AHL Texas Stars

Gameday Preview - Texas at Grand Rapids

Published on December 10, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


Texas and Grand Rapids meet for the first time this season and the seventh time in AHL history. The two teams will play a total of six games this season, including three at Cedar Park Center. Texas and Grand Rapids will play again on Sunday at the Van Andel Arena. The Griffins lead the all-time series with a 4-1-0-1 record against the Stars, including a 2-1-0-0 mark on home ice.

The Stars are 4-4-0-0 on the road this season and 5-3-1-1 in the last ten games. The Stars have collected points in five of their last six games (3-1-1-1) and 10 of their last 13. The Stars have played the fewest road games in the AHL, but Texas will play three road games in the next three nights with two stops in Grand Rapids and one in Milwaukee this weekend. Texas is coming off an 8-5 loss at Rockford Wednesday night. The Stars are the most disciplined team in the AHL, spending 11.88 minutes per game in the penalty box.

The Griffins are 3-6-1-4 at home this season and 3-5-1-1 in the last ten games played. Grand Rapids is 1-0-1-0 in its last two games. The Griffins are coming off a 3-2 win at home over Milwaukee on Wednesday night. Grand Rapids ranks third overall in the AHL, averaging 22.58 penalty minutes per game.

Texas forward Greg Rallo leads all returning players in points scored against Grand Rapids. Rallo had a goal and three assists for four points in six games against the Griffins. Stars Captain Brad Lukowich registered a goal and an assist in three games against Grand Rapids last season. Four Griffins on this year's roster had success against Texas last year. Forwards Francis Pare and Tomas Tatar, as well as defenseman Jakub Kindl, each tallied three assists and four points in six games against the Stars. Right wing Jan Mursak scored three times in six contests with the Stars. Griffins goalie Thomas McCollum played in one game against the Stars, giving up a goal in a 2-0 loss at Cedar Park Center, the first ever meeting between the two teams. Daniel Larsson, who is now in the Swedish Elite League, went 4-0-1 against Texas.

Dallas Recalls Fortunus, Assigns Philip Larsen, Texas adds Goalie LeMay

The Dallas Stars announced on Thursday that the club has assigned defenseman Philip Larsen to the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL). The club also recalled defenseman Maxime Fortunus from the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL). Dallas placed center Toby Petersen on injured reserve, retroactive to Dec. 2. The Texas Stars announced that goalie Adrien LeMay has been recalled from the Allen Americans, Texas' Central Hockey League (CHL) affiliate. Texas also released goalie David Brown.

Larsen, 21, has skated in three games for Dallas this season, collecting one assist. He has spent the majority of 2010-11 with Texas, playing in 18 games, recording nine assists and four penalty minutes. The Esbjerg, Denmark, native made his NHL debut last season with Dallas, dressing in three games and posting one assist. Larsen skated in 116 games from 2006-2010 for Vastra Frolunda of the Swedish Elite League, tallying 27 points (3g, 24a). The 6-1, 183-pound defenseman was drafted by Dallas in the fifth round (149th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Fortunus, 27, has played in 25 games for Texas so far this season, posting seven points (2g, 5a) and eight penalty minutes. He made his NHL debut last season with Dallas, appearing in eight games and accruing four penalty minutes. The La Prairie, QC native, helped Texas reach the Calder Cup Finals in the 2009-10 season, tallying 23 points (11g, 12a) in 72 regular season games during the club's inaugural season.

Adrien LeMay has played 11 games with Allen this year, going 8-2-0 with a 2.99 goals against average and a .905 save percentage.

Dallas Recalls Goalie Richard Bachman, Fistric Assigned for Conditioning

Cedar Park, TX - The Dallas Stars announced on Wednesday that the club has recalled goaltender Richard Bachman on emergency conditions from the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL). The move was made as a precaution due to Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen experiencing lower-body stiffness on Wednesday's morning skate. The club also activated defenseman Mark Fistric from injured reserve after he missed seven games with a lower-body injury. He was placed on injured reserve on November 22. He has been assigned to Texas for conditioning.

