It is over...

In spectacular Wild fashion, the team's only hope for getting by Chicago injured himself during warmups. Nik Backstrom pulled something, and Josh Harding will get the call against the 'Hawks. That mean, Darcy Kuemper is on his way to Chicago.

Everyone's worst fear has been realized, so let me be among the first to say:

Aeros Lose Game Two 3-2 to Grand Rapids

Missing: the Houston Aeros hockey team from Friday night. If found, please return to head coach John Torchetti because he needs them desperately in Grand Rapids on Wednesday night.

Make no mistake, the Aeros played a bad hockey game tonight. That they lost only 3-2 is a testament to the play of goalie Darcy Kuemper and to the ability of the team to do whatever it wants when it wants to, like say, in the last seven or so minutes of a game they've already pretty much lost.

"“We didn’t come out at all,” head coach John Torchetti said bluntly. “We finally played the last seven minutes of the [third] period. Kuemper did a great job of keeping us in it. I’ve got to do a better job of keeping us focused, I guess, because we certainly didn’t show up.”

That Torchetti has to work on keeping his team focused during the playoffs is somewhat worrisome. What's more worrisome is what appeared to be the team's general approach to the game: playing not to lose instead of playing to win. The approach seemed to be counting on Kuemper to play like Superman -- without providing any help for Kuemper -- and hoping for a shot or two to get into the net.

Kuemper was superb again. The three goals weren't his fault, and included deflections and defensive lapses. There was no intensity to the Aeros game while the Griffins came out hitting and attacking and swatting away at will the Aeros piddly attempts at offense. The Aeros trailed 3-0 late in the third before showing some signs of life and scoring late. They even had a chance to tie the game with under 10 seconds on the clock, but it was too little to late.

"I thought we were still in the game,” Torchetti said. “We didn’t deserve any part of this game, but we were still in the game.”

But sometimes being in the game just isn't good enough.

This was a disappointing game for the fans hoping to see the Aeros win game two and move a step closer to the second round of the playoffs. Instead, the Aeros now find themselves having to win two of three games in Grand Rapids if they're going to advance, and if they're going to prolong the stay of the Aeros in Houston for at least another week or two.

Welcome To The Darcy Kuemper Show

Welcome to the Darcy Kuemper Show/photo John Royal

There were many superb things about tonight's 3-0 game one playoff win over the visiting Grand Rapids Griffins. The Aeros played the best game as a team that I've seen in a long time. Marco Scandella was superb. Justin Fontaine did what Justin Fontaine does.

But nothing compares to the playoff debut of one Darcy Kuemper. Kuemper stopped all 36 shots he faced. Some of the stops were easy, but some of those stops were those that just drop your jaw, shake your head, and wonder did you just see what you just saw. He faced one barrage late in the second period when the Aeros were up only 1-0 and the Griffins were on a 4x3 power play. Kuemper just dealt with the barrage like he was sitting on his porch swatting away some lazy flies just hovering over his head, never breaking a sweat.

Head coach John Torchetti referred to Kuemper's calmness out on the ice and how that just made things easier for the team. And there was a calmness to Kuemper, a stillness. Like a concrete bunker anchored during a hurricane with the action swirling around him. 

"He keeps things calm for us," Torchetti said. "He didn’t give a lot of rebounds, which is a big plus for us and makes our job a little bit easier."
 
Kuemper just kind of shrugged off all of the attention after the game, acting as if it was just another game in the juniors instead of a professional playoff game.

"I played quite a few playoffs games in juniors, a lot of games in juniors," Kuemper said. "I just always try to touch back on those experiences, recall those memories, what went well, what didn’t, and use those to just play my game out there."

Darcy Kuemper, just one of the guys /photo John Royal

Kuemper had some help from the team playing it's best all-around game in months. Marco Scandella put the Aeros up 1-0 with a power play goal at 11:55 of the second from up over the circle. Justin Fontaine got a breakaway at 16:52 which pretty much put the game away. Then Fontaine finished the scoring with a nearly impossible angled empty netter at 18:14 of the third.

Fontaine said he got lucky on his breakaway. But despite his statements, he looked to be in control on the entire play.

"Just kind of flying up the middle, a good look," Fontaine said. "The puck wouldn’t settle down for me, kind of made a move and missed the puck, but it ended up going in. I’ll take that for sure."

Justin Fontaine gets lucky/photo John Royal

But with the way Kuemper was playing, nothing else really seemed to matter. There was this calmness to his play, a quietness to his actions, no wasted motion. He was there at all times, just where his team needed him to be, when they needed him to be there. He said he was lucky at times, but like Fontaine on his breakaway, if there was any luck involved in any of his stops, it just wasn't evident to onlookers.

"I just want to do my part, especially when I saw the guys going early there, the way they were playing, I just wanted to do my part and not let them down," Kuemper said. "Everyone had each other’s backs, and we came away with game one."

It was fun game to watch. Tense. Lots of hitting. It was playoff hockey at its finest. Here's to a few more of these before the team's run in Houston comes to its unfortunate end. And meanwhile, welcome to a new edition of the Darcy Kuemper Show, it's a wonderful, fantastic thing to witness.

The Aeros are up 1-0 in the series, and host game two on Sunday afternoon at 5:05 before heading back to Grand Rapids for the rest of the series. 

Paul Mara with a first period hit/photo John Royal

View from the Pressbox - Aeros get tough, beat Griffins 3-0

Before I got to the Toyota Center, I really had no feel for the series one way or the other. The Aeros played well down the stretch, but lost the last game of the season to fall to the No. 6 seed. The Griffins only won nine of their last 20 games, but they won their division and beat the Aeros four times in the six regular season meetings.

But when I got to the rink, took the elevator downstairs and felt that sweet playoff Toyota Center humidity, I knew the Aeros would win the game.

It was hot as a mo-fo down there, and all the quotes from the past came flying back to me. Previous victims Peoria (three times), Milwaukee (twice) and Hamilton (twice) all hated playing in Houston this time of year. On the record they say they'll deal with it. Off the record, they use double hyphenated curse words about how much weight they lose and now crappy the ice is in the third period.

Fluids, IVs, fruit, carbs ... they try all the tricks in the books.

And all the while, Todd McLellan, Rob Daum, Kevin Constantine, Mike Yeo and John Torchetti have used it to their advantage to either advance in the playoffs or late in the season to pile up the points in March and April.

Just look at the record books. The Aeros are hard to beat in Houston this time of year. No, they're not perfect, but more often than not they way.

Having said all that, the Aeros played an absolutely magnificent first-round game. They came out hitting (Mikael Granlund!), throwing the body and putting pucks on net. Two timely goals in the second period sandwiched around Darcy Kuemper's Superman heroics while killing off the 4-on-3 penalty, and you've got a recipe for a Game 1 win.

There is still much work to be done, and the Aeros know they will get a desperate Grand Rapids team from the get-go on Sunday. It's the Griffins that have to win three of the last four games to advance. The Aeros are in the driver's seat, and if they play like they did Friday, they'll be moving on to round 2 soon enough.

