AHL Texas Stars

Gameday Preview - Milwaukee at Texas

Published on January 22, 2011 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


Texas and Milwaukee meet for the fourth time this season and 12th time in history. The two teams played a total of eight times last year with the Stars taking the season series by posting a 5-3-0-0 mark against the Admirals. The two teams split a pair of games in November at Cedar Park Center, as each team posted a shutout. The Stars won the last meeting, a 3-2 overtime win at Milwaukee in mid-December. Texas is 7-4-0-0 all-time against Milwaukee, including a 4-2-0-0 record at Cedar Park Center.

The Stars are 11-7-3-1 at home this season and 5-4-1-0 in the last ten games. The Stars have dropped three of their last four games. Texas has two wins in its last eight home games, posting a 2-2-3-1 mark over that span. Texas has wins in five of the last eight road games and points in six of their last nine road outings. The Stars are playing the second of ten straight games against divisional opponents. Texas is 18-11-1-2 against the West Division this season. The Stars are the least penalized team in the league accruing 12.1 penalty minutes a game. The Stars are 10-1-3-2 in one-goal games this year. The Stars are coming off a 3-1 loss in Houston on Friday.

Milwaukee is 12-10-0-3 on the road this year and 6-3-0-1 in the last ten games played. The Admirals have only one win in their last four games (1-2-0-1). Milwaukee has allowed 66 goals on the road this year and only 28 at home. The Admirals gave up a season-high seven goals on Friday night at home in a 7-5 loss to San Antonio. Milwaukee ranks second best in the AHL, amassing 12.6 penalty minutes per game. The Admirals are 13-2-2-3 when scoring the first goal of the night. Milwaukee has posted an 11-9-2-5 record against the West Division. When leading after the first period, Milwaukee is 10-0-1-3 and when leading after the second the team is 14-0-2-2.

Through the first three games of the series, five different skaters lead all scorers with two points. Defenseman Brad Lukowich is the only player in the series with two assists. Forwards Ray Sawada, Travis Morin and Greg Rallo each have a goal and an assist in the three-game series. Milwaukee's Grant Lewis is the only Admiral with multiple points in the series with a goal and an assist.

Texas goalie Richard Bachman is 1-1-0 with a 0.50 goals against average and an .982 save percentage Milwaukee Houston this season. Tyler Beskorowany is 1-0-0 with a 1.99 goals against average and a .943 save percentage. Admirals goalie Mark Dekanich is 1-1-0 with a 1.03 goals against average and a .968 save percentage.

Wathier and Gagnon Head to Dallas

The Dallas Stars announced on Wednesday that the club has recalled center Aaron Gagnon and left wing Francis Wathier from the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Gagnon, 24, has appeared in seven games for Dallas this season, recording two assists, including his first NHL point (Dec. 6 at Columbus). The 5-11, 186-pound center has spent the majority of this season with Texas, skating in 32 games and collecting 14 points (8g, 6a). Gagnon led the Texas Stars in scoring in 2009-10 with 58 points (27g, 31a) through 77 games. The Quesnel, British Columbia, native was signed by Dallas as a free agent February 2, 2007.

Wathier, 26, has played in 42 games for Texas so far this season, ranking tied for second on the team in goals with 12 and tied for third in points with 22. In 2009-10, he recorded 40 points (19g, 21a) and 101 penalty minutes in 76 games with Texas. The St. Isidore, Ontario, native made his NHL debut last season with Dallas, appearing in five games and recording five penalty minutes. Wathier was drafted by Dallas in the sixth round (185th overall) at the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

Tousignant Suspended by AHL

The American Hockey League announced on Thursday that Texas Stars center Mathieu Tousignant has been suspended for two (2) games as a result of his actions in a game vs. Grand Rapids on Jan. 18.

Tousignant was suspended under the provisions of AHL Rule 28.1 (supplementary discipline). He will miss Texas's games on Friday (Jan. 21) at Houston and Saturday (Jan. 22) vs. Milwaukee.

Neal Called up from Idaho

Cedar Park, TX - The Texas Stars announced on Thursday that the team has recalled forward Michael Neal from the Idaho Steelheads, Texas' ECHL Affiliate.

Neal is in his second pro season after spending the bulk of his rookie season with Idaho. This season, the Whitby, ON native has played in 36 games for the Steelheads, scoring six goals and totaling 13 points. Last season, Neal played in 57 games for the Steelheads, posting 15 points on five goals and ten assists. The 21-year old also skated in six games for the Texas Stars without registering a point. Neal was drafted in the fifth round (#149 overall) in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and he is the younger brother of Dallas Stars forward James Neal.

Beskorowany Heads Back to Idaho

The Texas Stars announced after Tuesday's game that goalie Tyler Beskorowany has been reassigned to the Idaho Steelheads, Texas' ECHL Affiliate. Beskorowany posted a 1.85 goals against average and stopped 202 of 213 shots (.948%) in his last six games (4-2-0). Overall, Beskorowany is 4-4-0 with a 2.64 goals against average and a .925 save percentage.

What's Ahead:

DATE OPPONENT TIME TV/RADIO

Monday, Jan. 24 vs. San Antonio 7:30 PM 1530 AM

Friday, Jan 28 at Oklahoma City 6:05 PM 1530 AM

Saturday, Jan. 29 vs. Abbotsford 7:00 PM 104.9 FM

* All times listed are central time

GAME RECAPS:

Texas 1 at Houston 3 1/21/11

Houston, TX - The Texas Stars were defeated by the Houston Aeros 3-1 in front of 6,309 fans at the Toyota Center on Friday night. Houston's Matt Hackett (11-10-0) made 30 saves on 31 Texas shots to preserve the win. After Texas winger Michael Neal gave the Stars a 1-0 lead, the Aeros countered with three unanswered tallies in the game, improving to 6-1-0-0 against the Stars this season. Houston forwards Robbie Earl, Jon DiSalvatore and Casey Wellman scored, as Houston improved to 5-0-0-1 in its last six games. Texas goalie Richard Bachman (14-10-2) stopped 28 of 30 shots in the loss.

