AHL Texas Stars

Gameday Preview - Stars Return Home to Host Houston Tonight

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


Texas and Houston meet for the 12th and final time this season and the 24th time in AHL history. The Aeros own the season series with a 9-2-0-0 mark against the Stars this season. Texas is 10-9-2-2 all-time against Houston after taking the season series in 2009-10 by going 8-3-0-1 against their in-state rivals. Both Texas wins in the series have come on home-ice, including their last meeting on March 5th, a 3-1 victory at Cedar Park Center. Texas is 2-2-1-0 against Houston at home this season and 6-4-1-0 all-time at CPC. Texas is 0-4-1-1 this year at the Toyota Center and 4-5-1-2 all-time. The Stars are coming off a 5-1 win at Manitoba on Sunday. The Aeros posted a 3-2 shootout win in San Antonio on Sunday.

Texas is 18-10-3-3 at Cedar Park Center this season and 4-4-0-2 in the last ten games. Seven of the last 12 games for Texas have gone into a shootout or overtime. Texas has collected points in six of the last ten games. The team recently concluded a five-game road trip Sunday in Manitoba. They made stops in Syracuse, Hamilton and Toronto before returning home, going 2-2-0-1 over the roadie. Sunday Texas wrapped up a stretch where 13 of 18 games were on the road, going 7-7-1-3. The Stars are 28-14-2-4 against the West Division this season and 8-9-2-1 against the North Division this season. Texas is the least penalized team in the league accruing 12.80 penalty minutes a game. The Stars are 20-3-4-6 in one-goal games this year and 21-0-1-1 when leading after two periods of play this season.

Houston is 20-14-0-3 away from home this year and 6-3-0-1 in the last ten games played. The West Division leading Aeros have outscored their opponents 102-95 on the road and 106-90 on home ice. Houston is 30-7-0-3 when scoring the first goal of the night and it has scored the first goal of the night 40 times this season, tied for the third most in the AHL. The Aeros have outscored their opponents 69-45 in the first period and they have a 24-5-0-3 mark when leading after one period of play this season. Houston is 31-17-1-1 in the West Division this season and 19-8-1-5 in one-goal games. Houston has the fourth most disciplined team in the AHL with 15.36 penalty minutes per game.

Through the first 11 games of the series, Houston Captain Jon DiSalvatore leads all scorers with eight markers and 15 points. Despite only playing in five games of the season series, Patrick O'Sullivan has three goals and seven assists for ten points against Texas. Former Texas Star Warren Peters has four goals and seven points in nine games against his old team. Peters is on recall to the Minnesota Wild of the NHL. Defenseman Maxim Noreau has a team-high eight assists and is tied for second in scoring with ten points. Texas center Travis Morin has collected three assists and five points in eight games. Right wing Colton Sceviour has five goals and 15 points in 22 games all-time games against Houston, including a team-high five assists and eight points in 10 games this season.

Texas goalie Richard Bachman is 1-6-1 with a 3.36 goals against average and an .886 save percentage against Houston this season. Tyler Beskorowany is 1-1-0 with a 2.00 goals against average and a .933 save percentage. Aeros goalie Anton Khudobin was 7-0-0 with a 2.19 goals against average and a .931 save percentage. Khudobin was sent to Boston at the trade deadline by Minnesota. Houston rookie Matt Hackett is 2-2-0 with a 2.19 goals against average and a .931 save percentage.

Texas Signs Rookie Defenseman Brenden Dillon to ATO

Cedar Park, TX - The Texas Stars announced on Tuesday that the club has signed defenseman Brenden Dillon to an Amateur Tryout Agreement (ATO).

Dillon, a 20-year-old, recently finished his fourth season with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The defenseman finished first on the team with 51 assists and was second on the club with 59 points in 72 games played this season. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder was also second on the team with 139 penalty minutes. For his WHL career, Dillon played in 280 games scoring 11 goals and adding 83 assists for 94 points, to go along with 362 penalty minutes.

Texas Recalls Defenseman Monast From Idaho

Cedar Park, TX - The Texas Stars announced on Monday that defenseman Guillaume Monast has been reassigned to the Texas Stars (AHL) from the Idaho Steelheads (ECHL).

