Some Thoughts From Mike Yeo...

I promised yesterday to provide you with some of the quotes and info we got from Mike Yeo on Saturday night. So...

One of the things we asked him about was the recent play of Cody Almond. I thought Almond showed some promise last year, but the level of his play has really been upped recently. So here's what Yeo had to say.

"We need him to be [everywhere]. He plays every situation for us. He’s a young player who I think has made great strides this year. I think he has a pretty good idea of what his game needs to be.

"For a young player, it’s not easy to bring that every night. Especially the role that he’s going to play. He’s got to play a hard game. He’s got to play physical. He’s got to be an in-your-face guy. While that’s going on, he’s also playing against top lines. So he’s got to make sure he’s playing within the system and playing with details.

"I’m happy with the development that he’s had this year, and I think the things that he’s doing without the puck have contributed to the success that he’s having now on the offensive side."

The past month was a tough one for the Aeros, mentally and physically as they played virtually every other night while traveling about the continent. And while it's true that the team is still towards the bottom of the standings, the fact is that things could still be much, much worse for the team. Still, with all of that, Yeo has mixed feelings.

"Through that tough stretch, I would have liked to finish better than we did. I’m not going to pretend to that I don’t wish we were a little bit better right now. At the same time, I do see some light at the end of that tunnel. I believe that we do get an easier part of our schedule…but at least we have practice time, at least the travel’s not as bad. And I think we are at least in a position now to make the push that we have to make.

[SNIP]

"I’m actually pretty happy with our team. I think our team has improved a lot. We still have areas where we have to improve. We still have to find ways to score more goals. But the guys have bought in real well, and I think for the most part every night we give ourselves a chance to win, which is what really what you want."

And as mentioned, the Aeros are kind of wiped. They've had a lot of injuries. They've had guys up and down from Minnesota. And they've played a lot of hockey. For the first time in a while, they're getting some time off to rest and recuperate between games. Yeo's hoping to get some practice time in, but he wants to treat the thing like it's camp and having them going over the special teams and offense, etc.

"This break is huge….It’s going to be carefully planned this week because, how do you get rest and conditioning in the same week? How do you get practice time and on-ice conditioning but at the same time make sure we’re recovering from our injuries?

[SNIP]

"With the lack of practice time that we’ve had, I think it’s going to be treated almost like a mini-training camp this week. We have to go everything from special teams to every aspect of our system because we’re just not as sharp as we were earlier. We have to make sure that we cover everything."

And as to the guys needing a bit of a mental break along with a physical break...

"We need, mentally, it’s important to make sure your motivation factor is high and you’re hungry to come to the rink."

The Aeros return to action on Friday night for the first of, guess what, a three-in-three. They host Lake Erie on Friday, travel to San Antonio on Saturday, then host the Rampage on Sunday afternoon.

The Voice At Work

As most of you may know, our own Andrew Ferraro, when he's not blogging about exciting finishes, does PA work for the Rice Owls. So before Sunday afternoon's game, I snapped this photo of the voice at work. That's him in front of the angry looking guy in the baseball hat.

Aeros' most exciting finishes - Volume II

Welcome to the second installment of "Aeros' most exciting finishes!" I hope you enjoyed reading the first one as much as I liked writing it. What a trip down memory lane, and the best is yet to come.

Oh, and yes, the gorgeous photo above is by Fred Trask.

Before we get to the top 5 home finishes of all time -- (four of the top five will debut Wednesday and the granddaddy of them all will grace this blog on Thursday) -- I wanted to talk about exciting playoff finishes. Now yes, this blog is called "most exciting finishes," but think of all the OT games over the years. Those are all hard to beat, and I don't have the time or space to talk about all of them. I wanted to bring up two Aeros playoffs games where I wrote them dead late in the game, only to have them come back and win.

Again, we're talking home games here ... and there are two that I want to point out before we move to the best of the best.

Runner up, most exciting home playoff finish of all time:

Aeros 3, Peoria Rivermen 2 - Apr. 22, 2009 at Toyota Center (Game five)

I know most of you remember this series very well. The Rivermen surged from bottom-feeders to the top of the West behind a strong finish and the sharp goaltending of Manny Legace. I think I publicly picked the Aeros to lose in five or six. (Do you remember all the late-season goaltending issues that year?) The series was 2-2, and the Aeros blew Game 4. Our boys wasted a 2-1 lead in the middle of the game and lost 4-3. Lose this next one, and the Aeros would have been forced to go back to Peoria and win two. That was not going to happen. Anton Khudobin battled his ass off in Game five, but the Rivermen took a 1-0 lead late in the second period and doubled their lead in the third period with a back-breaking goal by Steve Regier. The Peoria beat writer to my right, who after the Aeros won Game 3 said the Rivermen were left for dead, suddenly starting crafting a different story. That is when the Aeros amazing power play went to work.

