Hackett, Kampfer lead Aeros to 2-1 win over the OKC Barons

With more than 12,000 fans in their seats, the Aeros won for the 10th time in their last 15 games with a 2-1 win over the OKC Barons Saturday night at Toyota Center.

Goals by newly acquired Dan DaSilva and Steven Kampfer led the way offensively, and that proved to be enough for Matt Hackett, who continued his strong play since Darcy Kuemper got the call up to the Minnesota Wild.

Hackett made double-digit saves in every period, and needed every one of them in the third period, as the Aeros were out-shot 13-6. For his efforts, Hackett was named the No. 3 star of the game.

Kampfer got the first star with a goal and an assist, and his first of the season was good for the game winner. I know I have said it quite a few times on this blog during the last month or so, but Kampfer's turnaround this season has been impressive.

In Nov, Dec, and his first four games in 2013, he was minus-22 with just two assists. In the 16 games since then, he's plus-8 with a goal and seven assists. Hackett, too, had a great February. Saturday, he finished the month with a 5-3 record and his goals against was 2.22 with a .928 saves percentage.

Aeros hold on for 2-1 win - Photo by Morris Molina

Big picture wise, I don't know how they keep doing it. This roster shouldn't be 10-5 in their last 15 games and the seventh best team - point-wise - in the entire AHL. John Torchetti is getting the most out of Chad Rau and David McIntyre and Jim Mill has found suitable plugs to keep the ship more than just afloat.

The Aeros will get some much-needed practice time this week before making trips to Abbotsford and Charlotte for their next four games.

Their comeback in OKC fell just short Friday night, and the Aeros were able to get two points out of the weekend with the win on Saturday. With 21 games left in the season, it is believed that the Aeros will need 23 more points to hit the imaginary mark of 86 to make the playoffs.

Let's hope there is enough left in the tank for 12-14 more wins.

View from the Pressbox: A quickie on last weekend

This story is all over the place, so please forgive the ADD.

The Aeros are several men down because of a rash of injuries to defenseman, but that did not keep them from picking up three points and moving up from 10th to 9th in the overall standings.

Hackett with a great stop - Morris Molina, Houston Aeros

Three great comebacks in all three games, but they only win one of them as John alluded to last night. But, to look on the bright side is better. The win on Saturday at OKC was most satisfying, and Sunday was an even matchup overall that just ended up going the other way because the Aeros did not get the breaks in the first eight minutes and in the shootout.

Early on (already) health is going to dictate their fate far more than any other factor in the short-term. The team is loaded and they really look like they love playing and going to battle together. I'd love to see this group play for two straight months at 95 percent healthy.

There is some definite leadership and a fighter's mentality. That will go a long way down the stretch when they are playing all those road games in late winter.

Get ready for a lot of close games and a weaker power play until Granlund returns.

Big-picture wise, the Aeros have 10 more games this month, and six of those games are against San Antonio, Rockford and Oklahoma City. Only one of those teams (Lake Erie) has scored more goals than the Aeros, but four of those teams have allowed fewer goals.

Lake Erie and Abbotsford are ahead of the Aeros in the standings, but every other team on the schedule is within a game of .500 - translation? Get ready for a lot of close games.

Right now the Aeros are on pace for 91 points. Last year, that is good enough for a  three or four seed in the Western Conference. What I want to see -  to call the Aeos an elite AHL team like I believe their coaches think they are -  is for the Aeros to start playing better at home.

They have already lost three of five at home this year, and last year, they were 17-21. I realize they get points for getting to the fourth period, but OT and SO losses are losses.

All three games are at home this week, and the Aeros need to win two of them to stay in the upper half of the league standings. I think they can do just that if Hackett plays like he did the last two games, and the Aeros keep plugging away with their no-quit style of hockey.

View From The Press Box: Aeros Cool Off Heat

How about that? In the space of a two-and-a-half hours the Aeros went from 10th place in the Western Conference playoff standings to sixth place. And they did so in rather impressive fashion, dominating the Abbotsford Heat and getting the 4-1 win in a game that wasn't near as close as that final score indicates.

The damage came, again, from the Aeros power play unit as the team's first two goals came off the power play. Justin Fontaine netted both of the power play goals with Jeff Taffe getting an assist on each and Kris Fredheim and Chay Genoway getting the other assists.

Jeff Taffe struck for his third point of the game early in the second when he took the pass from Genoway and stuck it past Heat goalie Leland Irving. And the Aeros final goal came off of the stick of Jon DiSalvatore who blasted a slap shot from way up above the left circle past Irving -- the assist going to, you guessed it, Taffe.

The game was marred by multiple fights -- Almond was hit with two fighting majors -- and it got really, really ugly at the start of the third period when Abbotsford's Akim Aliu went after Almond just seconds into the period. A semi-brawl ensued, and by the time the bodies were separated and the penalties were handed out, it was clear the Heat were beaten -- Aliu got 2:00 for instigating, 5:00 for fighting, and a 10:00 game misconduct, Hugh Jessiman got 2:00 for roughing and a 10:00 game misconduct while Almond got five for fighting and Carson McMillan got 2:00 for roughing (how Drew Bagnall escaped without a penalty is still surprising).

The Heat scored seconds later, but it was clear that it was way too little, too late, and that the Aeros were going to pull out this game.

Justin Fontaine looked really good for the Aeros, but the true star of the game was Taffe and the power play.

"A good power play, you have to stay with it," head coach John Torchetti said. "As long as your power play doesn't take momentum away, you've got to stay with it. And if they just stick with what we keep teaching them -- and they're doing a great job of that -- and just take what's given to you -- once you learn to just take what's given to you -- and you're going to shoot, you have to be shooting first...it starts with the shot."

Torchetti spoke glowingly about the play of Genoway, calling him a big plus who's really smart and who will be really dangerous once he learns to shoot the puck.

And speaking of dangerous, Taffe had his second four point night in his last three games, once again getting a goal and three assists. Torchetti credits this with Taffe getting more aggressive and competing for more pucks. He's challenged the vets to do more on the ice, and he says that, at times, challenging the vets and drawing more out of them on the ice hasn't been pretty because he can't always be nice, but that they have responded.

"I have a rapport with my veterans, and I trust them," Torchetti said. "We had a talk at Christmas -- now that we're down to three [veterans]...I'm going to be harder on you because I expect you to play at a level. I expect our team to still win....You're going to be pressured."

And in goal again tonight was Joe Fallon who stopped 26 of the Heat's 27 shots, including making several tough stops early in the game when the Heat seemed to be controlling the action.

"He played big," Torchetti said of Fallon. "He's getting comfortable, he's being confident. He's challenging. He's doing a good job for us."

The Aeros are now 29-20-3-9 on the season with 15 games to play. They're tied, pointswise, with four other teams who all have 70 points, but the Aeros winning percentage has them in a tie for sixth place with San Antonio, and they're only a point behind Chicago and Peoria, who both have 71 points.

If the Aeros keep playing hockey like they did tonight, aggressive, attacking the net, shooting the puck, they could still be dangerous. But this weekend could be the key as they take on a rapidly improving Rockford club on Friday, face Abbotsford again on Saturday, and Oklahoma City on Sunday.

Jon DiSalvatore said on Sunday that this is all in their control. And it is. They just have to keep winning and getting points. If the bleeding can stop in Minnesota and the guys here can actually stay here and stay healthy, then the Aeros might still be able to pull this out.

As for tonight, it was sure was a fun game to watch.

Aeros Defeat Rampage 2-1 (IN OVERTIME!!!!!)

The Aeros did the unthinkable tonight.  They got the overtime win.

That's right.  You read that correctly.  The Aeros got the overtime win tonight, defeating the San Antonio Rampage 2-1 for their first OT win since March 15, 2011.  And boy, did it feel good.

"It's not even the New Year yet, so that's a good sign," head coach John Torchetti said shortly after the victory.   A victory powered by a pretty Jeff Taffe goal at 1:03 of the OT that came from the left of goalie Jacob Markstrom and was set up by a beautiful Jon DiSalvatore cross-ice pass from down low.

