AHL Texas Stars

Gameday Preview - Texas at Abbotsford

Published on December 30, 2011 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


Texas Stars (14-15-0-1, 29 points) at Abbotsford Heat (21-9-2-0, 44 points)

Texas and Abbotsford meet for the fourth of eight total meetings this season. The two teams will play a pair of games in Abbotsford, starting on Thursday and ending on Friday night at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre. Abbotsford leads the season series with a 3-0-0-0 mark after winning 5-3 on Thursday night at home. Texas hosted Abbotsford for a pair of games in mid-November, with the Heat sweeping the weekend series. Texas is 0-2-0-1 against Abbotsford this season. Friday is the 12th all-time meeting in AHL history between the two teams; Texas is 4-5-0-2 in the previous 11 meetings. The two teams were placed in the West Division this season and will meet as many times this season as they did in the last two years combined. The 2009-10 series was dictated by the home team winning every game. In 2010-11, the road team won every game. The Heat has taken the last five meetings between the clubs, dating back to last season. Abbotsford is two points back of first place Oklahoma City and one point ahead of Houston in the West Division. Overall, the Heat has the second highest point total in the AHL. Texas is one point back of fourth-place San Antonio in the West Division.

The Stars have six wins in their last ten games, going 6-4-0-0 over that span. Texas is coming off a 5-3 loss at Abbotsford on Thursday night. The Stars have taken four of the last seven games (4-3-0-0). The Stars are 8-8-0-0 on the road this season, having been outscored by their opponents 50-45 on the scoreboard. Texas has taken three of the last six road games. The Stars are 7-11-0-1 against the West Division this season. The team is in the middle of a stretch where nine of ten games will be against division rivals. The Stars' next two games will be against division rivals. Texas' scoring has been spread out evenly this season, with 29 first-period tallies and 33 second-period markers. The Stars have been outscored in second period of play 35-33 and 92-89 overall. Texas is 12th in the league with a 2.97 goals per game average. The team has 45 goals over its last 18 games. The Stars are 10-0-0-1 when leading after two periods of play, but they are 1-14-0-0 when trailing after two periods of play. Texas picked up its first win of the season when trailing after two periods of play with a 3-2 OT win at home on Tuesday over San Antonio. The team is 7-6-0-1 in games decided by one goal this season. Texas leads the AHL with five overtime wins this season, going 5-0-0-1 when tied after regulation. The Stars are tied for the AHL lead with five shorthanded goals this season.

Abbotsford has dropped two out of the last four games after rattling off a season-long six-game winning streak from Dec. 2 to Dec. 16, The Heat are coming off a 5-3 win at home over Texas on Thursday. Abbotsford is 8-1-1-0 in the last ten games played and 6-5-2-0 at home this season. The team leads the AHL with 15 road wins this season. The Heat has been outscored 35-31 in 13 home games this season, while outscoring its opponents 55-43 on the road. Abbotsford is tied for the league lead with five shootout wins this season (5-0). The Heat is 13-3-1-0 when scoring the game's first goal of the night. The club has produced the most goals this season in the second period, besting the opposition 33-23 in the middle frame. The team has 24 first-period goals and 22 third-period tallies. Abbotsford sits second best in the AHL with a 2.44 goals against average and they place 23rd in the league with a 2.69 goals per game average. The Heat is 8-1-0-0 when leading after one period and 12-2-0-0 when leading after two. They are 12-5-0-0 when outshooting the opposition and 10-2-2-0 when tied after one period of play. The team is tied for third in the AHL with 11 one-goal victories this season (11-2-2-0).

In the previous three games between the teams, Abbotsford outscored Texas 11-6, including a 3-2 shootout win in the first meeting of the season. Goalie Leland Irving was the biggest difference in the first two games, stopping 69 of 72 (95.8%). Goalie Danny Taylor has stopped 42 of 45. Texas is 1-for-17 on the power play against Abbotsford and 9-for-11 on the penalty kill.

Dallas Assigns Goalie Andrew Raycroft

The Dallas Stars announced on Thursday that the club has assigned goaltender Andrew Raycroft to the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL). The Stars were required to place Raycroft on NHL waivers prior to the move. He cleared waivers on Thursday morning.