Down 2-0 with five minutes to go, the Aeros got a break and cut the lead in half when Matt Beaudoin scored his first of the playoffs. Then, amazingly, Robbie Earl tied it less than two minutes later and the Peoria writer and I both hit delete. It was going to be a new story either way.

The overtime period did not last very long thanks to back-to-back penalties by the Rivermen. Just a few moments after the 5-on-3 expired, Beaudoin to Noreau and ballgame. Bedlam, etc.! That was the first time that spring that I REALLY believed the Aeros could do something. They made it to Game 6 of the West finals, but ultimately ran out of gas against the Manitoba Moose.

Most exciting home playoff finish of all time:

Aeros 3, Hamilton Bulldogs 2 (OT) - June 6, 2003 at Compaq Center (Game four)

As many of you know, 2002-03 was my first year covering the team. They won the Cup that year, and they have only been close one time since then. This entire series was one nail-biter after another, and, as a rookie writer, I wanted to decapitate Bulldogs forward Bill Lindsay by the time the Aeros took a 3-2 lead back to Hamilton. In Game 5, he tied the game late in the third period, but the Aeros came back to win in regulation. They did it late in regulation, and that game would have been the most exciting of all time had Jay Henderson not been so careless with his money (and mouth) before the game. I'll explain.

Veilleux was in a scoring slump, and Henderson had to do something to get one of the team's most talented players going again. During the morning skate that day, Henderson said he'd give Veilleux $25 for every goal he scored in Game 4. (Hey, $25 is $25!)

Tied 1-1, the Bulldogs looked to put a nail in the coffin against Johan Holmqvist and the Aeros when Lindsay scored with 4:56 left in regulation. After about 60-70 seconds of sulking, the Aeros turned things up a notch and Veilleux earned himself the first $25 with the game tying goal with 1:46 left in regulation. Marc Cavosie and Travis Roche assisted on the play, but the Aeros weren't done yet. Both teams exchanged a few scoring chances, but the game went to overtime.

Zbynek Michalek and Veilleux finished one of the quickest OT games in playoff history when the teamed up to beat Ty Conklin and the Bulldogs at 2:22. Jean-Guy Trudel and Hnat Domenichelli were the big guns that year, but in Game 4, Stephane Veilleux was the hero. The Aeros only needed one shot to send the 7,500 fans through the roof. Arguably, but not really, it was the biggest shot in the history of the franchise.

The Aeros lost Game 6, but played their most complete game of the postseason with a 3-0 win in Game 7.

Aeros' most exciting finishes - Volume I

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Houston Aeros Present Leggy Blondes In Red Bikinis

My post on Saturday's game is up over at the Press. Yes, it leads with the Bikini Contest, and has a photo of it, but it's also got a legit game story and some quotes from Mike Yeo. Among other things, he talks about this past stretch of games the team just got through, how he challenged them on Saturday night, and some other tidbits.

I've been busy -- learning the camera, handling a Rice basketball game, and doing my current job -- so I haven't got any of that up over here yet, but I'll do my best to see if I can post some his quotes and thoughts over here at some point later today. But until then, you're just going to have to click on the link.

(And since Heather tells me that the stats have been through the roof for the Bikini Photo Post, I'll give you another photo.)

A little essay on dreams coming true... some day

Just ran across this fantastic story (watch the video, too) about a reporter/amateur goalie who got to come out and practice in goal with the Portland Pirates (one of those Eastern AHL teams you never get to see). It's a wonderful piece that really does a great job conveying a unique experience.

I remember when I first started writing about the Aeros for PHN, I was still learning to play hockey and just skating out as a forward. But I knew playing goal was on the horizon because all I wanted to be was a goalie. And I had this great story/video idea to get out there with Brusty or one of the other goalies and have them show me some moves and put me through the paces. Then I'd write about it and it would be awesome.

I knew it would be rough and I'd make an ass of myself in front of, basically, my heroes. But honestly, some of my best writing has come at the hands of dire humiliation. I'm nothing if not willing to suffer for my craft.

