AHL Texas Stars

Gameday Preview - San Antonio at Texas

Published on March 9, 2012 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


San Antonio Rampage (32-23-2-1, 67 points) at Texas Stars (26-28-2-2, 56 points)

The Texas Stars and the San Antonio Rampage meet for the tenth time this season. The Rampage leads the season series with a 5-2-1-1 mark versus the Stars this season. Texas swept the last two games, improving to 4-4-0-1 against their in-state rival in 2011-12. The last time the two teams met was on Saturday, February 18th, a 4-2 Texas win at Cedar Park Center. The Stars are 3-1-0-0 at home against the Rampage this season. The Rampage is 4-1-0-0 at home against Texas and 1-1-1-1 at Cedar Park Center this season. This marks the 32nd all-time meeting between the two teams that will play a total of 12 games this season, including one more game at Cedar Park Center. Texas posted a 6-2-0-2 mark over San Antonio in 2010-11 and they own the all-time series with an 18-10-0-3 record. The Stars are 12-2-0-1 in 14 games at Cedar Park Center against the Rampage. Texas is 6-8-0-2 all-time at AT&T Center, putting up five shutouts in 16 visits. San Antonio currently sits in sixth place of the Western Conference, while Texas is ten points out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Texas has five wins in its last ten games, going 5-5-0-0 over that span. The team is coming off a 5 -4 overtime win at home on Wednesday over Grand Rapids . The team continues a season-long seven-game home stand on Friday. The team will host Grand Rapids (2), San Antonio (2), Oklahoma City (2) and Abbotsford prior to heading back out on the road March 23. Dating back to December 9th, the team is 12-3-2-0 (.765) over the last 17 games at home. Texas is 15-9-2-1 at home this season, outscoring opponents 96-84 at Cedar Park Center. Texas is in the middle of a crucial stretch of division games, where the team will play eight out of nine games against division foes. The Stars are 13-18-0-2 against the West Division. Texas' scoring has been spread out evenly this season, with 46 first-period tallies and 68 second-period markers. Since Dec. 3 (last 38 games), Texas has outscored the opposition 50-35 in the second period after getting outscored in the middle frame 26-18 in the first 20 games. The Stars lead the opposition in second-period scoring with a 68-64 edge. In all, the club has been outscored by the opposing team 186-173 for the season. Texas is eighth in the league with a 2.98 goals per game average and it ranks 28th defensively with a 3.21 goals against average. The Stars are 17-0-1-1 when leading after two periods of play, but they are 3-24-0-0 when trailing after two periods of play. The team is 13-11-2-2 in games decided by one goal this season. Texas is tied for first in the AHL with six overtime wins this season, going 6 (OTW)-2 (OTL)-2 (SOW)-2 (SOL) when tied after regulation. The Stars are tied for second in the AHL with ten shorthanded goals this season.

San Antonio comes into its tenth meeting of the season against Texas after a 2-1 win at the AT&T Center on Saturday. It marked the team's first home game in a month after a season-long 11-game road trip that started on Feb. 7 and ended on Feb. 29. San Antonio concluded its annual "rodeo trip" with a 7-3-0-1 record, the most successful of these treks in their 10-year history. With the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo taking over the AT&T Center every winter, the team hits the road for an extended trip - this year playing 11 games and covering 7,310 miles over 23 days. When the Rampage took the ice to begin the trip in Hamilton on Feb. 7, they sat ninth in the Western Conference; they returned home tied for fourth with their sights set on a berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2008. The Rampage have posted 22-9-2-1 (.691) record since Dec. 10. San Antonio is 6-3-0-1 in the last ten games and 17-11-2-1 on the road this season. The Rampage has been outscored by the opposition in scoring on the road this year, with an 81-80 differential. San Antonio is eighth in the league with a 2.67 goals against average. The Rampage is 26th in the AHL, averaging 2.52 goals per game. The club is 22-3-2-1 when scoring first this season. The Rampage is 16-13-2-1 against the West Division this season. San Antonio has been outscored in every period this season, including a 47-45 differential in the third period of play. The Rampage has scored 46 second-period goals and 47 first-period goals. San Antonio is 17-2-0-1 when leading after the first and 20-0-2-0 when leading after the second. The Rampage is 4-19-0-0 when trailing after two periods of play. In one-goal games, the team is 21-5-2-1, the highest total of one-goal wins in the AHL.

