Double Trouble
Meet the two young goalies who intend to lead the Houston Aeros' charge back to AHL supremacy.

 

11.10.04 - HOUSTON, Texas – Apparently, not only do opposites attract, but they also make one heck of a goalie tandem.

The play of rookie Josh Harding, 20, and 22-year-old Mike Smith is one of the main reasons the Houston Aeros got off to a 7-4-1-1 start in opening the 2004 AHL season.

While the two young stars may seem interchangeable, there are plenty of subtle differences (and also some obvious ones) noticed by watching their games.

For starters, Harding catches with his right hand, while Smith wears the mitt on the traditional left hand. Harding is 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, by no means small until he stands next to the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Smith. Harding is under contract with the Minnesota Wild, and Smith with the Dallas Stars.

Smith is a bit on the hyper and anxious side, while the soft-spoken Harding goes with the flow. Smith's from Eastern Canada (Ontario), Harding from out West (Saskatchewan).

However, on the ice is where they probably differ the most.

Harding's form is near flawless, ranging from post-to-post and barely leaving his crease. Smith, on the other hand, models himself after Patrick Roy and the butterfly style. He isn't afraid to play the puck and scored a goal in his first pro game in 2002.

It has all added up to a great start, as the goalies have combined for three shutouts in 13 games.

"The differences are healthy," said Aeros head coach Todd McLellan. "I think if they were both the same, they'd be nervous at the same time, upset at the same time. They have the same personalities, just a different way of approaching the game. They are rubbing off on each other and have become a real good tandem. Also depending on who is back there, the way we play our game is different. One is a tremendous puck mover (Smith), the other more cautious. Our game differs from night to night, and it's good to have that variance."

Harding and Smith alternated starts until last weekend, as Harding got two straight starts in Grand Rapids while Smith, who gave up three goals on six shots earlier in the week in Worcester, was saved for Sunday's home game versus Syracuse.

"Josh played very well in the first game," said McLellan. "We knew it was a three-in-three situation and Josh was going to play two games and Smitty one. Instead of sticking to the rotation, we broke it for Josh to again play in a rink he had just played well in. It was a bit of a hunch."

McLellan may want to take his next "hunch" to Las Vegas. The rookie's second start versus the Griffins was a 40-save, 1-0 shutout in the second game Saturday, and just Houston's second road 1-0 victory in team history.

Harding (3-4-1, 1.89 goals against average), though, gave most of the credit to his teammates.

"Whatever I did was the right thing," he said. "I give a lot of credit to the team, because they battled hard for me. It just seems like we are clicking as a team and we are on a roll and hopefully we can keep it going."

"When you can see pretty well every puck that comes up to you, you have a good chance of stopping it," added Harding. "(The defensemen) clear the bodies in front of the net (as well as) things that the fans don't see like clearing up the rebounds if I make a mistake with a rebound. They just get it out of the way and keep all the shots from the outside. It is a lot easier if that happens."

Harding made a trio of extraordinary saves in the game, including one on a breakaway by Kory Karlander.

"It is a weird feeling in your stomach," said Harding. "In junior you can get away with guys in a breakaway because they really don't have too many moves. Here, it seems like everybody can score; it doesn't matter if you are a fighter or a goal scorer. Once he was coming down, I knew he was going to make a move. Then he shot and lucky enough I got a glove on it."

The change in routine also jump-started Smith (4-1-0, 3.11 goals against average), who has a better record than Harding but was pulled in two of his first five starts. Smith came out with a vengeance on Sunday, making 32 saves in a 3-0 win over Syracuse, as Houston had different goalies record back-to-back shutouts for the second time in team history.

"Sometimes when a routine sets in with a player or anyone at work, you go with the flow," said McLellan. "We felt breaking the routine may help him. The results certainly suggested it did."

"It's big for my self confidence," said Smith. "I've been struggling here lately but the boys have bailed me out a couple of times. I'm the older of the two guys and I feel like I should be leading the way."

Smith said a recent visit with Stars goaltending coach Andy Moog has helped his focus.

"I called (Moog) before the Worcester game because I didn't feel like I was focusing," he said. "He just told me to relax and find something to do between whistles."

"We've got a great team here. I was used to sometimes facing 45 or 50 shots in Utah," said Smith, who made 48 saves against the Aeros as a member of the Utah Grizzlies last October. "It's definitely a different experience."

"At this state, irregardless of the type of game he's in, he has to find a way to find that focus," added McLellan. "We can discuss those situations, 10 shots or 50 a night, but he has to maintain that focus and level throughout the whole 60 minutes. A lot of that is mental. Andy Moog helped him with it. We expect, and Smitty expects, the results as time goes on."

It also hasn't all been rosy for Harding, who lost his first three starts.

"Josh's bumps if you want to call them that were that it's a new world," said McLellan. "The game is happening quicker than in junior. It was nerves. He had to get over that initial phase of playing the pro game. Now, he's relaxed and adjusted to the environment. The first two games you could see he was a bit jittery."

Both goalies seem to have good heads on their shoulders despite their youth.

"When you have a game like (Saturday), you can realize it that night and have fun with it, but the next day is another day," said Harding. "You have to look at it that way or otherwise you will get caught up in all the glory. Just because you play one good game doesn't mean that much in this league. You have to consistently bring your game to the ice and hopefully good things happen. You forget about it the day after and concentrate on the next game."