When I finally had all my goalie gear assembled (not a cheap endeavor), I went up to Sugar Land during public ice and just wore my lower half gear to skate around in it and "get used to" it (little did I know getting used to it would take 6 months). I was sweating just trying to put it on. People are staring but I don't care because I'm so proud to "be a goalie" finally. "You're just jealous of my new, awkward adventure, gawkers!" I told myself.

And then, the moment I hit the ice, I knew there was NO FREAKING WAY I was going anywhere near an Aeros goalie or pro players, particularly in front of a camera, for a long, LONG time. This was WAY harder than it looks. I quietly hoped the PR guy I'd mentioned the story idea to would forget I ever said anything. I was not willing to suffer this much for my craft, much less inflict such suffering on my hosts.

Here's the thing: If you've never worn goalie gear, the best way I can describe it is like a cross between wearing one of those sumo costumes and being completely naked.

You feel at once so weighted down and overstuffed with gear, you can't imagine moving with any kind of fluidity the way you see the pros do it, but you also feel so clumsy, foolish, and awkward that you might as well be standing there bare ass. Also, it is Africa Hot in those 30-40 lbs of gear. Like being 6" from the sun and wrapped in a wool blanket.

Not to mention the skates, which feel like clown shoes relative to player skates. Heavy, flat, long. They're awful at first.

Now add skating to it. Then add butterflying, sliding, and worst of all... GETTING UP. I'm 2 years in and still not very good at that. And I know after reading this goalie's account, I'm still a long way away from putting this request in front of Coach Yeo. Those guys would crush me like a soft, defenseless bug being beaten with a leaky can of Raid.

But some day... some day...

I'm not a bucket list person, but if I were, taking a practice with a pro team would be on it. Just not on a day where coach is pissed and making 'em do Herbies.

Some advice for when it happens: Aim high, boys, because I'm short and I go down quicker than a $2 hooker, but don't screen me because my cup checking instincts are strong and involuntary.

Woosh.... Only knew to look back because I felt the breeze by my ear.

Now About That Bikini Contest (Aeros Photos In Post Below)

When I got back to the press box after the first intermission, Heather told me she was already getting tweets wanting to know if there were any photos of the Ms. Aeros Bikini Contest. So, without much content, here are some photos.

Just a caveat, Heather was right about long-legged blondes where red bikinis, that said, I have no idea how they do the actual judging, and I kind of liked the young lady with brunette hair wearing the silver bikini.

Does anybody know who the dweeb with the hair and Astros cap is? He's got to learn that hockey is played in periods, with intermissions, not quarters, with halves and half times.

This photo is for Heather. She mentioned that she's never seen any of the women slip. Well, while none of the ladies fell on the ice, our winner, the young lady in red, did slip. This photo is as she is regaining her balance. But Heather had kind of tuned things out at this point.

And this is Ms. Aeros 2011 with her predecessor.

Some (Awful) Photos of the Aeros v. Rampage

I'm sure that all of you are aware of this, I know that I am, but Fred Trask is a genius. And so is Chris Jerina. Now I had already recognized this because I've always enjoyed fantastic photography. So I decided to get me one of those fancy cameras with some basic lenses -- thanks for the advice Mr. Fred -- and tonight's game was my virgin outing.

I've got to say this. I don't know how they do it. I spent the first period down on the boards, and I was always trying to find the action. By action, I mean trying to find the puck, the flow of play, and keeping the damn camera in focus.

I think I took about 700 photos. And I think I deleted about 600 of them. Here are five that kind of convey the night. This first photo is just as Cody Almond has scored his short-handed goal to tie the game.

Here's the story. I was down at the other end, the end where Almond scored. And the Aeros were whistled for a penalty, so knowing the Rampage were going on the power play, I started hiking down toward the other goal. Which is when the Rampage scored their first goal, when I was under the stands and couldn't see anything.

Then the Aeros were back on the penalty kill. And I was trying to get situated, and Almond takes off. And before I can locate everything and get the focus and distance at a good spot, Almond scores. Yeah, it sucks.

This is shot I got of Mike Yeo just after the Aeros were called for a penalty in the first. He told us after the game that he was very displeased with the team's play in the first two periods. He told us he challenged them during the second intermission to go out and play some good hockey, and he was very, very happy with their response.

There's nothing really special about this photo. It's of Max Noreau, and it's one of the few photos that I got all night that I just really, really like as a photo. I'm still learning all of the camera details and all of the editing tricks. But I think this worked out. I did fix the white balance and sharpness and I tweeked the colors just a bit.