Grand Rapids 4 at Texas 3 OT 1/18/11

The Texas Stars were defeated by the Grand Rapids Griffins 4-3 on Tuesday night in front of 4,412 fans at Cedar Park Center. Griffins forward Jordan Owens scored twice, including the game-winning goal 3:11 into overtime. Owens also scored the game-tying goal with 4:12 remaining in regulation to force the extra session. Texas defenseman Jordie Benn notched his first career AHL goal in the defeat. Forwards Brandon Segal and Mathieu Tousignant also scored for Texas, as the Stars dropped to 11-7-3-1 at home. Griffins goalie Jordan Pearce (5-3-1) made 39 saves for the win as Texas outshot Grand Rapids 42-18. Texas goalie Richard Bachman (14-9-2) stopped 14 of 18 Griffins shots in the loss.

Texas 3 at Peoria 1 1/15/11

The Texas Stars defeated the Peoria Rivermen 3-1 on Saturday night at Carver Arena. Texas claimed the lead at 10:39 of the first period and cruised past the West Division leaders for the win. Stars forwards Greg Rallo and Brandon Segal each scored as Texas improved to 12-7-0-1 on the road this year. Defenseman Philip Larsen scored his first pro goal as the Stars pulled within three points of first place in the West Division. Texas rookie goalie Tyler Beskorowany stopped 30 of 31 Rivermen shots in the win. Peoria rookie goalie Jake Allen made 36 saves on 38 Texas shots for the defeat.

The Texas Stars

After 43 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 25 points (12g-13a) in 43 games played. Prior to his recall, left wing Francis Wathier was third on the club with 22 points. Wathier was tied for second in goals scored (12) and led the team lead with six power-play goals. Right wing Colton Sceviour (8g-15a) is third among active skaters on the team in points with 23. Dan Spang is fourth overall on the team with 19 points. Spang is also tied for third on the team in assists (15) and leads all defensemen in shots on goal (89). Defensemen Brad Lukowich is second on the team with 16 assists. Left wing Luke Gazdic's 70 penalty minutes lead the team.

Texas Stars goalies Richard Bachman and Adrien LeMay fill the net for the Stars. Brent Krahn is currently out with an injury. Bachman has appeared in 28 games, going 14-10-2 with a 2.25 goals against average and a .924 save percentage. Bachman ranks ninth overall in the AHL for goals against average and eighth in save percentage. Bachman has started 13 of the last 15 games. Goalie Adrien LeMay has yet to make his AHL debut. In 17 games with the CHL's Allen Americans, the rookie was 11-2-0 with a 3.10 goals against average and a .897 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.

The Milwaukee Admirals

The Milwaukee Admirals are the AHL Affiliate of the Nashville Predators. Head Coach Lane Lambert is in his third season with the Admirals. Milwaukee returns eight players from last year's team that posted 41-30-2-7 mark (91 points).

Newcomer Linus Klasen leads the Admirals with 35 points in 36 games played, including a team-high 19 goals. The Swedish newcomer was signed as a free agent over the summer by the Predators. Klasen is playing in his first North American pro season. He was named the AHL Player of the Month in October after scoring seven goals in his first seven games. Right wing Chris Mueller was second on the team with 12 goals and 20 points in 33 games played. Mueller is on recall to Nashville.

Second-year pro Jonathon Blum is second on the team in points and he leads the team with 20 assists. Blum leads all Admirals defensemen with 25 points in 43 games played. Last season, Blum finished fourth among the Admirals with 41 points in 80 games as a rookie. He also ranked 12th among all rookies in points and 14th among all AHL defensemen.

Rookie Blake Geoffrion is third on the team in scoring followed by defenseman Aaron Johnson. Geoffrion has 14 assists and 19 points in 32 games played. Johnson leads all Milwaukee defenders with seven goals and he is fourth overall in points with 18 in 42 games played. Winger Kelsey Wilson and defenseman Scott Ford lead the team in penalty minutes. Ford has a team-high 83 in 44 games played, while Wilson has 76 in 44 games played.

In net, the Admirals feature goalies Mark Dekanich and Jeremy Smith. Mark Dekanich (16-7-4) is enjoying his best pro season, including his first call up to Nashville. He is among the league leaders in a handful of categories for goalies. He is third with a 1.98 goals against average and sixth with a .930 save percentage. Smith (7-4-0) was drafted in the 2nd round (#54 overall) by Nashville in 2007. Smith has a 2.70 goals against average and a .913 save percentage.

Special Teams

After finishing second overall last season on the penalty kill, the Stars rank 29th overall at 77.8%. Texas sits 17th in the AHL, converting 16.1% of its power plays. The Admirals are 17th overall on the power play, converting 16.3% of the time. Milwaukee is 25th in the AHL on the penalty kill, stopping 79.2% of its opponents' power plays.

Offense and Defense

The Texas Stars are eighth overall in team defense, allowing 2.67 goals against per game. Texas is ranked 16th out of 30 teams, scoring an average of 2.81 goals per game. Milwaukee's defense ranks sixth overall with a 2.52 goals against per game. The Admirals sit 22nd offensively, averaging 2.64 goals per game.

Check out the Texas Stars Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from January 22, 2011


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