Raycroft, 31, has appeared in 10 games for Dallas this season, going 2-8-0 with a 3.51 goals-against-average (GAA) and a .898 save percentage. He has played in 280 career NHL games, earning a 113-114-27 record with a 2.89 GAA and .900 save percentage. Raycroft was signed to a two-year contract by Dallas on July 1, 2010. Raycroft played in 122 AHL games from 2000-06 with the Providence Bruins. During his time in the AHL, the veteran goalie posted a 57-48-13 record with a 2.71 goals against average and a .911 save percentage. He is expected to join the team in Cedar Park after the current road trip.

Stars Add Ian Lowe From Idaho

The Texas Stars announced on Tuesday the team has signed center Ian Lowe to a PTO (professional tryout agreement).

Lowe played the first 30 games of his pro career with the Idaho Steelheads, Texas' ECHL affiliate. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound center was third on the team with 12 assists and 19 points. The 24-year-old rookie played the last four years at Bemidji State University. In 142 WCHA games, Lowe netted 37 goals and set up 42 for 79 collegiate points.

What's Ahead:

DATE OPPONENT TIME RADIO

Friday, December 30 at Abbotsford 9:00 PM (CT) 92.5 FM

Friday, January 6 at San Antonio 7:00 PM 104.9 FM

Saturday, January 7 vs. Rockford 7:00 PM 104.9 FM

Sunday, January 8 vs. Rockford 5:00 PM 104.9 FM

Wednesday, January 11 vs. Abbotsford 7:30 PM 92.5 FM

* All times listed are central time

LAST THREE GAMES

Texas 3 at Abbotsford 5 12/29/11

The Texas Stars were defeated by the Abbotsford Heat 5-3 in front of 3,604 fans at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre on Thursday night. Heat goalie Danny Taylor made 42 saves and forward Krys Kolanos added three points in the team's third straight win over the Stars this season. Taylor stopped 16 Texas shots in the second period and all 13 in the third period to improve to 11-5-0 on the year. Kolanos scored once and added two assists, as Abbotsford extended its streak to five straight games with a point on home ice. Heat forward Jon Rheault set up three goals, as his team moved to 7-4-0-0 against Texas all-time. Forwards Stephen Schultz, Scott Glennie and Colton Sceviour each scored, as Texas fell to 8-8-0-0 on the road this year. Texas goalie Tyler Beskorowany (6-9-0) stopped 24 shots in the defeat.

San Antonio 2 at Texas 3 OT 12/27/11

The Texas Stars defeated the San Antonio Rampage 3-2 in overtime in front of a sellout crowd of 6,863 fans at the Cedar Park Center on Tuesday night. Texas right wing Colton Sceviour scored the game-winning goal 2:40 into overtime to lift the Stars past San Antonio. Left wing Matt Fraser netted the first two goals, as the Stars rallied from a one-goal deficit heading into the third period. Texas goalie Tyler Beskorowany stopped 24 shots as the Stars improved to 6-7-0-1 at home. Rampage left wing Eric Selleck and center James Wright each scored for San Antonio as they fell to 6-6-2-0 on the road. San Antonio goalie Dov Grumet-Morris stopped 31 shots as Texas outshot San Antonio 34 to 26.

Texas 3 at Houston 2 12/21/11

The Texas Stars defeated the Houston Aeros 3-2 in front of 5,741 fans at the Toyota Center on Wednesday night. Stars forward Ryan Garbutt scored twice over a 1:08 span of the second period, erasing a one-goal deficit and pushing Texas to victory. Stars goalie Tyler Beskorowany turned aside 27 Houston shots, including nine in the third period, giving the club its third win at Toyota Center this season. Defenseman Hubert Labrie also added a goal for Texas, as the team improved to 8-7-0-0 on the road this year. Houston goalie Matt Hackett suffered the loss with 22 saves.

Texas Stars

Center Travis Morin and winger Matt Fraser lead Texas in scoring. Morin is the clubhouse leader with 24 assists and 28 points in his first 30 games played. He ranks in the top ten of the AHL for assists and he is among the AHL leaders with 11 power-play helpers. Morin recently ran a string of five straight road games with an assist. He has nine assists in his last 10 games played. Rookie forward Matt Fraser is second in scoring with 25 points in 30 games. He leads the team with 16 goals scored and 113 shots on net. Fraser is tied for second in the AHL with eight power-play goals and he is tied for fourth overall in the AHL in rookie scoring. He ranks second among all first-year skaters with 16 goals and he is first in shots on goal. Fraser has a ten-game scoring streak, potting seven goals and 12 points over that span. The run is the longest scoring streak in team history

