HOUSTON, Texas — For the second year in a row, the Houston Aeros will install an experienced NHL coach behind the bench. Long-time NHL assistant John Torchetti will take over Houston’s head coaching duties vacated by Mike Yeo, who was promoted to head coach of the Minnesota Wild after one year in Houston. Torchetti, 46, has spent most of the last 12 years as an assistant coach in the NHL for Florida, Atlanta, and Chicago, where he helped coach the 2010 Stanley Cup run. He was twice named interim head coach during that time, in Florida and Los Angeles. Now he returns to his minor league roots, where Texas is familiar ground. Torchetti coached the San Antonio Iguanas to the Central Hockey League finals two years in a row in the mid-90s. He returned to Texas in 2002 to coach the AHL San Antonio Rampage in their inaugural season. The Rampage went 30-23-10-2 under Torchetti before he was promoted to assistant coach of parent club Florida. Current Wild assistant GM Brent Flahr managed the Rampage during Torchetti’s tenure, and the two have a successful track record together. The Wild have made clear their intentions to pursue a “draft and develop” strategy for rebuilding the Wild after several disappointing seasons. Having a similar coaching and playing style in Minnesota and Houston appears to be key to this strategy. As such, Torchetti’s approach should dovetail nicely with Yeo’s. In the past, both have said they aim to put teams on the ice that are hard-working, disciplined, and create offense off the rush.
 
Contact the writer at: heather.galindo@prohockeynews.com

HOUSTON, Texas – It was so close, they could taste it. One win Tuesday night. One win Thursday night. And the Calder Cup would come home to Houston. But it was not meant to be, as the Binghamton Senators beat the Aeros 3-2 in game six and won the Calder Cup for the first time in the history of the franchise. Houston played their game, putting up more shots than Binghamton, but could not slow down the powerful Binghamton offense, especially on the power play. “I wish it was a different outcome for a lot of reasons, but more than anything else, for the guys in that locker room. They poured their hearts and souls into this and I wish that they got what I feel, I believe that they deserve,” Aeros coach Mike Yeo said. “But having said that, congratulations to Binghamton. They’re definitely worthy champions.” After an early second period goal by Binghamton’s Roman Wick, the Aeros scored two power play goals to take the lead going into the third. Jon DiSalvatore tipped in a shot from Max Noreau for his 7th goal of the playoffs, and then JM Daoust scored his third goal in two games to put the Aeros up by a goal. The lead only lasted 3:26 into the third as Bobby Butler scored a power play goal with a shot up the slot that beat Aeros goalie Matt Hackett cleanly. Then, with Robbie Earl in the box for high sticking, Ryan Keller punched a shot in over Hackett’s shoulder through the tiniest of gaps. Houston doubled up Binghamton in shots in the third but couldn’t tie it up before the final horn sounded and the Senators bench erupted with jubilation. In addition to the scoring prowess of the Senators, 19-year-old rookie goaltender, Robin Lehner, who had a rollercoaster season, found his stride in the playoffs, earning him the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy for the most valuable player of the 2011 Calder Cup Playoffs. “It’s unbelievable. All you naysayers and critics, you can go hide somewhere,” said Lehner. “You can never take this away from me. I’m not saying I’m going to go play in the NHL. That’s a long road ahead. But you can never take away from me that I’m a Calder Cup champion and that I got the MVP here.” For Houston, the “gut-wrenching” feelings are combined with pride in what the team accomplished over 104 games. “Some guys, to think of where they came from this year, and what they’ve done. You could point to mistakes that players made tonight or in the series,” said Yeo. “But without every one of those guys, we’re not here. I’m not answering these questions, because those guys, it’s amazing what they did this year.” Aeros captain Jon DiSalvatore took solace in being one of only two teams left playing. “We were two games away from winning the Calder Cup,” said DiSalvatore. “There’s 28 other teams that are sitting home right now wishing they were in our situation, and it takes a special group of guys to get to this place.” Contact Heather.Galindo@prohockeynews.com

