Aeros beat Rampage in front of 8,000 screaming curtain-climbers

The score may indicate that the game was a blowout, and some Rampage fans might agree that it was, but the Aeros' 5-1 win over the Rampage Tuesday afternoon was closer than you might think.

The Aeros celebrate Foucault's first-period goal - Morris Molina (Aeros)

It was close until the Aeros scored three third period goals in just under five minute to put the game away.

The Aeros were in control after Kris Foucault and Charlie Coyle scored goals in the first 21 minutes. The second Aeros goal seemed to spark the Rampage, even to a point where Torchetti called a timeout in the middle of the second period.

The Aeros held the 2-0 lead until Greg Rallo scored with 30 seconds left in the second period.

After San Antonio killed off a power play to start the third, the Aeros defense and Matt Hackett were solid in setting up the scoring burst by Palmeiri, Palmer and David McIntyre.

The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Rampage in a stretch where the team had won six out of seven overall to climb out of the cellar. The loss also snapped a six game winning streak for Jacob Markstrom.

Torchetti hinted that the Aeros got a little too comfortable with a 2-0 lead and a 21-8 shots advantage and mentioned that he had thoughts of the game on Sunday. (The Aeros got a quick goal and then gave up the next three against what, to that point, had been a terrible Peoria team.)

So what got the out of the funk Tuesday? Defense, Checking and a systems-first mentality. If you've heard that before it's because you have.

For now, the Aeros are in first place in the South division. Charlotte hosts Milwaukee tonight, so that all could change later on, but the Aeros have won six of eight overall and are up to fourth in the league in points.

The Aeros improved to 3-1 against the Rampage this season and still have eight more games against San Antonio before the end of the year. My favorite quote from Torch came after I asked him why he thought his team was averaging six goals a game in the morning starts.

He smiled and said he was looking to get the rest of the game times changed. Just don't tell Forecheck.

Here is a blurb from the Aeros presser:

The Houston Aeros (13-7-1-2, 29 points) defeated the San Antonio Rampage (10-12-0-3, 23 points) 5-1 on Tuesday in front of 8,573 fans at Toyota Center. Forwards Nick Palmieri, Jared Palmer and David McIntyre each scored and added an assist, as Houston pulled away in the third period for the four-goal win.  Houston goalie Matt Hackett (10-6-2) stopped 20 of 21 shots, ending San Antonio’s four-game winning streak. Charlie Coyle and Kris Foucault also scored, as Houston won for the seventh time in the last eight outings. Rampage goalie Jacob Markstrom (8-7-1) stopped 25 of 30 in the defeat. Houston will head to Charlotte for a pair of games, starting Friday at 6:00 p.m. (CT) at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Aeros lose 3-2, crushed by hot goalie

Weird game tonight in that I went down expecting hellfire and brimstone from Torchetti and he looked at me (oh so briefly) like I had three heads when I asked the first question along the lines of, "Yuck, what was that?"

Awesome for me that ALL of my questions were along those lines.

He said, instead, that apart from the lousy defensive play by a certain unnamed forward that led to that third goal against  (the breakaway), he was happy with the Aeros' game.

He gave big props to Mike McKenna, the Peoria goalie, for playing an outstanding game (so true, I was blown away, even though I knew Mike was a good goalie), and basically shutting the door on a lot of good chances by the Aeros.

The loss halted a 6-game win streak for Houston and if they'd won tonight, that would have been the first 7 game win streak since Feb-Mar of 2008. He said he was very disappointed to see the streak end on a goal like that. And poor Hackett... he had that thing but when an opponent can stand there and pound on the puck and your pad without your defense getting all up in his business, that's probably going in. Really sucks for him.

Coach said he felt like they should have lost Friday, but they won. And they should have won tonight but they lost. "This is how losing streaks start."