In a separate move, the Texas Stars announced that they have added David Brown as an emergency back-up goaltender.

Bachman, 23, has played in 16 games for Texas so far this season, posting a 9-4-1 record with two shutouts. He holds a 2.01 goals against average (GAA), a .931 save percentage (SV%) and has tallied one assist. The Salt Lake City, UT native was named the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Nov. 21, 2010 after posting a 3-0-0 record in three starts and giving up only three goals for a .970 GAA and a .967 SV% with Texas. The 5-10, 170-pound goaltender spent the majority of 2009-10 with the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL, going 22-7-4 with a 2.28 GAA and a .910 SV%. Bachman also played in eight games for Texas last season, posting a 4-4-0 record with a 2.15 GAA and a .932 SV%. He played two years at Colorado College after getting drafted by Dallas in the fourth round (120th overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Fistric, 24, has missed seven games since suffering a lower-body injury November 22. He has skated in 16 games so far this season, accruing one assist and 20 penalty minutes. Last season he played in 67 games for Dallas, collecting one goal, nine assists and ten points, all career highs. The Edmonton, AB, native posted a plus/minus rating of +27 last season, which ranked him 10th overall in the NHL and was the only player from a non-playoff team to be ranked in the top 35. The 6-3, 234-pound defenseman has skated in 156 career NHL games, all with Dallas, tallying 17 points (1g, 16a), 155 penalty minutes and a +28 plus/minus rating. Fistric was drafted by Dallas in the first round (28th overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

What's Ahead:

DATE OPPONENT TIME TV/RADIO

Saturday, Dec. 11 at Milwaukee 7:30 PM 104.9 FM

Sunday, Dec. 12 at Grand Rapids 3:00 PM 104.9 FM

Tuesday, Dec. 14 vs. Manitoba 7:30 PM 104.9 FM

* All times listed are local time

GAME RECAPS:

Texas 5 at Rockford 8 12/8/10

The Texas Stars were defeated by the Rockford IceHogs 8-5 on Wednesday night in front of 2,420 fans at the Rockford MetroCentre. Rockford defenseman Shawn Lalonde, as well as forwards Ryan Potulny and Jeff Taffe, each had a goal and two assists as the IceHogs used a five-goal second period to beat the Stars. Texas defenseman Dan Spang scored twice in the defeat as the Stars lost their first game in six visits to the Rockford MetroCentre. Left Wing Luke Gazdic and right wing Tomas Vincour also scored in the loss. Texas goalie Tyler Beskorowany (0-2-0) stopped 30 shots in the defeat, while Rockford goalie Hannu Toivonen (4-5-2) made 25 saves in the win.

Manitoba 2 at Texas 5 12/7/10

The Texas Stars defeated the Manitoba Moose 5-2 on Tuesday night in front of 3,217 fans at Cedar Park Center. Rookie forwards Sean Backman and Cody Chupp had multi-point nights with a goal and an assist, leading the Stars to a three-goal win over the Moose. Forwards Raymond Sawada, Francis Wathier and Greg Rallo also tallied goals in the victory as Texas improved to 10-5-1-1 at home. Texas goalie Richard Bachman (9-4-1) stopped 26 of 28 shots for the win. Manitoba goalie Tyler Weiman (5-4-1) stopped 18 of 22 shots in the loss.

Houston 4 at Texas 3 (OT) 12/4/10

The Texas Stars were defeated by the Houston Aeros 4-3 in overtime on Saturday night in front of 5,009 fans at Cedar Park Center. Houston's Cody Almond slid in a rebound 2:42 into overtime, breaking the tie and give the Aeros their fourth win in five games against Texas this season. Texas erased two separate deficits to force the overtime, including Cody Chupp's goal with 5:02 remaining in regulation to tie the game 3-3. Stars forwards Travis Morin and Colton Sceviour also scored in the Texas defeat. Stars defenseman Severin Blindenbacher set up two goals as Texas fell to 9-5-1-1 at home this season. Texas goalie Richard Bachman stopped 32 of 36 shots in the overtime loss. Houston goalie Anton Khudobin (9-5-1) stopped 21 of 24 shots in the win.

