PACK LOOK TO GROUND AEROS PLANE

VERSUS

Wednesday night the red-hot white-hot Wolf Pack (18-7-0-2) return to the Hartford Civic Center after having dismantled the Worcester Sharks 7-1 to take on the Houston Aeros (12-10-1-1).

The Pack Attack, 2nd place in the Atlantic Division trailing Providence by just 2 points but with the Bruins holding 2 games in hand, are being led by a dazzling first line of future NHL'ers Greg Moore (14G-13A-27Pts), Alex Bourret (5G-10A-15Pts) and AHL RBK Player of the Week, Nigel Dawes (9G-15A-24Pts in just 12 games). Al Montoya 7-4-2 2.34 GAA .914%) is back in good health and in the win column and displaying the type of goaltending that had him chosen #6 overall in the first round of the 2004 draft. The Wolf Pack also have Pierre Alexandre Parenteau tearing it up (13G-15A-28Pts) with Andrew Hutchinson (5G-15A-20Pts) and Artem Anisimov (5G-11A-16Pts) also impressing. The Pack are on a 8-1-0-1 streak and have gotten points in their last 8 games.

An interesting stat given the number of players that have worn the Pack jersey this season, and how well the team is playing overall is that there are only 2 players currently on the roster that stand on the short side of the +/-. They would be Bourret (-6) and Matt Waddell (-1). If you expand it beyond just the current players and look at the entire season on the whole you'd add Dave Scatchard (-1 in 3 games), Ryan Constant (-2 in 7 games), Bruce Graham (-2 in 10 games) and Mark Lee (-2 in 10 games). Considering the number of early injuries with Charlotte call-ups coming with little to no notice or practice with the team its a testament, not only to the fine job that rookie Head Coach Ken Gernander is doing with Assistants J.J. Daigneault and Pat Boller getting the team ready night in and night out but also to the outstanding job Checker GM/Coach Derek Wilkinson is doing in Charlotte.

Then there are the Minnesota Wild's farm team, the Houston Aeros. They've not been especially good this season and are currently residing in 7th place in the Western Division. However, the Aeros have been playing better of late having won their last 4 in a row and are riding a 6-3-0-1 streak. They are on a northern swing road trip that also includes visits to Springfield, Worcester and Providence that will last over the weekend.

In goal the Aeros have former Manchester Monarch Barry Brust defending their net (5-7-1 2.58 GAA .908%) and journeyman AHL'er Nolan Schaefer (7-4-0 2.31 GAA .916%) whom the Pack have seen in many of his previous incarnations in Worcester, Hershey and Wilkes-Barre. The Aeros are having trouble putting pucks in the net. Their top scorers are Erik Reitz (5G-9A-14pts in 16 games), Petr Kalus (5G-5A-10pts in 23 games) and Steve Kelly (4G-6A-10pts in 17 games). When your leading goal scorer roughly a third of the way through the season only has 5 goals, your team is in trouble.

The Aeros are no slouch behind the bench as they are led by Kevin Constantine who in 1993-94 as head coach of the San Jose Sharks led a first-round upset of Detroit in the Western Conference Quarterfinals. He was the runner-up to current Minnesota Wild head coach Jacques Lemaire for the Jack Adams Trophy as the NHL’s top coach that same year after the Sharks improved from a league-record 58 points. Constantine is the only NHL coach to ever lead a pair of eight seeds over a No. 1 seed, having also led Pittsburgh over New Jersey in 1998-99.

Bruce Berlet has a phenomenal piece about the Wolf Pack power play in the Hartford Courant.

The radio broadcast begins at 6:30pm with Bob Crawford's pre-game show with the puck dropping at 7:05. Listen in on the radio or on the internet at ESPN 1410AM or if you care to watch the game and want to plunk down the $6, you can catch it at B2livetv.com.

Check back with Howlings after the game for a full report.