The playoffs begin tonight vs. Grand Rapids

Because I was the Aeros Houston Chronicle beat writer for 10 years, I spent way more time that most studying the Aeros, their opponents and the big picture around every game.

I loved that gig more than anything else I have ever done as a freelancer, and I am sad that Houston will not have hockey at Toyota Center next season. 

This is the last run for the Aeros, so I know we all hope they surprise some people and make some noise in the 2013 Calder Cup playoffs. 

Every spring, when the Aeros made the playoffs, I would do a story on the matchups: Who had the better offense, defense, special teams, goalies, coaches and intangibles. And at the very end of that, I would offer a prediction on the series. 

It was a fun process, and on the prediction side, I was a pretty good 13-4. 

So here we are, at the foot of the playoffs of the Aeros last season in Houston ... and I really have no idea how the team will do. I have no gut feeling, but it is leaning more one way than the other now that the Wild had to recall Carson McMillan from the Aeros today. 

Game 1 is epic in this 2-3 series, especially for the lower seeded team. I think whoever wins Game 1 will win the series. The Griffins are the more skilled team, but I think the Aeros have the right intangibles, coaching and goaltending to pull off an upset. And even though this is a 3 vs. 6 matchup, only two points separated the teams in the final standings. 

And now, more from the Aeros players and coaches about their strengths andwhat they need to do to win and advance:

Aeros defenseman Paul Mara (No. 2)

"I think the strength of the team is the team. I don’t think there are any individuals on the team. I think everyone’s bought into our team system and that’s what’s made us successful here throughout the year. I think that’s what we’re going to carry into the playoffs and play as a team and that’s what’s going to help us win."

Aeros forward Chad Rau (No. 20)

"We’ve just got to have a good start. That’s really key and important for us. Keeping them off the power play, too. They’ve got some skilled guys who can put the puck in the net, so that would be a big focus of our is being disciplined and trying to play them 5 on 5."

Aeros defenseman Drew Bagnall (No. 4)

"The key for us is to play as a team, play our systems. Collectively, we’re a lot better than we could ever be individually, so that’s our strength. Just to out-compete teams, have that worker mentality that no one’s going to beat us."

Aeros rookie forward Jason Zucker (No. 16)

"We need to get the puck in deep and use our speed. A lot of teams have trouble with our speed. It’s tough for anybody to adjust to a fast-paced game, so we’ve  got to make sure we’re coming out, getting the puck in deep, eliminating our turnovers and getting the puck on net."

Aeros Head Coach John Torchetti and hjs take on the first opponent, the Grand Rapids Griffins:

"(They) Put a lot of pucks on net. You could bit sitting there and next thing you know it’s 10 shots to 4. We watched them play last night and they were up 10 shots to 4. For us, we’ve just got to do a good job of taking away time and space. They have speedy forwards, they’re not really going to dump the puck in too much, so we want to take away a lot of the neutral zone, making sure we’ve got good gaps, and then we’re re-gapping off of turnovers that we throw back outside the neutral zone. Just making sure we take a little time and space and be a little bit physical."

Here are the playoff sheets from the AHL on all the first round series. Based on these, who do you think has the edge in Round 1?

Houston Aeros vs. Grand Rapids Griffins (Best of five, first round)

Yesterday, we heard from Debbie Downer, and she said the Griffins would beat the Aeros in five games. If that comes to fruition, the Aeros season and existence (for now) is over. Today, we got a letter from Sunshine Sally, who has a different take.

2013 Calder Cup Playoffs
Western Conference Quarter Finals - Best of five
Houston Aeros (6 - Seed) vs. Grand Rapids Griffins (3 - Seed)

Schedule:
1 Grand Rapids at Houston                    Friday, Apr. 26             7:05 PM
2 Grand Rapids at Houston                    Sunday, Apr. 28            5:05 PM
3 Houston at Grand Rapids                    Wednesday, May 1       7:00 PM (ET)
4 Houston at Grand Rapids                    Friday, May 3               7:00 PM (ET) - X
5 Houston at Grand Rapids                    Saturday, May 4           7:00 PM (ET) - X
X = If Necessary


Dear Aeros fan, 

Griffins in five, Debbie? Really? Did you not watch a single game this team played in the last month? Aside from a little slump against the Griffins at home, the Aeros were smokin' hot - kicking tail and taking names. They went 9-1 against the teams they had to beat, and finished with an even .500 record against the really good teams that will be in the playoffs this spring. 

One could argue that the South Division was the very best in the AHL. Four of the five teams made the playoffs and Four of the five teams were in the top six in the entire conference. 

The Aeros played very well against Texas and OKC this year, and even held their own against Charlotte after a slow start against that team. 

Debbie even mentioned something about the Aeros having a cold goalie going into the playoffs. True, Kuemper has not played in a bit, but he did just fine if not great the last time he went awhile with no game action. That kid is a competitor, and I think he will be one of the reasons the Aeros will make a very long run in the postseason this year. 

I like Fontaine, Zucker and Rau ... and so long as Grandlund is here, I'll take that, too. If the Aeros get on the same page offensively, and get some timely scoring from the second and third lines, watch out. I truly believe the Aeros will play their hearts out this Spring, and first, they will take care of the Griffins rather quickly. 

Sally Sunshine's prediction is Aeros in four. 

Tomorrow, we'll give you a balanced prediction with comments from some of the players and head coach John Torchetti.

Aeros to Host Grand Rapids in Games 1, 2 This Weekend at Toyota Center

The playoffs start this weekend, so let's have a debate. Do the Aeros have what it takes to make a deep run in the postseason? Today, I'm going to be Debbie Downer. This is why the Aeros won't go very far, and this is why you'd better make sure your butts are in the seats for Game 2 of the series so you can say  you were at the last Aeros game ever.


2013 Calder Cup Playoffs

Western Conference Quarter Finals - Best of five
Houston Aeros (6 - Seed) vs. Grand Rapids Griffins (3 - Seed)

Schedule:
1 Grand Rapids at Houston                    Friday, Apr. 26             7:05 PM
2 Grand Rapids at Houston                    Sunday, Apr. 28            5:05 PM
3 Houston at Grand Rapids                    Wednesday, May 1       7:00 PM (ET)
4 Houston at Grand Rapids                    Friday, May 3               7:00 PM (ET) - X
5 Houston at Grand Rapids                    Saturday, May 4           7:00 PM (ET) - X
X = If Necessary



Dear Aeros fan, 

I'm not going to start this one out with any fluff. After grinding their way through 76 games, the Aeros finished the regular season with 90 points, and that was good enough for only 6th place in the Western Conference. That just goes to show you how good ALL the playoff teams are. I can almost make a legitimate case as to why every team in this conference could be skating for the Calder Cup in June. 

But with the Aeros leaving for Des Moines after the season, it's almost hard not to picture this squad making a miracle run and giving Houston hockey fans one more taste of glory. 

As much as I want to believe that is a realistic possibility, my brain says otherwise. I'd love to see them take out Grand Rapids in the first round and then upset another team to make things very interesting. But the dice and cards and all that stuff just isn't lining up right now. I don't have a good feeling about the roster right now due to all the recent injuries in Minnesota, and I really don't like entering the playoffs with a cold goalie in a best-of-five series.

