NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Texas Stars

Gameday Preview: San Antonio at Texas

February 17, 2012 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


San Antonio Rampage (27-21-2-0, 56 points) at Texas Stars (21-24-2-2, 46 points)

The Texas Stars and the San Antonio Rampage meet for the eighth time this season. The Rampage leads the season series after taking five out of the first seven games. Texas fell to 2-4-0-1 against San Antonio this season by dropping the last meeting, a 6-2 loss at AT&T Center on Jan. 27. The Rampage is 4-1-0-0 at home against Texas and 1-0-1-0 at Cedar Park Center this season. This marks the 30th all-time meeting between the two teams that will play a total of 12 games this season, including three more games at Cedar Park Center. Texas posted a 6-2-0-2 mark over San Antonio in 2010-11 and they own the all-time series with a 16-10-0-3 record. The Stars are 10-2-0-1 in 13 games at Cedar Park Center against the Rampage. Texas is 6-8-0-2 all-time at AT&T Center, putting up five shutouts in 16 visits. San Antonio currently sits in seventh place of the Western Conference, while Texas is nine points out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Texas has two wins in its last ten games, going 2-7-1-0 over that span. The team returns from a three-game road trip that ended with a 4-3 loss at Lake Erie on Wednesday. Texas is 11-8-2-1 at home this season, outscoring the opposition 77-67 at Cedar Park Center. Texas has taken eight of the last 12 home games and posted points in ten of the last 12. The Stars are 9-15-0-2 against the West Division. Texas' scoring has been spread out evenly this season, with 41 first-period tallies and 61 second-period markers. Since Dec. 3 (last 30 games), Texas has outscored the opposition 43-28 in the second period after getting outscored in the middle frame 26-18 in the first 20 games. The Stars lead the opposition in second-period scoring with a 61-55 edge. The club has been outscored by the opposing team 160-148 for the season. Texas is 11th in the league with a 2.96 goals per game average and it ranks 25th defensively with a 3.22 goals against average. The Stars are 14-0-1-1 when leading after two periods of play, but they are 3-21-0-0 when trailing after two periods of play. The team is 10-10-2-2 in games decided by one goal this season. Texas and Manchester are tied for the AHL lead with five overtime wins this season, going 5-0-2-2 when tied after regulation. The Stars are tied for second in the AHL with ten shorthanded goals this season.

San Antonio comes into its eighth meeting of the season against Texas after a 7-4 loss in Grand Rapids on Sunday. The Rampage is on a season-long 11-game road trip. The team is four games into the month-long venture, going 3-1-0-0 to start the trip. San Antonio is 7-3-0-0 in the last ten games and 13-9-2-0 on the road this season. The Rampage has matched the opposition in scoring on the road this year, with both teams netting 66 goals. San Antonio is 13th in the league with a 2.78 goals against average. The Rampage is 25th in the AHL, averaging 2.60 goals per game. The club is 19-3-2-0 when scoring first this season. The Rampage is 14-12-2-0 against the West Division this season. San Antonio has been outscored in every period this season, including a 39-37 differential in the third period of play. The Rampage has scored 42 second-period goals and 43 first-period goals. San Antonio is 15-2-0-0 when leading after the first and 17-0-2-0 when leading after the second. The Rampage is 4-19-0-0 when trailing after two periods of play. In one-goal games, the team is 16-5-2-0, tied for the second-highest total of one-goal wins in the AHL.

Through the first seven games, three San Antonio skaters and two Texas skaters are tied for the series lead in scoring. Prior to his recall, Tomas Vincour had five goals and six points in only four games against the Rampage. Texas winger Colton Sceviour has a team-high four assists and six points in seven games against San Antonio. Forwards Michal Repik, Mark Cullen and Scott Timmons each have six points against the Stars this season. Cullen and Timmons lead the team with three goals each, while Repik leads the pack with four assists and a +6. Goalie Tyler Beskorowany is 1-1-0 with a 3.12 goals against average and an .892 save percentage. Andrew Raycroft is 0-1-1 with a 4.27 goals against average and a .840 save percentage. San Antonio goalie Dov Grumet-Morris is 2-1-0 with a 2.56 goals against average and a .919 save percentage. Jacob Markstrom is 2-0-0 with a 2.01 goals against average and a .949 save percentage against the Stars.

