Aeros Lose To Rockford: A Comedy Tonight

Sometimes things get so bad that you want to cry, but instead, you just have the urge to laugh. Like, for instance, now. Things are just so damn bad with the Wild that it's no longer sad, it's funny. And things are just so bad with the Wild that the Aeros have started getting sad. But after today/tonight, it's not sad, it's funny.

The Aeros lost to the Rockford IceHogs tonight 4-1. That's the second loss in a row, and the second on this four game road trip. As Andrew and Heather wrote below, Joe Fallon's injured and Matt Hackett's with the Wild because the brittle twins that play in goal for the Wild are, as you guessed, injured.

The result was that the Aeros threw a guy just literally out of college between the pipes tonight -- he's got just two games of ECHL experience -- named Scott Greenham. Now it would be easy to put the loss on Greenham since Rockford did score four goals. But then you look at this stat: Rockford out shot Houston 41-18, including 16-2 in the second period. Yes, you saw that right, 41-18, and it becomes a wonder that Rockford only scored three times on Greenham -- the fourth goal was an empty-netter.

That leads to the question of what happened to that offense we were bragging about just last week. There have been no roster changes. The lines haven't changed. But the Aeros can no longer score any goals. It's ridiculous, really ridiculous. What makes it more ridiculous is that the Wild's Matt Cullen broke a finger in tonight's loss to Buffalo (shocking, right? The Wild losing, and a Wild getting hurt) which will necessitate the Wild calling up one of the Aeros forwards, which in itself is funny seeing as how the Aeros forwards have forgotten how to shoot the damn puck.

However, despite the loss, the Aeros are still in fourth place. Yes, that's right, they're still in fourth because just about everybody below them in the standings also lost tonight. So for one more day, the Aeros hang on to fourth place with 76 points. The Heat, Americans, and Rivermen are tied for fifth with 75 points, and the Checkers are hanging onto the eighth spot with 74 points. The Rampage and Monsters are tied for ninth with 73 points, and the Admirals are in 11th with 70 points.

Yep, that's right, a total of six points separate the fourth spot from the 11th spot in the standings. And we thought it was ridiculously close last season.

The Aeros play in Chicago on Sunday afternoon. Peoria, Abbotsford, and Charlotte also play on Sunday. So it's conceivable that, come tomorrow night, the Aeros could be sitting in seventh place.

Like I said, it's so sad, it's funny.  Which leads to this video from a classic Broadway musical/movie of the 1960s called A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum. So here's the opening song, "A Comedy Tonight."

(By the way, my apologies to Joe Fallon. I wrote about him in the Press on Friday, so of course he was injured.)

Fallon Out Indefinitely ... Aeros sign Mike Brodeur and some college kid.

UPDATE - The reason the Aeros signed two new goalies today is because Joe Fallon was injured late in the loss to Rockford on Friday. And with Backstrom tweaking his lower body before the Wild's trip, the Aeros will have to make do with Mike Brodeur and a college kid who Aeros fans hope isn't the second coming of Tony Quesada.

I posed a serious question to Wild/Aeros management: Why not send Brodeur to Buffalo and have him back up Harding on an emergency basis. While possible, the odds of Hackett getting in the NHL game tonight are rather low. Ordinarily, I'd say this is not the best option, but considering the Wild are out of playoff contention why not?

Wild management replied with, "No, Hackett will be with the Wild, and our goalies are as stated (Brodeur and Greenham)."

The only reason I even remotely question this decision is because the Wild don't need points, and every point for the Aeros is crucial. Maybe there is some sort of contract or rule constraint that I don't know about."

Either way, the Aeros are in serious trouble for the duration of their road trip.

And now, back to your regularly scheduled program.


I didn't catch any of the game last night but Midwestern correspondent Chris Jerina tells us it was a quality effort for the Aeros, despite the 2-1 loss. Chad Rau had the Aeros' only goal, and Rockford scored on the power play late in the first and then again late in the second (even strength).

The Aeros put up 28 shots (half of them in the third period alone) to Rockford's 17, but Carter Hutton just flat out stoned them. Fallon was in net for Houston, with Hackett backing up.

The Wild play tonight in Buffalo, and Hackett is indeed IN Buffalo, for reals this time, and the Aeros have signed two goalies to PTOs: Mike Brodeur (no relation) and Scott Greenham (or Greeneggsandham if you're into whimsy).