BINGHAMTON, NY – The Calder Cup finals move from Houston to Binghamton for games 3, 4, and 5 starting Wednesday night, and the series is currently tied at one win apiece. Most notable about the series moving from Houston to Binghamton is the drastic contrast in arenas. The Aeros’ Toyota Center, built in 2003, holds more than 17,000 for hockey. It’s so big, sections of the upper deck are only open a few times a season, and the lower bowl is rarely full in spite of strong attendance relative to much of the league. Broome County Veterans’ Memorial Arena, on the other hand, was built in 1973 and has a quarter of the capacity at 4,710. It’s intimate, with the seats nearly hanging over the ice, they’re so steep and close to the glass. And while the Aeros (and most of the AHL West) play on NHL-sized ice, the sheet in Binghamton is small. From the diminutive neutral zone to the cropped end zone, it favors a certain style of play, and the Aeros believe theirs is that style. “I think we play a type of game that, number one, we create a lot of turnovers, and turnovers are a big part of playing on small ice,” said Aeros coach Mike Yeo. “I think that our speed is more of a factor on a small ice surface, and I think that with the physicality that we bring and as far as we want to get on their D as quick as possible, I think it’s 2-3 less strides to get there.” Captain Jon DiSalvatore agreed, also saying the players are excited about the speed of the game on such hard ice, compared to relatively soft ice in the South. “We’re just going to manage what we know, as far as where we’ve got to be smart with the puck and where our trouble zones are and how to avoid those,” said DiSalvatore. “Ultimately, I think that the smaller surface is going to work to our favor, allowing us to get on loose pucks quicker.” As far as fans being on top of the game and vocal against opposing teams, Yeo admits it’s a challenge, but one the team can get excited about. “If you don’t get excited about playing games like this, then you’re in the wrong sport, you’re in the wrong business,” Yeo said. “We have a lot of guys that have played in the building for one thing and I, myself, have coached a number of games, coached in here in the playoffs as well, so we know very well what to expect.” “I think that certainly the crowd is going to be great here. They’re going to be getting on us and we’ve seen that in Milwaukee, getting on our goalie (Hackett). And he seemed to really rise to that challenge and enjoy that and feed off of it.” DiSalvatore said the team has heard about Binghamton’s fans, but they know it’s just part of the game. “They going to be there to support their team and do whatever they can to lift them up and bring us down,“ said DiSalvatore. “I’m sure it’s going to be very loud, and it’s going to be a ruckus, but we’re here to quiet that.” —————————————- One Aeros player might be experiencing a little déjà vu as he heads into his second June in a row of battling for the Calder Cup. Center Warren Peters played for the Texas Stars last season as the fledgling franchise made a Cinderella run, ultimately falling short against the Hershey Bears. But he’s not exactly missing the golf course. “I went enough (years) without even making the playoffs, so you won’t hear me complain about it,” said Peters. For a team well balanced with youngsters and veterans, he can offer a perspective even some veterans can’t. “Having experienced it, and just how long, how much time it actually takes to get here. With playoffs, it’s a marathon, it’s not much of a sprint, and it’s a grind.” Peters has quietly racked up 4 goals and 8 assists in the playoffs and says this team is notably different from his former Stars on the ice. “I respect everyone that I played with a great deal last year, but this team is completely different. Right from the way that we play, our style of play is different,” said Peters. “We got it done a different way last year, so it totally changes the dynamic.” Contact Heather.Galindo@prohockeynews.com