I am blessed and have seen a lot of playoff hockey since 1994, and I usually have a good pulse on the team going into the playoffs. While I hope I am wrong, and I hope I get flamed off the internet if I don't call it right, but I think Sunday will be the last Aeros game of the season ... and foreseeable future. 

I know the team is hot recently, but they beat up on non-playoff teams down the stretch and while that was good enough to get them into the playoffs, it's not going to be good enough to get by a division winner like Grand Rapids. 

Debbie Downer's prediction is Grand Rapids in five. 

Tomorrow, we'll hear from Sunshine Sally, who has a different take on this series and the rest of the playoffs.

Harding, Aeros nip Stars 4-3 in Cedar Park

The Aeros are on a serious run right now. After last night's 4-3 win over Texas, the Aeros have won three in a row and six of seven overall since a four game winless slide. They can still get home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs, but they'd have to win out and get a loss by the Charlotte Checkers today.

Not likely, but it is possible. Tomorrow's season finale at OKC could mean quite a bit. Should be a fun way to close out the season.

Josh Harding was solid in the first of his two rehab starts, and the Aeros abused the Stars third line. Chad Rau led the way with three points, and he's been getting hot during the Aeros recent winning ways.

Tonight, the Aeros play at San Antonio and really need a win against the Rampage, who have really tanked recently. As much as I respect the fans over there, a loss by the Aeros today would be truly embarrassing when you consider what is at stake.

The Aeros need to do everything they can do to avoid the Texas Stars in the first round. I'd much rather take my chances against the No. 1 team in the second round, not the first-round best of five.

I know I have said this over and over, but Jim Mill and John Torchetti have done a tremendous job getting guys to fill the gaps and to play hard all season long. They deserve a ton of credit, but there is still much to be done.

The Playoffs - One Last Mission

Barring an absolute disaster on the ice this weekend, the Aeros will qualify for the postseason and will host playoffs next week at the Toyota Center. Nevermind the rumors about the team having to play its playoff games in St. Paul.

But this is the post that I have dreaded writing for several months now. The dots have all lined up, the rumors aren't rumors anymore, and the Aeros are being kicked out the Toyota Center. The Wild will move the team to Des Moines and will play there as the Iowa Wild.

Here is the Russo Blog.
Here is the St. Paul Pioneer Press Story
Here is the Heather's report in the Chronicle.
Here is the Des Moines Register's version. 
Here is the Hockey Wilderness story.

Throughout all of this, the team has been unified with its messaging. They said they'd do whatever it takes to stay in Houston, and I believe they did. But a couple of weeks ago, when Mike Russo wrote on his blog that an announcement would be coming soon about the Aeros leaving, the front office continued its mantra that negotiations were still underway and in progress.

They gave that message to the Houston Press, the Houston Chronicle, KPRC Channel 2 and anyone else that asked about it.

They may very well have been true, but the team was also preparing for good-bye. Three sources (AHL media colleague, Toyota Center employee and a random Des Moines fan that probably was not a random Des Moines fan) told me off the record that it was a done deal even when it still was not a done deal. Even then, I just did feel entirely right about "breaking " the story on this blog.

I chose not to talk about those comments publicly, and I am still comfortable with my decision not to. I had no one on the record, and no one gave me the information on background. It just would not have been ethical, even though this is "just a blog ..."

After the first Russo story broke, the team started to prepare for the inevitable. One of our commenters sent us a link to the picture you see here, and the link was indeed live until after I tweeted and then purposely retracted that image.

The image was then modified without the "One Last Mission" slogan than we'll probably see going forward.

As a fan, I hate that we were officially kept in the dark for many months while the Wild and Aeros brass visited arenas in Wichita, Kansas City and Des Moines. But I think I understand the business side of sports enough to know that the organization had to make preparations in advance of being kicked out of Houston.

Had they told everyone back in February that the team was going to leave, employees would have lost interest and started looking for other jobs and groups may have shied away from doing business with the team. And it just would have been awkward for everyone from season ticket holders, to the front office ... everything.

The Wild wanted to stay folks; that was their first preference. But the Toyota Center, I believe, priced them out of the market so they could proceed with more concerts. The building needs the weekend dates because they were losing out to other venues in town that are better for concerts.

Many people still hope that hockey will return to Houston. I think it will some day, but I think it will only work when the Toyota Center folks buy a team and set up a deal kind of like the way the San Antonio Rampage and Lake Erie Monsters operate their teams. They get full control of the revenue streams, and the building gets to pick and choose the absolute best dates for concerts, NBA and then hockey.

The only other option, really, is for a multi-purpose facility being built either near Reliant Center or in one of the suburbs. The market has done well in the AHL, and I think that'd be enough to get a team back down here to Houston.

It's hard to say good-bye; this has been "my team" for 19 years and I have seen hundreds of games since the 1994 when the team took the ice in the IHL. It's kind of like losing a family member to cancer, an excruciating disease that usually kills slowly, while at times giving you hope that you can beat it.

But the Aeros were diagnosed with a Stage IV tumor late last Spring, and we've seen the process as it's played out right in front of our very eyes. Now, the Aeros are in hospice, at home and resting comfortably and just waiting for the day when the Good Lord calls them home.

As you all baseball movie buffs know, Iowa's not heaven ... but it's pretty darn close.

Announcement Coming?

In case you didn't read the comments to the post below, it's being reported that sometime on Thursday the Wild will receive permission from the AHL to relocate the Aeros to Des Moines. 

I think we here at the blog are a bit talked out on the issue, having said lots the last several weeks when dealing with the rumors. And we'll be back with more for the playoffs. But for those of you who want to get a few things off your chest, have it.

Just a few caveats: keep it reasonably clean, and try not to say something too libelous, though, as the attorney, I guess that'll be for me to ultimately decide. And just one further note: if your comments are not approved right away, don't worry, we'll do our best to get around to it, but remember, it's late at night, we need to sleep, and we each have employment matters to deal with in the morning.

And we'll say this a few more times over what weeks remain: thanks so much for reading us over the years. We all sincerely appreciate it, and we'll miss you all.

Harding, Granlund assigned to Aeros

Just a quick post here to update you on a few transactions.

Josh Harding is all smiles ... most of the time. Competitive as hell, too. 

First, the Wild assigned goalie Josh Harding to the Aeros for a conditioning stint. He'll play two games with the Aeros this weekend before rejoining the Wild. I believe he is the AHL Aeros' all-time leader in wins, and he's a great guy, too.

He was recently diagnosed with MS, and he's on a new medicine regimen that looks to be ironed out. He'll give it a go this weekend and then hopefully is recalled to the Wild to back up Backstrom. That would likely mean that Darcy Kuemper would be sent back to Houston for the playoffs.

Also, with Matt Cullen getting healthier, the Wild sent forward Mikael Granlund back to the Aeros. He'll get primo playing time here instead of riding the pine for the Wild. With Zucker on recall, the Aeros can use Granlund on the power play for sure.

