AHL Texas Stars

Gameday Preview - Charlotte at Texas

Published on December 9, 2011 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


Charlotte Checkers (15-8-1-1, 32 points) at Texas Stars (9-11-0-1, 19 points)

The Texas Stars and the Charlotte Checkers meet for the third time in AHL history. The teams split a pair of games in Charlotte last week, starting with a 3-2 Checkers win on Wednesday, November 30th. Texas countered with a 4-2 win last Saturday at Time Warner Cable Arena. Friday night's game will mark the first all-time visit for the Checkers at Cedar Park Center. The two teams are playing for the third time over nine days. Charlotte will visit Texas for the fourth and final meeting of the year on February 4th. Charlotte was in the Eastern Conference in 2010-11 and shifted to the Western Conference over the summer. The Checkers lead the newly formed Midwest Division, sitting ahead of Peoria, Chicago, Milwaukee and Rockford. The Stars are in fifth place in the West Division.

The Stars have three wins in their last ten games, going 3-6-0-1 over that span. Texas is coming off a 4-2 win in Charlotte on Saturday night. The Stars are 3-6-0-1 on home-ice this season, having been outscored 35-30 by their opponents. Texas is winless in its last five games (0-4-0-1) at Cedar Park Center. The Stars have one regulation win on home ice, a 7-0 victory over Oklahoma City on October 9th. The other two home wins have come in overtime. The Stars are 4-4-0-0 against the Midwest Division this season. Texas' scoring has been spread out evenly this season, with 22 first-period tallies and 20 second-period markers. The Stars have been outscored in second period of play 27-20. Texas has fallen to 16th in the league with a 3.00 goals per game average. The team has 21 goals over its last ten games. The four goals in Charlotte last Saturday marked the first time since November 6th that the Stars had posted more than three goals in a game. The Stars are 5-1-0-1 when leading after two periods of play, but they are 0-10-0-0 when trailing after two periods of play. Texas leads the AHL with four overtime wins this season, going 4-0-0-1 when tied after regulation. The Stars have outscored the Checkers 6-5 in the two previous games combined. Texas is 2-for-13 on the power play and 10-for-10 on the penalty kill against Charlotte. Luke Gazdic has two goals against the Checkers, while forwards Mathieu Tousignant, Ryan Garbutt and Travis Morin have two assists each. Forward Matt Fraser and defenseman Jordie Benn each have a goal and an assist against Charlotte.

Charlotte is coming off a six-game home stand that saw the team go 4-2-0-0. The Checkers had a five-game winning streak ended last Saturday after suffering a 4-2 loss at home to Texas. Charlotte is coming off a 3-1 loss at home to Lake Erie on Monday. The Checkers are 6-5-1-0 on the road this season, outscoring their opponents 35-34. Charlotte will also visit San Antonio this weekend prior to heading back to North Carolina. The team has gone 6-3-0-1 in the last ten games played. The Checkers have done the bulk of their scoring in the second period with 30 goals. The team has 24 goals in the first and 17 in the third period. Charlotte is outscoring its opponents 30-16 in the middle period of play this season. Charlotte is 7-2-0-0 when leading after the first and 13-3-1-0 when leading after the second. The Checkers have scored the first goal 12 times this year, posting a 10-2-0-0 record when scoring first. Charlotte is averaging 31.40 shots per game, ranking ninth in the AHL. The Checkers are 26th in the AHL with 14.32 penalty minutes per game.

Texas Sends Coyle and Neal to Idaho

The Texas Stars announced on Wednesday that the club has assigned defenseman Jace Coyle to the Idaho Steelheads, the Stars' ECHL affiliate. The Stars announced last Friday that forward Michael Neal has been assigned to Idaho.

Coyle is in his first pro season, having played in 11 games without registering a point. The 21-year old spent the last three years playing for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The 5-foot-11, 185-pounder enjoyed his best WHL in 2009-10, setting up 36 goals and totaling 46 points in 68 games played. In 241 WHL games from 2007-11, Coyle scored 25 goals and totaled 107 points. The undrafted defenseman attended training camp with the NHL's Dallas Stars in 2011 and played for the Stars in the 2011 Traverse City Prospects camp.

