AHL Texas Stars

Gameday Preview - Houston at Texas

Published on March 5, 2011 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


Texas and Houston meet for the 11th time this season and the 23rd time in AHL history. The two teams will play a total of 12 games this season, including one more time at Cedar Park Center. The Aeros own the season series with a 9-1-0-0 mark against the Stars this season. Texas is 9-9-2-2 all-time against Houston after taking the season series in 2009-10 by going 8-3-0-1 against their in-state rivals. The Stars only win in the season series came on home-ice on November 24, a 5-3 victory at Cedar Park Center. Texas is 1-2-1-0 against Houston at home this season and 5-4-1-0 all-time. Texas is 0-4-1-1 this year at the Toyota Center and 4-5-1-2 all-time. The Stars are coming off a 6-5 overtime win at home over San Antonio on Friday night. The Aeros posted a 3-1 win at home over Syracuse at the Toyota Center on Friday.

Texas is 17-9-3-3 at Cedar Park Center this season and 4-3-1-2 in the last ten games. Texas is 10-6-1-3 in its last 20 meetings. With a 6-5 OT win last night, the Stars ended a five-game winless skid (0-2-1-2). Four of the last five games for Texas have gone into a shootout or overtime. Texas has collected points in seven of the last nine games. The Stars began a five-game home stand on Sunday. Texas is 1-1-0-1 over the course of the home stand. The Stars are 27-14-2-4 against the West Division this season and 6-7-2-1 against the North Division this season. Texas is the least penalized team in the league accruing 13.02 penalty minutes a game. The Stars are 19-2-4-5 in one-goal games this year.

Houston is 19-13-0-3 away from home this year and 5-4-0-1 in the last ten games played. The Aeros have outscored their opponents 98-90 on the road and 87-77 on home ice. Houston is 29-7-0-3 when scoring the first goal of the night and it has scored the first goal of the night 39 times this season, the second most in the AHL. The Aeros are third in the AHL with 68 goals in the first period this season. They have outscored their opponents 68-41 in the first period and they have a 24-5-0-3 mark when leading after one period of play this season. Houston is 28-16-1-1 in the West Division this season and 17-7-1-4 in one-goal games. Houston has the fifth most disciplined team in the AHL with 15.35 penalty minutes per game.

Through the first ten games of the series, Houston Captain Jon DiSalvatore leads all scorers with seven markers and 14 points. Former Texas Star Warren Peters has four goals and seven points in nine games against his old team. Defenseman Maxim Noreau has a team-high eight assists and is second in scoring with ten points. Forward Patrick O'Sullivan has three goals and six assists for nine points in four games against Texas. Stars center Travis Morin has collected three assists and five points in eight games. Right wing Colton Sceviour has five goals and 15 points in 21 games all-time games against Houston, including a team-high five assists and eight points in nine games this season.

Texas goalie Richard Bachman is 1-6-1 with a 3.36 goals against average and an .886 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 was 7-0-0 with a 2.19 goals against average and a .931 save percentage. Khudobin was sent to Boston at the trade deadline by Minnesota. Houston rookie Matt Hackett is 2-1-0 with a 2.14 goals against average and a .924 save percentage.

Texas Releases Derlago

The Texas Stars announced on Wednesday that the club has released center Dave Bonk from a PTO (professional tryout agreement).

Bonk played in 11 games with Texas, scoring twice and setting up one other for three points with the Stars. The 28-year old center had played the majority of the season with the CHL's Allen Americans. In 33 games with the Americans, Bonk scored 15 goals and added 29 assists for 44 points. The 188-pound center also appeared in six games with the AHL's Oklahoma City Barons earlier this year, posting one assist and four penalty minutes.

What's Ahead:

DATE OPPONENT TIME TV/RADIO

Monday, March 7 vs. Syracuse 11:00 AM 1530 AM

Friday, March 11 at Syracuse 6:30 PM 1530 AM

Saturday, March 12 at Hamilton 3:00 PM 104.9 FM

Sunday, March 13 at Toronto 2:00 PM 104.9 FM

* All times listed are central time

GAME RECAPS:

San Antonio 5 at Texas 6 SO 3/4/11

The Texas Stars defeated the San Antonio Rampage 6-5 in overtime Friday night in front of 5,036 fans at Cedar Park Center. Right wing Greg Rallo scored the game-winning goal in overtime against the Rampage to supply the Stars with an additional point. Center Aaron Gagnon had a multi-point night, scoring the final regulation goal with 19 seconds left to force overtime. The Stars opened up the first period with four unanswered goals. Ray Sawada netted two, paired with Brandon Segal's tally and Cody Chupp's marker. Defenseman Maxime Fortunus provided an assist on each of the first three Stars goals for a three-point night. The Rampage scored five consecutive goals in the third period. Stars goalie Richard Bachman stopped 28 shots to preserve the win. San Antonio goalie Matt Climie stopped 7 of 10 shots and was pulled after 6:10 of play. Rampage goalie Joe Fallon stopped 21 of 24 shots faced, taking the overtime loss. The two teams combined for 94 penalty minutes, including 49 for the Rampage. It was the most combined penalty minutes in one game between the two rivals.

Abbotsford 5 at Texas 3 3/1/11

The Texas Stars were defeated by the Abbotsford Heat 5-3 on Tuesday night in front of 5,878 fans at Cedar Park Center. Heat forwards Logan MacMillan and Ales Kotalik each had a multi-point night to lead Abbotsford to a road win. Goalie Leland Irving stopped 25 shots pushing Abbotsford road record to 13-12-1-3. Stars center Aaron Gagnon had a multi-point night with two assists. Texas skaters Greg Rallo, Francis Wathier and Brad Lukowich each scored in the defeat. Defensemen T.J. Brodie and Chris Breen both tallied two assists to help the Heat.