Guillaume Monast has one assist in nine games for Texas over three separate recalls from Idaho. He registered his first AHL point with the Stars this season at Lake Erie on Feb. 16. In 48 games for Idaho this year, Monast has one goal and seven assists while adding 38 penalty minutes. The Quebec native spent his rookie season with Idaho, setting up six goals in 68 games played, helping the Steelheads reach the 2010 Kelly Cup Finals. Monast attended training camp in Dallas and in Texas each of the last two years.

Dallas Recalls Brandon Segal

The Dallas Stars announced last Thursday that the club has recalled right wing Brandon Segal from the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL), after he cleared re-entry waivers on Thursday morning.

Segal, 27, has skated in 37 games for Dallas this season, collecting ten points (5g, 5a) and 39 penalty minutes. He has played in 30 games for Texas in 2010-11, posting 17 points (7g, 10a) and 38 penalty minutes. The Richmond, BC, native accrued ten points (5g, 5a) in 19 games last season with Dallas after getting claimed off waivers from Los Angeles on Feb. 11, 2010. The 6-2, 209-pound right wing has appeared in 82 NHL games, tallying 21 points (10g, 11a) and 72 penalty minutes.

Texas Assigns Neal to Idaho, Signs Amateur Embach

The Texas Stars announced last Wednesday that the club has assigned forward Michael Neal to the Idaho Steelheads, Texas' ECHL affiliate. The team also announced it has signed Mike Embach to an ATO (amateur tryout agreement).

Neal is in his second pro season after spending the bulk of his rookie season with Idaho. Neal has played in 16 games for Texas this year, scoring three goals and totaling 12 penalty minutes. This season, the Whitby, ON native has played in 38 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.

Embach turns pro after a four-year career at Ferris State University from 2007-2011. The 22-year old forward scored eight goals and totaled 18 points in 39 games with the Bulldogs. As a junior, Embach set collegiate highs with nine goals and 11 assists for 20 points in 34 games played. Over his CCHA career, 5-foot-10, 190-pounder scored 27 times and set up 31 others for a total of 58 points in 132 games. The Orland Park, IL native played with current Texas Stars forward Cody Chupp at FSU from 2007-10. Stars right wing Greg Rallo attended Ferris State University from 2002-06.

What's Ahead:

DATE OPPONENT TIME TV/RADIO

Friday, March 25 vs. Grand Rapids 7:30 PM 1530 AM

Saturday, March 26 vs. Grand Rapids 7:00 PM 1530 AM

* All times listed are central time

LAST GAME RECAP:

Texas 5 at Manitoba 1 3/20/11

The Texas Stars defeated the Manitoba Moose 5-1 in front of 11,889 fans at the MTS Centre on Sunday. Right wing Greg Rallo led the way with a hat trick, netting a power-play goal, regular strength goal and a shorthanded goal in the lopsided win. Rallo's hat trick was the Stars first of the season. Texas goalie Richard Bachman stopped 31 of 32 in the win. Defenseman Maxime Fortunus and center Travis Morin each had two assists as Texas finished 2-2-0-1 on its recent five-game road swing. Right wing Sean Backman and center Mathieu Tousignant each had a goal as the Stars improved to 18-14-1-3 on the road this year. Moose goalie Eddie Lack (24-19-3) was pulled after Texas beat him four times on 22 shots in 31:46 of work.

The Texas Stars

After 70 games of action, right wing Greg Rallo leads the team lead in points with 47 (24g-23a) in 70 games played. Ralllo also leads the team with 24 goals and 220 shots on net. He is tied for the league lead with seven game-winning goals and he ranks in the top five for shots on goal. Center Travis Morin is second for Texas in scoring with 17 goals and 23 assists for 40 points in 54 games played. Morin returned to the lineup on March 7th after missing 14 games with an injury. Dan Spang is third overall on the team with 35 points. He is for the team lead in assists (25), as well as leading all defensemen in goals (10) and shots on goal (148). Colton Sceviour is tied for third on the team with 23 assists and he is fourth with 34 points in 68 games played. Left wing Francis Wathier is second on the team with 16 goals and 154 shots in 58 games played. Center Mathieu Tousignant leads the team with 103 penalty minutes.