The team is off until Friday when it stars a road three in three at Texas. After that, they'll close out the regular season at San Antonio and then again at OKC.

Were You Stuck In This Line Last Night?

The photos below were taken outside of Toyota Center about 10 minutes before the start of last night's game with the San Antonio Rampage. It was the final regular season home game. It was also, probably, the final ever regular season home game to be played at Toyota Center.

These were not people trying to buy tickets. These were people who had already purchased tickets and were attempting to pick them up at the Will Call Window. But the Toyota Center ticketing system crashed and the tickets could not be printed. So all of these people were stuck outside as the game began.

It appears that most of the people made it inside by the time the first period ended. Still, it's an insult to the fans that they had to miss parts of the game because of a problem at Toyota Center that would probably never happen at a Houston Rockets game. Or at the upcoming Fleetwood Mac concert in June.

Aeros Storm Rampage, Defeat San Antonio 4-1

Stephane Veillieux (24) and David McIntyre (26) throw souvenir items into the stands as they saluted the fans following tonight's game / photo John Royal

The largest Houston Aeros crowd to ever see a game inside Toyota Center filed into the arena tonight for a very bittersweet occasion. They came to the celebrate the Aeros, to watch the team stomp out the San Antonio Rampage 4-1. They came to watch the team, in it's regular season home finale, move another step closer to the playoffs. But here's the sad part, the fans filed in to watch what's more than likely, pending one final announcement from St. Paul, the final regular season game the Aeros will ever play in Houston.

And the players did realize what tonight meant to the fans in Houston. It's about winning. It's about making the playoffs. It's about rewarding the fans who have stuck with them through the proverbial thick and thin.

"You’ve got to lay it out on the line, especially since we don’t play against till next Friday," Justin Fontaine said. "I thought the guys dug deep and played a 60 minute hockey game. That’s how we thank the fans for all of their years of support."

Fontaine was the offensive star of the game for the Aeros, with two goals and an assist. His first period power play goal put the Aeros up 1-0, assists from Erik Haula and Brian Connelly.

That's where the score stood after one period. The Rampage tied the game 12 seconds into the second period. But the Aeros scored three goals in a 1:21 period, starting with a Dan DaSilva goal off a rebound at 9:36. Chad Rau made the score 3-1 46 seconds later, and Fontaine ended the barrage with another power play goal at 10:22.

"We’re playing good as a team and that kind of energizes everyone on the bench," Fontaine says. "I’m getting some chances, and they’re going in right now. I’ve got to give a little credit to the guys around me."

John Torchetti was very complimentary of his team, and their effort tonight. And he continued to be amazed by the poise and performance of goalie Mike Condon, making just his second AHL start.

"Condon’s come in and done a great job," Torchetti said. "It’s amazing what these kids are doing as goalies. I’m not in shock, but it’s pretty incredible….You don’t just come in and win and American league game."

Torchetti also once again praised his vets, noting that they're the ones who set the tone for how it's done on the ice, and in the locker room. That's similar to the things Mike Yeo said two years ago about his vets. And it bodes well for any playoff run that this team might go on.

"It’s great fan support. We thank them as a team," Justin Fontaine. /Photo John Royal

There are three games left in this season for the Aeros, all on the road. As things now stand, the Aeros are in fifth place of the Western Conference, with 86 points. By my math, and hopefully Andrew will check me on this, the Aeros magic number for the playoffs is four points.

So until we all meet again, hopefully in a couple of weeks with the Aeros hosting a playoff game.

Aeros Hang on for 4-3 Win Over Rampage

Welcome back Mr. Bagnall, we missed you/photo John Royal

The Aeros game against San Antonio didn't have to be as close as it was. The Aeros were up 4-1 late in the third before the Rampage were able to score two late goals. And the Rampage also had a few chances in the final minute to send the game to OT.

It was a big win for the Aeros in that the Aeros a) got the win and b) reduced the magic number to eight points. And while the fight and effort level were a lot better tonight, the team's probably not too happy with its performance. At least head coach John Torchetti wasn't too happy, and he's the one who really matters.

"We’ve got to be way more detailed," Torchetti said. "It’s a win. It’s a big win. But we’ve got to be way more detailed. We can’t be satisfied being average. We’ve never been average all year, and that’s the bottom line."

He was especially not happy with the play of his defensemen, and he was quite clear that there will be some healthy scratches among that group on Saturday night. He was quite complimentary of goalie Mike Condon, who just weeks ago was taking Princeton midterms and working on his thesis.

Condon said it's been quite the whirlwind for him these past several weeks, going from Princeton hockey to Orlando and now the Aeros. His planned celebration for this game was kind of unique for a pro hockey player: "I’m going to go back to my room tonight and write a midterm and do it all over again," he told us.

[And congrats to Mr. Condon for not being insulted when Andrew asked him about taking midterms at Harvard.]

Torchetti was complimentary, once again, of the veterans on the team, Stephane Veilleux, Paul O'Mara, and Jake Dowell for not being afraid to go out and do what needs to be done. And another key veteran returned to the lineup, with Drew Bagnall getting game action for the first time in over a month.

"The ankle felt really good," Bagnall said. "I think it’s pretty tough at this time of year to prepare yourself for the pace of games. I didn’t feel out of place out there, but I didn’t feel where I need to be kind of going into playoffs, so I’m happy we’ve got a few more games to get under my belt."

Bagnall said it's been tough sitting back and not being able to contribute. Last week, during the team's home losing streak, even though not completely healthy, he tried to get Torchetti to play him, but Torchetti refused.

"We weren’t playing real well at home," Bagnall said. "And I actually approached Torch and we talked and I said, ‘hey, listen, if you want me to play, I’m ready to go.’ And he said, you’re not ready, so take your time. So he let me play tonight, and hopefully this means I’m in the lineup the rest of the way.'

The Aeros play there last ever (more than likely) home regular season game on Saturday night when they once again host the San Antonio Rampage. 

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES:

Drew Bagnall was named by the AHL as Houston's Man of the Year for his involvement with the community. There will still be a lot of professional athletes in Houston once the Aeros depart, but I can't help but think the community is going to miss a little something by not having guys like Bagnall in it.

"I try to just make myself available whenever there are certain activities or things to do, especially with kids," Bagnall said. "I know that our booster club is big with Kids Unlimited, and I try to go spend time with kids at Children’s Hospital. I just feel that if I can brighten somebody’s day, that’s part of the responsibility you have as an athlete, and it’s something – I mean, when I was a kid I would have loved to talk to pro hockey players, but we didn’t have that option living in a small town, so I try to make myself available when I can."

***********
Regarding the relocation. I saw several nice signs in the arena tonight, but I was not in a position to get any photos. Kudos, however, to the Toyota Center video crews for repeatedly putting up some of the signs, including the one saying "Save Our Aeros, Occupy Toyota Center."

There was another one I liked that compared Les Alexander to Bud Adams. And somebody told me that instead of shouting "Hey [Insert Goalie's Name], you suck," that some people were shouting "Hey, Les, you suck." It's really hard to make out the chants down in the corner however.