Brodeur has been in the ECHL with the Vegas Wranglers (where Fallon was as well... should probably send those fans a muffin basket or something, eh?) and Greenham has been with Bakersfield for a few games after wrapping up his college career at U of Alaska-Fairbanks.

ALL YOUR GOALIE ARE BELONG TO US!

Trying to find out why two goalies, and if I hear back, I'll update this post.

Meanwhile, I wanted to chuck up some pictures from Chris of last night's game because there are some nice ones and I'm procrastinating getting in the yard and pulling weeds. Bleh.

Sexy toe save. No big deal.

Adore this picture of Sal during warm-ups!

Hutton finally got out of the way!

All photos by Chris "3-in-3" Jerina. Thank you, Chris! The rest of last night's are here.

UPDATED: Hackett up (maybe sorta?), radio news

Couple of little tidbits, one not so little, as we head into this 3 in 3 weekend:

Nik Backstrom's "lower body" is bugging him again, so he stayed home while the Wild headed off to Buffalo, and of course, that means Hackett is on his way to the Buff to meet up with them.

So, those of us wringing our hands over poor Joe Fallon being cast aside in favor of Hackett can relax a little as it looks like the Aeros are squarely in Fallon's hands for at least a little while longer.


Additionally, Sunshiney Kuemper is on the shelf for 4-5 MONTHS after having shoulder surgery yesterday, so they'll have to get another back-up in for Fallon this weekend.

Or at least all the above is what Wild and Russo twitter would have you think. Joe O'Donnell is instead tweeting that Hackett is still in Rockford with the team and, while Torch wouldn't tell him who is starting tonight, it sounds like Hackett is certainly a possibility. 

As my grandmother used to say, "Heavens to Betsy!"

And the revolving door just keeps spinning!

In less important, but potentially good news, the Aeros announced today that 4 games coming up will be on ESPN Radio 97.5 here in Houston.

I dunno if it's because college basketball has pre-empted it on the usual station or if this is something planned or what, but it fills me with hope that some day the Aeros will be on a proper sports radio station that I won't be repulsed by if I accidentally leave it on for a while after the game.

From the team:

Joe O’Donnell will call the action exclusively on ESPN Radio 97.5 FM (Listen Now button in upper right) for games on March 28 (at Milwaukee), March 31 (vs. Hamilton), April 6 (vs. Chicago) and April 13 (at OKC).

 And there will be 15 minutes of pre-game vs. the usual 5, so that's cool, too.

That's all!

Down the stretch: Thursday 3/22 edition

The Aeros have not played since Sunday, and still own the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. They are not going to catch OKC, but that's OK ... no one will. The goal for the Aeros has to be to keep the No. 4 seed and get the home-ice advantage in the first round. If they play San Antonio, they'll get home ice in a 2-2-1 format. If they play anyone else, they'll play a 2-3 or 3-2 format, and they'll get to decide whether or not to start on the road.

That could force some real interesting decisions given the new five-game, first-round series.

For those of you watching the scoreboard, I think this is down to a seven team race for five spots. Milwaukee, unless it just gets REALLY hot, has fallen behind Grand Rapids, who will try to keep San Antonio on the outside looking in tonight at AT&T Center.

I call this a must win game for the Griffins tonight, and tonight is a very big game for the Lake Erie Monsters, who host the Chicago Wolves at Quicken Loans Arena.

Win, and the Monsters jump back into the Top 8. Lose to Chicago, and the Monsters stay on the outside and stay on 72 points with a whopping 67 games played. The Monsters only have seven games left, and they probably need to go 5-2 and get a ton of help.

The Aeros are on their way to ChicagoLand, and will play four games in that area, three against teams that are currently not in the playoffs. With Matt Hackett back, he needs to play much, much better than the last time he got sent down. And with the consistency in the Aeros lineup, I think you'll see that.

No matter what, though, he is going to make a huge impression either way. After the Aeros play these four road games, they only have one left away from Toyota Center. That bodes well for Houston, which is 7-2 in its last nine home games and has points in nine of it's last 11 at home overall (7-2-1-1).

Click on the picture for a bigger image. 

Joe Fallon Named Player of the Week

Congrats to Aeros goalie Joe Fallon who, today, was named the AHL's Player of the Week for that incredible stretch of games he just played. He went 4-0, stopping 120 of 125 of shots. That included Saturday and Sunday when he played 130 minutes of hockey and went 13 rounds in the shootout over the two games.

