AHL Texas Stars

Gameday Preview - San Antonio at Texas

Published on January 24, 2011 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


Texas and San Antonio meet for the seventh time this season and 19th time in history. The two teams played a total of 12 times last year with the Stars taking the season series by posting an 8-4-0-0 mark against the Rampage. The Stars have taken four of the six games of the season series this year. The last meeting was on January 7th at the AT&T Center, a 5-1 win for the Rampage. It marked the Stars first loss in regulation to San Antonio this season. The two teams will meet a total of ten times this year. Texas is 12-5-0-1 all time.

The Stars are 12-7-3-1 at home this season and 5-4-1-0 in the last ten games. The Stars have dropped three of their last five games. Texas has three wins in its last nine home games, posting a 3-2-3-1 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 third of ten straight games against divisional opponents. Texas is 19-11-1-2 against the West Division this season. The Stars are the least penalized team in the league accruing 12.09 penalty minutes a game. The Stars are 11-1-3-2 in one-goal games this year. The Stars are coming off a 2-1 shootout win at home against Milwaukee on Saturday.

San Antonio is 12-9-1-0 on the road this year and 4-6-0-0 in the last ten games played. The Rampage have turned in back-to-back wins after a five-game losing skid. Overall, San Antonio is 4-9-0-0 in its last 13 games. The Rampage are 4-0 in shootouts this season and have a 20-15-1-0 record against the West Division. The Rampage have scored the first goal of the game 17 times this season, the second lowest total in the AHL. San Antonio boasts the top-ranked power play in the AHL on the road, scoring 27.9% of the time. Despite the power-play success, the Rampage have allowed nine shorthanded goals this year, one of the highest totals in the league. San Antonio is coming off a 4-1 win in Rockford on Saturday night.

Through the first six games of the series, Texas center Travis Morin leads all scorers with five points off two goals and three assists. Stars left wing Scott McCulloch has three goals and four points in two games against San Antonio. Texas forwards Francis Wathier and Greg Rallo, as well as defenseman Philip Larsen, each have four points in the season series. San Antonio center Andrew Ebbett leads the Rampage with three assists and four points in six games against the Stars. Former Star Garrett Stafford has three points in four games against his old team. Also, former Stars right wing Mathieu Beaudoin has two goals in four games against his former team.

Texas goalie Richard Bachman is 2-1-1 with a 1.96 goals against average and a .930 save percentage with a shutout. Former Texas goalie, Matt Climie is 2-3-0 with a 2.56 goals against average and a .918 save percentage for San Antonio.

Gagnon Returns From Dallas

The Dallas Stars announced on Sunday that the club has assigned center Aaron Gagnon to the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary affiliate in athe American Hockey League (AHL).

Gagnon, 24, has appeared in eight 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 Heads to Dallas

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

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.

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 last 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

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

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

Friday, Feb. 4 at Houston 7:35 PM 1530 AM

Saturday, Feb. 5 vs. Oklahoma City 7:00 PM 104.9 FM

Tuesday, Feb. 8 vs. Houston 7:30 PM 104.9 FM

* All times listed are central time

GAME RECAPS:

Milwaukee 1 at Texas 2 SO 1/22/11

The Texas Stars defeated the Milwaukee Admirals 2-1 in front of a sold out crowd of 6,863 fans at Cedar Park Center on Saturday night. Texas goalie Richard Bachman (15-10-2) stopped 28 of 29 shots in regulation, as well as four of five in the shootout to preserve the win. Milwaukee goalie Jeremy Smith (7-4-1) made 25 saves in regulation, as well as stopping three of five in the shootout loss. Right wing Greg Rallo scored the team's lone regulation goal, as the Stars improved to 12-7-3-1 at home. Defenseman Roman Josi notched the only goal for the Admirals early in the third period to force overtime.

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 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 stopped 14 of 18 Griffins shots in the loss.

The Texas Stars

After 44 games of action, center Travis Morin leads Texas in scoring with 13 goals and 19 assists for 32 points. The All-Star center leads Texas with six power-play goals and 19 assists. Right wing Greg Rallo is second on the team in scoring with 26 points (13g-13a) in 44 games played. Ralllo is tied for the team lead in goals and leads the club with 130 shots on net. Right wing Colton Sceviour (8g-15a) is third among all 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 29 games, going 15-10-2 with a 2.20 goals against average and a .926 save percentage. Bachman ranks eighth overall in the AHL for goals against average and seventh in save percentage. Bachman has started 14 of the last 16 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 San Antonio Rampage

San Antonio starts its first full season with Ray Edwards as head coach, who took over for Greg Ireland 18 games into last season. Edwards went on to post a 30-23-0-9 record in the final 62 games of the year. The Rampage returns 13 players from their 2009-10 squad.

Right wing Brett MacLean led the Rampage in scoring with 37 points in 33 games before getting recalled to Phoenix last week. MacLean had a team-high 16 goals. Center Andrew Ebbett is the active leader in the clubhouse with 36 points in 36 games. He leads the team with 25 assists, including 12 on the power play. Right wing Mathieu Beaudoin is third on the team in points and tied for second in goals (14) in 29 games played. He recently returned after missing 17 games with an injury. He has five points in his first two games back. Left wing Mikkel Boedker is in Phoenix after posting 21 assists and 31 points in 35 games played. Defenseman Garrett Stafford is fifth on the team and he leads all Rampage defenders with 30 points in 36 games played. The former Star is third among all AHL defenseman in scoring.

San Antonio's Brett MacLean returned after leading the team with 30 goals and 65 points in 76 games last season. Also, veteran winger Ryan Hollweg is back for another season with San Antonio. Hollweg posted ten points and 93 penalty minutes in 53 games with the Rampage last year. Mikkel Boedker returned after scoring 38 points in 64 games with San Antonio last season. Boedker also played 14 games in the NHL with Phoenix. Acquired in a late season trade, Alexandre Picard racked up 15 points in 16 games with San Antonio in the last month of the season. Picard finished the year with 26 goals in 58 AHL contests.

In net, the Rampage pair Al Montoya and Matt Climie. Climie went 21-17-3 with a 2.46 goals against average and a .919 save percentage in 43 games with Texas in 2009-10. Climie is 16-10-0 with a 2.48 goals against average and a .919 save percentage. He has three shutouts and is a perfect 4-0 in shootouts this year. Montoya is 9-8-0 with a 3.07 goals against average and a .895 save percentage.

Special Teams

After finishing second overall last season on the penalty kill, the Stars rank 29th overall at 77.6%. Texas sits 21st in the AHL, converting 15.7% of its power plays. San Antonio is first overall on the power play, converting 22.7% of the time. San Antonio is 25th in the AHL on the penalty kill, stopping 79.4% of its opponents' power plays.

Offense and Defense

The Texas Stars are seventh overall in team defense, allowing 2.64 goals against per game. Texas is ranked 16th out of 30 teams, scoring an average of 2.80 goals per game. San Antonio's defense ranks 16th overall with a 2.89 goals against per game. The Rampage sits ninth offensively, averaging 3.20 goals per game.

Check out the Texas Stars Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from January 24, 2011


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