The Aeros tied the game in a most improbable fashion, scoring on the power play at 13:40 of the third period, Chad Rau taking a rebound and lifting it over the shoulder of Markstrom.

"It was good to see our power play," Torchetti said.  "It did a good job, got a big goal.  Got us back in the game, changed momentum.  I thought we played more of our style in the third."

The lone goal for the Rampage came at 3:31 of of the second period when San Antonio's Michael Caruso at mid-ice, hit the puck off of a stanchion and the puck flew past Hackett.  It was one of the goals that can kill a team, and in weeks past, it probably would have killed the spirits of the Aeros, but the veterans were back from Minnesota, and they were out in full force, as if willing the team to victory.

"Our leadership was fantastic tonight down at the end.  All of our leaders played huge roles.  Ortmeyer, Almond.  Strong penalty kill.  [Hackett] played big, Hack kept us in the game in the first."

The Aeros (17-6-2-7, 43 points) moved back into second place of the AHL's West Division with the win, bypassing the idle Abbotsford Heat, and they're one point behind the first place Oklahoma City Barons.  The Aeros return to action when they travel to San Antonio to face the Rampage on Friday night.  The Aeros return to Houston next year when they host the Barons on Sunday, January 1, 2012 at 5:05.

View from the Press Box - Kuemper records first pro shutout

Wow ... are you tired?

That is one of the questions Torchetti asked us after that game.

For the record, he said he was tired ... and I can see why.

The Aeros worked their (you know whats) off Friday, and earned two points in the every-so-tough Western conference. OKC just keeps on winning, so the Aeros needed every one of Kuemper's saves just to get out of the building with a win.

Even though they only scored one goal, I thought the offence was much better than it was the day before. I counted two posts and three REALLY good saves by Jacob Markstrom. Friday just might be the first of many good battles between those two over the next couple of years. That kid is really good, too.

Players blocked shots, and when they didn't Kuemper get the scrambly plays from making too big a difference. The Rampage has to be frustrated. They played about 100 times better than they did Tuesday and still got no so soup.

After losing 6-1 Tuesday, you knew San Antonio would come out flying. They did, and the Aeros survived the first period and won because of Kuemper and a pretty Justin Fontaine power play goal.

The Aeros get some much needed rest before Peoria visits on Sunday. That game will be a real test. The Rivermen loaded up on a bunch of high scoring vets and really haven't done anything with that talent. It will be interesting to see where their give-a-damn is after a 3-1 loss tonight in OKC.

Peoria is slumping big time right now, and they should be way better than they are. Will nice to finally be able to see them up close in the team's first meeting since last year's playoffs.

Enjoy the weekend, folks ... we'll talk more on Sunday.

View From The Pressbox: Senators Take 3-2 Series Lead

That was a painful game to watch tonight. Not because the effort wasn't there tonight, but painful because the Aeros got the 4-2 loss while losing another player, Jared Spurgeon, to injury, painful because of some boneheaded penalties, and painful because of the officiating.

Jean-Michel Daoust was the star of the game tonight, scoring both Aeros goals, and doing so in the fashion he did last season, by being pest in front of the goalie. Daoust's linemate, Pascal Morency, playing for the first time since March, also excelled, forcing action. In fact, if the whole team had played like the fourth line, the Aeros might have pulled this game out.

The first line didn't have the best of games -- though much better than last night -- but they were also messed up a bit with Casey Wellman being put back in that mix thanks to last night's injury to Cody Almond. Chad Rau was dropped by to the second line, and their chemistry seemed a bit off. The third line did what the third line usually does, but most of the really stupid penalties came from that line.

Speaking of penalties, Mike Yeo is usually kind of vanilla when it comes to commenting on officiating, but he wasn't happy tonight, and he said so.

[I'll have those later quotes later tonight.]

In the end, the Aeros probably have no one but themselves to blame for the defeat. The third goal, the game-winning goal, came with nine seconds left in the second period and was on a power play that had been necessitated by a Colton Gillies penalty. Matt Hackett did everything he could stop to puck, but sometimes, there's just nothing that could be done. If the hotel internet connection were better, I'd post the photo showing Hackett's efforts. And the other goals came off of that Aeros speciality known as turnovers.

All in all, a much better game for the Aeros, but still a loss, a loss which finds the Aeros returning home down 3-2 in the series. Frankly, I'm glad I'm not with Heather on the flight home because I think that's going to be one painful charter -- according to Joe O'Donnell, they're supposed to arrive at Hobby around 2:30 in the morning should any of you want to drive out and greet them.

And I'll be back later with the notes, quotes, and observations.

A View From The Press Box: Aeros Embarrassed By Senators

Well that was ugly. Binghamton came out and kicked the Aeros collective asses by the score of 3-0, and if not for the play of Matt Hackett, it might have been worse. Much worse.

I'll be back later with some quotes and observations and a rant about the officiating, but there's one reason why the Aeros lost tonight: the Senators wanted this game much, much more than the Aeros wanted this game.

I think we're all pretty accustomed to this by now. The Aeros get that glimpse of the ultimate prize, then fall apart. And fall apart tonight the team did. Mike Yeo was asked after the game if there was any facet of the team's game with which he was pleased. His answer was a simple no. This was a complete breakdown of effort and composure.

The two teams go up against each other again tomorrow night with the series tied at 2-2 and coming back to Houston next week. The question being whether the series will be 3-2 Houston or 3-2 Binghamton.

That's it for now. I'll be back later, but you can use this to post to make whatever comments you so desire.

View From The Press Box -- Aeros Take 2-0 Series Lead on Hamilton

Colton Gillies with the game winner.

The Aeros played an overall better game tonight in defeating Hamilton 3-2 this afternoon. Matt Hackett played another good game, and the Aeros were able to find more ways to get the puck past Drew MacIntyre, which was supposed to be impossible.

The Aeros aren't out of the woods yet. They now have three games to play in Hamilton, and they're looking a bit beat up. All that's known on Brett Bulmer was a cryptic "he's out" that I got from the team before the game. But whether that was just for the game or the series is a question mark, though after seeing him on crutches after the game, I'm not expecting him back on Tuesday.

As for Carson McMillan, your guess right now is as good as mine. Mike Yeo didn't know and said that they were awaiting the results from the medical tests.

I'll try to get back later tonight with quotes from Yeo, Jon DiSalvatore, Colton Gillies, and Matt Kassian, but since I want you to read my Press story in the morning, don't expect too much ;-) But since we had to fight through a gaggle of TV cameras to get our stuff after the game, you better bet I'll get something posted.

If you're curious, the Press story tomorrow will have a quote from Matt Kassian on Derek Boogaard, but I was also able to get this from Colton Gillies, who was Boogaard's teammate for a season in Minnesota.

"He was a really good guy," Gillies said. "It’s not a good thing."

And I didn't press it further since Gillies seemed to get choked up over the matter.

View From The Pressbox: Aeros Defeat Bulldogs, Take 1-0 Series Lead

Jed Ortmeyer beats Drew MacIntyre to put the Aeros up 2-0 early in the second period.

This was a tale of two games. The first game saw the Aeros dominate Hamilton and do just about anything they wanted. Drew MacIntyre was getting hit with shots from all over the ice and at the 2:59 mark of the second period, they were up 2-0 and seemingly had this game in hand.

Hamilton seemed to rebound about midway through the second period, and it was their turn to dominate the game in the third period, out-shooting the Aeros 21-4 and making everybody in the arena really feel the tension after finally breaking through against Matt Hackett and scoring with just under a minute left in the game. But Hackett stood large and stopped Hamilton the rest of the way, giving the Aeros the 2-1 win and the 1-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals.

"I think the best part about it was we won a game where I don't think we played our best hockey," Mike Yeo said. "I thought they got stronger as the game went on, and I thought we did a lot of things to help push them in that direction. It's funny how you can win a game when our goaltender was as outstanding as he was tonight."

Hackett was outstanding, playing perhaps the best hockey he's played in the playoffs. And he needed to be outstanding tonight, especially in the third period when a desperate Bulldog team attacked with everything they had.

The Aeros got a power play goal in the first period from Chad Rau, and Jed Ortmeyer got out and scored on a breakaway in the second for their goals.