Meanwhile, in related news, Fallon may be getting some rest as Matt Hackett has been returned to the Aeros from the Wild.

And Andrew, seeing as how you enjoyed the last Barry Gibb Talk Show clip I included with a Fallon post, here's another. And don't forget, everybody congratulate Joe Fallon for an incredible week of hockey.

Power Rankings: Fallon helps Aeros back to Top 5

If anything, doing the power rankings today made me realize that I probably had the Aeros too low last week. It takes a lot to move up or down six spots in one week, but what Joe Fallon did this week for the Aeros cannot be minimized.

Joe Fallon won all four games for the Aeros last week.
He said he lost about 7 pounds per game, too. 

He stole probably three points the Aeros did not deserve on Saturday and Sunday, and he was great when the offense was clicking on Tuesday and Friday. A perfect 4-0 week moved the Aeros all the way up to the No. 3 team in the conference and the No. 7 ranked team in the AHL overall. Obviously, because of the playoff rules, the Aeros cannot be seeded 2 or 3 if they finish behind the OKC Barons.

The Aeros magic number is down to 10, and they'd really have to fall off the wagon not to at least snatch one of the top 8 seeds for the postseason tournament.

The Aeros get some much-needed rest this week before starting a tough four-game road trip in Rockford on Friday.

As for the rest of the league, OKC is back on top. Toronto was unimpressive against the Wolves, and they really needed a weekend sweep to stay on Top. Speaking of Chicago, they are bag atop the Midwest and Charlotte has really hit the skids.

San Antonio and Lake Erie fell back, too, after bad weeks, but both of those teams are right in the middle of the playoff chase.

Don't go anywhere, fans - things are getting REAL interesting now.

2011-12 Western Conference Power Rankings
Edition 8, March 19, 2012

PR	Team	Record	Streak	Last	+/-	For the record …
1	OKC	39-17-4-5	0-1	3-0-0-1	+1	Back on top to stay
2	TOR	36-22-4-3	2-0	2-1-0-0	-1	Just 16-16 on the road this year.
3	PEO	35-26-2-1	4-0	1-0-0-0	-	O’Sullivan – 9pts in 5 gms.
4	CHI	35-24-2-3	2-0	2-1-0-0	+1	Back in control of Midwest
5	HOU	32-20-3-9	4-0	4-0-0-0	+6	Hackett re-joins from MIN
6	CLT	32-22-3-5	0-2	0-2-0-0	-2	Lost 5 of 6 overall.
7	RCH	31-23-6-3	1-0	1-1-0-0	+2	Tough loss vs. SYR Friday
8	SAT	33-26-3-1	0-3	0-2-0-0	-2	Offense has gone dark
9	ABB	33-25-3-4	0-1	1-1-0-1	-1	6 of next 7 at home
10	LEM	32-26-3-4	0-2	0-1-1-0	-3	Tough schedule will be a test
11	RFD	29-28-2-5	1-0	1-2-0-0	-1	Relishing spoiler role yet again
12	MKE	31-27-2-2	0-1	1-1-0-0	-	Running out of time
13	GRR	28-24-6-4	1-0	2-1-0-0	-	Sarcastic thank-yous to Detroit
14	HAM	27-29-2-5	0-2	1-2-0-0	-	Here’s to next year
15	TEX	27-32-2-2	0-3	0-3-0-0	-	Rookie help on the way

Down the Stretch - Monday update

After a big weekend of games, the Aeros moved all the way up from 10th to 3rd in the overall points totals. They cannot be the No. 3 seed in the playoffs as the top three spots are reserved for division winners.

The Aeros best hope is for the No. 4 seed and home ice advantage in the first round, best of five.

Milwaukee and Rochester - and even San Antonio to some extent - are in trouble. The first two are going to have to go on some incredible runs just to get in, as they've played more games than everyone else. San Antonio picked the wrong time to see its offense go cold at home. The Rampage have a favorable schedule for the next six games, so they better win 4 of 6.

Power Rankings come out later ... and here is a look at the AHL's playoff primer. Also, here is a reminder of 100 Degree Hockey's playoff projections. Lots of good data here for you to digest.

Please click on picture for better image. 