My contention, though, is that the Aeros ALWAYS lose before the big autograph signing thing each year, which was tonight. If Peoria hadn't had such a bad record, I would have thought there's no way the Aeros would lose. Rested, but not rusty. Most guys pretty healthy. But McKenna + Autograph Session spelled doom.

And of course, the teams are rarely themselves for these morning games, so that should be a fun one on Tuesday. San Antonio is kinda hot right now, too, so this really could be how losing streaks start.

BTW, for those who have been wondering what's wrong with Scandella... I thought he played a really intense game tonight. Agree? Disagree? And also, are you as surprised as I was that Torchetti was happy with the way they played (for the most part)? Glad I had the dogs to lead my story with so it didn't totally wreck what I'd written. :)

Aeros jump into second place with 2-1 OT win over Stars

I don't think even my jinxy ways could cool down the white-hot Jason Zucker, who scored the OT game winner in Cedar Park tonight to clinch a 2-1 win for the Aeros.

It's his second OT GWG of the season and he's the only player in the AHL to have more than one so far. He's also the best at scoring power play goals, the third best rookie scorer, and fourth best goal scorer in the league. He's just exceptionally consistent for a young guy.

(BTW, our friends over at Hockey Wilderness did a fun debate on whether Zucker has the stuff to be a top 6 forward for the Wild, you know, should the NHL ever. play. again. aughhhh. Check it out and let them know your thoughts (as folks who've seen a lot of him by now) in the comments there or here.)

Not to be overshadowed was Matt Hackett, who was named first star (usually reserved for OT GWG scorer in these situations). He held off the Stars' 16 shots to the Aeros 5 in the first period, which was essential for the Aeros getting their "been off for a week" legs back under them.

Kris Fredheim got the Aeros only regulation goal in the first period. If I could start chants from the press box, I'd started an "UNDER-RATED *clapclapclapclapclap*" chant for him.

Granlund was back, Cuma was scratched (not healthy). Both Granlund and Genoway got a little dinged up blocking shots but both returned. We'll see if they're in on Sunday once the adrenaline has worn off.

Aeros got into penalty trouble in the first period (hence the ever-so-many shots on goal), but neither team had another penalty the rest of the game. Very unusual, but makes for some nice, quick hockey.

That's about it. Hard to say much not seeing it in person.

Kuemper played for Orlando tonight after being sent down there to get some games in. They lost 5-4 in a shootout (in which no Orlando player was able to score; Kuemper stopped 3 of 4). Somehow Fort Wayne scored an empty net goal with just seconds left even though THEY were the ones who were down and had the extra man on the ice (and presumably an empty net).

Either I'm confused (as are many of my Twitter followers who puzzled over this with me) or the stats folks aren't clear on what constitutes an EN goal. The score sheet: http://echl.com/stats/official-game-report.php?game_id=9865

Anyway, I'm told he'll play again tomorrow night and be back to Houston Sunday. DOG DAY Sunday, the most wonderful game of the year. Woof!....

Followed by the most noisy game of the year on Tuesday morning. Friendly reminder to start coughing at work on Monday so you can call in on Tuesday and come out. I promise not to put your face in the Chronicle.

See you Sunday.

Aeros take down Barons in a shootout, win 2-1

For the third time in four games, the Aeros have earned two points against the AHL's NHL Edmonton Barons. Offensively, that team has lived up to the hype this season, but they leave a lot on the other side, and that was quite evident in Thursday's showdown.

Photo by Morris Molina - Houston Aeros

The Aeros won the game, 2-1, winning their four straight game and improving to 3-1 against the Barons this season. In the linked story above, Aeros captain Drew Bagnall talks about how the team played with a physical purpose, taking away the time and space for the OKC superstars. It worked, and if the Aeros power play had done anything at all, it could have kept the Barons for getting an overtime point.

The rematch is tonight at 7:05 at Toyota Center. There is not reason to believe it won't be a Matt Hackett vs. Yann Danis rematch. Both were very good Thursday night.

