AHL Texas Stars

Game Day Preview - Texas at Rockford

January 14, 2011 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


Texas and Rockford meet for the third time this season and the 15th time in AHL history. The two teams will play a total of six games this season, including three at Cedar Park Center. The Stars lead the all-time series with an 11-3-0-0 record against the Hogs, including a 5-1-0-0 mark at the Rockford MetroCentre. Last time the two teams played on Dec. 8th in Rockford, the IceHogs scored an 8-5 win. The victory ended the Stars five-game winning streak at Rockford.

The Stars are 11-6-0-1 on the road this season and 6-2-1-1 in the last ten games. The Stars halted a two-game slide with a 4-2 win in Chicago on Wednesday. Texas is 10-1-2-2 in one-goal games this year. Texas is the most disciplined team in the AHL, taking only 12.31 penalty minutes per game.

The IceHogs are 8-9-1-2 at home this season and 6-4-0-0 in the last ten games played. Rockford is coming off a 2-1 win over Houston on Friday night. The Hogs rank sixth overall in the AHL, averaging 20.65 penalty minutes per game.

Through two games of the season series, Hogs forward Jeff Taffe leads all scorers with two goals and five points. Winger Ryan Potulny is second among scorers with one goal and three assists for four points. Defenseman Shawn Lalonde scored a goal and had two assists in one game against the Stars. Five skaters for Texas have two points in the season series, including Dan Spang's two goals. Stars goalie Tyler Beskorowany surrendered seven goals in his only appearance against the IceHogs. Richard Bachman has yet to play the IceHogs this season. Rockford's Hannu Toivonen is 1-0-1 with a 3.84 goals against average and a .869 save percentage against Texas.

Dallas Trades Brunnstrom to Toronto

Frisco, TX - The Dallas Stars announced on Thursday that the club has traded left wing Fabian Brunnstrom to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for right wing Mikhail Stefanovich.

Brunnstrom, 25, has played in 37 games for the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary affiliate in the AHL, posting 21 points (11g, 10a). He has played 99 career NHL games, all with Dallas, collecting 40 points (19g, 21a). The Jonstrop, Sweden, native agreed to a one-year, one-way contract extension worth $675,000 on July 23, 2010 with Dallas. Brunnstom was originally signed as a free agent by Dallas on May 8, 2008.

Stefanovich, 21, has played 15 games with Minsk Dynamo of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), recording one goal and two penalty minutes. The Minsk, Belarus, native, dressed in two games for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL) going scoreless and appeared in four games for the Reading Royals (ECHL), collecting five points (3g, 2a) this season.

Travis Morin Named Western Conference All-Star Starter

The Texas Stars, in conjunction with the American Hockey League, announced on Tuesday that Texas Stars center Travis Morin has been named a starter for the Western Conference All-Star team. The 2011 AHL All-Star game is at 7 p.m. on Monday, January 31 with the Eastern Conference meeting the Western Conference in Hershey, PA at the Giant Center.

Morin will make his AHL All-Star debut after leading the Texas Stars in scoring through the first 38 games of the season with a team-high 13 goals and 17 assists for 30 points. He is also second on the team with a +10 and five power-play goals. The Brooklyn Park, MN native is one of two Texas Stars to have played in every game in team history, including the post season. The 26-year old has played 117 straight games, placing second in team history with 34 goals and first with 46 assists and 80 points. The second-year AHLer also played in 24 Calder Cup Playoff games with 12 assists and 16 points.

Dallas Assigns Brandon Segal and Returns Larsen

Cedar Park, TX - The Dallas Stars announced on Thursday that the club has assigned defenseman Philip Larsen to the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL). Dallas announced on Tuesday that the club has assigned right wing Brandon Segal to the Texas Stars.

Larsen, 21, has skated in six games for Dallas this season, collecting two assists. He has spent the majority of 2010-11 with Texas, playing in 29 games, recording 13 assists and eight penalty minutes with a +7 plus/minus rating. The Esbjerg, Denmark, native made his NHL debut last season with Dallas, dressing in two games and posting one assist.