Neal was recalled last Monday, but did not see action with the Stars on his recent stint. He is in his third season within the Dallas Stars organization. The Whitby, ON, native has played 22 games with Texas over the previous two seasons. During his time in Texas, the forward has three goals and 14 penalty minutes. The 22-year-old played in 19 games with Idaho this season, totaling three goals and seven points. For his career, Neal has played in 144 pro games with Idaho and Texas, scoring 17 times and totaling 40 points. He was drafted by the Dallas Stars in the fifth round (#149 overall) in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Dallas Sends Wathier to Texas

The Dallas Stars announced last Tuesday that the NHL club has assigned forward Francis Wathier to the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Wathier was recalled on Nov. 27 and was a healthy scratch in Monday night's game at Colorado. Wathier has skated in 19 games for the Texas Stars this season, posting five goals and seven assists totaling 12 points while earning a team-leading plus/minus rating of +3. The 6-4, 218-pound forward has gone scoreless in his eight career games with the Dallas Stars, posting an even-or-plus rating in six of the contests. The St. Isidore, Ontario, native was Dallas' sixth-round selection (185th overall) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

What's Ahead:

DATE OPPONENT TIME RADIO

Friday, December 9 vs. Charlotte 7:30 PM 92.5 FM

Saturday, December 10 vs. Oklahoma City 7:00 PM 92.5 FM

Tuesday, December 13 at Oklahoma City 7:00 PM 104.9 FM

Friday, December 16 at Houston 7:35 PM 104.9 FM

Saturday, December 17 vs. Rochester 7:00 PM 92.5 FM

* All times listed are central time

LAST THREE GAMES

Texas 4 at Charlotte 2 12/3/11

The Texas Stars defeated the C harlotte Checkers 4-2 in front of 8,913 fans at Time Warner Cable Arena on Saturday night. Four different goal scorers propelled the Stars to a two-goal victory in Charlotte, ending the Checkers five-game winning streak. Stars forward Mike Hedden scored with four seconds remaining in the second period for the eventual game-winning goal. Forwards Matt Fraser and Luke Gazdic also tallied goals, as the Stars handed Charlotte its second loss in regulation at home this season. Texas defenseman Maxime Fortunus scored his third goal of the year early in the third period to ensure the victory, as the team improved to 6-5-0-0 on the road this season. Texas goalie Tyler Beskorowany stopped 22 of 24 shots in the defeat. Texas defenseman Jordie Benn extended his scoring streak to six straight games with a point, setting up a second-period goal. Charlotte goalie Justin Peters stopped 25 of the 29 Texas shots, in the loss.

Texas 2 at Charlotte 3 11/30/11

The Texas Stars were defeated by the C harlotte Checkers 3-2 in front of 3,839 fans at Time Warner Cable Arena on Wednesday night. Checkers forward Jon Matsumoto scored near the halfway point of the game and the team held on for its fifth straight win. Charlotte goalie Mike Murphy stopped 25 of the 27 Texas shots, including all 13 in the final period of play. Forwards Zac Dalpe and Brett Sutter also scored for Charlotte. Texas defenseman Jordie Benn and left wing Luke Gazdic each scored in the loss. Texas goalie Tyler Beskorowany stopped 21 of 24 shots in the defeat.

Houston 4 at Texas 2 11/26/11

The Texas Stars were defeated by the Houston Aeros 4-2 in front of 6,274 fans at Cedar Park Center on Saturday night. Houston left wing Joel Broda scored twice in the victory, pulling the Aeros to 7-1-0-1 on the road. Forwards Jon DiSalvatore and Chad Rau also scored for the Aeros. Houston center Casey Wellman registered two assists on the night, as the Aeros took their third game over Texas this season. Houston goalie Matt Hackett stopped 33 of the 35 shots he faced for the win. Stars' left wing Mike Hedden netted his first goal of the season and defenseman Jordie Benn also scored. Texas goalie Richard Bachman stopped 22 of 26 shots as the team fell to 3-6-0-1 at home.

Texas Stars

Center Travis Morin, right wing Raymond Sawada and winger Matt Fraser lead Texas in scoring. Morin is the clubhouse leader with 16 assists and 20 points in his first 21 games played. He ranks in the top ten of the AHL for assists and he is among the AHL leaders with ten power-play helpers. Morin has an assist in four straight road games. Sawada is tied for second overall in team scoring with five goals and ten assists for 15 points in 21 games played. He has one goal in his last nine games. Sawada (9) and Morin (11) are among the top 20 in the AHL for power-play points. Rookie forward Matt Fraser is tied for second with 15 points in 21 games. He leads the team with ten goals scored and 85 shots on net. Fraser is tied for first in the AHL with seven power-play goals and he is tied for 14th overall in the AHL in rookie scoring. Fraser ended an eight-game scoreless streak on Saturday with two points in Charlotte.