The Aeros had many, many opportunities to take at least a 3-0 lead in the first 10 minutes, but Danis was up to the task.

Palmieri's regulation goal was just a sick wrister after basically undressing the much heralded Justin Schultz. The pass from Fontaine was just as sweet, too. Fontaine fakes a dump-in and then whips a pass over to Palmieri, who finishes it off early in the sixth minute.

Here is a replay of Palmieri's fifth goal of the 2012-13 season:

What a goal ... but Schultz got the next laugh about six minutes later when he caught a couple of Aeros watching him instead of trying to get the puck.

It was a great shot, but it was mostly uncontested. Schultz just danced around Phillips and then blew by Josh Caron, who got caught watching the future super star.It's hard to fault either one of them here. Phillips fell, got up and then had to chance Schultz all over the place. And Caron probably takes a penalty if he gets in the way. Either way, it was a good play by the Barons to tie the game.

Here is a good look at the Schultz goal, his 100th of the season ; )

                                     


The rest of the game was a battle of the PKs and goaltenders. And that lasted until the shootout when the Aeros were able to get three past Danis in six tries. Foucault with the game winner, and now the Aeros are one of just five teams in the west with at least a .600 winning percentage.

For me, without two of their studs, the Aeros are playing much, much better defensively and are making things work with a very weak home power play.

It's kind of hard to imaging that the Aeros sweep the Barons this weekend, but a big win would give them five straight wins before a six-day break.

What stood out for you? I really like Fontaine's game right now, and even though his points are tailing off, Charlie Coyle looks like a future, steady NHLer.

Injury update, TC lease non-update

I spoke with Aeros GM Jim Mill this morning to catch up on the myriad injuries and ask about the lease negotiations, since folks seem to be getting a little edgy about that lately (understandably).

I also wanted his take on Justin Fontaine's meteoric rise to the top of the scoring chart for Houston. The kid is just money all day long and while Jason Zucker got all the press for his record-tying OT game winner over the Heat Sunday, I thought Fontaine's performance was as important to even getting the team into the position to play in OT.

Mill said he's not surprised by his success at all. Fontaine came into camp stronger and in great shape after working hard all summer, and he's happy to see it paying off for him. And what a relief it is for Fontaine, and really his whole line (Palmieri and McIntyre), to turn it up to 11 right as Granlund goes out with that injury and really make up that offensive gap (and then some).

That said, Granlund is possible for a return against OKC on Thursday and/or Friday. He's practicing fully and at this point it's up to the Finn to decide whether he's game ready or not. It would be great to see him back, especially against the Oklahoma City Oilers. I'm as excited for these games as I was for the start of the season. Should be some phenomenal hockey, at least on one side of the puck if not both.

In other injury news, Mill didn't want to get too detailed but Brett Bulmer's left leg injury Sunday wasn't as bad as they'd feared, but there is still no time table on his return. Kampfer is out indefinitely and spending time in dark rooms and wearing sunglasses, according to his Twitter, so that one is just going to take the time it takes. Finally, also no time table for Rau's return.

Hopefully I asked about everybody. Obviously Brodin is still out for a while with that surgically repaired collar bone.

On the lease, the team continues to keep everything about it close to the vest, for obvious reasons, but Mill said they're still talking to the Toyota Center and he feels like there's still plenty of time. I asked if they were getting into "fish or cut bait" territory here and he said it's not that dire; that there's still time. Even though I've been told all along that something would happen in late Nov/early Dec... I guess like a concussion, this will take the time it takes and we'll all just sit in the dark for a while longer.

I know how I'm interpreting it, but there are many moving parts to consider and I'm probably not clever enough to know what they all are, so it's pure speculation. And since I'm too cranky today (and frankly, most days) to field calls scolding me for speculating on the blog (you win, Josh), I'll let you guys speculate in the comments. :)

Couple of Well-Deserved Stick Taps for Brust, DiSalvatore

Overall it was a very good weekend for the Aeros, who earned four points against the best and worst teams in the AHL. After Friday's win at San Antonio, the Aeros got a goal five seconds into OT to beat the Abbotsford Heat. You can read more about that game below.