Segal, 27, has played in 36 games for Dallas this season, recording four goals and five assists with 34 penalty minutes. He posted a career-high four-game point streak (2g, 3a) this season from Dec. 2-8. Segal was claimed off waivers from Los Angeles on February 11, 2010. He has played in 82 career NHL games, collecting 21 points (10g, 11a). The Richmond, British Columbia, native was selected by Nashville in the fourth round (102nd overall) in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. From 2003-10 Segal played in eight AHL seasons for Milwaukee, Norfolk, Manchester and Portland. In 425 AHL contests, Segal has 100 goals and 91 assists for 191 points with 507 penalty minutes.

Texas Recalls Monast

Prior Saturday's game, Texas recalled defenseman Guillaume Monast from the Idaho Steelheads. Monast has played in 30 games for Idaho this season, tallying one goal and four assists while adding 20 penalty minutes. The Quebec native spent his rookie season with Idaho, setting up six goals in 68 games played, helping the Steelheads reach the Kelly Cup Finals. Monast attended training camp in Dallas and in Texas each of the last two years.

What's Ahead:

DATE OPPONENT TIME TV/RADIO

Saturday, Jan. 15 at Peoria 7:05 PM 1530 AM

Tuesday, Jan 18 vs. Grand Rapids 7:30 PM 104.9 FM

Friday, Jan. 21 at Houston 7:05 PM 104.9 FM

Saturday, Jan. 22 vs. Milwaukee 7:00 PM 104.9 FM

* All times listed are central time

GAME RECAPS:

Texas 4 at Chicago 2 1/12/11

The Texas Stars defeated the Chicago Wolves 4-2 on Wednesday afternoon at Allstate Arena. Trailing 2-1 heading into the third period, the Stars scored three goals to claim a two-goal win. Texas forward Fabian Brunnstrom scored two goals and added an assist, as Texas improved to 4-0-0 against Chicago this season. Texas goalie Richard Bachman (14-7-2) made 31 saves for the win, while Chicago goalie Peter Maninno (12-10-1) stopped 22 of 25 Stars shots in the loss. Defenseman Dan Spang and right wing Colton Sceviour also scored as Texas moved to 11-6-0-1 on the road this year. Stars All-Star center Travis Morin had two assists in the win.

Lake Erie 3 at Texas 1 1/8/11

Cedar Park, TX - The Texas Stars were defeated by the Lake Erie Monsters 3-1 on Saturday night in front of a soldout crowd of 6,863 fans at Cedar Park Center. Lake Erie winger Ryan Stoa had a goal and two assists, helping the Monsters end an eight-game losing streak on the road. Lake Erie forwards Patrick Rissmiller and Ben Walker also scored in the win. Texas goalie Richard Bachman (13-7-2) stopped 26 of 29 shots in the loss. Lake Erie goalie John Grahame (5-6-2) stopped 18 of 19 shots for the victory. Stars center Aaron Gagnon scored the lone Texas goal in the third period.

Texas 1 at San Antonio 5 1/7/11

San Antonio, TX - The Texas Stars were defeated by the San Antonio Rampage 5-1 on Friday night in front of 7, 701 fans at AT&T Center. After Texas claimed a 1-0 lead, the Rampage scored the next five to end a four-game winless skid (0-4-0-0). Former Texas goalie Matt Climie (16-7-0) made 26 saves in net for the Rampage win. Texas goalie Richard Bachman suffered the loss with 18 saves. Stars forward Fabian Brunnstrom scored the lone Texas goal in the first period.

