Aeros' most exciting finishes - Volume I

While the Aeros are taking a much-needed break from games, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at some of the most exciting home finishes in Houston Aeros history. For many of you new fans, this will be great to see just how exciting Saturday's 4-3 win over San Antonio really was. For the veterans out there, this, hopefully, will be a nice trip down memory lane.

For the next few days, I will try to point out my favorites. I take great pride in being able to say that I have seen more Aeros games in Houston than just about anyone. Even when I was not covering the team for the Chronicle, I was a season ticket holder for a few years. I also served as an intern for one year and during their first three years, and I went to 15-20 games as a student.

For the games I picked, I looked at home games where the Aeros were down in the third period, scored to either tie or win late and had to come back from a multiple goal deficit. Most of the games that I was able to recall and research were wins for the boys in the bomber gear. But there were a few exciting finishes that ultimately resulted in either a tie or a shootout loss.

Again, I am only talking home games here. In the last three years alone, the Aeros have had some amazing finishes on the road. Four times off the top of my head, the Aeros have been down by 3-0 or 4-0 scores only to come back and at least get a point. They did it three times against Peoria and other on the road in Bridgeport. All under Kevin Constantine.

And now, without further delay, here is the first installment of "Aeros Most Exciting Finishes." We'll start with a few honorable mentions and move to the really good stuff later this week.

Honorable Mention Number 1:
Aeros 3, Binghamton Senators 2 - Jan. 30, 2009 at Toyota Center

In my memory, before the Aeros instant classic on Saturday, this game against the Senators ranked as the most recent "most memorable game" in Aeros history. Unlike Saturday, however, the Aeros did not take the lead in the final minute. They gave the Senators 5:04 in which to come back, but Nolan Schaefer held his own and the Aeros claimed a 3-2 win in this televised game. The Senators took a 2-0 lead after the first period before the Aeros started to get back in it. Krys Kolanos scored early in the second, and then Corey Locke tied the game with pretty goal just 2:44 into the third period. The rushes and scoring chances were about even for the rest of the game, but Brandon Rogers wound up a hero when he bounced a puck off a Senator defenseman and by Martin Gerber for the winner. That. puck. just. trickled. over. the. goal. line. I remember talking to Rogers after the game and he basically said he took the pass (from Benoit Pouliot), closed his eyes, shot the puck and hoped for the best. Like the Aeros comeback the other night, a huge crowd was on hand for this one. More than 11,800 were in attendance and it was really loud when Rogers scored. It was even louder after the Aeros held on in the closing seconds.

Honorable Mention Number 2:
Aeros 4, Cincinnati Mighty Ducks 4 (OT) - April 1, 2004 at Toyota Center

The year after the Aeros won the Calder Cup, they did not have any firepower, they had young defensemen, and their goalies were Kyle Kettles, Dieter Kochan (who ended up with Lyme disease) and Freddie Cloutier. The latter of the three thought he was God's gift to goaltending. He wasn't, but he sure did come up big in the next honorable-mention game. Down 3-0 in the game, an Aeros loss would have allowed the Mighty Ducks to tie them in the standings. The Aeros, Ducks and Grand Rapids Griffins were all fighting for the last two playoff spots, and a sure-loss was looming with Ilya Bryzgalov in net for Cincinnati. Down 3-1, the Aeros scored TWICE with the extra attacker. First, defenseman Kevin Mitchell made it 4-3 with a one-timer at 18:28. Then, with 57 seconds left in regulation, Jeff Hoggan tied the game, and the comeback was complete. The Aeros outshot the Ducks 3-2 in OT, but neither team scored. As an aside, Billy Tibbetts was plus-2 with two assists in that game. Yes, Billy Tibbetts played for the Aeros late that year.

Honorable Mention Number 3:
Aeros 3, Utah Grizzlies 2 - Mar. 15, 2002 at Compaq Center

Now we go back to McLellan's first season with the Aeros. I remember this game because my predecessor, Scott Kaiser, equated the Aeros' chances of getting the No. 1 seed in the West to that of Count Dracula. (As in, every time you think they are down, they keep coming back from the dead). In this game, the Aeros were down 2-1 in the third period before Shawn Carter and Roman Simicek teamed up to beat the Utah Grizzlies. Utah snapped a tie with about four minutes left and a few fans went for the exits. But Carter scored a fluky goal with 2:58 left, and Simicek teamed up with Brett McLean and Dan Cavanaugh. That, however, wasn't the end to the drama. The Grizzlies were a power that year and threw the kitchen sink at Derek Gustafson. Cory Larose blocked two shots (the kind where you fly at, dive at the puck to block) and the Aeros held on for the win. Oh, and Stephane Veilleux scored one of the prettiest goals I have ever seen in that game. Normally, you will see players fake the forehand and then fool the goalie with a backhander. On his goal, he went forehand, faked the backhand and then went BACK to the forehand for a beaut.

Honorable Mention Number 4:
Aeros 4, Chicago Wolves 4 (OT) - February 5, 2002 at Compaq Center

The Aeros first year in the AHL was very memorable. With Todd McLellan at the helm, the Aeros made it to the Western Conference finals, only to lose to the Wolves four games to one. The late Dan Snyder scored a double-OT winner that gave the Wolves a 1-1 tie in the series, and the Wolves won the next three to finish off the series. In this honorable-mention game, the Aeros found themselves down 4-0 early, but the overly confident Wolves didn't finish the hockey game. One of my favorite Aeros that year, Brett McLean, tied the game with four seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime. The Aeros didn't win, but they didn't lose, and that very important point in the standings went a long way for Todd McLellan's first team in Houston.

Honorable Mention Number 5:
Aeros 4, Orlando Solar Bears 5 (SO) - Dec. 22, 1996 at The Summit

In 1995-96, the Aeros got their brains beaten out. And it seemed like every time they lost, it was to the Orlando Solar Bears. The next year, with Dave Tippett in control and Freddie Chabot between the pipes, the Aeros were looking to change all that. In this game, the Solar Bears jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first 15 minutes of the contest, but the Aeros started to chip away in the second period. Defenseman Darcy Werenka tied the game for the Aeros with 46 seconds left in the third period to force a shootout. There was no five-minute OT in those IHL days. Alas, Orlando went on to win in the shootout and it would take the Aeros yet another season to finally beat the Solar Bears.