The Texas Stars

After 25 games of action, center Travis Morin leads Texas in scoring with nine goals and 21 points. Right wing Greg Rallo is second on the team in scoring with 14 points in 25 games played. Left wing Francis Wathier and defenseman Dan Spang are tied for third on the team with 13 points each. Wathier is tied for the team lead with nine goals and with five power-play markers. Left wing Fabian Brunnstrom is fifth with 12 points, followed by Mathieu Tousignant and Colton Sceviour with 11 points each. Left wing Luke Gazdic leads the team with 41 penalty minutes.

Texas Stars goalies Tyler Beskorowany and Adrien LeMay fill the net for Texas. Brent Krahn is currently out with an injury and Richard Bachman is on recall to Dallas. Bachman appeared in 16 games, going 9-4-1 with a 2.01 goals against average and a .931 save percentage. Bachman ranked sixth overall in the AHL for goals against average and seventh in save percentage at the time of his recall. Prior to his recall, Bachman started seven straight games and played ten of previous 11 for Texas. Beskorowany is 0-2-0 with a 5.01 goals against average and a .900 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 Stars 25-man roster is composed of three goalies, eight defensemen and 14 forwards. Texas returns 15 players from the 2010 Western Conference Championship squad. The players range from ages 20 to 34 with an average age of 24.16. Eight players are 22-years old or younger. The roster is made up of six different nationalities. The roster also features 17 NHL draft picks, including ten Dallas Stars draft picks.

The Grand Rapids Griffins

Grand Rapids Head Coach Curt Fraser returns for his third year with the team and his 18th year as a head coach or assistant coach at the professional level. He played 14 years in the NHL for Vancouver, Chicago and Minnesota from 1978-1990.

Grand Rapids returns 11 players from the 2009-10 team that finished 34-39-3-4 and seventh in the North Division. Third-year Griffin Jan Mursak leads the team in scoring with ten goals in 26 games played. He is also in a three-way tie with Ilari Filppula and Tomas Tatar for the team lead with 20 points each. Filppula leads the team with ten power-play points in 23 games, while Tatar has a team-high 14 assists in 26 games played. Center Cory Emmerton is fourth on the team with 19 points in 23 games played and he leads the team with a +14. Emmerton is fourth overall in the AHL for Plus-Minus.

The Griffins made numerous additions this summer, including center Jamie Johnson and left wing Chris MInard. Johnson posted 71 points in 80 games with Rochester, while Minard scored 22 goals in only 40 games with Springfield (AHL) in 2009-10. Rookie defenseman Brendan Smith was drafted by Detroit in the first round (27th overall) in 2007. In his first 25 AHL games, Smith leads all Griffins defenders with nine assists and 15 points. The Griffins also carry defenseman Brandon Straub, who was an invite to the Texas Stars training camp in 2009. Straub also played in Las Vegas for Glen Gulutzan (Texas coach) in 2008-09.

The Griffins feature second-year goalie Todd McCullom and Joey MacDonald. McCullom has started in 15 games with a 5-8-2 record, a 2.98 goals against average and a .889 save percentage. He was drafted by the Red Wings in the first round (30th overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. MacDonald has appeared in seven games, going 4-2-1 with a 2.40 goals against average and a .904 save percentage.

"Special" Teams

After finishing second overall last season on the penalty kill, the Texas Stars penalty kill is 23rd overall at 80.4%. Texas ranks 19th best in the AHL, converting on 16.9% of its power plays. The Griffins are 16th overall on the power play, converting 17.5% of the time. Grand Rapids is 19th overall on the penalty kill, stopping 82.1% of their opponents' power plays.

Offense and Defense

The Texas Stars are 12th overall in team defense, allowing 2.72 goals against per game. Texas is ranked 12th out of 30 teams, scoring an average of 2.96 goals per game. Grand Rapids defense ranks 20th overall with a 3.08 goals against per game. The Griffins sit 14th offensively, averaging 2.88 goals per game.

Check out the Texas Stars Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from December 10, 2010


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