Not to overstep my bounds, or to get me in any kind of trouble, but I say go for it with the signs and chants. Just don't use profanity for the kids who are around.

**************
And an unrelated hockey point, but I need to rant since I wasted two hours on it tonight...If you work in a HR department of a temp agency. And you're sending out forms for your temp employees to fill out before starting temp projects, make sure your damn inbox is big enough to contain the damn attachment that I'm sending you after I destroy a tree printing the material, then fill it out, then scan it into my computer, then try to send.

Oh, and would I be convicted of murder if I were to kill Microsoft Word. It crashed on me three times while I was trying to transcribe the quotes from tonight.

View from the Pressbox - Aeros hang on for win over Rampage

Wanted to get something up real quick. John is going to provide some game notes and quotes from the players and head coach John Torchetti.

That is coming later, but I wanted to throw up some big picture stuff and thoughts on the team's overall play in the 4-3 win over San Antonio Thursday.

Bottom line? Two points is two points, but the Aeros had better be ready for a great counter on Saturday against a Rampage team that looked better as the third period wore on. Did they just magically start playing better? Well, no, but getting that second goal with three minutes left really helped.

The Aeros started to get sloppy, and a lot of the same defensive mistakes the team made early in the game, cost them two goals with time winding down.

But again, hard to complain too much about two points and a win, especially after how poorly the team competed Wednesday against OKC.

I thought Stephane Veilleux was very good all night. Energy, compete level, blocking shots; he did quite a bit toward a win. Zucker was again very good and creative. And the new goalie Mike Condon, from Princeton, was very good when he had to be.

He's a bit of a wanderer, but he got his first AHL win. We'll have more on him before the next game with the Rampage, but he's still writing papers. That's pretty cool to say while you're helping another team prepare for the postseason.

The Aeros magic number to clinch a playoff spot dropped to eight. They still control their own destiny with four games left, but things look really good right now for making the postseason tournament.

There is one home game left in the regular season. Hope to see you there on Saturday night.

New Goalie, Etc. For Tonight

A few miscellaneous notes before tonight's game:

1. Jason Zucker has been named to the AHL All-Rookie Team.

2. Drew Bagnall was named as Houston's AHL Man of the Year for his outstanding contributions to the Houston community for 2012-2013.

3. Houston's new Spinal Tap drummer, sacrificial victim, goalie is Aaron Dell who today was signed to a PTO. Bell's in his first year of professional hockey, and spent the season with the CHL's Allen Americans where he went 22-11-6 with a 2.30 GAA and a .916 save percentage. He was also 4-1 in the CHL playoffs. My guess is he gets the start over Mike Condon tonight. But that's just a guess.

A Little Love From A Colleague

One of my colleagues at the Press has a little post up about why he, as a non-hockey fan who rarely goes to the games, will miss the Aeros. He says a few nice things about the Aeros fans. I thought you might enjoy reading it. So here it is.

Aeros Lose Game, And Lose Another Goalie

Have you ever seen the movie Spinal Tap? It's a comedy classic from 1984 about a fictional British heavy metal band that starred Christopher Guest and Rob Reiner. I bring it up because, as those of you have seen the movie know, the band has a bit of bad luck with drummers. One drummer dies from a gardening accident. Another dies from choking on somebody else's vomit. Then there's the guy who just spontaneously combusts during a concert.

M*A*S*H - Suicide is NOT painless if you don't do it right. 

Why bring this up? Because it dawned on me while Jeff Deslauriers was writhing in pain during the second period. The Aeros are the Spinal Tap of goalies. Don't believe it, ask Deslauriers who was in for Cody Reichard who was injured during a game last week. Or ask Reichard who replaced an injured John Curry. What about Mike Brodeur replacing the injured Joe Fallon who replaced the injured Darcy Kuemper or Brodeur who replaced an injured Hackett in the playoffs.

Remember Jeff Crawford, an equipment assistant skating out in uniform to take Barry Brust's place after Brust's leg was slashed during a game? Remember Anton Khudobin skating in the playoffs because Nolan Schaefer and Brust were injured, then the Aeros having to bring in Matt Climie during the end of a playoff run because Khudobin was injured?

If you're a goalie, you want to come to Houston because you're definitely going to play. But if you're a goalie, you've got to want to avoid the Aeros because you're going to get injured during game action. So good luck to Mike Condon. And good luck to Josh Harding who, according to reports, will be making two rehab starts for the Aeros next weekend to close out the season.

As for the rest of the Aeros, they lost 4-1 to the Oklahoma City Barons, a team just below the Aeros in the standings who the Aeros are fighting for a playoff spot and in seeding. This game should have featured some playoff intensity. But it didn't.

"That was a tough one for us to swallow," John Torchetti said after the game. "I’ve got to maybe get us a little more fired up. I didn’t think we really had to get too energized for this game, but we really certainly didn’t play up to our potential. Our physicality was lacking tonight. We didn’t win any battles, and that was the difference."

At one point during the third period the Aeros were being outshot 30-12. A hockey team's not going to win many games when it's being outshot 30-12.

"I think that they’re 7-2-2 in their last 11 games," Torchetti said of the Barons. "And that’s not them chasing, that’s them gelling at the right time. They seem to be getting parts and add-ons in the right areas. We’re coming out of a game with nothing. We didn’t give up nothing tonight. You have to give something up, you have to give up something as a hockey player to win a hockey game. You just can’t show up and come out like it’s a Sunday school dance."

With the loss the Aeros drop to 7th place in the Western Conference playoff standings, behind OKC and Rochester. The magic number should still be 10 points.

They're back in action tomorrow night against San Antonio, so come see them before they're relocated.

And for you Spinal Tap fans, here's the history of the drummers.

The Des Moines Aeros? Really?

If you would've asked me about the lease talks/relocation last week, I would've said it was 80/20 in favor of the Aeros leaving. After yesterday's news, I'm putting it at 95/5 in favor of the Aeros leaving.

I've got a story up over at the Press taking a look at yesterday's news, including reactions from Des Moines. The good news is basically this: there is no lease in Houston, but there's also no lease in Des Moines, and Des Moines officials are throwing out the same kind of smack the Toyota Center's been sending out, ie, they don't really need the Aeros because they're making a pretty good profit off of concerts and by hosting a NBA D-League team and a team in one of the 15,000 arena football leagues.

There's also this, maybe Russo's story wasn't so much a final announcement, but was actually more a shot across the bow meant to get Toyota Center's attention, to let them know the Aeros are serious and they're tried of screwing around, and telling Toyota Center to make a legitimate offer already.

So give it a read. And don't forget, there is a game tonight.

A huge week starts now

Lost in yesterday's free for all rumor mill were the actual Houston Aeros. The players that take the ice, entertain us and provide services for the Minnesota Wild when they need players.

Tonight, those guys will start the last three regular season home games, and they'll host the red-hot OKC Barons at Toyota Center. After tonight, the Aeros will welcome the San Antonio Rampage Thursday and Saturday. Then, the team will take a week off before closing out the regular season with three road games in three nights in three different cities.