We know that this is going to be a tough series, and the Aeros were able to accomplish one thing they really wanted to do, which was to protect home ice. The pressure is definitely on Hamilton right now as they're going to want to get at least one win in Houston before going home for three games.

The Aeros weren't too happy with their overall game tonight. But they were happy with Matt Hackett, and they were very happy to get the win and get the 1-0 series lead.

TRIVIA NOTE: This was only the second game of the playoffs in which the Aeros have been outshot by the opponent, with Hamilton get the shooting advantage 39-28.

View From The Pressbox: Bring On The Bulldogs

Colton Gillies ties the score at 1-1 with 12.2 seconds left in the first period.

I've got a confession to make, I thought the Aeros were going to lose this game. I sent Andrew and Heather a note before the game, and I said it was going to be a blowout in Milwaukee's favor. Never have I been so glad to be so wrong.

I wasn't thrilled with the Aeros play in the first period, especially the first half of the period. I just thought Milwaukee was dominating the game, and from what Mike Yeo told me after the game, the guys on the team thought the same thing. And as the seconds ticked down to the intermission, I was thinking the Aeros should be thanking the hockey gods that Terry Koharski was so frigging blind so that they would be down only 1-0 instead of 2-0, only to have Colton Gillies strike and tie the game.

Casey Wellman was the man at the end. He buried that puck, learning from a mistake he'd made on a similar shot several shifts earlier, but if not for Gillies, I don't think Wellman has the chance to be the hero.

"That [Gillies] goal was huge for us," Yeo said after the game. "A number of reasons. I thought Milwaukee played a great first period. I thought that our first period was good, but the feeling on the bench was that Milwaukee was handing it to us good. I don’t think that was the case. They played a very good period and made us feel that because of it. But getting that goal kind of put things back into focus for us, and say, hey, we’re tied going into the period, and I think we know we’ve got another level."

That goal gave the Aeros some momentum, some much needed momentum. The second period was scoreless, though each team had some good chances, then Carson McMillan caught Jeremy Smith alone, being careless with the puck behind the net, and he rushed in from the blue line, got the puck, and found a way to get in the net before Smith or the Milwaukee defenders could stop it.

(Here's a stat: McMillan had three goals in the series. Two were overtime winners, and the third put the Aeros in the lead.)

Milwaukee was able to tie it on a nice goal, and it really, really looked like this game was going to go to OT. Then with about 2:00 left, the Admirals really went on the attack. They surrounded the net and Hackett and pounded him with shot after shot after shot. I thought for sure they were going to win, but Hackett came up big at the most important time of the series and he kept them out of the net. Drew Bagnall was able to make a great play on the puck and get it to Wellman, and BAM!, the Aeros were up.

"There was a crazy scramble in front," Hackett said. "I was lucky to make two or three big saves. My D, they helped me out great. Bags blocked a shot right at the end there. It went to Casey, and he buried it low glove. It was a crazy feeling when he scored that goal."

Here's how Colton Gillies described the sequence as he saw it from the bench.

"Man, our coach tells us, that’s playoffs," Gillies said. "That’s when a lot of goals do happen. The other team is focusing on trying to get that puck home, and guys are sacrificing in front of the net to block the shot, and taking guys out. It just takes one good bounce and we’re off in the other direction.

"It was obviously an emotional rollercoaster on the bench watching it all develop. But it worked out."

I hate to do this to you, but if you want to read what Casey Wellman and Mike Yeo said about the goal, then you're going to have to check the Press tomorrow because I've got to do something to get you to read over there.

This was an incredibly tough series. I was tough on Matt Hackett a lot, but damn, when it was the most difficult, there at the end, the guy really came through. And who doesn't feel for Jeremy Smith. The guy had an incredible series. He did what you want a goalie to do, until the end when he just couldn't do it anymore.

"Jeremy Smith, he had an unbelievable series," Welmman said. "I think we out shot them almost every game. I think it might have been every game. He was coming up with saves left and right. There was obviously some frustration on our side, but we were trying not to let it get to us. We just wanted to get pucks to the net and get guys there for rebounds and second and third opportunities."

I think I'll close this out with Matt Hackett who just summed up this series, and this game seven, just perfectly.

"It’s just fun," he said. "It’s playoff hockey. It’s what you do playing as a kid. You play on the road hockey. It’s overtime, all the time, game seven. Tonight was a special game. It was close again. I didn’t have that much work this series, and it was tough for me to kind of stay focused. But Smitty he had a lot of shots, and it was different for me. But I got used to it later on.

"I’m proud of the boys right now. They did a great job."

So good night from Milwaukee and an incredible game seven. Please read my post in the Press tomorrow/Wednesday. We'll see you on Friday night at Toyota Center for Game One against Hamilton.

P.S.: My MVP of the series is easy. It's Colton Gillies. But you can feel free to argue that out.

P.P.S.: Dear AHL, please do something about your officials. Terry Koharski missed Roman Jofi's goal in the first period. I really fail to understand how he refused to call that a goal. Then he missed a Chad Rau goal later that period. If you're not going to go to replay, then at least get some guys out there who have some decent eye sight.

View From The Pressbox: Aeros Lose Game Six

The Aeros almost won a game they had no reason winning. They almost won this series in six games, and they almost didn't have to worry about a seventh game. They had the 4-3 lead with five minutes left, and they lost 5-4.

They came out playing awful, awful, awful hockey. Stupid penalties. Turning over the puck. Not being aggressive on offense. Matt Hackett couldn't stop anything. They were down 3-0 at the 3:24 mark of the second period, and they deserved to be down 3-0.

Then things got really stupid, and the really stupid involved Matt Hackett getting into it with Roman Josi. This happened at the 5:06 mark of the second. Mike Yeo called a timeout and gathered the team. I don't know what he said -- nobody I talked to would go into specifics -- but from that timeout until about the five minute mark of the third period, the Aeros dominated.

Unfortunately, it wasn't good enough.

"We didn’t play very well till we were down three-nothing," Patrick O'Sullivan said. "We took stupid penalties. We knew that they were obviously going to be fighting for their lives."

I'll try to throw some more up later tonight. But the guys I talked to kept going back to how they blew it in that first period.

The good news on the night was the Patrick O'Sullivan and Jon DiSalvatore had their best games of the playoffs. And Jarod Palmer made a spectacular play for the team's first goal.

But they just couldn't hold on. Hackett let down when it most mattered, not that the defense helped. Jeremy Smith recovered when it mattered. And now the Aeros are get to play a game seven they probably shouldn't be playing.

The Aeros can score on Milwaukee and Jeremy Smith. I think that's been proven. A guy can only stop so many shots. The problem on Tuesday will be stopping Milwaukee.

A View From The Press Box

The Aeros took a licking tonight. They took the licking, but they kept on ticking, getting the 2-1 win over Peoria to sweep the Rivermen and move on to the next round of the playoffs.

I'll try to get on with quotes and photos later tonight, but I can't promise anything since it's been a long day, and I'm really tired. That said...

Drew Bagnall admitted he was lucky on his goal, a shot from around center ice that tied the game in the second. But while there was luck involved, it was a designed play. Bagnall and Mike Yeo said after the game that everyone knew of Bishop's tendency to play the puck, and that Darryl Sydor had been preaching to the guys that if they got the chance, to fake going hard around the glass then throw it to the net in the chance that something would happen. And what do you know, something happened. Good scouting from the staff.

Yeo was proud of the way that guys like O'Sullivan, DiSalvatore, Earl, and Wellman responded to the pounding they got. Knowing they were going to take the hit, they kept executing the system and made the plays that needed to be made.

Still, the hockey gods were smiling down on Houston. I don't know if you could tell over AHL Live, or from what Joe O'Donnell was saying on the radio, but it's impossible to describe just how close Peoria was to sending the game to OT there at the very end. Twice in the closing seconds the puck hovered on the ice, in empty space, inside the blue box, just millimeters away from that red line. And nobody was able to knock it in. Hackett said he thought he had the last one smothered in his chest, and was shocked when his teammates were screaming that the puck was behind him.

But sometimes, the hockey gods really do smile on you.

