399 minutes).

From here to there
# The Aeros have eight representatives on the Minnesota Wild’s 22-man Opening Night roster, including RW Pierre-Marc Bouchard, C Mikko Koivu and D Kurtis Foster.
# Other notable Aeros alumni in the NHL this season are Colorado C Brett McLean, Dallas G Mike Smith and Phoenix D Zbynek Michalek.

October struggles at home
# October is historically the Aeros’ worst month at home. They are 23-23-7 for a .500 points percentage in October.
# Since moving to Toyota Center in 2003, Houston is 5-6-2-0 at home in October.

Draft Notes
# The Aeros feature 16 draft picks on their 25-man roster, including three first-rounders, a pair of second-rounders and three third-rounders.
# Houston’s first-round picks are LW Benoit Pouliot (No. 4 overall by Minnesota in 2005), D Peter Ratchuk (No. 25 overall by Colorado in 1996) and D Shawn Belle (No. 30 overall by Dallas in 2003).

Not short on experience
# The Aeros have 10 players who have a combined 549 games of NHL experience.
# Those with NHL time range from G Steve Shields, with 246 games, to D Curtis Murphy, with one.
# Four of Houston’s 10 with NHL experience have played with the Wild - G Josh Harding, D Curtis Murphy, D Erik Reitz and RW Matt Foy.

Power play update
# Houston finished the 2005-06 season with a 20.0 percent power play percentage, tied for second in the AHL.
# Iowa ranked 24th in the AHL on the penalty kill last season at 80.2 percent.

Penalty kill update
# Houston ranked tied for eighth in the league last season on the penalty kill at 83.4 percent.
# Iowa finished the 2005-06 season 24th in the AHL on the power play at 14.9 percent.

Aeros/Stars connections
# Aeros D John Scott and Iowa LW Chris Conner were teammates at Michigan Tech for four seasons, 2002-06. Iowa D Greg Amadio was a senior during their freshman season of 2002-03.
# Aeros D Peter Ratchuk (2000-01) and RW Joey Tetarenko (2000-01, 2002-03) were teammates with Iowa C Mike Green in the Florida Panthers system.
# Iowa LW Marius Holtet posted 12 points (7-5=12) in 54 games for the Aeros in 2004-05, while C Junior Lessard put up 22 points (11-11=22) in 71 games.
# Stars D Marty Wilford was an Aero in 1999-00, and he was briefly Aeros C Bryan Lundbohm’s teammate in Milwaukee in 2001-02. Wilford also spent the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons alongside Aeros C Jason Morgan in AHL Norfolk.
# Aeros D Shawn Belle began his pro career with Iowa in 2005-06 before being acquired by Minnesota from Dallas last March.

Official Website: http://www.aeros.com/schedule/index.html?act%5Bv%5D=graphical&frm%5Bd%5D=2006-10-1&frm%5Be%5D=7