Texas Stars

Center Travis Morin and winger Matt Fraser lead Texas in scoring. Morin is the clubhouse leader with a team-record 40 assists and 49 points in his first 58 games played. He ranks in the top ten of the AHL for assists and needs four more to become the first Texas Star to reach 100 assists with the club. Rookie forward Matt Fraser is second in scoring with 43 points in 55 games. He leads the team with 26 goals scored and 193 shots on net. Fraser sits in the top ten of the AHL for goals scored. Fraser is sixth overall among all rookies in points and first in shots. He needs one goal to tie the Stars single-season record of 27 goals in one season - set twice (Aaron Gagnon - 09-10 and Greg Rallo 10-11).

Colton Sceviour, Francis Wathier and Scott Glennie round out the top scorers for Texas. Colton Sceviour is second on the team with a career-high 27 assists and he is third with a career-high 42 points. Sceviour has a point in 14 straight home games, dating back to Dec. 27. Over that span, he has eight goals and 21 points. His streak is tied for the longest in the AHL this season. Scott Glennie is tied for fourth overall on the team with 32 points off 12 goals and 20 assists in 54 games played. Wathier has 14 goals and 18 assists for 32 points in 57 games played.

Jordie Benn leads all defenders and he ranks in the top ten of the AHL among defensemen with nine goals. He also is first among Texas blueliners with 28 points in 55 games played. Veteran Brad Lukowich is second among team defenders with 23 points off 19 assists and four goals in 51 games played.

Goalies Andrew Raycroft and Tyler Beskorowany split time in net for Texas. Raycroft is 8-9-1 with a 3.07 goals against average and a .895 save percentage in 18 starts for the Stars. Beskorowany is 10-14-0 with a 3.18 goals against average and a .894 save percentage. Beskorwany has stopped 241 of the last 264 shots (.913) in his last seven starts.

Special Teams

The Stars have converted 57 of 267 power plays for a 21.3% conversion rate, as Texas is fourth overall in power play percentage. The Stars have killed off 182 of 222 opponents' power plays (82.0%), ranking 17th overall on the penalty kill. Texas is tied for the fewest penalty kills in the AHL. The Rampage is 24th in the AHL on the penalty kill, stopping 80% of their opponents' power plays. Overall, San Antonio ranks 25th in the AHL on the power play after going 31-for-208 (14.9%).

The San Antonio Rampage

Center Jonathan Matsumoto leads the Rampage with 18 goals, 32 assists and 50 points in 58 games played this year. Mastumoto played 41 games in Charlotte prior to the trade, posting 34 points (13g, 21a). Center Bracken Kearns is second for San Antonio in scoring with 15 goals and 40 points in 51 games played. Right wing Bill Thomas is tied for the team lead with 18 goals and third in scoring with 36 points in 47 games played. Center Mark Cullen is fourth in team scoring with 34 points off 26 assists in 40 games played. Former Star Greg Rallo has 16 goals and 30 points in 54 games played this season. All-Star defenseman Colby Robak ranks as the top-scoring defenseman. He's set up 20 goals and totaled 27 points in 55 games played.

San Antonio goalies Jacob Markstrom and Dov Grumet-Morris should the load in net. Grumet-Morris is 18-9-1 with a 2.17 goals against average and a .927 save percentage. Jacob Markstrom is 9-8-0 with a 246 goals against average and a .919 save percentage.

Buffalo Sabres Assign Defenseman Schiestel, Stars Shuffle Roster

The Texas Stars announced on Tuesday that the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League have reassigned defenseman Drew Schiestel from the Rochester Americans to the Texas Stars. Texas also announced that forward Nick Layton has been assigned to the Allen Americans of the Central Hockey League, Texas' CHL affiliate. The Stars released defenseman Cameron Brodie from a PTO. On Wednesday, forward Jake Hauswirth was assigned to Idaho of the ECHL.

Schiestel, a third-year defenseman played in 43 games for Rochester this season. The 22-year old scored twice and set up ten others for 12 points with the Americans. From 2009-11, the 6-foot-1, 197-pounder played for Portland. In 97 AHL games with the Pirates, The Hamilton, ON native scored six goals and added 29 assists for 35 points. The Buffalo Sabres drafted Schiestel in the second round (#59 overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry draft. He played junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League with Mississauga from 2005-07 and with Niagara from 2007-09. In 237 OHL games, the blueliner scored 25 goals and added 86 assists for 111 points.