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A quick bit of trivia: I have now travelled to three Aeros playoff games where they had the chance to clinch a series and advance. And they've won all three. I think the Aeros/Wild need to keep that tidbit it mind.

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And one more thing, the Houston Press is kind of close to killing Aeros coverage because they don't think anybody in the city gives a damn about hockey -- they're giving me the playoffs to get numbers up, or no hockey coverage next year. So please go over and read the story I've got there tomorrow. Make sure to click on it if you can. Leave a comment if you want. Don't do it just for me, but do it so that the team can continue to get some coverage while the rest of the city's media covers losers like the Astros and the Texans.

View from the Press Box - Aeros win OT thriller over Admirals

It is hard to believe there are just 10 games left in the regular season.

It is also difficult to fathom that the Aeros could still, possibly, not make the playoffs. No need to go down that negative road today when you've got great things to talk about like the season Patrick O'Sullivan is having in Houston. Forget all the collapse talk when you've got Robbie Earl snapping a month-long goal drought with back-to-back games winners in crucial home games.

I had a good feeling about the game Friday for the same reason I had a real bad feeling about the last time the Aeros played in Cedar Park. One team was due to win against the other. My old friend Rob Daum used to challenge my law of averages argument. "What IS that, really," he used to ask. I'd change the subject by telling him, "Well, you're team is only as good as the starting goalie for your next game." Considering he had Tony Quesada and Miro Kopriva manning the pipes ... well, let's just say that is the end of the conversation.

Seventy down and 10 to go ... and speaking of laws of averages; the last four two-game winning streaks have been stopped with a regulation loss. If you like patterns, you can say the Aeros lose Saturday. If you like the law of averages argument, it's a win hands down.

You can spin just about anything, any way.

But I digress ...

I asked Robbie if the Aeros just wanted it more, did they perhaps will themselves to a win. "Well the game went to OT, ...I think both teams really wanted this one," he said. And I think that speaks volumes. That is how it is going to be for the last 10 games. Every mistake, every goal for and against will be under the microscope. Just as Forecheck said in a comment, "Welcome to the playoffs! "

View from the Press Box - Aeros drop an eight-spot on Rockford

Now that is more like it ...

The Aeros had two days to stew over the disappointing set-back from Sunday and were just one-goal away from breaking their franchise record of eight goals in a game.

Look, let's be real; Rockford tanked after the Aeros scored that third goal. They literally stopped playing for about 30 minutes. It was good to see the Aeros climb the ladder with a franchise record six power play goals, and they got a win against a team that they probably should have beat twice.

Wednesday's game was a treat for those that braved the weeknight to attend.

Heather will have some more stuff for you later about how the team felt about Rockford resorting to cheap shots with the game out of hand.

But for now, I have to mention that the Aeros are down yet another defenseman after Jamie Fraser got hurt in this game. The AHL deadline is Monday, and if the Aeros want to make a run, they will need to add a veteran blueliner that doesn't already have a serious injury.

While I think trading Anton was the absolutely right thing to do, especially for Anton, I am disappointed that all he could fetch was a skilled forward that will never play here and an injured blueliner. In case you were wondering where Penner was tonight, he is out with an upper-body injury and it does not sound like he is close to playing.

We'll see how things look in a week to 10 days when the Wild and Aeros start to get a bit healthier, but until then, it's going to be an interesting weekend.

As for the standings, the Aeros held their own with the win. San Antonio beat Abbotsford and Milwaukee earned an OT point in Hamilton. This weekend, there will be more division games, but don't expect too much separation at this point. This season is literally going to go down to the last 10 days, and the Aeros better find a way to get a six-point cushion or more on the fourth place team.

Here is a look at the updated standings with games remaining. Please click on the image for a closer view.

View from the Pressbox - Admirals 5, Aeros 4

Don't worry, folks, the blown two-goal lead tracker was updated late in the third period when the team officially gave up. Tonight's game was a perfect case in point as to why the Milwaukee Admirals are the best team in the West division.

It was a weird game from the get-go, and the Admirals showed poise even after Patrick O'Sullivan scored a pretty breakaway goal in the third period, followed by a scrappy goal by Warren Peters. Milwaukee tied the game less than a minute later, and I don't even think the Aeros had five shots after that.

Several players stood out to me with poor games tonight, but Anton wasn't one of them. He wasn't great or good, just incredibly unlucky as three of Milwaukee's goals went off of Aeros players. I think the only real poor goal was the game-winner as he lost sight of a rebound.

Anton fell to 1-6-1-1 all time against the Admirals, and this was the first time he ever received four goals in his favor. Bad things just happen when he plays against this team in the regular season, and tonight was just another example of that.

The team is a lot more fun to cover when they win, so I sure hope this three losses in four games is just a fluke. Mike Yeo held the players for more than 20 minutes after this game and politely declined to give specifics on what was said.

I guess we'll see if any of it hits home Friday against Texas.

Here is an updated look at the down the stretch standings for the rest of the regular season. Please click on the image for better look.

Aeros Lose To Chicago

Sorry for the lack of story or pics at the moment. Let's just say I'm having computer issues and will try to get something up later tonight. Needless to say, I won't be saying anything nice as the Aeros lost 3-1 to Chicago in a game where it appeared the Aeros did the same thing all of the school students did who were supposed to be at Toyota Center today -- they didn't come.

Very disappointing game. Their worst since early December in my opinion. Could have been worse if not for Anton Khudobin, who though not having his best game, at least appeared to be giving it a bit of an effort today.

Like I said, more later, promise. Including some quotes from Mike Yeo and Jon DiSalvatore.

View from the Pressbox - It's (Wellman) time.

If you didn't have a good time at the Aeros game tonight, then you're just not human.

And if you were in attendance, you probably saw the single best individual effort in the team's 17-year history.

Wellman was unbelievable tonight, and he has been getting better every game since his latest demotion from the Wild.

His first goal was of the hard-working variety. His second one was pretty, too, although he got a little bit of help from Rampage defenseman Garrett Stafford, who turned the wrong way and forgot to cover the far post.

For the natural hat trick, he snapped one low over Climie's glove, and the fourth? That was just sick. He did the old spin-o-rama in front of Climie and roofed one high into the cage. Ms. C will have some art and more about that one later.

Look, the Rampage were playing their fifth straight road game and their best player, Mathieu Beaudoin was on crutches with what appears to be a severe lower body injury. The Aeros got an assist from Lady Luck and the schedule tonight, but a win is a win, and this one was one of the most fun of the year.

Against the Rampage, you have to get a 2-0 or 3-0 lead because this team is loaded offensively, and even when you play your best game of the year, they are still going to get their two or three goals.

We found out late in the game that Chuck Fletcher and Jim Mill were in attendance, and we saw them down by the locker after the game. They will take a forward with them back to Minny, and Wellman certainly made a good case for himself tonight.

But there are several other players, too, that might get the nod. Robbie Earl has been lights out. Warren Peters is playing his best hockey of the season, and Cody Almond just keeps getting better and better. I would not be a bit surprised to see one of them making the trip to join the big club.

The Aeros will start a real nasty trip Sunday in Cleveland. It will be crucial for them to start things off right with games coming up against a great Hamilton team and a Grand Rapids team, that still cannot win at home for some reason.

Friday was the Aeros first win of the season against San Antonio, and they have won five of their last six games and are a season-high five games over .500. The Aeros now know what it takes to be successful in this division. Let's see if they can keep it up as they enter one of their toughest stretches of the season.

View from the Press Box (Aeros 4, Moose 1)

The Aeros played three good periods Thursday and were rewarded with a 4-1 win over their long time AHL/IHL rivals.

Nice to see Noreau on the scoresheet, and Danny "Forsberg" Irmen in highlight reel form. The offensive play of the game to me was when Clayton Stoner rushed toward the net only to dish over to Irmen for the easy tap-in.

For a second there, I thought I was watching Paul Coffey and Dino Ciccarelli (circa 1996).

That goal was good, even though the Moose would even it up when Rosa converted a rebound late in the opening frame.