Aeros host the Barons tonight at Toyota Center (7:05)

But first things first - tonight they host a red-hot Barons team that some how did not die with their Big 4 went to the NHL after the lockout ended. Everybody, including me, left them for dead, and now they are just two points behind the Aeros with a game in hand.

Huge game for both teams. If the Aeros win, they'll have a four-point cushion. Lose, and the Barons will have the tie-breaker both in terms of winning percentage and ROW (regulation and overtime wins). The Aeros' magic number to clinch a playoff berth for the 16th time in 19 seasons is 10. That number goes down by two every time the Aeros win. It also goes down by two every time the team currently in ninth loses.

Based on that, Aeros fans are really pulling for the Peoria Rivermen tonight, who host the Rockford Icehogs at Carver Arena.

Tonight is a playoff game, and both teams will go hard for 60 minutes and hope for the two-point reward. These last three regular season games will be fun to watch; this is the time of year where the intensity is up and the proverbial emotions run high.

John Torchetti will have the boys ready for tonight. How will they execute under pressure?

Here is some more news on the Barons via the Houston Aeros press office:


The Oklahoma City Barons –

When the NHL lockout ended, Oklahoma City lost six of the team’s top sevens scorers to the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. In all Jordan Eberle, Justin Schultz, Taylor Hall, Teemu Hartikainen, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Magnus Paajarvi are all gone. The team is 17-12-3-2 since their departure. Despite not playing for the Barons since Jan. 5, Jordan Eberle and Justin Schultz remain among the AHL leaders in points. Eberle had 51, while Schultz, a defenseman, collected 48. Eberle led the league with 25 goals until Providence’s Jamie Tardif surpassed him in late February. Schultz had 30 AHL assists, which remains among the highest in the league.

Mark Arcobello is the team’s active leading scorer with 20 goals and 41 assists for 61 points in 67 games played. He is followed by rookie Toni Rajala, who has 13 goals and 23 assists for 36 points in 39 games played. He has five assists and eight points in his last seven games played. Left wing Teemu Hartikainen is third on the team in scoring, scoring 14 goals and toaling 35 points in 44 games played. Forward Philippe Cornet has four points in in his last seven games. Cornet is fourth overall in team scoring with 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points in 39 games played. Since joining the team in late January, Jonathan Cheecoo has 26 points in 29 games with the Barons this season. The veteran winger has three points in his last seven games played. Defenseman Martin Marincin is sixth on the team with 25 points in 64 games played. Center Josh Green has 23 points in 47 games played this season.

Oklahoma City features goalies Yann Danis and Niko Hovinen in net.  Danis is 22-14-5 with a 2.79 goals against average and a .906 save percentage. Fellow goalie Niko Hovinen is 4-3-2 with a 3.26 g.a.a. and a .884 save percentage. At 6-foot-7, he is one of the tallest goalies in pro hockey.

The Barons rank first in the AHL on the power play converting 61 out of 286 chances (21.3 %). As far the penalty kill goes, Oklahoma City sits 30 out of 30 teams, stopping 219 of 283 attempts (78.1 %). The Barons rank 20th out of 30 teams in penalty minutes, averaging just 14.9 minutes a game. Oklahoma City is averaging 3.16 goals per game, while allowing 3.17 goals per game.

Is it time to celebrate the life of ... the Houston Aeros (1994-2013)?

We've come to expect a lot of things as Aeros fans over the years.

• When the team wins its division, it's wins the league (1999, 2003)
• There will be injuries. Massive amounts of injuries
• The ice is bad most of the year
• Gordie Howe will make an appearance or two
• Once every five years or so, kazoos will make an appearance during the National Anthem
• When Mike Russo tweets or blogs about something, it's true

So when word leaked out this morning/last night that the Aeros were moving to Des Moines (via Mike Russo), it is now officially time to say your good-byes to the Aeros as the primary affiliate of the Minnesota Wild.

The red guy is the Aeros fan. There are just a few of us
in Houston, but we'll miss our team. 

The Aeros', as we know them today, 19-year run in Houston is very likely over. There are still many questions that will get answered as we move into the summer. Will the name stay? What will happen to the team records, etc? But for now, for the first time in nearly two decades, die-hard hockey fans will have to go elsewhere to get their fix.

Aeros GM Jim Mill told The Houston Press last week that the Wild and Toyota Center were still talking, but Russo reports today that building and Wild could not agree on terms of a new lease.

And here is a story on the Chronicle from today about the latest installment of rumor and innuendo.

The Des Moines Register now has a story about today's info as well. Are the two buildings now being played against each other? Absolutely, is my opinion.

If true, it's a business decision that both organizations feel will be better for their respective bottom lines. It's hard not to be OK with that because we all, on a personal level, deal with money issues every day.

You ALWAYS want what is best for you and your family, and more money is always better than less money. No one can argue that.

This does not mean that Houston won't have hockey ever again, but, if these reports do pan out, it does mean that the Wild are moving the Aeros to Iowa beginning next season. I hold out hope that a new team will come along in the next few years. This is too good a market to be without puck.

But right now, there is no place to play. It's been reported over and over than the Toyota Center is the only place in the Metro area that is financially viable for hockey. And that is true ... the places that are big enough need multi-million dollar investments to get them hockey ready.

I covered more than 500 games for the Houston Chronicle and watched another 300 or so as a fan. The Aeros have been a big part of my life since I was a senior in high school and they have been like therapy for me. It's been so great being a part of their run, and I will miss them considerably.

When the Wild bought the team a few years ago, I figured this day would eventually come. But I always thought there'd be another affiliation ready to go in Houston. And who knows? That could still be the case.

That, like I always say, is a story for a different day. Right now, it is time to celebrate 19 years of great fun, good people and very good hockey. There are still six regular season game on the slate, and the Aeros are right in the middle of a playoff race.

And don't forget about the front office people, who no doubt are having a meeting this morning to talk about all the rumors. I have been there as part of a merger with United and Continental a few years ago. Speculation sucks, and being in the dark is much worse when your livelihood is at stake.

Most of those people work insane hours, and many more do it for less than what they should be paid. Think of them and say a prayer that they'll have something lined up sooner rather than later.

I still think the Aeros have a shot of making some noise this postseason, and in a way, I am glad the cat is out of the bag so people can get a few more chances to say their good-byes. Let's hope this team goes a few rounds and makes some noise in the 2013 Calder Cub Playoffs.

Aeros Bite Bulldogs, Take 2-0 Win

The Aeros won their third straight game, taking a 2-0 victory from the Hamilton Bulldogs in a game that, despite the low score, the Aeros seemed to control throughout.

Dan DaSilva scored the only goal the Aeros needed tonight at 8:41 of the first period when, despite falling to the ice, he was still able to get his stick on the puck and deflect it into the net. The Bulldogs appeared to tie it up eight minutes later when the puck slid behind Jeff Deslauriers, making his first start as a Aero, and skated along the blue line. It was originally ruled a goal, but after a lengthy replay review, the goal was waived off, and the Aeros were never again threatened. Nick Petersen scored the second, and final, goal at 12:50 of the third period.

