11/26/10 -- Aeros v. Rampage -- San Antonio Bulls Over The Aeros

I should write up the game tonight, a 5-3 Aeros loss to the San Antonio Rampage. But I just don't feel like putting in the effort. Kind of like the Aeros tonight, as they really didn't seem to give a damn about putting any effort into the game.

Think I'm being harsh? Well how about this from Mike Yeo: "I was very disappointed in the game. I’m very disappointed with the way we started, and the lack of urgency in our play. We talked about it in the morning about what a great opportunity it was, a great challenge playing against a first place team, and I thought right from the start we were making soft plays. There was no desperation in our game. We were losing every loose puck and battle – every one on one battle. And ultimately we got what we deserved tonight."

And trust me, there's more where that came from. But frankly, my sense of urgency for getting this written is kind of on the same level as the team starting the game. So let's just say the Aeros got the 1-0 lead. Quickly gave it up. They let the Rampage take the 2-1 lead in the second, tied it again, then quickly surrendered the lead. Yeah, it was just one of those nights.

A few quick points:

1. Both of the Aeros goals came on the power play. When's the last time the Aeros only goals in a game came off the power play?

2. Instrumental in both goals was the game's third star, Max Noreau. Noreau set up Casey Wellman for the first goal, then Noreau got the second goal on one of his patented laser shots, of which we've seen far too few of this season.

3. "One of the biggest keys is we’re shooting the puck a lot now," Noreau said of the power play. "We’re not looking for the pretty play all of the time now. It doesn’t have to be a tap-in goal. It could be a point shot with guys in front of the net shot. I’m thinking that’s our bread and butter so far, so just keeping doing that. When teams see that we’re shooting the puck a lot, we’ll try the pretty plays."

4. Mike Yeo wasn't happy with the power play. Then again, Yeo wasn't happy, rightfully, with much in tonight's game.

5. Yeo's not throwing the goalies under the bus. He put some of the problems that Hackett tonight on the play of the defensemen, especially those plays which found Hackett trying to field the puck and getting plays started.

6. "I’m not going to sit here and say Hack played great, that’s for sure," Yeo said. "Probably I think what we’re doing for right now is a game where we don’t play great, but a goalie wins a game for us. But having said that, a lot of the stuff that was happening, especially as far as playing the puck, was on the defensemen more than him. We have a plan for how we’re supposed to retrieve plucks, and that plan wasn’t executed too well. It’s a matter of going back and communicating with your goaltender and wanting the puck is ultimately what it comes down too."

7. What this game was missing tonight was Mitch Love. Or a Mitch Love type player. The team was down and not exerting much effort. The crowd was down, stuffed with too much turkey. This was the type of game that, when Love was here, sensing the lack of energy amongst the team and crowd, that Love would go out and get some action started that would ignite the team and the crowd.

8. Cal Clutterbuck was also good in this role in his one season with the Aeros. Clutterbuck had an ability to level a hit that would get the crowd and the team engaged in the game.

9. No video tonight. This game didn't deserve one.

Flattening their laurels: Aeros 3, Rampage 5

When I was a kid, I thought "laurels" were another term for butt cheeks when I heard the term "resting on your laurels." In fact, even long since knowing the etymology of the phrase, I still get a mental picture of someone resting on their ass when I hear it.

Whatever mental picture it conjures, Coach Yeo is pretty cheesed about the pattern of laurel-resting he's seeing from this Aeros team. They put together a string of success and then they stink for a few games. And then they hit bottom and pick themselves up and succeed again.

Tonight, there was a loud hissing sound in the building (we thought maybe they were preparing to drop the big board at center ice on Terry Koharski so he'd quit calling so many penalties and let the game have some flow -- Love you, Jeff Smith! *mwah*). But I'm hoping now that it was the sound of the Aeros hitting bottom in this game, because this was not a fun game to watch.

From top to bottom, any cohesiveness ended with Wellman's early goal (beauty, BTW) and I felt like Hackett didn't have his head together in nets.

I was particularly frustrated by his weak puck movement. I know I have a high standard there, but I'm of the opinion that puck playing for a goalie can be so dangerous that if you aren't pretty damn good at it, you should take the safe option.

