AHL Texas Stars

Gameday Preview - Houston at Texas

Published on November 24, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


Texas begins a seven-game home stand tonight with the Aeros. Oklahoma City, Manitoba, San Antonio and Milwaukee will all visit the Cedar Park Center over the next 14 days. The Stars and Aeros played each other on Sunday in Houston, with the home team winning 4-2. The Aeros have beaten the Stars in all three of their previous meetings this season. This is the fourth meeting of the season and 16th meeting all time. Last season, the two teams played a total of 12 times, with the Stars going 8-3-0-1. Texas is 8-6-0-1 in the all-time series. Houston has outscored Texas 11-5 in the three previous games this year.

The Stars are 6-4-0-0 at Cedar Park Center this season, including a three-game winning streak. Texas is also 5-5-0-0 in the last ten games played. Houston is 6-4-0-2 on the road this season and 6-2-0-2 in the last ten games played.

So far, former Stars center Warren Peters and his teammate Jarod Palmer, lead all skaters in the season series with four points each. Palmer and Brendan Buck lead all skaters with three assists in three games played. Texas right wing Greg Rallo leads the Stars with one goal and three points in the series. Center Travis Morin is tied for the team lead with two assists against Houston.

Texas goalie Richard Bachman is 0-2-0 with a 3.63 goals against average and a .844 save percentage against Houston this season. Tyler Beskorowany is 0-1-0 with a 3.01 goals against average and a .900 save percentage. Aeros goalie Anton Khudobin is 3-0-0 with a 1.67 goals against average and a .949 save percentage.

Dallas Recalls Defenseman Severin Blindenbacher From Texas

The Dallas Stars announced on Tuesday that the club has recalled defenseman Severin Blindenbacher from the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Blindenbacher, 27, has appeared in eight games for Texas, scoring one goal and three assists for four points with four penalty minutes. He represented Switzerland at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, recording one goal and one assist in five games. Blindenbacher signed as a free agent with Dallas on July 1, 2010.

Stars Recall Sean Backman, Assign Tristan King to Idaho

Texas announced on Sunday that the team has recalled right wing Sean Backman from the Idaho Steelheads and reassigned rookie forward Tristan King to Idaho. Backman spent five games in Idaho, scoring two goals and totaling four points. Prior to his assignment to Idaho, Backman played in eight games for Texas, picking up a goal and an assist for two points. King, a 20-year old rookie, scored twice and set up two others for four points in nine games with Texas.

Stars Goalie Richard Bachman Named AHL Player of the Week

The American Hockey League announced on Monday that Texas Stars goaltender Richard Bachman has been named the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Nov. 21, 2010. Bachman went a perfect 3-0-0 in three starts for the Stars last week, stopping 87 of 90 shots (0.97, .967) along the way.

Bachman began his week by turning aside 26 of 28 shots in an 8-2 win over Chicago last Tuesday. On Friday, Bachman made 35 saves and denied four of Oklahoma City's five shootout bids as the Stars took a 2-1 road decision from the Barons. And on Saturday, he earned his second shutout of the season with 26 saves in a 2-0 home-ice triumph over Milwaukee.

In recognition of his achievement, Bachman will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Stars home game.

What's Ahead:

DATE OPPONENT TIME TV/RADIO

Friday, Nov. 26 vs. Milwaukee 7:30 PM 1530 AM

Saturday, Nov. 27 vs. San Antonio 7:00 PM 104.9 FM

Tuesday, Nov 30 vs. Oklahoma City 7:30 PM 104.9 FM

Friday, Dec. 3 vs. San Antonio 7:30 PM 1530 AM

Saturday, Dec. 4 vs. Houston 7:00 PM 104.9 FM

* All times listed are local time

Upcoming Home Games and Promotions:

Milwaukee at Texas on Friday, November 26, 2010 at 7:30 PM

* 3-2-1 Friday's ($1 hot dogs, $2 sodas, $3 domestic drafts)

* The first 2,500 fans receive a Texas Stars Ear Buds compliments of Best Buy

San Antonio at Texas on Saturday, November 27, 2010 at 7:00 PM - * First 2,500 fans will receive a Texas Stars hat

* State Farm Family Four Pack (4 tickets, 4 sodas, 4 hot dogs $44)

GAME RECAPS:

Texas 2 at Houston 4 11/21/10

Houston, TX - The Texas Stars were defeated by the Houston Aeros 4-2 in front of 8,587 fans on Sunday night at the Toyota Center. Center Jarod Palmer scored off a rebound with 1:39 left in regulation, breaking a 2-2 tie and giving the Aeros their third straight win over the Stars this season. Texas right wing Greg Rallo scored a goal and added an assist as the Stars saw their four-game winning streak come to an end. Texas goalie Tyler Beskorowany (0-1-0) made his AHL debut, stopping 27 of 30 Houston shots in the loss. Houston goalie Anton Khudobin (6-5-1) stopped 31 of 33 Texas shots in the win.

Milwaukee 0 at Texas 2 11/20/10

The Texas Stars defeated the Milwaukee Admirals 2-0 in front of 5,716 fans on Saturday night at Cedar Park Center. Texas goalie Richard Bachman (5-2-0) stopped all 26 shots to secure his second shutout of the season and third in his AHL career. Stars forwards Greg Rallo and Raymond Sawada each scored in the team's fourth straight victory. The Stars snapped a Milwaukee seven-game unbeaten in regulation streak and improved to 6-4-0-0 at home. Milwaukee goalie Mark Dekanich (8-2-2) stopped 30 of 32 shots in the loss.

