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Stars Weekly (week 20) - Stars Continue To Lead Ahl

February 19, 2013 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


Week 19 Recap:

Texas took points from all three home games in Week 19, extending its season-high home point streak to ten games (8-0-0-2) earning 18 of a possible 20 points during that span at Cedar Park Center. The Stars opened the week with a 2-1 shootout loss to Houston last Tuesday, continuing a trend of tighly-contested, low-scoring affairs with the Aeros. Rookie defenseman Patrik Nemeth scored his first career AHL goal to give Texas a 1-0 first period lead, but that was the only shot that eluded Houston goalie Matt Hackett, who produced a stunning 36-save performance. Carson McMillan tied the game with a second period shorthanded goal, the only puck that got by Stars netminder Cristopher Nilstorp. In the shootout, Alex Chiasson scored for Texas, but Zack Phillips, Johan Larsson and Justin Fontaine all found the net to give the visitors the win.

The Stars were involved with yet another lengthy shootout at home on Friday night as it took 10 rounds to beat Oklahoma City 4-3. Mike Hedden scored two goals and Justin Dowling scored a power play goal to help Texas rally from a 3-1 third period deficit to force overtime. Hedden had several chances in overtime to win the game and secure a hat trick, but Barons' goalie Niko Hovinen kept the Stars at bay. In the shootout, Barons captain Josh Green beat Jack Campbell in the first round, but Texas rookie would respond with a dazzling display in goal. Campbell stopped the next nine straight Oklahoma City shooters, while Chiasson tied the shootout in the third round and Jamie Oleksiak scored in the tenth round to win the game.

No such drama would ensure in the rematch Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd at Cedar Park Center. Texas grabbed the lead in the first period on Bretton Cameron's first career AHL goal and then doubled its lead with a power play goal from leading scorer Matt Fraser. Justin Dowling scored for the second straight game to put the Stars ahead 3-0 in the second period and in the closing minutes of play, Fraser scored his second power play goal to cap off a strong 4-0 shutout of Oklahoma City. Jack Campbell had another stellar outing, stopping all 20 shots he faced for his 10th win of the season and his second shutout. Both of Campbell's shutouts this year have come at the expense of the Barons.

Week 20 Preview:

Week 20 started off with a busy day of player transactions on Monday as the Dallas Stars recalled left wing Matt Fraser and defenseman Jordie Benn to the NHL. Dallas also retuned right wing Tomas Vincour to Texas and sent center Tom Wandell for a conditioning assignment with the AHL Stars. With several injuries to the blue line crew over the weekend, Texas recalled defenseman Jace Coyle from the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL.

The Stars travel to Western New York on Tuesday and will face the Rochester Americans for the first time this season on Wednesday, February 20th at 6:05 p.m. CST at Blue Cross Arena. Make sure to join the Texas Stars Ice Girls on Wednesday for an official watch party at the Pluckers on Lakeline beginning at 5:00 p.m. The Stars road trip continues this weekend in Cleveland with a two-game series with the Lake Erie Monsters on Friday, February 22nd and Saturday, February 23rd at Quicken Loans Arena; both games begin at 6:30 p.m. CST. Texas does not return to Cedar Park Center until Friday, March 1st when the team hosts the Chicago Wolves for a 7:30 p.m. face off.

Right wing Alex Chiasson leads the team in shootout goals (3), he is second on the team in points (29) and is tied for second in goals (12) and assists (17) and has five points (1 goal, 4 assists) and a +3 rating in his last four games. Left wing Mike Hedden has five points (3 goals, 2 assists) and a +4 rating in his last four games. Center Justin Dowling leads the team in shooting percentage (22.2%), is tied for the team lead in game-winning goals (3) and has three goals and a +4 rating in his last four games. Defenseman Jamie Oleksiak leads the team in assists (23) and plus-minus (+15), is tied for fourth in points (26) and has ten assists and a +9 rating in his last eight games.