Fallon Keeps The Train Rolling

Both the Aeros and the Barons were playing their third game in three nights, and at times, especially in that third period, it looked like it. And of all of the guys who have played in these three games for the Aeros, none has put in the minutes, been under the pressure, as goalie Joe Fallon. And for the third night in a row, Fallon delivered, backstopping the Aeros to their third straight win (the second in two nights to go to the shootout) by the score of 2-1.

Earlier this month, when the Aeros were dying on the road, and Matt Hackett was called up and Darcy Kuemper was too injured to plays, the panic seemed to set in. Especially at the thought that two ECHL goalies were now tending goal for the Aeros. But after this weekend, after this past week, after this six game homestand, is there really any reason to worry?

The Aeros took the early 1-0 lead on Oklahoma City as David McIntyre, fresh off his shoot-out heroics from last night, scored 1:55 into the game on what appeared to be a mistake shot that kind of floated past the Barons' Yann Danis -- I would try to offer up a better description of the goal, but Toyota Center only showed replays of nonsense for the night, when they could be bothered to show replays, but refused to replay any of the goals in the game.

The Barons tied it at the 18:47 mark of the second period when they scored on the power play. That came after the Barons dominated the period, outshooting the Aeros 12-4. John Torchetti attributed that differential to the Aeros being sloppy with the puck.

"Every turnover probably brings you a shot-and-a-half," he said. "So if you have nine, you’re looking at 13 shots. That’s the difference. We’ve got to make sure to get better puck control. You kind of get away with a little bit at home because you’ve got your match-ups, and on the road you don’t. That’s the detail part of the game."

That was also pretty much the story in the third period, yet both teams appeared to have trouble standing on their skates, so tired did they appear to be. But Joe Fallon stood tall, stopping another 12 Baron shots and sending the game into overtime where he made one of those saves that's just so special you can't find the words to describe it, so spectacular was it -- essentially Fallon went one way, the puck went across him to the other side on a pass, the shot was made and looked to be the game-winning goal, but Fallon was able to reach back and grab the puck in the air and save the game (tip of the hat to Drew Bagnall who was able to tip the shot and slow it down).

"Let’s just hope next time that my feet are working more so I can get over into position better," was Fallon's basic response to the play.

The game went to the shootout where the Barons made their first two shots. But Fallon shut them down from there while the Aeros came to life. Jon DiSalvatore went top shelf in the third round, Jeff Taffe banged it in the fifth round, and Joel Broda sunk the game winner in round seven.

But exciting as that shootout was, it wouldn't have happened without the excellence of Fallon. And here's the thing, Fallon played all three games this weekend, meaning he played 190 minutes of hockey and went a total of 13 rounds in two shootouts.

"I tell you what, he’s come in and given us a lot of confidence," Torchetti said. "He’s played with a lot of confidence. It just goes to show you, that’s what it’s all about, I think. Giving people chances, and he’s taking advantage of it. He’s got experience. He’s come in and done a fantastic job for us. He likes a challenge. I’ll tell you what, he’s done a great job."

And nobody should argue with that fantastic job bit, especially after this weekend. As to why Fallon went back out today and didn't get any rest, well, as Fallon assured us after the game, that's the way he wanted it.

"Torch asked me if I wanted to go again, and I said, yeah, let’s do it, let’s keep the train rolling, and it paid off today," he said.

In this past week, the Aeros have gone from sitting in 10th place to sitting in fourth place with a record of 32-20-3-9 (76 points) with 12 games to play. The Rivermen sit in fifth with 73 points, percentage points ahead of the Heat who also have 73 points, but fewer wins. The Checkers have dropped down to sixth place with 72 points, while the Americans and Monster are battling it out for eighth with both have 71 points, but Rochester having the better winning percentage. The Rampage are now the tenth place, and they have 70 points.

So while the Aeros were able to make up ground and get some slight spacing on the teams behind them, this season's not over by a longshot. They've got the week off from games (but not off from practicing) before a three-in-three this weekend with two games in Rockford and a Sunday game in Chicago -- hopefully our Midwest Bureau Chief, Chris Jerina, will be able to get some photos and make a report for us from there.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES:

Tyler Cuma was a late scratch from the game. He skated pregame, but had a slight lower body injury. While he could've played, Torchetti said they decided that it was better that he sit out and get the extra rest time....Kris Foucault was a healthy scratch, allowing Nick Palmieri, freshly arrived from the Wild, to play....Also, it is expected that, sometime soon, Matt Hackett will be returning to the team as it's appearing that both Wild goalies will actually be healthy.