Houston Aeros Photo - Morris Molina

Hamilton tried to muscle their way through the Aeros, and lots of players went to the boards or to the ice. But the Aeros, for the most part, didn't bite, and the Bulldog bullying tactics didn't get to the Aeros.

The biggest fear coming into the game was that the Aeros would see the Bulldogs, sitting in last place in the conference and out of the playoff hunt, and take the day off, would then fall into a trap of a team that had defeated the Texas Stars on Saturday night.

"Those are the games that we have to understand the checking mentality," head coach John Torchetti said. "We have to be able to play a 5-1 game, or a 2-0 game. That’s the mentality. It’s a hard game."

Deslauriers didn't have much action in the first two periods, facing a total of only 10 shots. But he got hit with 12 shots in the third, and didn't allow any into the net, impressive for a goalie with not much action this season, and one adjusting to the temperature inside the building.

"That experience, it carries you a long way," Torchetti said of Deslauriers. "What I really like about our team is we’re a team that’s become very accountable to each other. Deslauriers is one of the top players of the game. He gets the award for best player, and he says you know 'what a great job the D did, you did a great job boxing out. You let me see shots. I’ll do a better job on my rebounds.' That’s when I know we got the right people with character in our room. And that’s what it’s all about night in and night out. That’s speaks volumes. It’s his first game and he’s talking like that to his teammates. He’s letting them know he’s accountable, too. That’s really big."

We asked Zack Phillips after the game what happened with the team between last Tuesday's lost and Thursday's win, and he was bluntly honest, saying that the team thought it would be easy coming back to play on home ice, and that they needed a little wake-up call. It appears that the team has indeed gotten that wake-up call, and let's just hope they don't fall asleep again.

The Aeros return to action on Wednesday night when they play the first of their three remaining regular season home games. The playoffs are looking more and more like a certainty, though the team has yet to clinch a playoff spot. They're in fifth in the conference standings with 82 points, tied with Rochester though I believe, should the two teams tie in points at the end of the season that Rochester would get the higher seeding due to more wins.

The AHL won't update it's playoff primer until tomorrow morning. Before today's game, the Aeros magic number to clinch a playoff spot was 12. My math shows that that number is now 9 points, but I'm not the playoff scenario calculator that is my colleague Andrew Ferraro, so I could be off by a point or two.

Aeros Dominate Wolves, Take 5-2 Win

The good guys went out and demolished the Chicago Wolves 5-2 tonight bringing up the following the question: where in the hell have these guys been the past week or so?

It was actually a close game after the first period, with the score tied 1-1. But the Aeros broke it wide open in the second, scoring four goals and chasing Chicago starter Matt Climie midway into the second period after the fourth goal. Two of the four second period goals came from Jason Zucker, including a breakaway at the 19:34 point of the period.

Zucker beats Cannata to close out the 2nd - Morris Molina

The prettiest goal of the game was the one that saw Matt Climie pulled. Dan DaSilva faked out Climie, pulling him out of the net and leaving it wide open. DaSilva then completed probably the slowest wraparound in the recorded history of hockey, but so badly had he faked out Climie that DaSilva was still able to stick the puck in the net before anybody could get to him.

You can watch that goal below ... I chose the angle where you could actually see Climie fall asleep, wake up, say in his mind "I got this," and then allow the goal, only to shrug it off. Beaut.

"We’re battling," head coach John Torchetti said after the game when asked about the difference in the team the past two nights. "We’re getting some big goals. Some of our guys are getting comfortable out there. And our D’s doing a good job getting the puck out and defending."

Not all of the news was good for the Aeros as the Toyota Center goalie curse stuck again as Cody Reichard left midway through the third period with a "lower leg" injury. He was stretching his leg during stoppages throughout most of the third period before coming out of the game, and he's probably day-to-day. New acquisition Jeff Deslauriers came out and stopped the Wolves as they tried to get back into the game, but Torchetti told us after the game that he feared Deslauriers was going to be knocked out when he was nearly hit in the head by an errant shot while on the bench.

As for Zucker, who has stormed back to life the past two games, Torchetti says it's merely the fact that Zucker is once again settling into the team and returning to the work ethic that he'd displayed so early in the season.

"Back to his work effort," Torchetti said. "You saw it last night in that overtime game. He battled for that lose puck, then he battles again."



Zucker's taking his time with the Aeros in good stride, acknowledging that he's still got a lot of learn to about hockey, and he can think of no better place to learn.

"It’s huge," Zucker says of his time in Houston. "I’ve really cherished all of the time I’ve had down here under Coach Torchetti and all of the other guys. Like I said at the beginning of the year, there’s a lot of guys in that room I can learn from. And being down here definitely is not hurting me at all. It’s really helping me out."

PLAYOFF NOTES

The Aeros moved up to fifth place in the Western Conference playoff standings with 80 points. They're three points behind Charlotte for the fourth spot. The Barons and Americans are in sixth and seventh place, both with 78 points, then Chicago, Milwaukee, and Rockford are grouped together with 75 points with Abbotsford and Lake Erie in 11th and 12th with 72 points.

The wins the past two nights have aided the Aeros in their quest for a playoff spot, and with four more games left on this homestand, the Aeros are in a good position to solidify a playoff spot. With the win and a few other scores that went in their favor, the Aeros magic number to clinch a playoff spot is down to 12. It goes down by two every time the Aeros win a game. It goes down by two more each time the 9th place team loses in regulation.

Last night was good, as it went from 16 to 12. The Aeros are idle today, so fans are cheering for both Charlotte and Peoria to win their games against 9th place Milwaukee and Rockford.

UPDATE - In a side note that does not matter, Dave McIntyre's goal got waived off due to being offside. He was BARELY onside, as this picture shows the puck is across the line and the right skate is still on the blueline. Tough for the linesman as I had to watch this 50 times in slow mo to finally see it.

Thoughts On Relocation, Playoffs, And Trades

First things first, I've got a story up at the mothership dealing with the Aeros and relocation. Things are still up in the air -- negotiations are ongoing, but there's nothing solid -- and I throw in a few of the scenarios that have been making their way down to us. Sorry there's nothing definitive, but hopefully you'll give it a read, and hopefully you'll let the commenter there know that hockey's not a niche sport.

I also spoke with GM Jim Mill for a bit yesterday regarding relocation (see the story), the playoffs, the recent trades, and the team in general. 

Regarding the trade of Matt Hackett and Johan Larsson to Buffalo and Darcy Kuemper being called up to the Wild as the backup, Mill says it's all about winning hockey games.

" Unfortunately you have to make moves to get better," he said. "You have assets. You develop assets to win hockey games, and there’s lots of ways to win."

One of the Wild's ways of winning is improving the team, and they used what they had to get better by trading assets that other teams required: "At the end of the day, deals are done because certain players are wanted," Mill said.

The new goalie in town is Jeff Deslauriers who has spent a lot of time in the AHL (probably best remembered around here for his time with Oklahoma City). Mill called him a quality/professional goaltender. That said, the Aeros should probably try to score as many goals as possible because it's doubtful that any goalie will be able to constantly shut down teams the way Hackett and Kuemper were able to shut down teams.