Week 20 Schedule:

(All games are broadcast LIVE over the Internet at www.TexasStarsHockey.com and the free Radio tab of www.ahllive.com and can be viewed via internet pay-per-view video on www.ahllive.com . All times listed in Central Time)

Wednesday, February 20 - 6:05 p.m. - Blue Cross Arena - Rochester, NY

@ Rochester Americans (27-18-2-1, 57 pts.)

Tied-Second Place, North Division

Team Notes: Rochester snapped a two-game losing streak with a 2-0 shutout at Hamilton on Monday afternoon. The Americans play two more games this week, hosting Texas on Wednesday and returning to Hamilton on Friday. The win put Rochester in a tie with Toronto for second in the North Division and sixth in the Western Conference with 57 points, while both teams have five games in hand on first place Abbotsford (59 points). Rochester boasts the third best power play in the AHL, with a 21.6% rating. The Amerks penalty kill percentage (85.8%) is fifth best in the league. Rochester ranks second in the AHL in goals scored per game (3.42), but is 21st in goals against average (2.92). The Americans also have the third worst shots against average (32.77). Goalie David Leggio has been the ironman of the AHL this season, leading the league in games played (40), wins (26), minutes (2,420) and saves (1,225). Leggio has been on a role of late, winning 10 of his last 12 starts. Wednesday's game will be just the third all-time meeting between Rochester and Texas. The two teams split their two-game series in 2011-12, with the home team winning each contest. In Texas' first ever trip to Rochester, on February 10, 2012, the Stars erased a 2-0 lead early in the second period, only to allow five-straight Amerks goals in a span of less than 14 minutes in the middle frame and eventually lost to Rochester 9-4. Leading Scorer: Kevin Porter (C) - 44 points (15 goals, 29 assists) and +8 in 48 GP. Leading Goaltender: David Leggio (G) - 2.68 GAA, 0.919 save pct., 26-13-1, 2 SO in 40 GP. Who's Hot: LW Patrick Rissmiller has six points (2 goals, 4 assists) and a +5 rating in his last seven games played. C Phil Varone has five points (2 goals, 3 assists) and an Even rating in his last four games. C Kevin Porter leads the team in points (44) and assists (29), he is tied for second in goals (15) and has four points (1 goal, 3 assists) and a -2 rating in his last five games. RW Mark Mancari is second on the team in points (43) and assists (28), is tied for second in goals (15) and has three points (1 goal, 2 assists) and a -2 rating in his last five games.

Friday, February 22 - 6:30 p.m. - Quicken Loans Arena - Cleveland, OH

@ Lake Erie Monsters (24-20-2-6, 56 pts.)

Fourth Place, North Division

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Saturday, February 23 - 6:30 p.m. - Quicken Loans Arena - Cleveland, OH

@ Lake Erie Monsters (24-20-2-6, 56 pts.)

Fourth Place, North Division

Team Notes: Lake Erie has struggled of late and is currently on a season-low eight-game winless streak, going 0-4-0-4 during that run. The Monsters last win came on January 31st in a 4-1 home victory over Abbotsford. Lake Erie plays a three-in-three home schedule this week, hosting the Milwaukee Admirals on Thursday night at Quicken Loans Arena and then facing the Stars on Friday and Saturday nights. Texas is 0-1-0-1 against Lake Erie this season, with both games being held at Cedar Park Center. In those two contests the Stars out-shot the Monsters a combined 74-50, but were out-scored 9-4, including a 4-0 shutout by Calvin Pickard on October 21st. Since losing to Lake Erie in a shootout on November 10th, Texas has gone 27-8-4-3, earning 61 points and posting a 0.726 point percentage. The Monsters are 16th in the league in power play rating (16.7%) and are 20th in penalty kill (81.7%). Lake Erie is tied for the second most shorthanded goals allowed this year, conceding nine tallies against while on the power play. The Monsters (2.87) are one-hundredth of a point below Texas (2.88) in goals per game average, but rank 24th in goals against (3.02), while the Stars have the fifth-best defensive rating (2.49). Leading Scorer: Andrew Agozzino (C) - 37 points (13 goals, 24 assists) and +13 in 52 GP. Leading Goaltender: Calvin Pickard (G) - 2.64 GAA, 0.914 save pct., 13-11-4, 3 SO in 30 GP. Who's Hot: LW Paul Carey is tied for third on the team in goals (13), is tied for sixth in points (26) and has a four-game goal streak, with four goals and a -2 rating over that span. C Brad Malone is ninth on the team in points (20) and has two assists in last two games. LW Tyler McNeely has two points (1 goal, 1 assist) in his last 3 games