Oklahoma City 3 at Texas 2 SO 2/27/11

The Texas Stars were defeated by the Oklahoma City Barons 3-2 in a shootout on Sunday night in front of 5,545 fans at Cedar Park Center. Right wing Colin McDonald scored the decisive goal in the shootout to lift Oklahoma City over the Stars for the first in six games. Texas goalie Richard Bachman stopped 35 of 37 shots in regulation, helping the Stars salvage a point in the shootout defeat. Defenseman Trevor Ludwig and right wing Greg Rallo each scored in regulation, as the Stars fell to 0-1-1-2 in the last four games. Center Aaron Gagnon had a multi-point night with two assists to spark a Stars two-goal rally. Oklahoma City goalie Bryan Pitton (3-1-0) stopped 29 shots in regulation and four of five to preserve the shootout win.

Texas 2 at San Antonio 3 SO 2/26/11

The Texas Stars were defeated by the San Antonio Rampage 3-2 in a shootout on Saturday night in front of 10,447 fans at the AT&T Center. The Rampage trailed 2-0 in the first two rounds of the shootout, but managed three shootout goals in the last five attempts to nip the Stars in the extra session. Forward Luke Gazdic and defenseman Dan Spang each scored regulation goals as Texas finished its eight-game road trip at 3-3-1-1. San Antonio goalie Matt Climie stopped 24 of 26 in regulation and five of seven shootout attempts for the victory. Texas goalie Tyler Beskorowany made 29 saves in regulation and stopped four of seven attempts in the shootout defeat.

The Texas Stars

After 63 games of action, right wing Greg Rallo leads the team lead in points with 39 (20g-19a) in 63 games played. Ralllo also leads the team with a career-high 20 goals and 188 shots on net. Center Travis Morin is second for Texas in scoring with 13 goals and 21 assists for 34 points in 48 games played. Morin has missed the last 13 games with an injury. Dan Spang is third overall on the team with 33 points. He leads the team lead in assists (24), as well as all defensemen in goals (9) and shots on goal (137). Colton Sceviour is fifth on the team with 20 assists and fourth with 31 points in 61 games played. Left wing Francis Wathier is second on the team with 16 goals and 144 shots in 54 games played. Defensemen Brad Lukowich and Maxime Fortunus are tied for second on the team with 22 assists. Left wing Luke Gazdic leads the team with 96 penalty minutes.

Texas Stars goalies Richard Bachman and Tyler Beskorowany fill the net for the Stars. Bachman has appeared in 42 games, going 22-14-4 with a 2.36 goals against average and a .922 save percentage. Bachman ranks in the top ten in the AHL for goals against average and save percentage. Bachman has started 27 of the last 34 games. Goalie Brent Krahn has appeared in 12 games, posting a 6-6-0 mark, a 3.20 goals against average and a .895 save percentage. Krahn is out with an injury. Beskorowany has posted a 1.93 goals against average and stopped 307 of 325 shots (.945 %) in his last ten appearances (5-3-1) with Texas this year. Overall, Beskorowany is 5-5-1 with a 2.30 goals against average and a .924 save percentage.

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.

Right wing Jon DiSalvatore leads the team with 17 goals and 45 points. He is second on the team with 28 assists in 65 games. Left wing Robbie Earl is second on the team with 16 goals and he is third with 41 points in 54 games played this season. Defenseman Maxime Noreau leads Houston in assists with 33 and he is second with 43 points in 64 games played. Patrick O'Sullivan is fourth on the team in scoring despite playing in less than half the games. In 21 games, O'Sullivan has 13 goals and 29 points, including 15 points on the power-play. Center Cody Almond is tied for fifth on the team in scoring with 27 points (12g-15a) in 52 games played. Left wing Matt Kassian leads the team with 130 penalty minutes in 58 games played.

Former Stars center Warren Peters is on recall to the NHL's Minnesota Wild. Peters had 24 points in 55 games with the Aeros this season. Peters was instrumental in the Stars run to the Calder Cup Finals in 2010. 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.

The Aeros use rookie Matt Hackett and Josh Tordjman in net. Hackett was drafted by the Wild in the third round (#77 overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. In 32 games played this season, Hackett is 15-12-3 with a 2.28 goals against average and a .918 save percentage. Tordjman is 3-0-0 in four appearances for the Aeros this season. The former San Antonio goalie has a 1.39 goals against average and a .943 save percentage.

Special Teams

After finishing second overall last season on the penalty kill, the Stars rank 28th overall at 77.3%. Texas sits 19th in the AHL, converting on 17.1% of its power plays. The Aeros are 13th overall on the power play, converting 18.5% of the time. Houston is ninth overall on the penalty kill, stopping 84.1% of its opponents' power plays. So far in the season series, Houston is 12-for-44 (27.2%) and Texas is 8-for-41 (19.5%).

Offense and Defense

The Texas Stars are 12th overall in team defense, allowing 2.78 goals against per game. Texas is ranked 18th out of 30 teams, scoring an average of 2.78 goals per game. Houston's defense is fifth overall with a 2.57 goals against per game. The Aeros sit 16th offensively, averaging 2.85 goals per game.

Check out the Texas Stars Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from March 5, 2011


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