AHL Texas Stars

Gameday Preview - Texas at Grand Rapids

Published on December 12, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


Texas and Grand Rapids meet for the second time this season and the eighth 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 played on Friday, with the Stars winning 4-3 at the Van Andel Arena. The Griffins lead the all-time series with a 4-2-0-1 record against the Stars, including a 2-1-0-1 mark on home ice.

Texas is 6-4-0-0 on the road this year and 6-2-1-1 in the last ten games played. The Stars have collected points in seven of their last eight games (5-1-1-1) and 12 of their last 15. Texas has played the fewest road games in the AHL. The Stars are finishing a stretch of three games in three nights, with all the games coming on the road. Texas will return home on Tuesday to face Manitoba. Texas has played more home games than any other team in the AHL. The Stars are in the middle of a stretch of six games in eight days, including four games in five nights on the road. Texas is coming off a 3-2 overtime win on Saturday night in Milwaukee.

The Griffins are 3-7-1-4 at home this season and 3-5-1-1 in the last ten games played. Grand Rapids is winless in its last two games. The Griffins are coming off a 3-2 loss at Peoria on Saturday night.

Texas forward Greg Rallo leads all returning players in points scored against Grand Rapids last season. 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.

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.

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

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

Friday, Dec. 17 at San Antonio 7:00 PM 104.9 FM

Saturday, Dec. 18 vs. Hamilton 7:00 PM 104.9 FM

* All times listed are local time

GAME RECAPS:

Texas 3 at Milwaukee 2 OT 12/11/10

The Texas Stars defeated the Milwaukee Admirals 3-2 in overtime in front of 4,477 fans on Saturday night at the Bradley Center. Texas center Travis Morin slipped in a rebound 17 seconds into overtime, giving the Stars a dramatic win on the road. Texas goalie Tyler Beskorowany (2-2-0) made 33 saves for his second straight win. Stars forward Sean Backman extended his points streak to five games with a goal, as Texas improved to 6-4-0-0 on the road this season. Forward Colton Sceviour also scored in the win, as Texas picked up its second straight win and the team's third victory in the last four contests. Admirals goalie Chet Pickard (1-4-1) carried a shutout into the third period, but was unable to hold on for the win with 31 saves.

Texas 4 at Grand Rapids 3 12/10/10

The Texas Stars defeated the Grand Rapids Griffins 4-3 in front of 7,272 fans on Friday night at Van Andel Arena. Stars goalie Tyler Beskorowany made 44 saves, including 17 in the third period for his first AHL victory. The Stars built a 4-0 lead and hung on for the 4-3 win, their first victory in regulation in four trips to Grand Rapids. Forwards Greg Rallo, Mathieu Tousignant and Sean Backman netted goals as the Stars improved to 5-4-0-0 on the road this season. Center Travis Morin scored a goal and added an assist as Texas picked up its ninth win in the last 14 games. Griffins goalie Joey MacDonald (4-3-1) stopped 20 shots in the loss.

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 stopped 30 shots in the defeat.

The Texas Stars

After 27 games of action, center Travis Morin leads Texas in scoring with 11 goals and 25 points. Right wing Greg Rallo is second on the team in scoring with 16 points in 27 games played. Defenseman Dan Spang, as well as forwards Colton Sceviour and Francis Wathier, are tied for third on the team with 13 points each. Wathier is tied for the team lead with five power-play markers and he is second with nine goals. Forwards Fabian Brunnstrom and Mathieu Tousignant are tied for sixth overall with 12 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 the previous 11 for Texas. Beskorowany is 2-2-0 with a 3.75 goals against average and a .899 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. LeMay has yet to make his AHL debut.

The Stars 24-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.

Shooting Stars

Rookie right wing Sean Backman has a point in five straight games, scoring three goals and dishing out three assists for six points over the stretch. Center Travis Morin has a point in six of his last seven games, scoring four goals and totaling seven points. Rookie forward Cody Chupp had a four-game scoring streak snapped on Saturday night. Over the stretch, he scored twice and added three assists. Right wing Raymond Sawada has a point in five straight games and has collected a point in seven of his last eight games.

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. Forwards Ilari Filppula and Tomas Tatar lead the team lead with 22 points each. Filppula leads the team with five power-play goals in 25 games, while Tatar has a team-high 16 assists in 28 games played. Filppula is tied with third-year Griffin Jan Mursak, both have ten goals on the year. Mursak is third on the team with 20 points in 28 games played.

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 28 AHL games, Smith leads all Griffins defenders with ten assists and 17 points. The Griffins also carry defenseman / forward 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 16 games with a 5-9-2 record, a 2.99 goals against average and a .890 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 eight games, going 4-3-1 with a 2.61 goals against average and an .896 save percentage.

Special Teams

After finishing second overall last season on the penalty kill, the Texas Stars penalty kill is 25th overall at 79.4%. Texas ranks 21st best in the AHL, converting on 16.7% of its power plays. The Griffins are 10th overall on the power play, converting 18.8% of the time. Grand Rapids is 19th overall on the penalty kill, stopping 82.0% of their opponents' power plays.

Offense and Defense

The Texas Stars are eighth overall in team defense, allowing 2.70 goals against per game. Texas is ranked 13th out of 30 teams, scoring an average of 3.00 goals per game. Grand Rapids defense ranks 21st overall with a 3.11 goals against per game. The Griffins sit 17th offensively, averaging 2.86 goals per game.

Check out the Texas Stars Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Hockey League Stories from December 12, 2010


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central