Heather and John have more on the game, but below is our post-game video blog.
Things that stand out to me after this game are:

• 0-for-43
• Welcome back, Anton
• Good to see more than one goal go in
• Penalty kill was methodical and good
• Temperature was very warm at ice level, and the Aeros used it
• The Aeros need more from Duncan Milroy, and Ryan Lannon (healthy scratch)
• How many sticks in Nate Smith going to break trying to hit a one-timer?
• Irmen is on pace for 28 goals this year (but call-ups to Minny will hurt this)
• JM Daoust is on pace for a career-high 28 helpers this year

View from the Press Box

The Aeros were good enough to win Wednesday night, but did not convert any of their scoring chances to get one point, let alone two.

This team is obviously weaker up front than the offensive juggernaut Aeros fans witnessed (at times) last season. But it is good enough to win enough games to get to the playoffs. Wednesday was just a bad case of facing a really defensive team that (including Tuesday's shutout at Texas) has not allowed a goal in more than 150 minutes.

That, and they simply did not convert when opportunities presented themselves.

In this video, John and I discuss Wednesday's loss. During the next home game, we are going to publish T3Is very own mobile number so we can accept texts during and after the game. John and I will answer those (or as many as we can) during the next installment of "View from the Press Box."

10/9 - Aeros v. Stars

In a very uneven game that started with the Aeros looking like they might never even allow a Stars shot on goal, but ended with the Aeros scrambling to make up a 2 goal deficit, the Texas Stars took home the 3-2 win tonight in the first ever regular season meeting between the teams.

Clayton Stoner opened up the scoring when he ripped a shot from the point past Stars goalie Brent Krahn, during a first period in which it took over half the period for the Stars to finally get a shot on goal. The Aeros dominated; the Stars must have given up 15 turnovers in the neutral zone. It was the kind of period where you're glad you're gonna see this team 11 more times this season.

But two different teams came out of the locker rooms at the second. The Aeros were flat and lacked the energy of the first. The Stars looked like they'd gotten a talking to in the room and were ready to make amends for a sorry first.

And make amends they did. Shots were almost exactly the reverse of the first period with the Stars gettin 11 to the Aeros 4, but they capitalized one extra time with goals from Rallo and McCulloch.

The McColloch goal was off a nasty rebound into traffic and the bouncing puck hopped past the pad of Dubielewicz.

The Aeros started the third on the power play, but it was Texas who scored first when Korostin popped the puck 5-hole on Dubie midway through the period on what looked like a bad play defensively for the Aeros.

With about 4 minutes left in the period, Constantine pulled Dubie from the net and the Aeros went to work with 6 men. Amazingly the Stars were unable to get the puck in the empty net, but had several good chances as the Aeros organized their man-advantage.

Though it was too little too late, rookie Chad Rau scored his first professional goal after the Aeros had been storming Krahn's crease for nearly 3 straight minutes. But the boys in the bomber sweaters were unable to get another puck past Krahn, who was truly outstanding in the final minute of play, stopping a whopping 18 of 19 shots.

Which leads us to the stick figure of the night:

Folks, Stars goaltending is out of this world. Climie is just as good as Krahn. The mere 4 penalties in this game indicate that it's not a rivalry yet, but give it time.

10/2 - Aeros v. Moose

Manitoba looked like Manitoba and the Aeros looked like the Aeros tonight as the teams came together north of the border to kick off the 2009-10 season.

The final was 4-3, and while the Aeros jittery play did smooth out later in the game, in reality, it was not as close as the score might indicate. Aeros seemed to put nearly every shot right into the chest of Cory Schneider, and when you're dealing with the AHL Goalie of the Year, you just can't do that.

Frankly, the scoring attempts were more reminiscent of the season before last, though I think once the new guys who have been up with the Wild throughout Aeros camp have a chance to practice with the squad that's been here, you'll see the play smooth out an awful lot.

The talent is there, for sure. Colton Gillies earned the first Aeros goal of the season when he put a pretty power play rebound past a scrambling Schneider, and then had the only assist on Andy Hilbert's goal. Then Hilbert got an assist on Noreau's buzzer beater that Earl apparently deflected in. And Craig Weller also assisted on Gillies goal. That's 5 points for the once-and-future NHLers on the squad, so as long as they're here, they should be a real boon.

Of course, one of the craziest things about hockey is when a beloved player moves to another team and then plays his old team. And for Marco Rosa, who is now a Moose, it couldn't have turned out better. He got the first goal of the night, nay the first goal of the SEASON, for the Moose and the #1 star. Bada-bing! Nice seeing you, Rosie!

Oh, and how about that final goal from the Moose? If you didn't see it... the guy shot from the high slot or thereabouts. Basically a hard dump-in. It went over Dubie's head, bounced off the glass onto the top of the net, and then rolled off the top of the net and into the goal.

It was one of those moments as a goalie where you just think, "I should have been a right wing." Poor guy.

He did have an amazing save early in the game where the Moose had him down on his blocker side and passed to his glove side, shot it just inside the post, and he dove over and got a glove on it.

And of course, I can't wrap this up without mentioning the 88 minutes of penalties in the second period. Not a typo. 88. What the what?

Well, first, Kassian and Desbiens went at it and Kass just pounded him. He's really such a gentleman fighter though. Clearly Desbiens was hurting and Kass kept his grip on his sweater but gave him a few seconds to find which way was up before pounding on him some more. All class--you know, for guys who are punching each other in the face.

Then Stoner laid a nice hit and Ramsey took offense and jumped him (and got instigating and game misconduct penalties on top of the fighting major), but Stoner handily beat the snot out of Rammer. Stoner had some huge open ice hits tonight, too. Heads on a swivel when that guy's around. Holy cow.

Lastly, somehow Noreau and Smith both got into fights and the whole kerfuffle had about as much of a line brawl feel as you're gonna get with the modern rules around fighting. Smith got a slew of minutes for tha,t as his was a secondary fight.

That's it! Here's the game sheet if you want to see all the extracurricular shenanigans that went on.

Same bat time, same bat channel tomorrow night.

Who starts in goal? Dimples or Dubie? I wouldn't say Dubie is the hot goalie right now by any stretch. If I'm KC, I see what Dimples can do.

Aeros 3, Stars 2 in a shootout

Third period wasn't as successful for the Aeros, as they were outshot 15-9 and Constantine wasn't happy with that period. Dubie came up big and kept it to one goal against, while Gregg Johnson scored his second goal in as many games for the Aeros to tie it up.

The teams were locked up through overtime and went to the shootout where the Aeros won in 4 rounds with goals from DiSalvatore, Madsen, and Zingoni, who had the winner. Dubie made several tough pad saves to help with the shootout win.

Much like Saturday, the cohesiveness of this team this early is astounding. Constantine says cuts are probably coming tomorrow, but they're going to be difficult as some of the tryouts are outplaying the guys with contracts. That's a good problem to have.

-------------------------------------

The Aeros outshot the Stars 11-6 in the second period and even though the teams are tied 1-1, this game belongs to Climie. He has been exceptional tonight, as the Aeros are dominating play both in offensive zone possession and scoring chances.

Dubielewicz, too, is holding his own, but he made a big mistake that led to the first goal of the game. On what appeared to be a lazy shot by Brandon Straub, Dubielewicz did not appear to squeeze the glove. The puck flipped out of his mitt and rolled behind him for a 1-0 lead.

Less than 90 seconds later, Chad Rau tied the game for the Aeros when he put a rebound by Climie with Daoust and Jamie Fraser getting the assists.

The Aeros are 0-for-4 on the power play; the Stars are 0-for-2. Rau now leads the team with four shots, while Gunderson, Zingoni, Milroy and McMillan each have three.

Will try to give some final thoughts postgame tonight.

======================================================

The Aeros outshot the Stars 15-5 in the first period and carried play throughout the first 20 minutes. Neither teams scored, and former Aero Matt Climie has been very sharp so far. Duncan Milroy leads all players with three shots after 20 minutes.

Houston had two power plays with which to work and snapped off seven shots and, from what I counted, at least four good scoring chances. The Stars had one power play, and held Texas to one, maybe two shots.

Another former Aero, Max Fortunus, was the closest to scoring the first goal of the game when his shot from the top of the left circle beat Wade Dubielewicz before clanging off the right post.