Texas Stars

Center Travis Morin and winger Matt Fraser lead Texas in scoring. Morin is the clubhouse leader with 34 assists and 42 points in his first 50 games played. He ranks in the top ten of the AHL for assists. He will play in his 200th AHL game on Friday night against San Antonio. Rookie forward Matt Fraser is second in scoring with 38 points in 48 games. He leads the team with 23 goals scored and 170 shots on net. Fraser sits in the top ten of the AHL for goals scored. Fraser is sixth overall among all rookies in points and first in shots.

Colton Sceviour, Francis Wathier and Ryan Garbutt round out the top scorers for Texas. Colton Sceviour is second on the team with 22 assists and he is third with 33 points. Sceviour has five goals and seven points in his last nine games. Center Ryan Garbutt has 33 points (16g-17a) in 50 games. He is second on the team in goals scored and fourth in points. He also leads the team with 96 penalty minutes, followed by Francis Wathier's 75 and Luke Gazdic's 71 minutes. Garbutt has seven goals in the last ten games. Wathier is tied with Scott Glennie for sixth overall on the team with 28 points off 10 goals and 18 assists. Glennie has 11 goals and 17 assists in 46 games played.

Jordie Benn leads all defenders and he ranks in the top ten of the AHL among defensemen with eight goals. He also is first among Texas blueliners with 21 points in 46 games played. Veterans Brad Lukowich and Dan Spang are tied for second among Stars defenders with 19 points each. Spang leads all team defensemen with 17 assists. Brenden Dillon is tied for second among all defensemen with 15 assists and he is first among D-men with 48 penalty minutes. Veteran defender Maxime Fortunus has 16 points in 46 games. He is the highest scoring defenseman in team history with 73 points.

Goalies Andrew Raycroft and Tyler Beskorowany split time in net for Texas. Raycroft is 7-7-1 with a 3.06 goals against average and a .896 save percentage in 15 starts for the Stars. Beskorowany is 6-13-0 with a 3.21 goals against average and a .88 save percentage. He made a season-high 40 saves in the 4-3 loss at Lake Erie on Wednesday.

Special Teams

The Stars have converted 47 of 234 power plays for a 20.1% conversion rate, as Texas is eighth overall in power play percentage. The Stars have killed off 157 of 190 opponents' power plays (82.6%), ranking 13th overall on the penalty kill. Texas has the fewest penalty kills in the AHL at 188. The Rampage is 26th in the AHL on the penalty kill, stopping 78.7% of their opponents' power plays. Overall, San Antonio ranks 27th in the AHL on the power play after going 27-for-183 (14.8%).

The San Antonio Rampage

Center Jonathan Matsumoto leads the Rampage with 17 goals, 30 assists and 47 points in 52 games played this year. Mastumoto played 41 games in Charlotte prior to the trade, posting 34 points (13g, 21a). In his first 11 games with San Antonio, he has four goals and 13 points. Center Bracken Kearns is second for San Antonio in scoring with 13 goals and 34 points in 44 games played. He is second to Matsumoto (7) with five power-play goals this season. Center Mark Cullen is third in team scoring with 32 points off 25 assists in 38 games played. The veteran center has eight assists and ten points in his last ten games. Right wing Bill Thomas has four goals in his last three games, moving into fourth place on the team scoring list. He is second on the team with 16 goals and 28 points in 39 games this season. Former Star Greg Rallo has 11 goals and 23 points in 46 games played this season. All-Star defenseman Colby Robak is on recall to the NHL's Florida Panthers. Despite his recall, he still ranks as the top-scoring defenseman. He set up 18 goals and totaled 25 points in 48 games played prior to his departure. Defenseman Sean Sullivan re-joined the Rampage after a trade between Florida and San Jose that sent Tim Kennedy to the Sharks. Sullivan played for the Rampage from 2006-10, playing in 183 games with 21 goals and 68 assists for 89 points. He has one assist in six games since coming on board.

San Antonio goalies Jacob Markstrom and Dov Grumet-Morris should the load in net. Grumet-Morris is 16-8-0 with a 2.24 goals against average and a .923 save percentage. He has started the last 18 games for San Antonio going 7-3-0. Over that span, Grumet-Morris has a 2.17 g.a.a. and a .928 save percentage. Jacob Markstrom is returning from an injury that kept him out six weeks. He was 6-7-0 with a 2.75 goals against average and a .909 save percentage at the time of his injury.