The Texas Stars

After 39 games of action, center Travis Morin leads Texas in scoring with 13 goals and 19 assists for 32 points. Right wing Greg Rallo is second on the team in scoring with 23 points (11g-12a) in 38 games played. Left wing Francis Wathier is third on the club with 21 points. Wathier is second in goals scored (12) and leads the team lead with six power-play goals. Right wing Colton Sceviour (7g-12a) and is fourth on the team in points with 19. Dan Spang is fifth overall on the team with 17 points. Spang is also tied for third on the team in assists (13) and leads all defensemen in shots on goal (84). Defensemen Brad Lukowich is second on the team with 14 assists. Rookie defender Philip Larsen also has 13 assists. Left wing Luke Gazdic's 68 penalty minutes lead the team.

Texas Stars goalies Richard Bachman and Tyler Beskorowany fill the net for Texas. Brent Krahn is currently out with an injury. Bachman has appeared in 25 games, going 14-7-2 with a 2.20 goals against average and a .927 save percentage. Bachman ranks ninth overall in the AHL for goals against average and seventh in save percentage. Bachman has started ten of the last 11. Beskorowany has posted a 2.02 goals against average and stopped 169 of 179 shots (.944 %) in his last five games. Overall, Beskorowany is 3-4-0 with a 2.88 goals against average and a .919 save percentage. Krahn has appeared in nine games, posting a 5-4-0 mark, a 2.93 goals against average and a .898 save percentage.

Milestones

Defenseman Matt Stephenson played in his 100th AHL game on Saturday at home against Lake Erie. Francis Wathier played in his 300th pro game against Lake Erie. Right wing Greg Rallo needs six more games to reach his 300th pro game. Center Aaron Gagnon is seven games short of his 200th.

Rockford IceHogs

Rockford Head Coach Bill Peters enters his third season with the IceHogs. Peters guided the Hogs to a second straight 40-win season last year. Prior to joining the IceHogs, Peters was the head coach for the WHL Spokane Chiefs for three seasons. In his final year in the WHL, he led the Chiefs to the 2007-08 Memorial Cup championship.

Defenseman Brian Connelly leads Rockford in scoring with 20 assists and 24 points in 37 games played. Connelly has collected a team-high 11 assists on the power play. Centers Jeff Taffe and Ryan Poltuny are tied for second on the team with 23 points each. Taffe has a team-high ten goals and 13 assists in 32 games played. Potulny is tied for second on the team with 14 assists and has a team-leading five power-play markers. Left wing Rob Klinkhammer and defenseman Shawn Lalonde are tied for fourth on the IceHogs in scoring 19 points each. Former first round pick Kyle Beach is sixth in points with 18 in 36 games played. He is also second on the team with 79 penalty minutes. Left wing Kyle Hagel's 107 penalty minutes in 36 games are tops among IceHogs.

Goalie Alec Richards is 9-10-1 with a 2.67 goals against average and an .907 save percentage. Richards posted his first career AHL shutout against Abbotsford on October 15th. Hannu Toivonen splits time with Richards in net going 7-7-3 mark, a 2.97 goals against and an .894 save percentage.

Rockford also features former Texas Stars defenseman Ivan Vishnevskiy, who has 14 points in 31 games for the Hogs. Vishnevskiy played in 51 games for the Texas Stars in 2009-10, before Dallas traded him to Atlanta in the Kari Lehtonen deal. In the offseason, Vishnevskiy was traded by the Thrashers to the Blackhawks, who then assigned him to Rockford.

Special Teams

After finishing second overall last season on the penalty kill, the Texas Stars penalty kill is 29th overall at 76.8%. Texas ranks 21st best in the AHL, converting on 15.7% of its power plays. The IceHogs are 23rd overall on the power play, converting 15.3% of the time. Rockford is 22nd overall on the penalty kill, stopping 80.6% of their opponents' power plays.

Offense and Defense

The Texas Stars are ninth overall in team defense, allowing 2.67 goals against per game. Texas is ranked 17th out of 30 teams, scoring an average of 2.90 goals per game. Rockford's defense ranks 18th overall with a 3.00 goals against per game. The Hogs sit 21st offensively, averaging 2.70 goals per game.

Check out the Texas Stars Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from January 14, 2011


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