More after the second period.

======================================================

We are underway in Cedar Park and the Aeros are controlling play early.

Starting tonight for the Aeros:

(by the way more longhorn jerseys in the stands than Stars or Aeros. Just an observation.)

D, Clayton Stoner and Brandon Rogers
C, Chad Rau (Game winner Saturday in SO)
RW, Jon DiSalvatore
LW, Jean-Michael Daoust (formerly of the WBS Penguins)

Starting tonight for the Stars

D, Brendan Milnamow and Matt Stephenson
RW, Kevin DeVergilio (no laughing Fred)
C, Greg Rallo
LW, Michael Neal

Not dressed for the Aeros: Brad Zanon, JP Testwuide, Petr Kalus, Matthew Fornataro and Ryan Lannon.

Not dresses for the Stars: The only one you care about is Matt Beaudoin.

Aeros win first pre-season game 3-2

I can't tell if it's because I've missed pro hockey so much or because it was actually a good game, but that was a good game, especially for pre-season.

Aeros opened the scoring on a goal from Noreau (okay, I'm hearing now that it was deflected by Milroy) like we've all seen a bunch of... rocket from the point. But Zingoni set up the goal with a shot down low that rebounded out. Goalie didn't even know what hit him (or actually didn't hit him) on that one.

A few fights but none that warranted more than a roughing call (though they still got fighting majors... they should come up with a Violent Hugging penalty and there would have been several of those tonight).

San Antonio evened the score up in the second with a goal by Colin Long, but the Aeros answered quickly with a goal from tryout Gregg Johnson.

I failed to tweet it, but San Antonio again tied it up in the second when Jay Henderson roofed a shot over Wade Dubielewicz, who came in for Khudobin about midway through the second.

Third period looked better, but Constantine said he preferred the first two periods. The Aeros had some strong offensive chances late in the third, but couldn't finish and the game went into overtime and then to the shootout.

Few of the shots were terribly challenging in the shootout, but both goalies were perfect until the Aeros Chad Rau put one on San Antonio goalie Timo Pielmeier (say it 10 times fast) that he had but then let slip over his pad into the goal. Oops.

A few impressions of the new guys:

Ferguson IS the new Mitch Love. He was in the middle of everything. He had this one keep at the blue line where he did a full 360 degree spin horizonally in the air as he flung the puck back into the Aeros offensive zone. I'm pretty sure he's a NINJA, and I don't just throw that term around.

Kalus still has tons of speed and had a few breakaways, but just can't get to the net with it.

Lannon is a tough SOB (he was wearing the captain's C, BTW)... in fact, I saw very few instances where guys didn't finish their checks with gusto.

I don't know how much this team is going to score but they do seem to play a tough game.

We'll see what they look like on Monday against what is expected to be a pretty darn good Texas Stars team. Andrew and I will be there to give you the Tweets and gory details.

Good night!

(BTW, I saw lots of cameras out... if anybody got a shot they particularly love, email 'em to me and we'll do a picture thread.)

View from the Press Box - 22 May 2009

Here is the latest installment of "View from the Press Box" after Friday's 4-3 overtime win against Manitoba. This time we put the camera on a box rather than have a human being hold the camera for six minutes. Actually, that worked out better anyway because it allowed Heather to make faces at us the whole time.



To rehash the Aeros travel plans, they fly to Minneapolis this afternoon and then change for a flight to Fargo, ND. The team will then bus to Winnipeg from there, and Game 6 is Monday night. Should they win that one, Game 7 is Wednesday.

View From the Press Box -- Game 7, Aeros vs. Milwaukee

Wow.

I can't really think of much more to say than wow.

Game Seven. On Milwaukee ice. And the Aeros win 5-2.

Just when we give up on the Aeros, they come out and shock you. I truly think tonight's game was the best all-around game that I've seen this team play in the playoffs. They kept their composure most of the night. They kept the mental mistakes and stupid turnovers to a minimum -- Milwaukee's last goal was the fault of the defense just disappearing on Khudobin.

It was one happy group of guys in the locker room after the game. And here's the thing. They didn't look relieved that they won the game -- which is what you might expect from a team that blew a 3-1 series lead to head into a Game Seven. They looked excited. Expectant. They want to see what comes next.

There were three turning points in the game -- if a game the Aeros led all of the way can have three turning points. Number one was Corey Locke's goal to put the Aeros up 1-0. Milwaukee had been dominating the play early -- really banging the guys hard into the boards. But the goal gave the team some confidence. Turning point number two came less than a minute later when Krys Kolanos scored to put the team up 2-0. That took Milwaukee out of their game plan and made them scramble the rest of the night. And turning point number three was the start of the third period. Milwaukee scored just before the end of the second to make the score 3-2 Houston, and it could be said the Admirals had the momentum. But the Aeros shut them down and didn't let Milwaukee get back on the board.

They're going to rest in Milwaukee tonight, bus to Chicago in the morning, then fly to Winnipeg for Game One against the Manitoba Moose on Friday. The Moose will be rested. And they will be waiting. But for what it matters, the Aeros really do seem to have a confidence that they can do anything.

And that's the scene from in Milwaukee. Now I've got interviews to transcribe. And a post for the mothership to write. But I'll be back later tonight.

View from the Press Box - Game 4

There is a common cliche muttered in playoff hockey when one team plays better than another but still ends up on the wrong side of the scoreboard: "The game was stolen," or "We stole this game," or "They stole that game from us."

That just about sums up what has happened in Games 3 and 4, and yet the Aeros are now just one win away from the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2003.

FACT - The Aeros have been outplayed in the last three games overall.

Yes, I know Anton Khudobin played his happy birthday little heart out and played one of the best games any goaltender has played in the 2009 playoffs. But the Admirals just can't put the puck in the net during a time when Drew MacIntyre is playing sensational hockey in the other net.

To me, the turning point in this game was the first period when St. Laurent was missing tripping calls right and left and yet the Aeros still grabbed a 1-0 lead on Pouliot's first playoff goal. Milwaukee was not playing disciplined hockey and the Aeros were unlucky only to get two power play chances with which to work.

FACT - The Aeros have played smarter hockey in this series.

The Aeros played a great "their game" yet again, which is basically hiding in the weeds and waiting for that lame little duck to sit in front of the net and then BLAM! Goal. The Aeros are not taking a lot of shots, but they are getting their decent share of scoring chances because they have a good power play and they have a knack for converting mistakes into goals.

It will be interesting to see how Milwaukee responds after what has to be a devastating loss. These games tend to be interesting because 84.6 percent of the time, teams that lose Game 4s to go down 3-1 in a series either lose the next one via blowout or they win in overtime.

And 98.6 percent of all statistics are made up right on the spot.

I still think this series in going back to Beertown, USA, but damn it if Khudodbin has other plans right now.

View From the Press Box -- Game 3

Houston Aeros coach Kevin Constantine said after this morning's skate that he wanted his team to focus less on what Milwaukee was doing, and to focus more about getting back to their style of play and back into the Aeros system. After tonight's game, he said it was a bit of a mixed bag, and that they played Milwaukee's game in the second period.

But when it mattered most, the Aeros played their style of hockey, getting two goals in the third period to get the 3-1 win over the Milwaukee Admirals before a crowd of 3047 inside of Toyota Center. With the win, the Aeros have the 2-1 advantage in the best of seven series.

The thing I noticed most from the press box was that when the Aeros pressed the Admirals, they had control of the game. That might not show in the shot totals, or in the number of goals, but for most of the first and third periods, the Aeros pressed, and the Admirals were forced to react to the Aeros instead of the Aeros reacting to the Admirals.

And did I nail this win, or what? My keys to the game for the Aeros were to score first. To score on a power play, to have the lead after the first period, and to prevent the Admirals from scoring on a power play. And the Aeros did all of that.

Who knows what will happen come Thursday night. There's never any real way of determining, as far I can tell, which Aeros team will show up to play from period to period, much less from game to game. But just like in the series with Peoria, and so far with Milwaukee, if the Aeros are the ones on the attack, they're the ones who are going to win the game.