But a couple of former Aeros, two very popular former players were in the news over the weekend, so we'd be remiss by not mentioning that.

Brust lines up for a save against the Milwaukee Admirals

Barry Brust, who helped man the pipes between 2007 and 2010, set an AHL record this weekend. He set the new mark for the longest shutout streak against the San Antonio Rampage on Saturday night.

Before James Wright ended it later in the game, Brust went 268 minutes and 17 seconds without allowing a goal. That surpassed the previous AHL record of 249:51, established by Hockey Hall of Famer Johnny Bower with the Cleveland Barons in 1957.

I talked to Barry after the game in Houston on Sunday, and asked him how long he knew he was going to get the start against the Rampage. The Heat have three goalies, and Brust has gone several weeks between starts. Brust said he knew for awhile, but things could change. That helped him prepare for all the hoopla that led up to his most recent start.

I also asked him what was going through his mind as the second ticked off leading up to the record. He just told me that he did whatever he could do to keep from looking at the clock. He was excited, happy, thankful and relieved when it finally made it to the 19th minute without allowing a goal.

Here is more about the record from The AHL:

Brust, who finished Saturday’s 3-2 shootout win with 26 saves, is now 5-0-0 on the season with a 0.59 goals-against average and a .978 save percentage, stopping 131 of 134 shots overall. The 29-year-old native of Swan River, Man., is 101-71-9 in 196 career AHL games, and was a member of the Binghamton Senators’ Calder Cup championship team in 2010-11. 

In setting a record that stood for nearly 55 years, Bower – a three-time AHL MVP and three-time Calder Cup champion in his career – helped Cleveland to a 2-2 tie with the Buffalo Bisons on Nov. 27, 1957, before shutting out the Hershey Bears (Nov. 30), Springfield Indians (Dec. 1) and Hershey again (Dec. 5). His streak was ended by Buffalo’s Lou Jankowski on Dec. 7.

(Aside from Ms.C: Wild horses couldn't have kept me from that game, so InGoal Magazine asked me to write a little something up afterward. Since I was the only reporter there, here's the exclusive with Brusty and Coach Ward after the game.)

Also over the weekend, former Aeros captain Jon DiSalvatore recorded his 500th career AHL point on Sunday in the Heshey Bears' win over the Toronto Marlies. DiSalvatore captained the Aeros to the 2011 Calder Cup finals and is now the fourth leading active player in the AHL. More amazingly, he's play for 10 different coaches in each of his 10 AHL seasons, and I think that is a record that will never be broken. That is just mind-boggling for someone who has been in the league for so long.

Jon, as many of you know, was a stand-up guy and always answered the tough questions ... win or lose. He had a rough plus-minus year during his first year in Houston, but he rebounded with back-to-back seasons with a career-high 28 goals. And he was money during the 2011 playoffs and scored one of the biggest goals in franchise history during Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against Hamilton.

DiSalvatore wins the West Finals vs. Hamilton in 2011

I was really hoping there'd be enough cash to persuade him to stay another year or so, but he got a great deal from the Yankees of the AHL. Here is some more about Jon from The AHL:

DiSalvatore, a 2000 draft pick by the San Jose Sharks, is in his 10th professional season and first with the Bears. 

He has totaled 209 goals and 291 assists in 696 career games with Hershey, Houston, the Lowell Devils, San Antonio, Peoria, the Worcester Sharks and the Cleveland Barons, reaching the 20-goal plateau in each of his first nine campaigns. 

DiSalvatore captained the Houston Aeros to the Calder Cup Finals in 2010-11, and made his first AHL All-Star Classic appearance in 2012. 