Yeo put some of that back on the team tonight though, saying there's a prescribed way defensemen are supposed to deal with that stuff and it wasn't happening. So... I kinda take that back, Hack, but kinda not, too. I dunno.

The team very kindly gives us Time On Ice stats now and I'm looking at them tonight and wondering if Scandella is hurt. I need to get into Russo's habit of counting the bench every so often, but Scandella only had two shifts in the second period and none in the third. Unusual.

Also, Kassian was reassigned to Houston after the Wild game today, so hopefully we'll see him tomorrow. Having him back might inject some much-needed energy and hustle.

Anyway, another disappointing night, but the beautiful thing is that they get a chance to do better tomorrow. And talking to Max Noreau after the game, he feels sure they're going to bring it tomorrow night. I wish I shared his conviction.

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Bonus reading: Here's a funny story worth reading if you love old school hockey stories.

Turkey Trotters: Roster moves and Sully's Back (sorta)

Several Aeros players are going to have some solid vacations this summer thanks to the air miles they're racking up going back and forth to Minnesota and elsewhere.

In the last couple of days, the Wild have sent Casey Wellman back to Houston (#7 in case you forgot) and called up Matt Kassian and Justin Falk.

The Wild play the Flyers tonight, so Kassian isn't particularly a surprise. Never hurts to have some extra muscle against those guys. Falk is up as an injury replacement, if needed, according to Russo.

Might also interest folks who haven't heard that the Wild picked up Patrick O'Sullivan off waivers from Carolina yesterday. If you've been around a few years, you remember what a stud Sully was for the Aeros in 05-06 as a rookie with 93 points. Since then, however, his career hasn't really lived up to expectations.

The current plan is for him to start with the Wild, which he will do tonight as #19, but certainly he seems to be looked at as a temporary fix for the loss of Guillaume Latendresse to hip and sports hernia surgery.

There's always a chance he could get waived down to Houston if things don't work out up there or the needs change. He's on a 2-way deal and would only have to pass through waivers.

Tonight, the Aeros are in Cedar Park and sit two spots ahead of the Stars, but the Stars have 4 games in hand. So it's important for the Aeros to keep the pedal to the floor on this team, particularly while ubergoalie Brent Krahn is out with an undisclosed lower body injury.

Then they're back home Friday and Saturday vs. San Antonio and Milwaukee respectively.

If we don't post again before tomorrow, Happy Thanksgiving! I know I'll be giving a word of thanks for the Aeros being out of the basement. So much more fun to cover a happy team! Heck, it's just a lot more fun to watch a happy team.

Anyway, be well and safe travels to anybody hitting the roads.

Aeros bury the Stars 4-2

Raise your hand if you watched the first 58 minutes of tonight's game and thought, "Ugh. No way we get outta here with a win."

My hand is up. It was a tough game to watch most of the way. Kludgey first goal from Anton, who woke up and was very good the rest of the way. Texas' goalie, Beskorowany, was making his AHL debut and looked nervous at times, but at 6'5" is simply so big, it was just difficult to score on him.

Credit to Andrew, he called the game winner by Jarod Palmer with a minute and a half to spare. Palmer found a little open space just outside the mass of bodies in front of the crease, Spurgeon got it on his stick and boom. Bob's your uncle. That sucker was rattling the water bottle.

With John out of town, you're not getting a big mess of quotes, but I'll give you the gist of Yeo's post-game chat with us. He was really pleased with how the team responded to adversity. Tough travel schedule with 3 games in 48 hours is a grind of the highest order.

You don't want to make excuses about that kind of thing, but they're humans and it does have an effect. After a long stretch of Texas hammering away in the Aeros, maybe you noticed Khudobin just stay on one knee for as long as the play was safely away from him.

I was worried he was hurt at first and then I put on my goalie brain and realized, the dude is bound to have some seriously tired legs and even without tired legs, that was a tough stretch. Okay kid, catch your breath.

Yeo gave Anton a lot of credit tonight for standing on his head when the team wasn't up to the task. And that favor was paid back, in particular a great save by Spurgeon as the puck danced on the goal line behind Khudobin.

