AHL Texas Stars

Gameday Preview - Texas at Milwaukee

Published on December 11, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


Texas and Milwaukee meet for the third time this season and 11th time in history. The two teams played a total of eight times last year with the Stars taking the season series by posting a 5-3-0-0 mark against the Admirals. The two teams split a pair of games in November at Cedar Park Center, as each team posted a shutout. Texas is 6-4-0-0 all-time against Milwaukee, including a 2-2-0-0 record at the Bradley Center. Texas is coming off a 4-3 win at Grand Rapids on Friday night, while Milwaukee took a 4-3 shootout in Rockford.

Texas is 5-4-0-0 on the road this year and 5-3-1-1 in the last ten games played. The Stars have collected points in six of their last seven games (4-1-1-1) and 11 of their last 14. Texas has played the fewest road games in the AHL. The Stars are in the middle of a stretch of three games in three nights on the road. Texas will play in Grand Rapids on Sunday before returning 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 game s in eight days, including four games in five nights on the road. Milwaukee is 5-1-1-1 at home this season and 5-4-0-1 in the last ten games played. The Admirals have played the fewest home games in the league and the most road games in the AHL (19).

Through two games of the season series, Stars forwards Greg Rallo and Raymond Sawada have the only Texas goals. Milwaukee center Steve Begin has the lone Admirals goal in the series. Stars goalie Richard Bachman and Admirals goalie Mark Deckanich have each posted a shutout in the series. Both goalies are on recall in the NHL with their respective affiliates.

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 19 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

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

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 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 (1-2-0) 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. Defenseman Brad Lukowich picked up two assists in the win. 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, 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.

The Texas Stars

After 26 games of action, center Travis Morin leads Texas in scoring with ten goals and 23 points. Right wing Greg Rallo is second on the team in scoring with 15 points in 26 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 five power-play markers and he is second with nine goals. Forwards Fabian Brunnstrom, Mathieu Tousignant and Colton Sceviour are tied for fifth 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 1-2-0 with a 4.34 goals against average and a .886 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 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.

Shooting Stars

Rookie right wing Sean Backman has a point in four straight games, scoring two goals and dishing out three assists for five points over the stretch. Center Travis Morin has a point in five of his last six games, scoring three goals and totaling six points. Rookie forward Cody Chupp has a point in four-straight games, scoring twice and adding three assists in his last three games. Right wing Raymond Sawada has a point in four straight games and has collected a point in six of his last seven games.

The Milwaukee Admirals

The Milwaukee Admirals are the AHL Affiliate of the Nashville Predators. Head Coach Lane Lambert is in his third season with the Admirals. Milwaukee returns eight players from last year's team that posted 41-30-2-7 mark (91 points).

Newcomer Linus Klasen leads the Admirals with 22 points in 24 games played, including a team-high 13 goals. The Swedish newcomer was signed as a free agent over the summer by the Predators. Klasen is playing in his first North American pro season. He was named the AHL Player of the Month in October after scoring seven goals in his first seven games. Right wing Chris Mueller is second on the team with 11 goals and 16 points in 27 games played. Mueller scored 13 goals in 67 games in 2009-10. Second-year pro Jonathon Blum is third on the team in points and he leads the team with 13 assists. Blum leads all Admirals defensemen with 15 points in 26 games played. Last season, Blum finished fourth among the Admirals with 41 points in 80 games as a rookie. He also ranked 12th among all rookies in points and 14th among all AHL defensemen.

In net, the Admirals feature goalies Chet Pickard (0-3-1) and Jeremy Smith (3-3-0). Mark Dekanich (10-3-3) is in Nashville on recall. Prior to his recall, he was among the league leaders in a handful of categories for goalies. He was third with a 1.71 goals against average and third with a .941 save percentage. Smith was drafted in the 2nd round (#54 overall) by Nashville in 2007. Smith has a 2.95 goals against average and a .894 save percentage. Pickard was Nashville's first pick (#18 overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Special Teams

After finishing second overall last season on the penalty kill, the Stars rank 26th overall at 78.9%. Texas sits 17th in the AHL, converting 17.2% of its power plays. The Admirals are 17th overall on the power play, converting 17.2% of the time. Milwaukee is 23rd in the AHL on the penalty kill, stopping 80.0% of its opponents' power plays.

Offense and Defense

The Texas Stars are 12th overall in team defense, allowing 2.73 goals against per game. Texas is ranked 12th out of 30 teams, scoring an average of 3.00 goals per game. Milwaukee's defense ranks seventh overall with a 2.59 goals against per game. The Admirals sit 18th offensively, averaging 2.78 goals per game.

Check out the Texas Stars Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from December 11, 2010


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