Week 19 Game Results:

February 12, 2013 Houston 2 @ Texas 1 - SO (4 Rounds)

February 15, 2013 Oklahoma City 3 @ Texas 4 - SO (10 Rounds)

February 16, 2013 Oklahoma City 0 @ Texas 4

Stars Player of the Week: (Week 19)

Jack Campbell - G - #1 2 GP, 2-0-0, 1.44 GAA, 0.941 Sv.%, 48 Saves, 1 SO

Texas rookie goaltender Jack Campbell turned in a stellar weekend, leading the Stars to a two-game home sweep over the Oklahoma City Barons. On Friday night, the Port Huron, Michigan native stopped 28 shots through regulation and overtime and then sparkled in the shootout by stopping an incredible 9-of-10 attempts in a 4-3 shootout win over the Barons. Saturday night Campbell was flawless in a 4-0 Stars win, denying all 20 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season, both coming at the hands of Oklahoma City. For the weekend Campbell was 2-0-0 with a 1.44 goals-against average, a 0.941 save percentage, 48 saves and one shutout. Overall this season he is 10-6-3 with a 2.53 GAA, a 0.909 save percentage and 2 shutouts in 28 appearances for the Stars.

Stars Quick Hits:

- ANOTHER SELLOUT - The Stars recorded their second sellout of the season at Cedar Park Center on Saturday and treated the 6,863 fans to a dominate performance in a 4-0 shutout of the Oklahoma City Barons. With yet another big home crowd, Texas increased its average attendance over 5,000 fans per game this season and passed 125,000 total fans for the year.

- HOME-SWEET-HOME - Texas extended his home point streak to 10 games by going 2-0-0-1 in Week 19 and breaking a club record in the process. The Stars are now 8-0-0-2 in their last 10 home games, recording 18 of a possible 20 point over that span at Cedar Park Center. The previous Stars record was an eight-game home point streak during the 2009-10 season, where the team went (6-0-1-1) from October 23, 2009 to November 25, 2009. Texas needs to earn at least one point in their next home game, March 1st vs. Chicago, to equal Abbotsford's 11-game home point streak, which is the best in the AHL this year.

- 600 CLUB - Defenseman Tyler Sloan played in his 600th career professional game last Tuesday at home against Houston. The Calgary, Alberta native has record 119 points (27 goals, 92 assists) and 708 penalty minutes in 601 career pro games in the NHL, AHL and ECHL. Sloan is just three games away from recording his 400th career AHL game. He has 62 points (12 goals, 50 assists) in 397 career AHL games.

- PENALTY SHOT STATS - Oklahoma City's Antti Tyrvainen scored on a third period penalty shot on Friday night. It was the first penalty shot either for or against the Stars during the 2012-13 season. It was the sixth penalty shot assess to Texas in team history and the third penalty shot goal allowed by the Stars. The last penalty shot against Texas at Cedar Park Center was on March 13, 2012 when Grand Rapid's Francis Pare unsuccessfully shot on Tyler Beskorowany in a 5-2 loss to the Griffins. The Stars last allowed a penalty shot goal on February 25, 2012 when David McIntyre beat Beskorowany at 9:22 of the third period in a 5-2 home loss vs. Houston.