Forwards Francis Wathier and Ryan Garbutt round out the top scoring forwards for Texas. For the season, Wathier has five goals and seven assists for 12 points in 21 games played. Center Ryan Garbutt has 13 points in 21 games. Garbutt ranks in the AHL's top five with 16 minor penalties. Left wing Luke Gazdic leads the team in penalty minutes with 37, while Garbutt comes in second with 32 minutes. Rookie forward Scott Glennie had a three-game scoring streak snapped last Wednesday in Charlotte. He has five points in his last five games.

Jordie Benn leads all Texas defensemen in scoring with seven goals and 14 points in 21 games played. He ranks tied for first in goals scored and tied for eighth in points among all AHL defensemen. Benn has a point in five straight games and he has at least a point in eight of the last nine games. Brenden Dillon is second among all team defenders with ten points (1-9-10). Dan Spang has posted nine points, while Maxime Fortunus has eight points. Veteran Brad Lukowich has five assists in 19 games played.

Goalies Tyler Beskorowany and Jimmy Spratt split time in net for Texas. Goalie Richard Bachman remains on recall to Dallas. Beskorowany is 2-5-0 with a 3.02 goals against average and a .894 save percentage. Beskorowany went 0-3-0 in the month of November, posting a 3.07 goals against average and a .898 save percentage. Bachman had started nine of the last 11 games for Texas prior to his recall. Beskorowany has started the last two games and Spratt has yet to make his Texas debut.

Special Teams

The Stars have converted 27 of 109 power plays for a 24.8% conversion rate. The Stars have failed to register a power-play goal in only seven of their first 21 games. Texas has scored more than one power-play goal nine times this season. The Stars are second in the league with 27 power-play goals this season. The Stars have killed off 75 of the 91 penalties (82.4%), ranking 13 th overall on the penalty kill. The Stars have killed off 35 of the last 38 penalties (92.1%). The Checkers are 17th overall in the AHL on the penalty kill, stopping 81.1% of their opponents' power plays. Overall, Charlotte ranks 14th best in the AHL after going 23-for-125 (18.4%). Charlotte is tied for the league lead with the most power-play opportunities.

The Charlotte Checkers

The Checkers return 16 players a from 2010-11 squad that made a deep Calder Cup Playoff run, falling in the Eastern Conference Finals to Binghamton after knocking out Hershey and Wilkes-Barre. The Checkers line-up is composed of 18 drafted players, including 13 Carolina Hurricanes draft picks. The team carries three former first round selections and two second round picks. Carolina selected Zach Boychuk in the first round in 2008 (14th overall). Defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti (NYR-06 21st overall) and center Riley Nash (EDM-07 21st overall) are also former first round picks on the Checkers roster.

Center Jonathan Matsumoto leads Charlotte in scoring with 24 points in 25 games. He is tied for the team lead with a +7. Matsumoto is also tied for the team lead in goals with Jerome Samson; both have ten goals this season. Samson is second in team scoring with 21 points in 25 games played. He leads the AHL with 112 shots on goal. Left wing Chris Terry leads Charlotte with 15 assists and he is third on the team with 20 points in 23 games played. Terry has nine assists and 12 points in his last ten games played. Michal Jordan leads all Charlotte defenseman with eight assists and 12 points in 25 games played.

In net, the Checkers feature goalies Justin Peters and John Muse. Peters is 6-4-1 with a 2.32 goals against average and a .928 save percentage. Peters is tied for 11th in the AHL for goals against average. He was named the Reebok/AHL Goaltender of the Month for November. In seven appearances during the month, Peters went 5-1-1 with a 1.63 goals-against average and a .949 save percentage. Fellow tender Mike Murphy is on recall to Carolina; he was 9-5-0 with a 2.44 goals against average and a .922 save percentage. Muse has not made an appearance for Charlotte this season.

Check out the Texas Stars Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from December 9, 2011


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