Forwards Francis Wathier and Ryan Garbutt round out the top scoring forwards for Texas. For the season, Wathier has six goals and 12 assists for 18 points in 30 games played. Wathier leads the team with a +8. Center Ryan Garbutt has 19 points (6g-13a) in 30 games. Garbutt is second for Texas with 50 penalty minutes, preceded by Luke Gazdic, who has 52 minutes in 30 games played. Garbutt leads Texas and is fourth in the AHL with 20 minor penalties. The second-year forward has four goals and six points in his last six games. Right wing Raymond Sawada is fifth overall in team scoring with six goals and ten assists for 16 points in 25 games played. Forwards Mike Hedden and Colton Sceviour each have six points in his last ten games played.

Veteran defenseman Dan Spang leads all Texas defenseman with 15 points off two goals and 13 assists in 30 games. Spang recorded his 100th career AHL assist on Tuesday night's game-winning goal in overtime against San Antonio. He has six points in his last ten games. Jordie Benn leads all Texas defensemen with seven goals and is second with 14 points in 30 games played. He ranks tied for second in goals scored among all AHL defensemen. Benn has not recorded a point in his last nine games, his longest drought of the year. Rookie Brenden Dillon (2-11-13) is second in points and he is first among D-men with 34 penalty minutes. Defender Maxime Fortunus has ten points in 26 games, while Captain Brad Lukowich has eight points in 26 games played.

Goalies Tyler Beskorowany and Jimmy Spratt split time in net for Texas, while goalie Richard Bachman remains on recall to Dallas. Beskorowany is 6-9-0 with a 2.89 goals against average and a .897 save percentage. Since Bachman's recall, Beskorwany has started ten of the last 11 games, going 5-5-0 with a 2.72 goals against average and a .898 save percentage. Spratt made his AHL debut on December 17, netting his first AHL win with 14 saves in a 6-2 win over Rochester.

Special Teams

The Stars have converted 28 of 144 power plays for a 19.4%% conversion rate. The Stars have failed to register a power-play goal in 14 of their first 30 games. The team has experienced a bit of a slump on the extra-man advantage, going one for the last 38 power plays since December 3. The Stars are tied for seventh in the league with 28 power-play goals this season. Texas ranks 13th overall in power play percentage. The Stars have killed off 100 of 119 opponents' power plays (84%), ranking seventh overall on the penalty kill. The Stars have killed off 60 of the last 66 penalties (90.9%). The Heat is tied for second in the AHL on the penalty kill, stopping 86.7% of their opponents' power plays. Overall, Abbotsford ranks fourth in the AHL on the power play after going 29-for-137 (21.2%).

The Abbotsford Heat

Forward Krys Kolanos leads the Heat offense with a team-high 16 goals and 33 points in 23 games played this season. He also leads the team with seven power-play goals, 13 power-play points and 111 shots on goal. The former first-round pick of Phoenix (19th overall in 2000) has eight goals and 15 points in his last ten games played. The 30-year old winger has at least one point in ten of his last 11 contests. His 33 points place him tied for seventh in the league scoring race. Veteran center Ben Walter is third on the Heat with a team-high 17 assists and 23 points in 32 games played. Walter leads the team with ten power-play assists this year.

Right wing Jon Rheault is second on the team with ten goals and second overall in scoring with 24 points in 29 games played. He is second on the team with 76 shots on goal. Rookie Dustin Sylvester is fourth among forwards with 17 points in 30 games played. In his first pro season, Sylvester has seven goals and ten assists. Clay Wilson leads all Abbotsford defensemen with 20 points in 32 games played.

In net, the Heat sport goalies Danny Taylor and Joni Ortio. Longtime netminder Leland Irving is on recall to Calgary after a great start. Danny Taylor signed with the Heat on Dec. 2, joining the team after ten games in Springfield. Taylor is 6-2-0 with a 2.22 goals against average and a .935 save percentage with Abbotsford. Overall, he is 11-5-0 with a 2.40 GAA and a .925 save percentage. Joni Ortio backs up Taylor in the Abbotsford crease. The Finnish native was drafted by Calgary in the sixth round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft (#171 overall). Ortio is 0-2-0 with a 3.19 goals against average and a.857 save percentage. Taylor has started the last eight games and Ortio has not played since a 7-3 loss at Milwaukee in late November.

Check out the Texas Stars Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from December 30, 2011


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