AHL Texas Stars

Gameday Preview - Peoria at Texas

Published on January 20, 2012 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


Peoria Rivermen (20-17-2-1, 43 points) at Texas Stars (18-18-1-2, 39 points)

The Stars and the Rivermen meet for the third time this season. This marks the 17th all-time meeting between the two teams that will play a total of four games this season. Each team hosted a game in October, with the home team winning each game. Friday marks the Peoria's final appearance at Cedar Park Center in the regular season. Texas will visit Peoria for the final meeting of the regular season in early April. Peoria took the season series last year, going 4-2-0-0 against the Stars. The Rivermen lead the all-time series with an 9-5-1-1 record versus the Stars. Texas is 3-4-0-0 all-time at home against Peoria and 3-4-1-0 at Carver Arena.

The Stars have four wins in their last ten games, going 4-4-1-1 over that span. Texas is coming off a 4-3 win in Chicago, ending a four-game road trip with a 2-2-0-0 record. The Stars are on home ice for the first time since January 11th, when they bested Abbotsford 2-1. Texas is 8-7-1-1 at home this season, outscoring the opposition 55-51 at Cedar Park Center. Texas has taken five of the last seven home games and posted points in six of the last seven outings at home. The Stars are 8-12-0-2 against the West Division this season and 7-6-1-0 against the Midwest Division. Texas' scoring has been spread out evenly this season, with 38 first-period tallies and 45 second-period markers. Since Dec. 3 (last 19 games), Texas has outscored the opposition 27-14 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 45-40 edge. The club has been outscored 118-115 overall. Texas is 13th in the league with a 2.95 goals per game average. Texas ranks 22nd defensively with a 3.03 goals against average. The Stars are 13-0-1-1 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 seven shorthanded goals this season.

The Rivermen are coming off a 2-1 win at home over Houston on Saturday night. It marked the sixth win in the last eight outings for Peoria. The club will visit Cedar Park and San Antonio on a two-game road trip. The Rivermen are 10-9-1-1 on the road this season and 6-3-1-0 over the last ten games. Peoria has posted wins in four of the last five road games. The team has edged its opponents 61-59 away from Carver Arena this year. The Rivermen are 4-3-1-0 against the West Division this season. Peoria's scoring is evenly dispersed over three periods of play with 38 first-period tallies, 37 second-period goals and 39 in the third. The team ranks tenth best in the AHL offensively, scoring 2.98 goals per game. Defensively, the Rivermen are 13th best in the league with 2.80 goals per game. Peoria is second to last in the AHL, allowing 33.35 shots per game. The team is 15-1-0-0 when leading after two frames, but 2-12-2-1 when trailing after two periods. The club is 9-7-2-1 in games decided by one goal this season.

Texas Stars

Center Travis Morin and winger Matt Fraser lead Texas in scoring. Morin is the clubhouse leader with 29 assists and 34 points in his first 39 games played. He ranks in the top ten of the AHL for assists and power-play helpers. He has six assists and seven points in his last 10 games played. Rookie forward Matt Fraser is second in scoring with 31 points in 38 games. He leads the team with 21 goals scored and 139 shots on net. Fraser is tied for second in the AHL with nine power-play goals and he is tied for 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 has seven points in his last nine games. Forwards Colton Sceviour, Francis Wathier and Ryan Garbutt round out the top scorers for Texas. Center Ryan Garbutt has 25 points (9g-16a) in 39 games. Garbutt leads the team with 61 penalty minutes, followed by Wathier's 59 minutes. Garbutt is tied for the AHL lead with four shorthanded assists and he is tied for second in the league for shorthanded points (4). Colton Sceviour is second on the team with 19 assists and he is third with 26 points. Sceviour has six goals and 12 assists in his last 18 games. He is slated to become the first Texas Star to play in 200 games, need four more games to reach the mark. Rookie center Scott Glennie has 12 points in his last 11 games, scoring five goals and setting up seven others.