- 550 AND COUNTING - D Maxime Fortunus played in his 550th career AHL game last Tuesday against Houston. The La Prairie, Quebec native has 171 points (47 goals, 124 assists) and 232 penalty minutes in 552 career AHL games. The Stars captain is 17 games away from reaching his 700th career pro game.

- BIG LEAD - Texas' 4-0 win over the Barons on Saturday tied the Stars' largest margin of victory this season and was just the second time this year that Texas has won by four goals. The Stars other big win in 2012-13 was an 8-4 triumph over Peoria on January 19th at Carver Arena.

- A NEW ACCOUNT - Right wing Bretton Cameron scored his first career AHL goal on Saturday night during Texas' 4-0 win over Oklahoma City. The Red Deer, Alberta native has four points (1 goal, 3 assists) in six career AHL games, four with Texas this season. Cameron's goal was the game-winning goal in Saturday's victory over the Barons.

- CLEAN SHEETS - Jack Campbell recorded his second shutout of the season with a 20-save effort during Saturday's 4-0 win over Oklahoma City. It was the Stars' sixth shutout as a team this year. Texas set a club record of 11 team shutouts during the 2009-10 season, while Richard Bachman holds the individual record for most shutouts in a single season with six during the 2010-11 campaign.

- ANGRY OPPONENT - During Texas' 4-0 win on Saturday, Oklahoma City took 44 penalty minutes, marking the highest single-game penalty minutes of the season by a Stars opponent. The previous high this year was 40 penalty minutes, accumulated by the San Antonio Rampage during the season opener on October 13, 2012 at AT&T Center.

- NO SMALL TASK - The Stars recorded their fourth win of the season when trailing after two periods on Friday night, overcoming a 3-1 third period deficit to beat the Oklahoma City Barons 4-3 in a shootout. Texas in now 4-12-2-0 when trailing after forty minutes of play.

- SHOOTOUT NUMBERS - Texas played in three straight home shootouts from February 5th vs. Rockford to February 15th vs. Oklahoma City. The Stars are now 4-4 in shootouts this season and have played a total of 62 rounds, thus owning the distinction of leading the AHL in average rounds per shootout (7.75). Their average is almost a full round higher than the Charlotte Checkers (6.80) who rank second in the AHL in that category. The Toronto Marlies have the league's lowest average rounds per shootout (4.25). Texas is tied with the Providence Bruins (62 rounds) for the most rounds played so far this season.

- APPROACHING STARS MILESTONES: D Gord Baldwin needs 1 GP to reach his 250th career AHL game. D Tyler Sloan needs 3 GP to reach his 400th career AHL game. C Toby Petersen is 3 GP shy of his 900th career pro game and 7 GP shy of his 500th career AHL game. LW Luke Gazdic is 4 GP away from his 250th career pro game and 10 GP away from his 250th career AHL game. LW Francis Wathier is 4 GP short of his 450th career pro game and 4 assists shy of his 100th career pro assist. RW Colton Sceviour is 6 assists shy of his 100th career pro assist and 7 assists shy of his 100th career AHL assist. D Jordie Benn is three points away from his 100th career pro assist. D Carl Sneep is 9 GP away from recording his 150th career pro game. D Jace Coyle needs 5 GP to play in his 100th career pro game. RW Bretton Cameron needs 3 points to record his 100th career pro point.