DiSalvatore ranks fourth among active AHL players in career scoring, behind Toronto's Keith Aucoin (794 points), Chicago's Darren Haydar(736) and Providence's Trent Whitfield (583).

Zucker Ties AHL record, Aeros win :05 into OT

Johan Larsson and Jason Zucker shocked the Abbotsford Heat and just about everyone else inside Toyota Center with his ninth goal of the season just five seconds into overtime Sunday afternoon.

The teams traded goals in regulation, and after the Aeros wasted a power play gift late in the third period, Zucker and Larsson teamed up for the stunning finish (video below). The goal tied the AHL record for the fastest overtime goal. Zucker's goal tied the record set by Dave Saatzer of the Nova Scotia Voyageurs in 1980, and tied by Chris Corrinet of the Portland Pirates in 2002.



The AHL schedule gods were on the Aeros side this weekend for sure. The Heat, playing its third game in three days, made just enough mistakes to let the Aeros get an extra point in the standings.

Make no mistake: The Heat is the best team the Aeros have played so far on both sides of the puck. They have points in all but two (16 of 18) of their games thus far. OKC, who is here later this week, surely has more offensive power, but the Heat are smart, well coached, have the league's top PK united and they have three (THREE!) goalies that can steal two points on any given night.

Some high-level themes that stood out for me include the Aeros giving up two goals on turnovers. Everyone we talked to after the game said exactly the same thing: The Heat wait for you to make a bad mistake, and they punish you quickly.

Hackett again solid, letting in just two goals and giving his team a chance to win. When only two go in, you have a chance to win every game. On the first Heat goal, Hack made a great save, then got a little post luck before a Charlie Coyle turnover led to a 1-1 game. Hackett was screened on the second goal after Connelly and Bagnall both turned the puck over ... and then Zucker missed a block. After all that, Estoclet gets in front of Hackett, distracting him just enough. Click below for a good view of how that play developed.

Taylor was good, too, but the Aeros wasted about 3-4 other prime chances that would have kept the Heat from getting the OT point. McIntyre missed a breakaway, and one player (I was reading something and looked up just in time to see the end of it) missed an open net after Taylor was caught out of position in the second period.

UPDATE - Thanks to the Art and Hockey blog, we find out that it was Palmer who missed the empty netter. And she got a splendid picture of the aftermath. But don't look at the hockey players, look at the fans (including one of the Anthem singers in Row 2) ... their faces say it all!

MY, oh MY! (Photo by Art and Hockey)

The goal scored at the end of the second was indeed about a half second too late. The officials got the calls right on both calls (when Mac hit the crossbar on the breakaway and the late goal at the end of the second).

As for the final sloppy power play - look, that is what you are going to get with a ton of rookies and second-year players getting a season-long baptism by fire. The younger players are the more gifted scorers, and they are going to hit one night (see Friday's late PP goal in San Antonio) and they are going to strikeout the next. What I would like to them them improve upon is the desperation to keep the puck in the zone. While I know you don't want to over commit and cause a breakaway, there are a few players that look a little laggard when it comes to keeping a play alive.

I am not going to mention names here, because I have only seen about a third of the games live this year. I think this is an effort issue and not an growing pains issue, so I will wait and see if I see any improvement from these players this weekend.

The Aeros are in the top third of the league in points and points percentage. Given the injury to their top two (arguably) playmakers and (not arguably) one of their top scorers, I think you'll take that.

So what are your thoughts on the game? The Aeros earned four out of four points this weekend and have won three in a row and four of five overall.

Off the post ... and in. (Photos by Morris Molina, Houston Aeros)

Justin Fontaine has 14 points in November. He is en fuego.

Aeros Stretch Winning Streak to ... two!

OK, I will save the sarcasm about the Aeros season-high tying two game winning streak. They have won three of four overall, and are playing much better defensively with players getting healthy and Matt Hackett getting all the playing time in goal.

