AHL Texas Stars

Gameday Preview - Houston at Texas

Published on January 21, 2012 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


Houston Aeros (21-9-3-7, 52 points) at Texas Stars (19-18-1-2, 41 points)

The Texas Stars and the Houston Aeros meet for the eighth time this season and the 32nd time in AHL history. The Stars and the Aeros will face off four more times this season, including three games at Cedar Park Center. The two teams last met on Wednesday, December 21, a 3-2 victory for the Stars at the Toyota Center. The road team has taken six of the seven previous games in the series. Houston leads the season series, posting a 4-1-2-0 mark against the Stars. The Aeros lead the all-time series with a 17-11-3-0 record over three seasons against the Stars. Texas is 7-6-1-2 all-time at the Toyota Center and 14-13-2-2 all-time. Texas is 3-4-0-0 this season against Houston overall. Texas has played Houston more than any other team in AHL history. The 32 meetings all-time are four ahead of 25 all-time meetings with San Antonio. The Aeros currently sit in second place of the West Division, five points behind first-place Oklahoma City. The Stars are two points back of Peoria for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The Stars have five wins in their last ten games, going 5-3-1-1 over that span. With back-to-back wins, the Stars are in position to go two games over .500 for the first time all season. Texas blasted Peoria at home on Friday night, scoring the final four goals in a 6-2 routing of the Rivermen. It was the Stars first time on home ice since January 11th, when they bested Abbotsford 2-1. Texas is 9-7-1-1 at home this season, outscoring the opposition 61-53 at Cedar Park Center. Texas has taken six of the last eight home games and posted points in seven of the last eight. The Stars are 8-12-0-2 against the West Division this season. Texas' scoring has been spread out evenly this season, with 39 first-period tallies and 48 second-period markers. Since Dec. 3 (last 20 games), Texas has outscored the opposition 30-15 in the second period after getting outscored in the middle frame 26-18 in the previous 20 games. The Stars lead the opposition in second-period scoring with a 48-42 edge. The club has outscored the opposing team 121-120 for the season. Texas is seventh in the league with a 3.03 goals per game average. Texas ranks 21st defensively with a 3.00 goals against average. The Stars are 14-0-1-1 when leading after two periods of play, but they are 1-16-0-0 when trailing after two periods of play. The team is 9-8-1-2 in games decided by one goal this season. Texas leads the AHL with five overtime wins this season, going 5-0-1-2 when tied after regulation. The Stars are fourth in the AHL with eight shorthanded goals this season.

Houston is tied with Hershey for the fewest regulation losses (nine) in the league. The Aeros are 5-4-1-0 in the last ten games and the club is winless in the last two games. The Aeros have dropped seven shootouts this season and three games in OT (two to Texas). In the first 40 games, the Aeros have points in 31 of them. Houston is coming off a 3-2 overtime loss at home to San Antonio. The team is in a stretch of three-games-in-three-nights and will return home on Sunday to host San Antonio. Houston is 14-3-0-2 on the road this season, outscoring the home team 60-40. Houston has seven goals in the last five games, falling to 20th in the AHL in goals per game average (2.75). Defensively, Houston ranks fourth overall in the league by allowing 2.55 goals per game. The Aeros have struggled to score in the first period of play, putting up 26 goals in their first 40 games. The team sits behind only Providence for the fewest of first-period goals in the AHL this season. Houston has 43 goals in the second period and 37 in the third. The Aeros have scored the first goal 16 times this season, posting a 12-3-0-1 mark when they get on the board first. The 2011 Western Conference champions rank 30th in the AHL with a 12.18 penalty minutes per game average. The Aeros are 10-4-3-5 against the West Division this year.