With six assists and nine points in his last eight games, Captain Brad Lukowich leads all defensemen in scoring with 17 points in 35 games played. The 16-year pro played in his 1,000th pro game on Monday at Rockford. Jordie Benn leads all defenders and is tied for second in the AHL with eight goals. He is also second among blueliners with 16 points in 35 games played. Dan Spang is tied for the lead among defensemen with 13 assists and third with 15 points. Rookie Brenden Dillon (2-12-14) is fourth in points and he is first among D-men with 43 penalty minutes. Veteran defender Maxime Fortunus has 13 points in 35 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 4-2-1 with a 2.42 goals against average and a .919 save percentage in seven 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 39 of 187 power plays for a 20.9% conversion rate, as Texas ranks fifth overall in power play percentage. The team has 11 power-play goals over the last nine games - going 11-for-44 over that span. The Stars have killed off 125 of 151 opponents' power plays (82.8%), ranking 14th overall on the penalty kill. The Stars have killed off 87 of the last 100 penalties (87%). The Rivermen are eighth in the AHL on the penalty kill, stopping 84.2% of their opponents' power plays. They have stopped 29 of the last 32 attempts. Overall, Peoria ranks third in the AHL on the power play after going 37-for-170 (21.8%).The Rivermen are two for their last 24 power plays.

The Peoria Rivermen

Center T.J Hensick leads the team in assists and points, totaling 33 helpers and 47 points in 40 games played. He ranks among the league leaders in points and assists, including power-play assists (14) and power-play points (21). He also ranks among the team leaders with 83 shots on goal. The fifth-year pro has seven assists and 11 points in his last ten games.

Left wing Brett Sterling is second on the squad in scoring with a team-leading 16 goals and 34 points. He is also third on the team with 109 shots on goal and 58 penalty minutes. Left wing Derek Nesbitt is third overall on the team with 28 points in 39 games played. He is tied for the team lead with seven power-play goals and fourth with 104 shots on goal. Veteran winger Jonathan Cheechoo is first on the team with 123 shots on goals and he sits fourth on the club with 26 points in 39 games played. Right wing Adam Cracknell leads all Peoria forwards with a +6 and he is second on the team with 121 shots on goal.

Offensive defenseman Danny Syvret leads the Peoria blueline with 21 assists and 24 points in 40 games played. He is second overall on the team in assists and tied for the team lead with 14 power-play assists. Rookie defender Cade Fairchild is among the AHL leaders with a +21 in 32 games played this season. He also is second among Peoria defensemen in scoring with 17 points.

Ben Bishop and Jake Allen man the crease for Peoria. Bishop is among the best in the AHL, ranking among the league leaders in numerous categories. The fourth year pro is 17-10-0 with a 2.17 goals against average and a .932 save percentage. He leads the league with six shutouts, including two in the month of January. The Blues third-round pick (05' #85), is second in the league in wins, second in saves, second in save percentage, third in minutes played and fifth in goals against average. He is 5-1-0 in his last six starts, posting a 1.65 goals against average and a .950 save percentage. Bishop has stopped 190 of the last 200 shots. Allen is 3-9-1 with a 3/49 goals against average and a .901 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 will make 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.

Dallas Assigns Jordie Benn

The Dallas Stars announced on Wednesday that the club has assigned defenseman Jordie Benn to the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Benn, 24, has played in two games for Dallas this season collecting one assist and one shot. He became the 10th player in Dallas Stars history to record his first NHL point in his first NHL game. Along with younger brother Jamie Benn, they became the third set of brothers in Dallas Stars history and the sixth in team history to play in an NHL game together. At the time of his recall, the defender had se ven goals and eight assists for 15 points in 31 games. Four of his seven goals have come on the power play. Jordie Benn is the older brother of current Stars forward Jamie Benn. The 6-0, 205-pound defenseman from Victoria, BC, signed a one-year free agent contract with Dallas on July 1, 2011. He played in 60 games for the Texas Stars last season, scoring two goals and 10 assists for 12 points with 39 penalty minutes.

LAST THREE GAMES

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.

Texas 1 at Milwaukee 2 1/14/12

The Texas Stars were defeated by the Milwaukee Admirals 2-1 in front of 6,885 fans at the Bradley Center on Saturday night. Milwaukee goalie Jeremy Smith led the way with 25 saves off 26 Texas shots. Admirals Jusso Puustinen and Joel Champange scored 1:15 apart in the first period, helping the Milwaukee end a three-game losing streak. Stars goalie Andrew Raycroft stopped 23 shots in the defeat, as the team had its five-game points streak ended with the loss. Forward Mike Hedden scored the team's lone goal. Stars right wing Colton Sceviour continued his torrid pace, extending his points streak to six games with an assist.

What's Ahead:

DATE OPPONENT TIME RADIO

Friday, January 20 vs. Peoria 7:30 PM 104.9 FM

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

* All times listed are central time

Check out the Texas Stars Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from January 20, 2012


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