HOUSTON, Texas – After every Houston Aeros home game, as fans are filing out of the arena, they play a song from The Muppet Movie called “Movin’ Right Along.”
While it may be more of a plea by the Toyota Center staff to get people out of the building, it couldn’t be more apropos for the Aeros’ state of affairs at the midpoint of the season.
The team spent the first half of the season scaling up and down the bottom half the division and gradually working the kinks out of their game. But now, they have quietly moved into third place and seem to have hit a sustainable stride.
Coming off a stretch of 4 games in 5 days in which the Aeros took 7 of 8 possible points, coach Mike Yeo likes the direction his team is headed.
“I’m very impressed with the attitude, the mental toughness, and the willingness to go out and lay it on the line right now,“ Yeo said. “Whatever it’s taking right now, the guys are doing it. From a big save to a blocked shot or sometimes it’s just a matter of making the right play, whether it’s getting the puck out or getting the puck in. I told them I’m proud. They’re playing like winners.”
Maybe more than hitting their stride, some recent additions to the line-up have filled important gaps in the roster at just the right time to make a push in the standings.
The team picked up Jed Ortmeyer, 32, who has 306 NHL games, after he was released by intrastate rival San Antonio on January 1. Ortmeyer already has 5 points in 8 games after earning only 3 points in 20 games with San Antonio.
“You add a player like that and it’s going to add a lot to your team,“ Yeo said. “And not just on the ice, but he brings a lot off the ice as well and you need that. We’ve got a great leadership group with him being a part of that now.”
Parent club Minnesota Wild also provided an unexpected skill boost to the club by waiving Patrick O’Sullivan last week and sending him to Houston. A former Wild draft pick, O’Sullivan broke Aeros rookie scoring records his first pro season before being traded. The Wild picked him off waivers as an injury replacement for Pierre Marc Bouchard, who is now healthy.
Rather than having him sit on the bench in Minnesota, the Aeros now get to take advantage of his ‘high skill,’ which has been lacking in the Aeros line-up. “The mere threat of his skill takes defensive pressure off his linemates when creating scoring chances.” Yeo said. And indeed, he’s made his impact felt quickly with a goal per game in his first two games with the team.
Still, with three teams sitting three or fewer points behind them, the Aeros don’t have time to enjoy the view from the upper half of the division. What they will enjoy is putting the worst parts of the their grueling schedule behind them and finally getting some practice time after a busy first half that rarely afforded such a luxury.
All Star Again
Defenseman Max Noreau was once again selected to represent the Aeros in the 2011 AHL All Star festivities in Hershey, PA later this month. In spite of a fairly cool start to the season, the offensive-minded Noreau had a bang-up December and is now 9th in the league in scoring among defensemen and second in scoring for the Aeros.
Contact: Heather.Galindo@prohockeynews.com