Texas Stars

Center Travis Morin and winger Matt Fraser lead Texas in scoring. Morin is the clubhouse leader with 31 assists and 36 points in his first 40 games played. He ranks in the top ten of the AHL for assists and power-play helpers. He recorded the 200th assist of his pro career on Friday night against Peoria. Rookie forward Matt Fraser is second in scoring with 35 points in 39 games. He leads the team with 21 goals scored and 142 shots on net. Fraser is tied for second in the AHL with nine power-play goals and he is fourth overall in the AHL for rookie scoring. The All-Star ranks second among all first-year skaters with 21 goals and he is first in shots on goal by a rookie. He tied a team record with four assists in Friday night's game. Colton Sceviour, Francis Wathier and Ryan Garbutt round out the top scorers for Texas. Center Ryan Garbutt has 26 points (10g-16a) in 40 games. Garbutt leads the team with 66 penalty minutes, followed by Luke Gazdic's 62 and Wathier's 61 minutes. Garbutt is tied for the AHL lead with five shorthanded points and four shorthanded assists. Colton Sceviour is second on the team with 20 assists and he is third with 27 points. Sceviour has six goals and 13 assists in his last 19 games. He is slated to become the first Texas Star to play in 200 games, needing four more games to reach the mark. Rookie center Scott Glennie has 13 points in his last 12 games, scoring six goals and setting up seven others.

Jordie Benn leads all defenders and is tied for second in the AHL with eight goals. He is also first among blueliners with 18 points in 36 games played. With six assists and nine points in his last ten games, Captain Brad Lukowich is second among Texas defensemen in scoring with 17 points in 36 games played. The 16-year pro played in his 1,000th pro game on Monday at Rockford. He posted a +3 rating on Friday night. Dan Spang is tied for the lead among defensemen with 13 assists and third with 15 points. Rookie Brenden Dillon (2-12-15) is tied for third in points and he is first among D-men with 43 penalty minutes. Veteran defender Maxime Fortunus has 14 points in 36 games.

Goalies Andrew Raycroft and Tyler Beskorowany split time in net for Texas. Raycroft was unbeaten in regulation (3-0-1) in his first four starts before suffering his first regulation loss on Saturday night in Milwaukee. He is 5-2-1 with a 2.37 goals against average and a .918 save percentage in eight starts for the Stars. Beskorowany is 6-10-0 with a 3.08 goals against average and a .891 save percentage.

Special Teams

The Stars have converted 41 of 192 power plays for a 21.4% conversion rate, as Texas ranks third overall in power play percentage. The team has 13 power-play goals over the last ten games - going 13-for-49 over that span. The Stars have killed off 129 of 155 opponents' power plays (83.2%), ranking 12th overall on the penalty kill. The Stars have killed off 91 of the last 104 penalties (87.5%). The Aeros are 24th in the AHL on the penalty kill, stopping 80.1% of their opponents' power plays. Overall, Houston ranks 16th in the AHL on the power play after going 32-for-182 (17.6%).

The Houston Aeros

Right wing Jon DiSalvatore leads the team with 30 points in 40 games. The Aeros captain has a team-leading 12 goals and a team-high 18 assists. He is seco nd in shots on goal with 86. Over the last three years, DiSalvatore has 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points in 31 games against Texas. Center Casey Wellman comes in second for goals scored with 11 in 21 games played. Wellman recently returned from Minnesota, where he has played in 14 games for the Wild, scoring two goals and totaling seven points. Veteran center Jeff Taffe is second on the team with 17 assists and is second with 24 points. Taffe leads the club with 12 power-play assists and 99 shots on goal. Taffe notched his 400th AHL point with an assist on Jon DiSalvatore's goal on Jan. 8 at San Antonio. Forward Justin Fontaine sits in the top 20 for rookie league leaders with nine goals and 14 assists in 39 games played. The Aeros top-scoring defenseman is Chay Genoway, who has 14 assists and 16 points in 37 games played.

With a plethora of injuries in Minnesota, the Wild have relied heavily on its AHL affiliate with 22 roster moves since New Years' Day. Former Texas Stars Warren Peters is in Minnesota, joined by forwards Carson MacMillan, Chad Rau, Jed Ortmeyer, Matt Kassian and defenseman Nate Prosser. The Aeros added forward C.J. Stretch on Friday. Center David MacIntyre recently returned from Minnesota, where he played in seven games for the Wild, scoring a goal and adding an assist.

In goal, the Aeros feature Matt Hackett and rookie Darcy Kuemper. After leading the Aeros to the Calder Cup Finals in 2011, Hackett is 13-6-3 in his second season with the Aeros. He sports a 2.29 goals against average and a .922 save percentage. Hackett has played in three games for Minnesota this year, going 2-0-0 with a 0.85 goals against average and a .977 save percentage. Kuemper is 5-3-3 with a 2.07 goals against average and a .931 save percentage. The rookie tender started the season with Ontario of the ECHL, going 7-1-0 with a 1.74 goals against average and a .941 save percentage.