Also, I apologize for taking so long to get this posted, but I wanted to post a video honoring Joe Fallon, who had me thinking of Jimmy Fallon, so I went into Hulu watching old Jimmy Fallon skits from Saturday Night Live. And that led me from one video to another to another, and so on, and so on, and so on.  Anyway, for your enjoyment, here's one of my favorites, The Barry Gibb Talk Show.

The post where I swoon about the awesome goalie

There are times in the life of a hockey fan where a player can enter your sphere of interest for only a brief period, but still find themselves a permanent place in the messy Locker of Affection in your hockey heart.

For me, Kurtis Foster is a guy like that, after coming down to Houston for a conditioning stint after breaking his femur, and being just a joy to watch, great attitude, and a huge help with his bomb of a slapshot at a time when the Aeros really needed that lift to get into the playoffs (the Locke/Kolanos season).

Another is Matt Climie, who swooped in during that same playoff run where goalies were dropping like flies, battled through dehydration and cramping to get the Aeros some important wins.

Now, you can add Joe Fallon to that list. To get the Ms.Conducty stuff out of the way first: Oh gosh, y'all, he's really cute. And really nice. And you could have punched him in the face after tonight's game and I don't think he would have quit smiling. I wanted to hug him and bake him cookies and stuff.

Goaltending is a funny business. It's hard, it's painful, it's embarrassing at times. But when it's good... man, there is nothing better in life. Feeling good in goal is such a phenomenal place to be, I'm not even sure how to describe it.

It's like, "just had great sex" and "my hair looks freaking awesome today" and "these jeans are comfortable AND make my ass look amazing" and "the bills are paid with some left over for, not just beer, but GOOD beer" and "it's Friday night of a 3-day weekend." That's how great it is. Life is pretty much perfect when you're having a good streak in net.

And to have come to that feeling after a rough start here, having spent the season in the ECHL, and to have fought through it and elevated his game to this level is the kind of stuff that makes me love love love watching hockey at this level.

Watching guys get choice opportunities like this and just GO TO TOWN with them is an honor to witness. And for it to be happening at a time when the Aeros really need it to happen is even more special.

He was funny after the game, when John asked him about that insane OT save where he stuck his glove out behind him to swipe that puck out of the air before it made what appeared to be an inevitable trip to the back of the net... he basically admitted to being out of position and that he hopes he doesn't have to make too many like that as his game improves.

Talk about humility (and, well, honesty... but still what a save!)

He also said he hopes to work this week on the defense being able to work with him on outlet passes, which thrills my heart because I love me a goalie who's confident and competent moving the puck in meaningful ways. Still, I have to wonder how much more we'll see of him as it sounds like Hackett may be back this week.

But I won't worry about that for now. At the moment, I'm content to bask in the reflected glow of a goalie playing out of his mind, exceeding everyone's expectations, as well as enjoying the benefit that has for the team I care most about. 

View from the press box: Joe Fallon steals the show

The Aeros improved to 4-1 on their homestand with a 1-0 shootout win over the Heat, and you can read more about their dazzling performance in Heather's recap below.

She was spot on about Fallon and his great game, and how, even though the Aeros were plagued with turnovers, they still found a way to get the extra point in the standings.

Big picture wise, this was a big game. The Aeros jumped all the way to No. 4 in the standings. And they've won three in a row for the first time in ... a long time. Since that awful four-game losing streak, the Aeros are 6-3.

After tomorrow's game against OKC, the Aeros will hit the road for four straight, including games against the Rockford IceHogs, Chicago Wolves and Milwaukee Admirals.

And here is another weird note for you - after the game against the Barons, the Aeros will play nine straight games against teams outside their division.

I honestly don't know what to expect tomorrow; the Barons just pounded the Stars in back to back games, and the Aeros have not scored a goal in four plus periods.

Big win for the Aeros tonight, and a win tomorrow would give them a sweep of the weekend home three in three.

We'll see what happens and who Torch decides to start against the Barons. It was really, really warm down on the ice tonight, and Fallon has be to drained after a game like tonight.

But man, he sure has been good on this homestand.