HOUSTON, Texas – In a game more indicative of how the series was expected to go, the Binghamton Senators beat the Houston Aeros 2-1 in overtime to tie the Calder Cup finals series at one game apiece. Both teams scored early in the first period. Bobby Butler netted a power play goal at just 1:45 on a perfect cross-crease pass from Kaspars Daugavins to put the Senators up 1-0. The Aeros evened things up three minutes later, again on a power play, as Robbie Earl banked a shot toward the net off Casey Wellman and past goalie Robin Lehner. Solid defensive play at both ends of the ice kept quality chances to a minimum the remainder of the game. Though Aeros goalie Matt Hackett had to produce a couple of headstands to stop some of Binghamton’s better chances. The game was forced into overtime when a late flurry of chances around Binghamton’s net by Casey Wellman proved fruitless against Lehner. Jim O’Brien scored the game winner at 7:54 in overtime, firing a shot past Hackett from the face-off circle. Aeros coach Mike Yeo was less satisfied with his team’s play than he was in game 1, particularly in the second period when “they stunk.” “It was a game that could go either way and we played it as such. That’s not really our style,” said Yeo. “We did some good enough things to keep ourselves in the game. Against a team like that with their skill level, and their ability to counter, and their ability to take advantage of mistakes, we don’t want to play that type of game.” The Aeros were also less physical than in game one, which Yeo attributed somewhat to the game being a second of a back to back. “I think the couple of days that we have here, three days, between (games 2 and 3) is going to be huge for our team,” said Yeo. “But we didn’t give ourselves enough opportunities to be physical. We didn’t have that same mindset of the guys getting pucks behind their D and making them go back. We let them off the hook because of that. We were turning it more in to a back and forth, 50-50 game.” Binghamton coach Kevin Kleinendorst, in spite of the win and feeling like the effort was there, wants more from his group. “We knew we had to be better. I think we were a little better, but we’re still going to have to be better yet,” said Kleinendorst. “That’s a good team over there and I think this what it’s going to be like.” With the series now set for three games in Binghamton and, if necessary, games 6 and 7 in Houston, the split gives the Senators home ice advantage. Kleinendorst is happy to be “in the driver’s seat” and to play in front of the home crowd again, but said they’re not getting too excited. “We respect Mike Yeo and his group. They’re one of the best coached teams we’ve faced up to this point to be honest with you. We’ve got our work cut out for us.” Game three takes place in Binghamton Wednesday, followed by another back-to-back Friday and Saturday at Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.
Contact Heather.Galindo@prohockeynews.com

HOUSTON, Texas – The hot topic around the Toyota Center was, in fact, the heat. With temperatures hitting triple digits in Houston, one of the warmest buildings in the AHL was just that much warmer. The Houston Aeros used that sweltering home ice to their advantage, wearing down the Binghamton Senators to win game one of the Calder Cup finals 3-1. The Senators, who swept their last round and haven’t played a game in 9 days, came out flat and listless. “I have no idea who was playing out there. That wasn’t my team,” said Binghamton coach Kevin Kleinendorst. “We didn’t win a battle. You don’t win games if you don’t win battles.” Despite the flat showing, the first period ended scoreless, with the teams, who have not met this season, feeling each other out. After nearly 25 minutes with no score, and few quality chances for either side, Aeros goalie Matt Hackett misplayed the puck behind the net, turning it over to Colin Greening. He corralled the puck and passed it out to Bobby Butler, who fired his 11th goal of the playoffs into the empty net. “I was a little nervous. It was the first final game of my career, so if I wasn’t nervous, I’m not ready,” said Hackett. The rookie goalie said he was used to seeing 40+ shots in junior last season, but he’s learning to adapt to a defense that keeps him less busy. “They block so many shots,” said Hackett, who saw 24 shots in the effort. “Probably 15-20 a game. It helps a lot.” The Aeros take a lot of shots, too, and doubled Binghamton in shots on goal in the second and third periods. They finally wore down the Senators and goalie Robin Lehner to score three unanswered goals in the third period. Jed Ortmeyer scored twice early in the third. The first was a point blank shot off a pass from Colton Gillies. The second assist went to defenseman Marco Scandella. The same trio scored the second goal as well, with Ortmeyer wristing a shot past Lehner for the ultimate game winner. Warren Peters scored an empty net goal to with 36 seconds on the clock to round out the win. Though the Senators’ effort sagged even further as the third period carried on, Aeros coach Mike Yeo said his team is expecting to see a better effort in Saturday’s game and has a healthy respect for Binghamton’s skill level. “(Winning the first game is) big. It’s a lot better to win the it than to lose it, but we know it doesn’t mean a whole lot when the puck drops tomorrow,” said Yeo. The teams meet Saturday night for game 2 before heading back to Binghamton next week. Contact Heather.Galindo@prohockeynews.com