Dallas Returns Wathier to Texas

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

Wathier, 27, went scoreless in his lone game with Dallas registering three hits in 5:25 of ice time. He leads the Texas Stars (AHL) with a +10 rating in 38 games, accumulating eight goals and 15 assists for 23 points.

Roman Traded by Dallas to Florida for Forward Esposito

The Dallas Stars announced on Friday that the club has traded left wing Ondrej Roman to the Florida Panthers in exchange for center Angelo Esposito.

Esposito made his Texas debut in Rockford on Monday and he made his home debut on Friday night against Peoria. The 22-year old played in 16 games for the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League (AHL) this season, collecting two goals and three assists totaling five points and eight penalty minutes. Prior to his professional hockey career, Esposito spent parts of four seasons with the Quebec Ramparts and the Montreal Juniors of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). He scored the game-winning goal at the 2009 World Junior Championships to secure the gold medal for Team Canada. The 6-0, 190-pound forward from Montreal, QC, was selected by Pittsburgh as the 20th overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Roman, 22, has spent the majority of the season with the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary affiliate in the AHL collecting one goal and four assists totaling five points and four penalty minutes with the club. The 6-0, 185-pound forward was selected by Dallas in the fifth round (136th overall) in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

LAST THREE GAMES

Peoria 2 at Texas 6 1/20/12

The Texas Stars defeated the Peoria Rivermen 6-2 in front of 5,273 fans at Cedar Park Center on Friday night. Five Texas skaters had multi-point nights, led by winger Matt Fraser's four assists. Forward Stephen Schultz notched two goals and left wing Mike Hedden put up a goal and an assist, as the Stars powered past the Rivermen behind a three-goal second period. Center Travis Morin and defenseman Jordie Benn each added two assists, as the Stars improved to 9-7-1-1 at home this season. Texas goalie Andrew Raycroft stopped 21 of 23 shots as the team claimed its sixth win in the last eight home games. Rivermen defenseman Cade Fairchild and right wing Jonathan Cheechoo each scored in the loss. Peoria goalie Ben Bishop stopped 29 of 35 shots in the loss.

Texas 4 at Chicago 3 1/18/12

The Texas Stars defeated the Chicago Wolves 4-3 in front of 3,032 fans at the Allstate Arena on Wednesday. The Stars scored three goals in the second period, including the game-winning goal from defenseman Maxime Fortunus to close out the road trip with a one-goal victory. Jordie Benn and Matt Fraser also added second-period markers, as the Stars improved to 10-11-0-1 on the road this season. Texas Captain Brad Lukowich scored once and added an assist in the victory. Texas goalie Andrew Raycroft made 23 saves for the win. Rookie Scott Glennie also picked up two assists for the Stars. Chicago goalie Eddie Lack stopped 25 Texas shots in the defeat.

Texas 0 at Rockford 2 1/16/12

The Texas Stars were defeated by the Rockford IceHogs 2-0 in front of 4,717 fans at the BMO Harris Bank Center on Monday afternoon. Rockford goalie Carter Hutton recorded his first shutout of the season, stopping all 31 Texas shots for the win. Texas goalie Andrew Raycroft made 32 saves in the defeat. IceHogs forward Brandon Svendson scored the eventual game-winning goal at 8:49 of the second period and Rockford added an insurance goal late in the third by Jeremy Morin. Texas Captain Brad Lukowich played in his 1,000th pro game in the defeat. Stars right wing Colton Sceviour had his six-game scoring streak snapped.

What's Ahead:

DATE OPPONENT TIME RADIO

Saturday, January 21 vs. Houston 7:00 PM 104.9 FM

Friday, January 27 at San Antonio 7:00 PM 104.9 FM

Saturday, January 28 at Oklahoma City 7:00 PM 104.9 FM

All-Star Break

Thursday, February 2 at Houston 7:35 PM 104.9 FM

* All times listed are central time

Check out the Texas Stars Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from January 21, 2012


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