Affiliate News:

Dallas Stars (NHL) - Dallas is 8-7-1 (17 points) in 16 games and is tied with San Jose for third in the Pacific Division. The Stars went 2-2-0 last week, beating Edmonton and Vancouver on the road, but losing both home and away to Calgary. Players from the early season Texas Stars roster continue to make positive impacts with Dallas. Cody Eakin is tied for third on the team in points (2-7-9), while Brenden Dillon (3-1-4), Antoine Roussel (3-0-3) and Reilly Smith (2-0-2) all found the net during games last week. The Stars have three days off, but then play five games in eight days, beginning on Thursday, February 21st as they host Vancouver for a 7:30 p.m. faceoff at American Airlines Center. Thursday's game against the Canucks will be the first chance for Texas' leading scorer Matt Fraser to play his first NHL game of the season, and the second of his career. Fraser was called up to Dallas, along with defenseman Jordie Benn, on Monday afternoon. Jaromir Jagr leads the Stars with 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists).

Idaho Steelheads (ECHL) - Idaho is 33-15-1-4 (71 points) in 53 games, they are second in the Mountain Division and last week became the third ECHL team (all in the Western Conference) to clinch a playoff spot. . The Steelheads played a grueling five games in six days schedule and went 3-2-0-0, splitting two games with San Francisco on Tuesday and Wednesday, losing at Las Vegas 4-2 on Friday, winning at Ontario 4-2 on Saturday and returning to Las Vegas on Sunday to beat the Wranglers 3-2 in their annual midnight game, which began at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday night. Idaho has a very light schedule in comparison as it hosts a two-game weekend series with the San Francisco Bulls at CenturyLink Arena. Texas Stars forwards Justin Dowling (13-33-46) and Austin Fyten (14-26-40) continue to rank 1-2 in points for Idaho, while Tristan King (18-19-37) is the Steelheads' active leader in points. Rookie goalie Josh Robinson leads the team between the pipes with a 18-7-1 record, a 2.76 goals-against average, a 0.919 save percentage and 1 shutout.

Stars Week 19 Transactions

February 18 - ADD - Tomas Vincour (RW) - Returned on loan from Dallas (NHL).

February 18 - ADD - Tom Wandell (C) - Assigned by Dallas (NHL) on conditioning loan.

February 18 - DELETE - Matt Fraser (LW) - Recalled from loan to Dallas (NHL).

February 18 - DELETE - Jordie Benn (D) - Recalled from loan to Dallas (NHL).

February 18 - ADD - Jace Coyle (D) - Reassigned by Dallas (NHL) from Idaho (ECHL)

February 16 - DELETE - Cristopher Nilstorp (G) - Recalled from loan to Dallas (NHL).

February 16 - ADD - Tyler Beskorowany (D) - Reassigned by Dallas (NHL) from Idaho (ECHL).

February 15 - ADD - Taylor Vause (C) - Released from PTO and signed to SPC.

February 14 - DELETE - Jamie Oleksiak (D) - Returned on loan from Dallas (NHL).

Texas Stars Team Leaders:

Games Played: Maxime Fortunus & Matt Fraser (49)

Goals: Matt Fraser (24)

Assists: Jamie Oleksiak (23)

Points: Matt Fraser (35)

Plus/Minus: Jamie Oleksiak (+15)

Penalty Minutes: Antoine Roussel (107)

Power Play Goals: Matt Fraser (13)

Short Handed Goals: Cody Eakin & Colton Sceviour (2)

Game-Winning Goals: Jordie Benn, Justin Dowling, Matt Fraser & Colton Sceviour (3)

Shots: Matt Fraser (151)

Shooting Percentage: Justin Dowling (22.3%)

Saves: Cristopher Nilstorp (655)

Wins: Cristopher Nilstorp (17)

GAA: Cristopher Nilstorp (2.17)

Save Percentage: Richard Bachman (0.916)

Shutouts: Cristopher Nilstorp (4)

The Stars will begin a seven-day, four-game road trip on Wednesday, February 20th against the Rochester Americans at 6:05 p.m. CST at Blue Cross Arena. Texas' next home game is on Friday, March 1st at 7:30 p.m. against the Chicago Wolves. Pro-rated full and partial 2012-13 season seat packages are on sale now. For more information on Texas Stars season tickets call (512) GO-STARS (467-8277) or visit www.TexasStarsHockey.com .

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