The three stars of the game were 3) Milwaukee's Ryan Jones, who refused to come out after the game to acknowledge his star; 2) Matt Beaudoin who got the game-winning goal when a Max Noreau shot from between the circles nicked his pads, and 1) Anton Khudobin who made several impressive stops of Milwaukee shots while stopping 27 of Milwaukee's 28 shots.

I'll be back more later, including quotes from Constantine, Beaudoin, and Khudobin.

A View From The Press Box

I sent Andrew, Heather, and Fred an e-mail between the second and third period. I said if the Aeros of the first period came out for the third period they would win the game. I said if the Aeros of the second period came out, Peoria would win.

I think we now know which Aeros team came out.

The final score was 5-2 Houston. Though that score doesn't do justice to just how close this game was. Maxim Noreau scored late in the third to put Houston up 3-2. Peoria was attacking with under a minute left, they'd finally been able to pull Manny Legace, and pow, Corey Locke and then Mitch Love got the empty-netters. And just like that, Game Seven was over and onto Milwaukee it is for the Aeros.

I'll have much, much more later tonight, as I've got interviews to transcribe and a story for the mothership to prepare first. But from the start of the game it appeared that Krys Kolanos wanted this victory, and you could tell by his effort on the first goal. You could also tell from the start that Anton Khudobin was going to have a rough night, which he did. But luckily, his defense stepped up to keep him and the team out of trouble.

It was basically a story of two games. The first and third periods which saw the Aeros constantly attacking the net, constantly attacking Legace, and the story of the second which saw the Aeros trying to play it safe and not screw up, resulting in them getting absolutely zero shots for the period.

And one more thing, I didn't see the disputed Max Noreau goal of the first period. I arrived and got into my seat at the press box next to Tom Lynn just as the puck dropped. I saw the Kolanos goal, but I was trying to get situated, and I was scribbling notes when suddenly Lynn jumped up screaming about how could they miss that. All that I know is that replay showed the net move. And as you'll see later when I've got the interviews transcribed, Kevin Constantine said that the on-ice officials thought there was a goal, but they didn't see it, and since the goal judge didn't indicate there was a goal, then there was nothing they could do.

But it doesn't matter now. The Aeros win. The Aeros win. The Aeros win.

My personal three stars of the game are 3) Clayton Stoner. I don't know if you could tell on the radio or by watching on AHL Live, but Stoner was delivering some serious hits and keeping Peoria honest, 2) Matt Beaudoin didn't make a goal, but he had one hit off of the pipe in the second and it was his shot bouncing off of Legace that set up Noreau's game-winner. And when the offense disappeared in the second period, Beaudoin was one of only two Aeros who kept trying to apply pressure, the other is my number 1) star, Krys Kolanos. Kolanos got the game going on the right foot with his first period goal, and he and Beaudoin were the only two Aeros who kept the pressure on the Peoria defense and Legace throughout the entire game.

And courtesy of Patrick Armstrong, the Aeros PR guru, comes this tidbit of information. Game One is in Milwaukee on April 30. Game Two is in Milwaukee on May 2. Game Three is in Houston on May 5. Game Four is in Houston on May 7. Game Five (if needed) is in Houston on either May 8 or May 9. Games Six and Seven (if needed) are in Milwaukee on May 11 and May 13.

Now I've got to unpack and pack. Transcribe some interviews. And write some stories.

View from the Press Box - Game 5

Consider this quote from Kevin Constantine about what the Aeros did Wednesday night in their 3-2, overtime win over the Peoria Rivermen at Toyota Center:

“One strength of this team, even more so than any other team that I have been with, is the come-from-behind part. The two goals we scored late is something that we have been able to do all year. This team has just always hung in there.”

I have said this all along, and I will continue to believe it. This is the best comeback team I have ever seen, and I have been watching or covering the Aeros since 1994. If anyone wants to debate this, you pick the time and place.

Teams that have 2-0, third-period leads in the playoffs don't lose games, but the Rivermen did that tonight. I sat in amazement how Shaun Davis called penalty after penalty after penalty, and I knew that if the Aeros, who entered the game hitting 40 percent of their PP chances, something, anything could happen.

The Aeros could win this series on their power play alone if they keep getting all these chances. Legace was mostly helpless on the first and third goals, and he stopped a pretty decent shot through traffic by Falk before Earl's tying marker on the rebound.

Look, I am starting to like whatever mojo Khudobin is bringing with him to the rink, but he was a little shaky in the first two periods. He saw a lot of shots, and when luck was on his side early (Regier missed on a breakaway for example) I had a feeling that he would be OK.

Now the Aeros have two chances to win the series. For all you stat nerds -- and I think I will call myself your president or VP of that department -- the Aeros have been in six playoff series that they have led three games to two. They have won five of those, so history is on their side.

The only loss you ask? 2001 ... final IHL year against Manitoba. That team actually led 3-1 and lost the last three games, including two in double overtime. The last two games of that series were at home and the good old Compaq Center.

View from the Press Box - Iowa, 4/2/09

Barry Brust was just cleared to practice last Sunday, and was basically forced to start playing Thursday night against the Chops. He was rusty, and it showed in a 5-3 loss to the Chops. With as porous as the Iowa defense is, I thought the Aeros were going to out-gun the Chops, but the Aeros did not get a big save when they needed one.

I think the most disappointing part of the game tonight is how much the Aeros worked for their goals and how little the Chops had to for their five scores. Barry is healthy, he says he feels good, so I have no problem with what appears to be the team's decision to start him tonight against Peoria.

Even though Barry was not great tonight, he is not the reason the team lost the game. I think Thursday's game came down to the five-on-three goal the Chops scored at the end of the second period. The Aeros have used the delay of game horseshit rule to their advantage many times, but it bit them tonight and Brian Salcido made them pay when he beat a screened Brust with 54 seconds left in the middle stanza. Barry was screened, and he never saw the puck on that play.

The Aeros tied it, sure, as Rosa made amends early in the third, but instead of taking a lead there, it was just the tying score because Rosa accidentally threw the puck in the stands leading to the Chops third goal.

There are a lot of maybes and what ifs when it comes to the Aeros goaltending situation this weekend, but I don't like the way this one is shaping up. The Aeros needed the win tonight because facing them now is a trip to Peoria and then a long bus right through the night to get to Cleveland for the Lake Erie game Saturday. We'll see how it all pans out

The three stars of the game were Dingle, Rosa and Francis Wathier ... Salcido actually gets my vote for the No. 3 star, because his goal was, what I felt, the difference in the game.

John will post more later tonight and I will try to update the Down the Stretch chart before lights out. If not, I will get to that in the morning.

--Aeroscribe

View from the Press Box - Aeros vs. RFD (3/27)

I like this part of the job. "View from the press box" is where I get to express my opinion about what I saw while watching the Aeros.

I know I am going to get called a major homer for saying this, but since I rarely call out the officials, I am going to allow myself to do just that. Nygel Pelletier had a bad night, and at some point, he is going to hear about it from someone other than the Aeros, who are obviously biased.

The two calls that stand out to me are the phantom goalie interference call against Robbie Earl and the missed tripping call against the IceHogs while the Aeros were trying to kill off the last power play of regulation. Pelletier missed that one, the IceHogs scored and the two team's them put on a display of bad breakaways and missed chances for the next 10:16. You are reading that right ... 10 minutes and 16 seconds is exactly how long the shootout last Friday night.

To be fair, the Aeros did not show up to play until the second period, and they faded after they took a 2-1 lead on a sweet goal by Earl. Hockey works out like that sometimes ... you work harder, and for the most part you are rewarded for two points. That was the case tonight. Pelletier had a bad game, but he did not cost the Aeros that extra point in the standings.

Rockford was the better team, and Kevin Constatine said that only luck and good goaltending by Anton Khudobin were the reasons his team earned a point. He did not comment on Pelletier, even when asked.

Three stars picked tonight by the Aeros were right on.

Niemi was great in the shootout, the No. 1 star must have stolen the team's manual because he read Rosa's forehand to backhand move perfectly and he knew exactly what Locke was going to do in the 13 round.

