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AHL Texas Stars

Gameday Preview - Texas at Manitoba

March 18, 2011 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


Texas and Manitoba meet for the third time this season and the seventh time in AHL history. The two teams will play a total of four games this season after splitting a pair at Cedar Park Center in December. The Moose will host a pair of back-to-back meetings this weekend. The Stars lead the all-time series with a 3-2-0-1 record against the Moose. Texas is 3-1-0-0 against Manitoba at Cedar Park Center and 0-1-0-1 at the MTS Centre. The Stars are coming off a 2-1 shootout win in Toronto on Sunday. The Moose dropped a 4-1 decision at home to Wilkes-Barre / Scranton at the MTS Centre on Wednesday night.

Texas is 17-13-1-3 away from Cedar Park Center this season and 3-3-1-3 in the last ten games. Texas is 12-8-1-4 in its last 25 meetings. Seven of the last ten games for Texas have gone into a shootout or overtime. Texas has collected points in seven of the last ten games. The team began a five-game road trip last Friday in Syracuse. They will also make stops in Hamilton, Toronto and Winnipeg before returning on March 22nd to face Houston. This weekend, Texas will wrap up a stretch where 13 of 18 games have been on the road. Through the first 16 games of the stretch, the team is 6-6-1-3. The Stars are 28-14-2-4 against the West Division this season and 7-8-2-1 against the North Division this season. Texas is the second least penalized team in the league accruing 12.97 penalty minutes a game. The Stars are 20-2-4-6 in one-goal games this year and 20-0-1-1 when leading after two periods of play this season.

Manitoba is 18-12-1-1 at home this year and 6-4-0-0 in the last ten games played. The Moose have played nine games in the last 13 days, going 5-4-0-0 over the stretch. Manitoba has dropped three straight games after rattling off three straight wins. The Moose are 1-5-0-0 in their last six games at home. Manitoba has outscored its opponents 90-73 at home this year. The Moose have bested their opponents 57-38 in the first period of play this season. The 38 first-period goals allowed this year is the lowest total in the AHL. Manitoba has been outscored 74-63 in the third period of play.

The Moose is 24-6-1-4 when scoring the first goal of the night for a total 35 times this season. The club is 18-9-1-2 in 30 games against teams from the West Division and 16-12-0-3 against the North Division. The club has a 19-5-1-1 mark when taking a lead into the first intermission and a 22-2-1-3 record when leading after the second period. When trailing after two periods of play, the Moose are 4-17-0-1. Manitoba is 15-9-1-5 in games decided by one goal this year. Manitoba is the third least penalized team in the AHL, drawing 14.23 minutes a game.

Dallas Recalls Brandon Segal

The Dallas Stars announced on 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 36 games for Dallas this season, collecting nine points (4g, 5a) and 34 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 on 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 37 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.

Down the Stretch....

Texas will play the next two games outside of the West Division and four of the next five. The Stars have 12 games remaining on the schedule, including six at Cedar Park Center. The final seven games of the regular season will be against the West Division and over a stretch of the first ten days of April. Texas will play division rivals Chicago, Oklahoma City (2), Rockford, San Antonio, Milwaukee and Peoria down the stretch. The Stars finish their season with three games in three nights the second weekend of April. They will play in Milwaukee on Friday and at home against Oklahoma City on Saturday. Texas will wrap up its season on Sunday, April 10th at San Antonio.

The West Division continues to be clogged with less than four weeks remaining in the season. The top four teams in the division are guaranteed a spot in the 2011 Calder Cup Playoffs. There is still a decent chance of a divisional cross over if the fifth place team in the West has more points than the fourth place team in the North Division.

Barring a complete meltdown, Milwaukee and Houston seem like locks for a trip to the playoffs. Milwaukee is in first and has is tied for the second fewest games of any team in the Western Conference. The Admirals have ten of their remaining 13 games at home. Houston leads the division with 39 wins and will play six of their remaining ten games at the Toyota Center. The rest of the division remains cloudy with four points separating third place Peoria from seventh place Oklahoma City. Texas trails third-place Peoria by one point. Chicago is one point back of fourth-place Texas. San Antonio lingers one point back of the Wolves and two behind the Stars. The Ramage have 14 games remaining, including seven at AT&T Center where they are 21-11-0-1. Oklahoma City is three points back of the final playoff spot with 12 games left on the schedule, including ten road games. The Barons are 18-9-0-3 on the road and only 16-16-2-4 at home.