And here we see the team reacting as they tie the game. Yeah, Cody Almond was in the middle of the action on this goal, just as he was in the middle of the action all night. The kid has really been impressing me, lately. He's been impressing Yeo, as well. He's one of those guys the Aeros need to continue performing if they're going to get anything done later in the season.

And in this photo, the guys are celebrating like they just won the Calder Cup. I've seen the team win lots of games over my four years covering the team, but I can't think of a time that I've seen more happy about a win.

While not happy with the team's overall record for the past month, Yeo was pleased that they were able to hang together and not totally fall out of contention. And along with the 4-3 win, the Aeros got an even bigger victory in that nobody was injured during the game. The team now has a week until their next game, and Yeo's trying to figure out the best way to use that week because the team needs some regular practice time on their game and power play, etc., but he's well aware that they're mentally and physically wiped.

Aeros make Rampage heads spin with last minute victory (literally)

I'm sure the guys will be on later with a more detailed account of the "did that just happen?" 4-3 win over San Antonio, so I'll just do a little brain dump:

• No matter how boring it gets playing the Texas Stars 487 times a year, I never get tired of San Antonio. Between the genuine rivalry that tends to bring out the chippiness, and Al Montoya, who always plays an entertaining game, there's just something about that match-up that I look forward to every time. You just never know what's going to happen, but you know SOMETHING is going to happen (see Monday's pigeon game delay).
• Today it was the odd storyline of San Antonio simply having too many veterans and having to scratch perfectly good players too often due to the veteran rule. So, today they release veteran NHLer Jed Ortmeyer and the Aeros snatch him up and have him in an Aeros jersey by 7:30 tonight. And then he creates the turnover that results in the game winner. Revenge served piping hot...
• Tyler Cuma got his first professional goal and has looked better and better since he finally got healthy and back on the ice. I remember his first training camp after he got drafted, he was blowing people away with his calm, powerful work on the blue line as, basically, a boy among men. But then it's been injury after injury and some adjustment to the pros. But tonight, I think we finally started to see that player again. The goal, along with that insane hip check and then another meaningful hit earlier in the game... well, it was for sure his best game so far.
• And it's coming at a good time because the Wild appear to be losing Marek Zidlicky, an important every-situation defenseman, due to a shoulder injury. They've already recalled Spurgeon, though I wouldn't be surprised to see them give several guys a chance through Zidlicky's absense (which looks to be fairly long). So the Aeros are down a top defensemen possibly for the remainder of the season. The more of these guys the Aeros can get clicking, the less it matters to lose one.
• Miss Aeros thingy was a snooze. Predictable. If there's only one leggy blonde in the bunch, she's winning. It's America. Of course that's what's gonna happen. At least have 2 leggy blondes next time to add some suspense. Or were there two? I dunno. Whatever. Hope the guys enjoyed it though. 
• If you haven't noticed, I really love hockey and I think anybody who doesn't love hockey just hasn't been properly exposed to it. So when they have enormous crowds like this, I desperately hope the Aeros put on a show worthy of the sport. I think tonight was a perfect example of the kind of game that will make someone a hockey fan. Fast, unpredictable, gritty (but not gratuitously violent). How could you leave this game and not leave thinking, "Damn, hockey is awesome!" It SO is! Come back! 

That is all from me for a while. I'm off to New England for the weekend so I'll miss the next couple. If you have any pull with the weather gods, please put in a good word for me. I'm a big ol' chicken about driving in wintery weather. *eep* 

Pics from Aeros at Rockford

There are so many good pictures from this game, it almost makes me forget that they lost 3-1 with Robbie Earl getting the only goal for the Aeros.

It was another one of those where they had a 1-0 lead into the third and then coughed up 3 goals (one empty net) in the third. I asked Chris if they seemed gassed but he said they didn't.

It's been a tough week for the boys, so I'm not expecting much tonight.

Anyway, here's some of my favorites, but you can see the whole album here. All photos by Chris "Bang Bang Bangity Bang" Jerina.

I love Pascal Morency and I haven't even seen him play. Toivonen's having none of his shenanigans.

More Morency. Smirking bastard. Love it.

Hackett watches the puck go just wide of the net.

Lead up to Earl's goal. Great screen by Almond.

Earl's goal. Sick

McMillan trying to get one past Toivonen, but no dice.