As for making the playoffs, Mill said it's easy. The team just has to continue winning hockey games. 

"That’s why you play 76 games," he said. "They’ve been a top team through 76 games."

 

So let's see how things shake out tonight when the Aeros host the Wolves. As of now, the Aeros are in sixth place with 78 points. But they're just six points ahead of Abbotsford who are sitting in 11th place. 

Aeros Come From The Dead to Defeat San Antonio 3-2 (OT)

Sometimes all that it takes is a shot to a face. Or a shot off of the face. Or more specifically, San Antonio's Scott Timmins trying to clear the puck from the goal, knocking it off of Chad Rau's face, and the puck bouncing into the net to get the Aeros going.

It took awhile, but at :42 seconds into the third period, the Aeros were finally on the board thanks to Mr. Timmins and the Aeros, which had been dead once for the entire game, once again, were back in the action and looking alive for the first time in a week. Then Jason Zucker took things into his own hands, scoring late in the third period, and then hitting the game winner in OT to snap the Aeros out of their funk and put them back in the win column for the first time in five games.

John Torchetti was a very relieved man after the game, and talked about the character of the team. He also noted, once again, that the team was shorthanded and that some guys were having to work extra shifts.

Photo by Morris Molina - Houston Aeros

The effort was there in the third period for the Aeros tonight. An effort, and some urgency. Neither of which has been seen in awhile. But it needs to be noted that the Aeros outshot the Rampage 43-17, and still had to go into overtime to get the win.

The scratches were John Curry, Drew Bagnall, Kris Freidheim, Kris Foucault, Jarod Palmer, and Ryley Grantham.

The team returns to play tomorrow night against Chicago. So until then.

Crucial weekend starts tonight vs. San Antonio

Oh what a fun time this is to be a hockey fan. I wish there was less to worry about and more to look forward to, but that is a different story for a different day ...

Tonight, the Aeros continue their homestand with the first of three games this weekend. The San Antonio Rampage visit for the first of their last three visits to Toyota Center. Lately, the Rampage have gotten the better of play against the Aeros, but both rosters have changed so much since the last time these two teams met, it's hard to say what to expect.

Both teams are coming off simultaneous ass-kickings from Tuesday night. So both better be ready to counter the other one's response.

The Aeros have slipped from fifth to seventh during their four game winless streak and for the first time since January, they're in danger of being on the wrong side of the playoff picture.

With two big injuries in Minnesota to Matt Cullen and Dany Heatley, the Aeros lost Mikael Granlund to recall, and Johan Larsson and Matt Hackett were traded to Buffalo. That means that Darcy Kuemper was recalled, too leaving newly-acquired Jeff Deslauriers and Cody Reichard to man the pipes.

I hate to say it, but I don't like the Aeros chances tonight. They have to find a way to win two of the next three against the Rampage, Chicago and Hamilton. Two of those teams are not going to the playoffs and have to be treated as must-wins.

After the 3-2 loss to Grand Rapids last Friday, Aeros head coach John Torchetti did quite a bit of screaming. He said he did none of that after Tuesday's beatdown, but admitted he thought the team played poorly because maybe some of them were jealous that Larsson got called up.

That statement troubles me to no end, and I have to say ... I hope the great veterans the Aeros have left can lead the Aeros out of this mess.

We shall see.

Blast from the past (literally)

An Aeros fan reminded me on Facebook this morning that new Aeros goalie Jeff Deslauriers beat the crap out of Jon DiSalvatore during a Barons/Aeros game once. And then I remembered I drew this re-enactment:

Stop using my initials!

Good times, you guys. Good times.

Welcome to the team, JD!

Hackett and Larsson traded, Kuemper recalled.

It is official now, Hackett and Johan Larsson to Buffalo for Jason Pominville.
Kuemper is on a plane to San Jose, so the Aeros are down to Reichard and an injured John Curry. and newly acquired Jeff Deslauriers. I just got a text saying the Wild got him for future considerations.

Aeros GM Jim Mill had to find another backup goalie, and he did just that is so appears.

This changes things for the Aeros dramatically. And not for the better.

Keep an eye out for more trades as the day progresses.

Aeros Don't Bother To Show Up, Lose 5-1 To Grand Rapids

The Houston Aeros tonight didn't look like a team in a tight playoff fight. The team didn't look like it had any type of fight in it. The guys on the ice looked more like they wanted to get the hell out of Toyota Center and make it home before the storms hit, but that would imply that the team played with some kind of urgency. And that would be a lie.

Grand Rapids got the 5-1 win tonight, and they didn't even sweat doing so. They essentially did what they wanted to do, when they wanted to, and nobody on the Aeros had the ability to stop them. 

Darcy Kuemper was pulled midway through the second period after giving up three goals within four minutes. But the goals weren't all on Kuemper, with the second and third goals coming off of turnovers in the Aeros zone and poor defensive play after the turnover.

The Aeros played the game flat. And it's becoming a common occurrence. When a team's in a playoff fight, the team shouldn't be playing flat.

"We were flat," head coach John Torchetti said. "It was our fourth straight game flat. We’ve got to find a way to get out of this. We’ve got to work. We don’t have one nick, cut, or anything in four games. We’re not even working. Our identity is pretty much nothing right now. We’ve got to work."

But more troubling than the flat play was what we heard after the game regarding the attitude in the locker room. And that attitude is one a team really shouldn't have this time of year. But it appears that this afternoon's call-up of Johan Larsson had a bad reaction on the team that spilled out onto the ice.

"We had someone called up, and it seemed like everyone was jealous that someone got called up today," Torchetti said. "That’s what I thought."

Torchetti promised to work the team hard at practice tomorrow, but it really seems this shouldn't be an issue. Not with time on the season running out. Not with a shot for the playoffs on the line. 

The Aeros are nearly midway through a 10-game homestand, and they're 0-2-1-1 in that stretch. There are six games left on the homestand, then they finish up the regular season on the road. And one would think a team that had been firing on all cylinders heading into the homestand would use this stand to solidify the playoffs. But it appears the Aeros have gone into sulk mode. And if this is the team's last stand ever at Toyota Center, it's a pretty pathetic way to end it.

Aeros host Griffins in a rematch tonight at Toyota Center

I don't know about you, but I am very interested to see how the Aeros respond to last Friday's game.
That was just an awful, awful result. The team did not deserve a point, but they were very close to getting one until the Griffins scored late for the regulation win.

Aeros head coach John Torchetti said he was not pleased with the team's overall game of late. The last two losses, although both by a single goal each, were ugly.

The Aeros are still in the driver's seat as far as the playoffs are concerned, but they better get back on track soon. I don't like those last three games, all being played on the road on successive days. As a fan, I don't want those games to matter much. The Aeros need to have the 5, 6 or 7 seed wrapped up the weekend before.

There are still seven games left on this homestand, and the Aeros' magic number is down to 20. Right now, it looks like its a five-team battle for the last four spots. If the Aeros win tonight, and the Chicago Wolves lose in San Antonio ... their number goes down four to 16.

So tonight, Aeros fans are Rampage fans, too.