Layton made his AHL debut and suited up in four games for Texas without registering a point. The rookie has played in 50 games for the Allen Americans of the CHL this season. During his time with the Americans, Layton scored 13 goals and added 23 assists for 36 points.

Brodie made his AHL debut and suited up in three games for Texas without collecting a point. The second-year pro will return to Stockton, where he spent the first 43 games of the year in the ECHL. In his time with the Thunder, Brodie totaled five points (all assists) and 54 penalty minutes.

Sawada Sent to St. John's, Forney and Weller Added to Texas

The Texas Stars announced numerous roster moves on Friday afternoon. The Dallas Stars have reassigned right wing Raymond Sawada from the Texas Stars to the St. John's IceCaps, the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Winnipeg Jets. In return, Winnipeg reassigned forward Michael Forney from the Colorado Eagles (ECHL) to the Texas Stars, Dallas' AHL affiliate. In a separate AHL deal, St. John's traded forward Shawn Weller to the Texas Stars for future considerations.

Forney is a third-year pro who spent the bulk of this season with the Colorado Eagles of the ECHL. In 53 games with Colorado, he scored 20 goals and totaled 51 points. He ranked fourth in goals and in assists for Colorado. The 23-year old was scoreless in three games with St. John's this year. Forney played for Texas Head Coach Jeff Pyle in Gwinnett from 2009-11, compiling 32 goals and 60 assists for 92 points in 129 games. The Thief River Falls, MN native was drafted in the third round (#80 overall) by Atlanta in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Weller is fifth-year pro out of Glens Falls, NY. The 6-foot-2, 205 pounder has played in 41 games for St. John's this season, scoring ten goals and setting up 14 others for a total of 24 points. In 273 AHL games, the 25-year old has 42 goals and 42 assists for 84 points with St. John's, Abbotsford, Manitoba and Binghamton. Weller was drafted in the third round (#77 overall) by Ottawa in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

Over the last three seasons, Sawada played in 143 games for the Texas Stars. During his time in Cedar Park, the 27-year old scored 25 goals and added 39 assists for 64 points. He also played in 30 Calder Cup Playoff games for the Stars.

LAST THREE GAMES

Grand Rapids 4 at Texas 5 OT 3/7/12

The Texas Stars defeated the Grand Rapids Griffins 5-4 in overtime in front of 4,716 fans at the Cedar Park Center on Wednesday. Stars' forward Michael Forney scored the game-winning-goal at 2:03 of overtime. Left wing Mike Hedden, Francis Wathier, Luke Gazdic and center Travis Morin scored for the Stars. Three Texas defensemen had multi-point nights. Jordie Benn, Dan Spang and Brenden Dillon each registered two assists in the win. Texas goalie Tyler Beskorowany stopped 31 of 35 shots as the Stars in the win.

Texas 4 at Abbotsford 1 3/4/12

The Texas Stars defeated th e Abbotsford Heat 4-1 in front of 2,403 fans at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre on Sunday. Texas goalie Tyler Beskorwany paved the way to victory by stopping 30 of 31 Abbotsford shots, as the club ended an eight-game drought on the road. Left wing Luke Gazdic scored two third-period goals to help Texas pull away and improve to 11-19-0-1 on the road. Right wing Colton Sceviour had a power-play goal and an assist, as Texas picked up its first win in Abbotsford this season. Forward Francis Wathier also found the back of the net in the win. Abbotsford goalie Leland Irving suffered the loss with 32 saves.

Texas 1 at Abbotsford 2 3/2/12

The Texas Stars were defeated by th e Abbotsford Heat 2-1 in front of 3,609 fans at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre on Friday night. Heat forwards Krys Kolanos and Ben Walter each scored a power-play goal 2:27 apart in the first five minutes of the game and Abbotsford goalie Danny Taylor took care of the rest, stopping 22 of 23 Texas shots for the win.

What's Ahead:

DATE OPPONENT TIME RADIO

Friday, March 9 vs. San Antonio 7:30 PM 104.9 FM

Saturday, March 10 vs. San Antonio 7:00 PM 104.9 FM

Tuesday, March 12 vs. Grand Rapids 7:30 PM 104.9 FM

Friday, March 16 vs. Oklahoma City 7:30 PM 92.5 FM

Saturday, March 17 vs. Oklahoma City 7:30 PM 92.5 FM

* All times listed are central time

Check out the Texas Stars Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from March 9, 2012


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