Texas 2 at Oklahoma City 11/19/10

The Texas Stars defeated the Oklahoma City Barons 2-1 in a shootout in front of 4,481 fans on Friday night at the Cox Convention Center. Texas center Aaron Gagnon ended the shootout in the fifth round, scoring the decisive goal for the road win. Stars goalie Richard Bachman did the rest, stopping 35 shots in regulation and four of five in the shootout to preserve the win. Texas forward Travis Morin scored the only goal in regulation as the Stars improved to 4-2-0-0 on the road this year. Barons goalie Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers made 17 saves in the third period and finished with 34 in the defeat.

The Texas Stars

After 17 games of action, center Travis Morin leads Texas in scoring with six goals and 15 points. After picking up two points in his last game, right wing Greg Rallo has moved into second on the team in scoring with nine points in 17 games played. Defenseman Dan Spang, left wing Francis Wathier, center Mathieu Tousignant and winger Scott McCulloch are tied for third in overall scoring with seven points each. Wathier is tied for the team lead with six goals, including a team-high four on the power play. Forwards Aaron Gagnon, Fabian Brunnstrom and Tomas Vincour, as well as defenseman Philip Larsen, are all tied for seventh in team scoring with six points each. Left wing Luke Gazdic leads Texas with 32 penalty minutes.

Texas Stars goalies Richard Bachman and Tyler Beskorowany split time in net for Texas. Brent Krahn is currently out with an injury. Krahn has appeared in nine games, posting a 5-4-0 mark, a 2.93 goals against average and a .898 save percentage. Bachman has appeared in nine games, going 5-2-0 with a 1.91 goals against average and a .937 save percentage. Bachman ranks sixth overall in the AHL for goals against average and fifth in save percentage. Beskorowany made his AHL debut on Sunday at Houston.

The Stars 25-man roster is composed of three goalies, seven defensemen and 15 forwards. Texas returns 15 players from the 2010 Western Conference Championship squad. The players range from ages 19 to 34 with an average age of 24.16. Eight players are 22-years old or younger, including two 19-year olds. The roster is made up of six different nationalities. The roster also features 17 NHL draft picks, including ten Dallas Stars draft picks.

The Houston Aeros

The Aeros return 14 players from 2009-10 team that went 34-34-7-5 with 80 points and a seventh place finish in the West Division. Houston hired their eighth head coach in team history this summer, bringing in Mike Yeo to replace Kevin Constantine. Yeo played for the Aeros from 1994-99 and he spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Yeo helped the Pens win the Stanley Cup in 2009.

Rookie center Jarod Palmer leads Houston in scoring with 13 points and nine assists in 17 games played. Right wing Jon DiSalvatore is second in scoring with 11 points in 20 games played. Defenseman Maxime Noreau is tied for third in scoring with Carson MacMillan, both have ten points in 20 games played.Right wing Petr Kalus leads the team in goals scored with six in 20 games played. Forward Matt Kassian leads the team with 50 penalty minutes in 17 games played.

Goalies Anton Khudobin and Matt Hackett split time in net for Houston. Khudobin is 6-5-1 with a 2.06 goals against average and a .933 save percentage. He is eighth in the AHL in goals against average and eighth in save percentage. Hackett, a rookie netminder, is 4-3-1 with a 2.82 goals against average and a .908 save percentage. Hackett is a first-year pro who was drafted by the Wild in the third round (#77 overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He spent last season in the OHL with the Plymouth Whalers, going 33-18-3 with a 2.62 goals against average and a .925 save percentage.

The Houston returnees include the top four scorers from last year. Forward Jean-Michel Daoust led the team with 21 goals and 55 points in 78 games played. Right wing Jon DiSalvatore tied Daoust for the team lead with 21 goals and was second on the team with 52 points in 79 games. DiSalvatore has scored 20 goals or more in seven straight seasons. Defenseman Maxim Noreau returns after leading the team in points among blueliners. Noreau scored 18 goals and set up 34 others for 52 points in 76 games plated. As a rookie, Chad Rau finished fourth on the team in scoring with 19 goals and 38 points in 79 games played.

Former Star Warren Peters has eight points in 20 games with the Aeros this season, including two goals and two assists in three games against Texas. Peters was instrumental in the Stars run to the Calder Cup Finals. He enjoyed an AHL career-high 20 goals and 34 points in 61 games with Texas last year. Peters also played in 23 Calder Cup Playoff games with four goals and four assists. The Saskatoon, SK native led the team with 56 penalty minutes in the post season.

Special Teams

After finishing second overall last season on the penalty kill, the Stars rank 14th overall at 82.5%. Texas sits 17th in the AHL, converting on 17.2% of its power plays. The Aeros are 22nd overall on the power play, converting 15.1% of the time. Houston is third overall on the penalty kill, stopping 89.0% of its opponents' power plays.

Offense and Defense

The Texas Stars are tied for fifth overall in team defense, allowing 2.59 goals against per game. Texas is ranked 20th out of 30 teams, scoring an average of 2.65 goals per game. Houston's defense is tied for fifth overall with a 2.59 goals against per game. The Aeros sit 18th offensively, averaging 2.65 goals per game.

Check out the Texas Stars Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from November 24, 2010


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