What's Ahead:

DATE OPPONENT TIME TV/RADIO

Sunday, March 20 at Manitoba 2:00 PM 1530 AM

Tuesday, March 22 vs. Houston 7:30 PM 104.9 FM

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 RECAPS:

Texas 2 at Toronto 1 (SO) 3/13/11

The Texas Stars defeated the Toronto Marlies 1-1 in a shootout in front of 4,517 fans on Sunday afternoon at Ricoh Coliseum. Texas goalie Tyler Beskorowany made 30 saves in regulation and stopped all four attempts in the shootout to seal the victory. Toronto goalie Ben Scrivens stopped 22 of 23 in regulation, but allowed two goals on three shootout attempts in the defeat. Stars center Travis Morin scored the team's lone goal in regulation to tie the game and force overtime. The win ended a three-game winless skid for Texas.

The Texas Stars

After 68 games of action, right wing Greg Rallo leads the team lead in points with 43 (21g-22a) in 68 games played. Ralllo also leads the team with 21 goals and 210 shots on net. He is tied for the league lead with seven game-winning goals and he ranks in the top ten in shots on goal. Center Travis Morin is second for Texas in scoring with 16 goals and 21 assists for 37 points in 52 games played. Morin returned to the lineup last Monday (3/7) after missing the previous 14 games with an injury. Dan Spang is third overall on the team with 33 points. He leads the team lead in assists (24), as well as all defensemen in goals (9) and shots on goal (144). Colton Sceviour is tied for fifth on the team with 21 assists and fourth with 32 points in 66 games played. Left wing Francis Wathier is second on the team with 16 goals and 149 shots in 56 games played. Defensemen Brad Lukowich (22) and Maxime Fortunus (23) are among the team leaders in assists. 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 45 games, going 22-15-5 with a 2.29 goals against average and a .924 save percentage. Bachman ranks in the top ten in the AHL for goals against average and save percentage. Bachman has started 29 of the last 39 games. 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. Overall, Beskorowany is 7-6-1 with a 2.38 goals against average and a .927 save percentage.

Record Breaker

Rookie goalie Richard Bachman has set numerous team records over the last week. With 22 wins on the season, Bachman has passed Matt Climie's team record of 21 wins last seaosn. The 23-year old Bachman has also tied Brent Krahn's mark of five shutouts in 2009-10. Bachman's 45 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 2,621 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 28-18-5 all-time in 52 appearances with Texas. He has played 3,008 minutes, posting a 2.25 goals against average and a .925 save percentage with six shutouts.

Milestones...

Texas center Travis Morin has three goals in his last two games and he needs one more to get the 100th goal of his pro career. Greg Rallo needs two assists to reach 100 for his pro career. Left wing Francis Wathier is four games shy of his 300th AHL game.

The Manitoba Moose

The Moose return only six players who played the majority of the 2009-10 season. Last year, Manitoba went 40-33-5-2 with 87 points and a fourth place finish in the North Division. Manitoba fell in the first round to Hamilton in the 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs. Manitoba hired Claude Noel to replace Scott Arniel as Head Coach on June 21, 2010.

Second-year right wing Sergei Shirokov leads the Moose with 50 points, including a team-high 31 assists in 65 games played. Shirokov finished ninth overall in the AHL in rookie scoring last year. Left wing Bill Sweatt is second on the club in scoring with 17 goals and 40 points in 69 games played. Defenseman Mark Flood is second on the team with 25 assists and third on the team with 33 points in 52 games played. Two rookies are fourth and fifth in scoring for Manitoba. Center Cody Hodgson is third on the team with 15 goals and fifth with 25 points in 43 games played. Hodgson was Vancouver's first-round draft pick (10th overall) in 2008. Center Jordan Schroeder has 26 points in 52 games played. Schroeder joined the Moose for end of the 2009-10 regular season and the 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs after a successful run at the University of Minnesota. Schroeder had nine points in the last 11 AHL regular season games and turned in six points in six playoff games. Schroeder was Vancouver's first round draft choice (22nd overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Goalies Eddie Lack and Tyler Weiman split time in net for Manitoba. Lack is 24-18-3 with a 2.13 goals against average and a .927 save percentage. He ranks in the top ten in the AHL for goals against average and save percentage. Weiman is 13-9-2 with a 2.61 goals against average and a .910 save percentage.

Special Teams

After finishing second overall last season on the penalty kill, the Stars rank 27th overall at 78.9%. Texas sits 20th in the AHL, converting on 16.7% of its power plays. The Moose sit 28th overall on the power play, converting 13.5% of the time. Manitoba is second overall on the penalty kill, stopping 85.8% of its opponents' power plays.

Offense and Defense

The Texas Stars are tied for tenth overall in team defense, allowing 2.71 goals against per game. Texas is tied for 23rd out of 30 teams, scoring an average of 2.69 goals per game. Manitoba's defense is third overall with a 2.54 goals against per game. The Moose sit tied for 16th offensively, averaging 2.78 goals per game.

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