We talked to Palmer, too, who said the team is really playing for each other and helping each other out and everyone is taking their turns pulling the load. Said the attitude in the room is really positive and chemistry continues to build.

We're pretending I didn't ask him how surprised he is to be at the top of the scoring chart for the Aeros. But it suffices to say he's "very surprised" to be there but gave all the credit to his linemates who create great chances for him. I'm guessing most every guy in the top 10 scorers on the team would say the same and it wouldn't be the usual hockey player cliche speak. It really does seem to be a lot of teamwork that makes the goals happen.

And all superstitiousness aside, the pressure at the top isn't that heavy because the top scorers all only have a point or two between them. This team scores by committee and whether it's DiSalvatore or Noreau or Palmer or whoever at the top, it's not particularly relevant in the grand scheme of things. It will likely change in a game or two anyway.

But for a rookie from whom we didn't really know what to expect, what a nice surprise!

Speaking of nice surprises, Yeo said Kassian has been one for him. He said he didn't know much about him when the season started but he had nothing but good things to say tonight. He added that the fight fired the boys up as much as Anton's great play did, and that guys all feel a little bigger when he's in the line-up (which he always is, and that's not something most enforcers can say... I think he's a lot more than that to this team now).

I kinda feel bad that Warren Peters didn't get a star tonight, so I'm throwing him the honorary 4th star. He's really become the hub around which a lot of good things happen on the ice and probably doesn't get enough outright credit for it. But it's not going unnoticed.

There's probably more to say, but dude, I'm dog tired. :)

Woof: Aeros lose 5-2 in Chicago

I didn't see the game and really, when you talk about a loss, what can you say if you haven't seen it?

• I know Khudobin was pulled midway through the game after allowing the third goal in 9 shots. 
• I know Michael Ouzas, the emergency back up goalie, got his first career AHL minutes in relief. 
• I know the Aeros avoided a bigger embarrassment by putting two goals in in garbage time. 
• I know Chicago is pretty happy to get their slump busted. Who isn't?

But whatever. The beauty of pro hockey is that redemption, a chance to do better, is around every corner. And today, with a bevy of dogs in the stands, the Aeros have a chance to put some bite behind their bark against the Stars. (And per the tweet that just came across, they might get to do it with Marco Scandella back in the line-up as the Wild have sent him down.)

To whet your appetite, we've got some fantastic pics courtesy of Chris "Hoss" Jerina, who went to the game last night in Chi-town. 

My absolute favorite, because the whole "goalie's cross paths as one gets pulled" can be so awkward, and I think he captured that perfectly here. 

Ouzas allowed 2 of 15 shots, so better than Khudobin and not bad for coming in cold to his first AHL game. 

I don't know what happened to him, but here's DiSalvatore having an "I should have been an accountant" moment and trainer Jody Green tending to him.

Something about this shot I just love. Maybe because I have a special place in my heart for trainers. So much crazy shit happens in hockey and the boys put their bodies on the line and just have to trust that the trainer will take care of them. It's a relationship in the locker room that you don't hear much about, which naturally means I'm interested in it.

Here's Gillies' goal at 12:33 in the third:

And here's Kalus admiring his own handiwork at 15:28:

And here's a lady who mistakenly thinks an uprising is afoot. Don't worry, ma'am. 

On to less happy things, this kinda sums it up. Mama said there'd be days like this....

Wooo! Look at the 'stache on Gillies! Nice upper lip work there, kiddo.

Anybody know what's depicted on Ouzas' mask here? Pretty neat paint job. (Thanks to reader Steven... it's a Hangover theme... the movie, not the condition. Knew I should know it, but couldn't place the "short guy"... oh yeah, the baby.)

Anyway, you can see the rest of them as there are a bunch of nice ones, over here. Many thanks for the shots, Chris. 

Oh, and bonus video from Binghamton for my fellow Brusty fans:

About Josh Tordjman

For those of you wondering why Josh Tordjman wasn't brought up yesterday instead of Mike Ouzas, who was signed to a PTO, the answer is simple: Tordjman is serving a 6-game suspension for physical abuse of an official.

And my apology for not following the ECHL Transaction wire more carefully.

And here is a good recap of what happened.

Sounds like he actually has a good beef, but you can't throw your stick.