Texas Signs Defenseman Matt Case Out of Idaho

Cedar Park, TX - The Texas Stars announced on Thursday the team has signed defenseman Matt Case to a PTO (professional tryout agreement).

Case joins Texas from the Idaho Steelheads, Texas' ECHL affiliate. The second-year defender has played in 41 games for Idaho this year, scoring two goals and adding seven assists for nine points. Case, 25, was second on the team with 59 penalty minutes at the time of his recall. The Plymouth, MN, native has played in 111 pro games, including two in the AHL with Norfolk near the end of the 2009-10 regular season. Prior to turning pro, the 6-foot, 200-pounder played four seasons at Ferris State University. In 144 collegiate games, Case scored ten times and assisted on 37 tallies for 47 points. He played collegiately with former Texas Stars forwards Cody Chupp, Mike Embach and Brenden Connolly. Case attended training camp with Texas in the fall of 2011 and played for Stars Head Coach Jeff Pyle in Gwinnett in 2010-11.

Stars Recall Schultz from Idaho

The Texas Stars announced on Tuesday that forward Stephen Schultz has been recalled from the Idaho Steelheads, Texas' ECHL affiliate.

Schultz returns to the Stars after scoring two goals and totaling three points in two games with Idaho. Prior to going to the Steelheads, he scored seven goals and totaled nine points in 32 games for the Stars this season. He joined Texas in late March of 2011 after concluding a four-year career at Colorado College from 2007-11. The 24-year-old rookie played in five regular season games without registering a point for the Stars in 2010-11.

LAST THREE GAMES

Texas 3 at Lake Erie 4 2/15/12

The Texas Stars were defeated by the Lake Erie Monsters 4-3 in front of 8,933 fans at the Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday. Monsters winger Patrick Rissmiller broke a 3-3 tie just 45-seconds into the third period and Lake Erie held on for a one-goal win. The Stars fought back with three goals in the last six minutes of the second period, erasing a 3-0 deficit from the first period. Left wing Francis Wathier registered the Gordie Howe hat trick, as Texas fell to 10-17-0-1 on the road this season. Forwards Angelo Esposito (2a) and Scott Glennie (1g,1a) each had a multi-point game as the Stars concluded their three-game road trip. Lake Erie goalie Gerald Coleman made 30 saves in his ninth straight start. Texas goalie Tyler Beskorowany made 40 saves in the defeat, including 17 saves in the second period.

Texas 0 at Hamilton 2 2/12/12

The Texas Stars were defeated by the Hamilton Bulldogs 2-0 in front of 4,804 fans at Copps Coliseum on Sunday. Hamilton goalie Nathan Lawson made 39 saves for his fourth shutout of the season. Lawson stopped 15 in the first period and 13 shots in the second period to preserve the win. Bulldogs center Ryan White scored twice in the second period, helping Hamilton end its four-game losing skid. Texas goalie Tyler Beskorowany made 25 saves, as the Stars fall to 10-16-0-1 on the road this year.

Texas 4 at Rochester 9 2/10/12

The Texas Stars were defeated by the Rochester Americans 9-4 in front of 5,675 fans at the Blue Cross Arena on Friday night. The Americans scored five times in the second en route to a home victory over the Stars. Eight different Rochester skaters picked up a multi-point night in the win, led by Zack Kassian and Travis Turnbull, who both netted a pair of goals. Texas forward Mike Hedden scored once and added two assists for his first three-point night in the AHL. Rookie Matt Fraser, center Travis Morin and center Mathieu Tousignant also scored in the defeat. Rochester goalie Drew MacIntyre got the win with 24 saves. Texas goalie Andrew Raycroft suffered the loss, stopping 13 of 19 shots before he was pulled at 12:30 of the second period in favor of Tyler Beskorowany.

What's Ahead:

DATE OPPONENT TIME RADIO

Friday, February 17 San Antonio 7:30 PM 104.9 FM

Saturday, February 18 San Antonio 7:00 PM 104.9 FM

Wednesday, February 23 at Oklahoma City 7:00 PM 104.9 FM

Friday, February 24 Houston 7:30 PM 104.9 FM

Saturday, February 25 Houston 7:00 PM 104.9 FM

* All times listed are central time

Check out the Texas Stars Statistics

• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...

American Hockey League Stories from February 17, 2012


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central