Two of the wins are against the Rampage, the AHL's worst teams by points, including Friday's 2-1 win. Justin Fontaine scored the game winner on the power play late in the third period to get the two points. Fontaine is the team's player of the month so far with 12 points.

Since that 7-5 win on kids day in the Alamo City, the Aeros have not allowed more than two goals in the three games. Their scoring is down, too, and goals are going to be even harder to come by on Sunday when the Heat come to town with the league's best defense.

Like Heather reported yesterday, Kuemper will be back as the back-up Sunday, but it's Hack's net for the short term with no three games in three nights for a couple of weeks.

Photo by Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com

The Heat are the first of three great teams the Aeros will host on the homestand, as Oklahoma City comes to town next week for a pair of games at Toyota Center. The NHL lockout has afforded us to see a lot of decent talent so far this year, and OKC is loaded with NHL players. The Aeros are 2-1 against OKC this year, and you'd have to think we'll see more high scoring games next weekend.

The other bit of drama this weekend is former Aeros goalie Barry Brust COULD get the start with an AHL record on the line. He's about a period away from recording the league's longest shutout streak. Personally, I think the Heat will start him tonight against San Antonio, but maybe not. The Heat got a shutout Friday night at Texas, and they may ride the hot hand saving Brust for Sunday against the Aeros.

I think most of us are kind of hoping for the latter. And if you're the Aeros, I think you want a crack at trying to break up that streak. Either way, be sure to check the box scores tonight to see if Brust gets the call in San Antonio.

Kuemper assigned to Orlando, briefly

The Aeros created a bit of a flurry this morning when they announced the assignment of Darcy Kuemper to ECHL Orlando today. In return, they signed John Curry to a PTO to back up Hackett.

Turns out, they just want to get Kuemper a start tonight, but he'll be backing up in Houston on Sunday (per Jim Mill, via text). I wouldn't be surprised if this happens a number of times through the season, as Kuemper only has 4 starts and 5 games (one was a relief appearance) so far this season.

As valuable as Hackett is and as important as it is that he get the bulk of the starts, you can't let Kuemper waste away on the bench. We've seen how tough it is for him (and really, most goalies) to start only once in a blue moon.

So, it's a good thing for Kuemper and really fairly inconsequential for the Aeros if they continue to do it in this piecemeal way. As the Hitchhiker's Guide says, "Don't Panic."

Aeros Split the Weekend vs. Rockford

True to their mediocre form, the Aeros split their two games this weekend, losing at Rockford Friday and then winning the "home" game at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Basically the story of the weekend was this:

Fontaine celebrates his goal on Sunday (Bruce Kluckholm)

Power play went 1-for-9 Friday, and the team whiffed on two 5-on-3s in a 2-1 loss. Then on Sunday, Matt Hackett essentially saved their bacon in an ugly win in front of more than 11,000 fans. The game Sunday wrapped up a stretch of nine games in the first 17 days of the month, and now the team will be off until Friday when they visit San Antonio.

After a fourth straight road game, the Aeros will kick of a stretch of three straight home games and five of six overall at Toyota Center.

Johan Larsson scored twice Sunday, and Justin Fontaine scored the other goal to secure a win.

Defensively, Hackett and the Aeros allowed fewer goals in the two games than they did in the 7-5 win over the Rampage last week. The Aeros improved to 3-4-0-2 in November. Not TOO bad, but they have fallen back in the pack in the Western Conference.

Hackett has started the last three games and seven of the last eight overall. He has all three wins, and Kuemper is 0-2 and has given up eight goals this month after a nice October.

Even though the power play failed them Friday, that unit has scored goals in four straight games (6x28) and has come through at least once in six of the nine games this month. And until yesterday, the PK unit has been mostly OK. Sunday marked the first time all the month they allowed more than one power play goal in the game.

Here are the highlights from the win on Sunday at the X.