Read here for more.

Aeros maul Griffins 5-0

After Wednesday miscalculation, I'm afraid to say this was a good game. Is 5-0 good enough? :) Just teasing, Coach.

Honestly, AHL Live was jacked up so I saw about 4 minutes of the game total and that was in 15 second bursts. So let's do something different and look at this game by the numbers:

• 6 - Career shutouts for Anton Khudobin
• 91 - Penalty minutes in this game
• 1st - Aeros penalty kill ranking across the league
• 24th - Aeros power play ranking across the league
• 11 - Fighting majors + Roughing penalties tonight
• 1 - Emergency back-up goalie, Michael Ouzas (Matt Hackett has been called away on family matters)
• 2 - Potential concussions. Spurgeon was hit nastily from behind at the end of the second period by Derek Meech. He returned to the game was is okay as far as we know, but Meech got 5 minutes and a game misconduct for checking from behind. Then Joel Broda got a  boarding penalty. Not actually sure if there was a brain-collision there but they don't usually give boarding penalties for shoulder ouchies.
• 3 - Points for Noreau (2 g, 1 a) as well as for DiSalvatore (1 g, 2 a)
• 3 - Games in Aeros current win streak
• 4 - Number of teams in the West Division tied at 21 points (including the Aeros, who are at the bottom with a 0.583 win percentage)
• 4 - Number of goals Spurgeon was on the ice for, even though he only got one point. Shame 3 of them were PP goals or he'd have a whopping +4.
• #19 - Palmer leads the team in scoring and +/- with 11 points and a +7. He also ranks 15th in the league in rookie scoring.
• 6 - Number of points Noreau has in the last 3 games. 
• 1 - Assists for Brusty vs. Hershey tonight. Just saying.

Back at it tomorrow night against Chicago. We'll keep you posted on the goalie situation as we know more. Khudobin CAN play 3 days in a row but it's certainly not ideal.

Don't forget your pooch on Sunday afternoon

No, no, I am not talking about that little bit of extra love around your waist. There is no way I will be forgetting mine this weekend ... Sunday is "bring your dog to the rink" day at Toyota Center, an event that has become an annual affair at several of the sporting events around town.

The first time I attended one, an Aeros game in San Antonio two seasons ago, I thought it was a dumb idea. But the animals were well-behaved and it really did bring out a few fans that had never been to a game before. As to how many of those would come back sans their "best friend," I don't know.

But what can it hurt? The Sunday games are on the lower end of the attendance chart, and the building can more than accommodate. Fox 26 News did a piece in advance of this event recently. Here is the clip from that.

My friend Megan, with whom I have worked for the last five years, has never been to an Aeros game. She went to Amerks games in Rochester all the time as a teenager, but is too busy to make the trip over. She also lives far north of the city, and enjoys spending her free time with the dogs.

I sent her a link about bringing her dog to the game, and she already has a ticket ... that is a win for the Aeros, and that is a win for the rest of us who want as many people as possible to enjoy the game of hockey.

11/17/10 -- Aeros v. Chicago -- Howl At The Moon Edition

So it's about midway through the third period tonight, and I remember that there's a NFL game tomorrow night, which means that I have to get my lineup submitted for one of my fantasy leagues that demands the roster be submitted the night before the game. So I start grab my iPhone and I start working on that. Heather hits me in the arm and tells me I'm missing a good game.

Cut to post game, and we're down there waiting for Coach Yeo, and Heather is still going on about how she couldn't understand how I could work on my fantasy football lineup while I was missing a good game. And out comes Yeo and guess what he starts with: "It might have been our worst game of the year, to be honest with you. Right from the start you could tell. I think the energy level wasn’t where it needed to be."

Now if you didn't see the game, and you were going only by Yeo, you would think the Aeros got blown out. But then you think on Heather's comment and realize that, with 14 minutes left in the game, the Aeros were up 3-0, and the Wolves were doing their best impersonation of the Aeros from last season. The Aeros went on to get to the 3-2 win, and were never really challenged. So I tend to think both Heather and Yeo were exaggerating just a bit.