Texas Stars goalies Richard Bachman and Tyler Beskorowany fill the net for the Stars. Bachman has appeared in 47 games, going 23-16-5 with a 2.26 goals against average and a .925 save percentage. Bachman ranks in the top ten in the AHL for goals against average and save percentage. Bachman has started 30 of the last 41 games. Overall, Beskorowany is 7-6-1 with a 2.51 goals against average and a .923 save percentage.Goalie Brent Krahn has appeared in 12 games, posting a 6-6-0 mark, a 3.20 goals against average and a .895 save percentage. Krahn is out with an injury.

Record Breaker

Rookie goalie Richard Bachman has set numerous team records this year. With 23 wins on the season, Bachman has passed Matt Climie's team record of 21 wins last season. The 23-year old Bachman has also tied Brent Krahn's mark of five shutouts in 2009-10. Bachman's 47 appearances have surpassed Climie's record of 43 appearances in one year. Bachman also passed Climie's mark of 2,539 minutes played, seeing a total of 2,713 minutes in the Stars crease this year. The second-year pro and AHL rookie goalie is the Stars all-time leader in most goalie categories. Bachman is 27-19-5 all-time in 54 appearances with Texas. He has played 3,100 minutes, posting a 2.23 goals against average and a .926 save percentage with six shutouts.

Milestones...

Texas center Travis Morin has four goals and six points in his last four games, scoring his 100th pro goal at Manitoba on Friday. Greg Rallo needs one assist to reach 100 for his pro career. Left wing Francis Wathier is two games shy of his 300th AHL game.

The Houston Aeros

The Aeros return 14 players from 2009-10 team that went 34-34-7-5 with 80 points and a seventh place finish in the West Division. Houston hired their eighth head coach in team history this summer, bringing in Mike Yeo to replace Kevin Constantine. Yeo played for the Aeros from 1994-99 and he spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Yeo helped the Pens win the Stanley Cup in 2009.

Right wing Jon DiSalvatore leads the team with 23 goals and 54 points. He is second on the team with 31 assists in 72 games. Defenseman Maxime Noreau leads Houston in assists with 38 and he is second with 48 points in 71 games played. Left wing Robbie Earl is second on the team with 19 goals and he is third with 46 points in 61 games played this season. Patrick O'Sullivan is fourth on the team in scoring despite playing in less than half the games. In 28 games, O'Sullivan has 17 goals and 38 points, including 17 points on the power-play. Center Cody Almond is tied for fifth on the team in scoring with 31 points (14g-17a) in 57 games played. Left wing Matt Kassian leads the team with 130 penalty minutes in 58 games played. Former Stars center Warren Peters is on recall to the NHL's Minnesota Wild. Peters had 24 points in 55 games with the Aeros this season. Peters was instrumental in the Stars run to the Calder Cup Finals in 2010.

The Aeros use rookie Matt Hackett and Josh Tordjman in net. Hackett was drafted by the Wild in the third round (#77 overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. In 38 games played this season, Hackett is 19-13-4 with a 2.19 goals against average and a .921 save percentage. Tordjman is 3-1-0 in five appearances for the Aeros this season. The former San Antonio goalie has a 2.18 goals against average and a .919 save percentage.

Special Teams

After finishing second overall last season on the penalty kill, the Stars rank 27th overall at 79.1%. Texas sits 20th in the AHL, converting on 16.9% of its power plays. The Aeros are 17th overall on the power play, converting 17.8% of the time. Houston is 13th overall on the penalty kill, stopping 83.4% of its opponents' power plays. So far in the season series, Houston is 12-for-46 (26.1%) and Texas is 9-for-44 (20.4%).

Offense and Defense

The Texas Stars are 10th overall in team defense, allowing 2.70 goals against per game. Texas is ranked 21st out of 30 teams, scoring an average of 2.73 goals per game. Houston's defense is fourth overall with a 2.57 goals against per game. The Aeros sit 12th offensively, averaging 2.89 goals per game.

Check out the Texas Stars Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from March 22, 2011


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