Jack Skille got the No. 2 star for tying the game with the power play goal and Robbie Earl deserved the third star.

Had Kudobin made one more save, maybe Locke wins the game for the Aeros in the 13th. Had that been the case, he definitely gets the No. 1 star of the game.

--Aeroscribe

View from the Press Box - 3/22 vs. Peoria

The Aeros did just about everything they could do to give this one to a Rivermen team playing its fourth game in five nights. Two goal lead in regulation good enough? Nah, give it up. TWO two-goal leads in the shootout good enough? Nope ... let's toy with them further, eh?

Look, a win is a win is a win, but the bottom line is this team did not play a good third period. Sure they had their chances and sure enough, Marco Rosa missed another wide open goal. But to his credit, he said one of the factors that prevented him from lifting that puck into an open cage was the snowy ice in where he had the puck. I am OK with that ... after all it was still 3-1 at the time. (And Marco, your 2-0 goal tonight, was a beaut.)

Locke's shootout goal, my God if you don't watch this replay on AHL Live, you're crazy. It was stunning, and it didn't even happen really the way he planned. Locke said he went further out than he wanted to, but it was sweet. That was the turning point in a shootout that featured a lot of snipers and three different goalie slumps.

The Aeros have 11 games left, and only four of them are at home. Playoff chances still look very good, and the Aeros need to start cheering for the Iowa Chops to steal a game Tuesday night when the Rivermen visit.

Three stars tonight were Locke, Stastny and Rosa. These are turned in before overtime, so I am OK with that. If you throw in the extra sessions, then you gotta make Kolanos No. 2 and push Stastny down to three ...

Bottom line is the Aeros picked up two huge points in a schedule that just got a whole lot tougher. Seven of 11 on the road ... If the team goes 6-5 the rest of the way, I really like their chances of getting the two or three seed for the postseason.

It will be interesting either way.

--Aeroscribe

View from the pressbox; Peoria, March 21

No matter how you slice this one up, huge win.
The Aeros normally don't play well when they have a lot of time off, but that certainly was not the case Saturday. Former NHL goalie Manny Legace was the ONLY reason this game was not 4-1 or 5-1.

So one bad turnover by Max Noreau and Justin Falk led to the Rivermen's only goal. For the record, I think it was bad goal by Schaefer, but then again, there is no way I make that save either :)

Legace had no chance to stop Beaudoin's tying score, and Lammers made a good feed to the net and Rynzar finished the game-winner. After that, Legace was brilliant as the Aeros dominated with chance after chance after chance.

With less than two minutes to go, a Rivermen player ran Corey Locke by the Aeros bench and John Lammers retaliated and got sent to the box with 1:07 to go for unsportsmanlike conduct. Luckily, the Rivermen did not convert the 6-on-4, and the Aeros (who CANNOT hit the empty net to save their collective asses) held on for the victory.

They now lead Peoria by two for second and Chicago, who lost in a shootout tonight, by three.

The Aeros did not get help from Manitoba and Quad City tonight, so the division race just got a whole lot tighter making Sunday's game even bigger for both the Aeros and Rivermen.

The three stars tonight were Ryznar, Schaefer and Legace.
I have no problem with that, except I would have flip-flopped Legace and Schaefer.

The Aeros have 12 games left, so just for the sake of arguing, let's say they go 6-6 down the stretch.(Completely possible given this team's lack of being able to play well on the road.) If they do that, they end up with 89 points.

To catch them, Peoria would need 14 points in their last 10 games (7-3)
To catch them, Rockford would need 15 points in their last 11 games (7-3-1-0)
To catch them, Chicago would need to get 15 points in their last nine games (7-1-0-1)

It is clear that the Aeros would have to really tank the last few weeks for them not to end up with the No. 2 seed and home ice advantage in the first round.

--Aeroscribe

QCY, 03/13 --- View from the Press Box

Before the game got started tonight, I looked over at John and Heather and told them that the final score tonight would be 5-2. I just had a feeling that one of the two teams tonight was going to win big.

Either Quad City would come out flat based on the bad news about their franchise leaving Moline after this year, or they would have given up pretty much knowing they needed to win both games in Houston this week just to make it to the playoffs.

The Aeros stood to take advantage of those two scenarios, but neither panned out. Instead it was the Aeros who looked like garbage and ended up choking away two big points on a night where both Chicago and Rockford picked up wins.

Corey Locke said the Aeros matched the Flames intensity in the first period and then failed to keep up the rest of the game. He was right, and on a night were Nolan Schaefer was clearly off his game, the Aeros had no chance after they failed to get anything in the net past Leland Irving.

After the game, I asked Kevin Constantine if he thought the Aeros not scoring on the long two-man advantage that spanned the second and third periods was the turning point in the game. He agreed that was a big part of the game, but said the team had already stopped working before that. I am quite sure John will have more on that point later, but the point I want to make is that this Aeros team, although good when it wants to be, does not bring "it" every night and I don't know why.

Saturday night in San Antonio is going to be VERY interesting. The Rampage keep losing games where they outshoot teams 4,022 to 6. They are definitely out of the playoffs now, so maybe they tank another game that the Aeros have to win.

My guess is that won't happen and the Aeros really need to be ready for an all-out assault.

Three Stars -

1) Bowers, QCY ... he scored the last three goals of the game, including a cheap empty netter that sent him to the bench for an ridiculous overly dramatic celebration. Now if I find out that he made promise to a dying relative or a sick kid before the game that he was going to do that, I am going to feel like horse doo doo.

2) Van der Gulik, QCY ... he deserved the second star because of three helpers tonight. He always brings it against the Aeros and tonight was no different.

3)Morten Madsen, HOU ... He did not deserve the third star, but I guess he got one since the Aeros always give one to the home team generally. He scored a nice backhander with one second left in the first period, but QCY's Leland Irving should have been the third star. Probably the only player on the ice who had a worse game than Nolan Schaefer (again, not all his fault) was the Flames' starting goalie, Matt Keetley. The Aeros picked him apart and he was giving up one big juicy rebound after another. When Irving stopped Pouliot on the Aeros last good scoring chance of the game early in the second period, a statement was made and the Aeros' fate was ultimately sealed.

Aeros 3, Quad City Flames 1

Tuesday night the Aeros allowed the first goal of the game (like the so often do) and then powered their way to a big 3-1 win over the Quad City Flames.

What made this game especially nice to watch was the grace they used to score three five on five goals, something the team has not done since last February. While that last stat was made up, the three five-on-five goals were not. Yeah, and the grace part was pure fiction. Basically, save for the first Aeros goal,it looked like two teams trying to play racquetball on ice.

On an night were both teams were huffing and puffing off the ice due to the unusually warm temperature at ice level, the Aeros took advantage of their tired opponents and put the game away with three unanswered goals.

Benoit Pouliot's goal was a beaut, and the assists from Jesse Schultz and Corey Locke were equally impressive. Kolanos did his thing in the second period for the game-winner and Paul Albers beat a screened Leland Irving in the closing minutes to ice the game.

I did not have a good feeling about the Aeros tonight due to the Aeros history this season in games against the Flames. But then I forgot about Quad City having to play their fourth game in five days. Post game, Kevin Constantine acknowledged the team's shortcomings against the Flames, but said it might have something to do with the number of times the Aeros had to play in Quad City on a travel day.

For those that don't know, to get to Quad City, you have to get on a bus to get to an airport. Then you fly from that airport to the Great Airport of the Northern Hemisphere (otherwise known as O'Hare) and then you have to wait for another bus. When you get on that bus, you have to ride on it for three hours or so into Moline. Then you get to play a hockey game.

Tonight, not surprisingly, the Aeros had no sympathy. They took advantage of their tired foes and got a much needed win.

First Star - Krys Kolanos. His game winning goal took the proverbial wind out of the Flames' sails.

Second Star - Benoit Pouliot. What a great, great goal. Lots of hitting. This guy is playing really good hockey right now.

Third Star - David Van der Gulik. Not sure I agree with this selection, but he did give the Flames a chance to win tonight. Personally, I would have gone with Paul Albers who was a team-high tying plus two and scored on his only shot of the game.

-- Aeroscribe