Truth was the Aeros didn't play that exceptional of a game, but it definitely didn't look like they were playing the worst game of the season. So, the hail of bullets:

1. There seems to be a pattern to the Aeros this season. They come out aggressively and take a lead, then they just start half-assing it and do everything they can to lose the game.

2. "I think we weren’t that bad to start, then we got the lead and then we started to get too cute," Yeo said.

3. Good game by Petr Kalus. He got the game's second goal, and it was his work on the boards digging for the puck that set-up the team's third and final goal. That's why he was the number one star.

4. In a change of pace, I was the one arguing for Matt Hackett to get one of the three stars. Normally Heather argues for the goalies, but she was falling all over herself praising Kalus and making sure he wasn't ignored.

5. Here's some more Yeo comments: "That was ugly [the game]," he said. "It was difficult to snap ourselves out of. To be honest with you, it was game that I was worried about yesterday. I tried to address it…We had an average practice yesterday, I felt, and kind of carried it in today. It’s okay – there’s going to be times when you’re energy level’s not there, it’s not 100-percent, but you have to upgrade in other departments, and I felt our execution within our system was not very good. It led to too many odd-man rushes. I thought our puck management was poor.'

6. Yeah, hard to believe the Aeros won the game.

7. I kept wondering why the breaks were so long, then I remembered the Aeros were playing Chicago, which meant that the game was on TV.

8. Can anybody remember when the Wolves were so bad?

9. Was I the only one who heard it announced in the arena that the starting center tonight was Colton McMillan?

10. Andrew had to head out to Chicago at the last minute, so Heather was handling his Chronicle story. And she basically had the thing written and just needed a celebratory quote from Yeo to wrap it up. You should have seen the expression on her face when Yeo started talking about this being the team's worst game of the season. I wonder if she's done with the re-write, yet?

To play us out, in honor of the Wolves, and in honor of their playing the exact opposite of this song's title, here's Duran Duran -- the band so nice they named it twice -- with "Hungry Like The Wolf."

Aeros sign Lampman, host Chicago tonight at 7:05

I think the Aeros made a good move when they signed veteran defenseman Bryce Lampman to a PTO Tuesday. What can it hurt? While it may take him awhile to get going, he should be servicable sooner vs. later assuming the guy has been working out.

Lampman (pictured right in a photo by our boy Chris Jerina) is a solid two-way guy with a heavy shot that should definitely help out on the power play. He was a fourth-round pick by the Rangers and has appeared in 400 professional games, registering 117 points (33-84-117) and 298 penalty minutes (PIM). The 6-foot-1, 201-pound defenseman played in 10 NHL games, all with New York, recording two penalty minutes over three seasons.

Lampman, 28, played in 57 games for the Peoria Rivermen last season and collected 20 points (7-13-20) along with 22 penalty minutes (PIM).

Aeros head coach Mike Yeo said Lampman would not be out there tonight, but could be "maybe this weekend."

"(We) want to give him a fair shot to get into game shape and get his timing," said Yeo.

Is it a trap?
Tonight is a quick home game, and then it is back on the road for two more in the Midwest.

There are several trap games on the schedule this year, and this is one of them. First game home after a long trip and couple that with a quick turnaround; these are the tough games ... hard games to win. To be fair, Sunday was one of those trap games, too. Last game of a long trip? That is a situation that many coaches know poses a big challenge to the group. They stepped up, battled hard and hit one out of the park in that game. Let's see if they can go 2-for-2.

Scouting the Wolves

Man, oh man ... what have we here? These impostors dressing as the Chicago Wolves have dropped six in a row and are coming off quite the shellacking in Cedar Park last night. They have not scored more than two goals in any of those losses, and they are THE worst team in the West. They had an off year a few years ago, but I don't think I have ever seen them in last place.

They still have a decent offense, but they have allowed a Conference-high 66 goals in 17 games. That works out to 3.88 per game, and that is just not going to cut it (even in the ECHL). A win tonight, and the Aeros are back to two games over .500 for the first time since they were 2-0 after the OT win at Oklahoma City.

I am not going to make a prediction on this one, as I don't really have a gut feeling one way or the other. If they Wolves have yet to hit rock bottom, the Aeros have to hope that doesn't happen for two or three more games. If so, this could be a break out game for Krog, Haydar and company.