AHL Texas Stars

Gameday Preview - Texas at Oklahoma City

Published on April 2, 2011 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


Texas and Oklahoma City meet for the ninth time this season. Texas has taken six of the previous eight games of the series. The Barons ended a six-game losing skid to Texas on February 27th, posting a 3-2 shootout win at the Cedar Park Center. The teams will play a total of ten times this year, including one more time at Cedar Park Center. Texas is coming off a 3-2 overtime win over Chicago at home on Friday. The Barons are coming off a 7-0 win over Rockford at home on Friday.

Texas is 18-14-1-3 away from Cedar Park Center this season and 6-3-0-1 in the last ten games. The Stars are riding a season-high five-game winning streak. Texas has collected points in seven of the last ten games. The team concluded a four-game home stand on Friday with Chicago, finishing with four straight wins at home. The Stars play in Oklahoma City on Saturday and then return home on Sunday to host Rockford. The Stars outscored their opponents 16-6 over the course of the home stand. The Stars are 30-14-2-4 against the West Division this season and 10-9-2-1 against the North Division this season. Texas is the least penalized team in the league accruing 12.78 penalty minutes a game. The Stars are 21-4-4-6 in one-goal games this year and 24-0-1-1 when leading after two periods of play this season.

Oklahoma City is 17-16-2-4 at home this year and 3-3-0-4 in the last ten games played. The Barons have been outscored 123-115 on home ice, but have outscored their opponents 116-103 on the road this season. Oklahoma City has scored the first goal 39 times in 76 games played, posting a 24-10-1-4 mark when opening the scoring. The Barons are 24-21-2-7 against West Division opponents. Oklahoma City has outscored its opponents 84-62 in the second period of play this season. When leading after two periods of play, the Barons are 24-1-0-4. Friday's win over Rockford was the team's first victory in the last six games.

Stars right wing Greg Rallo leads all scorers in the season series with three goals and six points in eight games. Four other skaters, including three from Texas, each have five points in the series. Texas forwards Colton Sceviour, Aaron Gagnon and Francis Wathier each has five points in the series. Oklahoma City center Brad Moran also has five points in the season series. Sceviour and Moran are tied for the series lead with three goals each. Rallo and Wathier represent Texas in the series lead with three assists each. Barons winger Alexandre Giroux leads all skaters with four assists in the series.

Stars goalie Richard Bachman is 6-0-1 with a 1.72 goals against average and a .943 save percentage. Bachman has stopped 218 of 227 Barons shots in six appearances. Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers is 0-3-1 with a 2.98 goals against average and a .912 save percentage in four games against Texas. Barons' goalie Martin Gerber is 1-1-1 with a 2.27 goals against average and a .931 save percentage. Bryan Pitton is 1-0-0 with a 2.29 goals against average and a .931 save percentage.

Stars Sign Schultz

The Texas Stars announced on Friday that the club has signed forward Stephen Schultz to an ATO (amateur tryout agreement).

The 23-year old rookie turns pro after a four-year career at Colorado College from 2007-11. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound forward posted WCHA highs as a senior this year, scoring 17 goals and totaling 45 points in 43 games played. In his final two years as a Tiger, Schultz set up 43 goals and totaled 65 points in 71 games. For his collegiate career, Schultz scored 36 goals and totaled 86 points in 127 contests. The rookie played with current Texas Stars goalie Richard Bachman and forward Scott McCulloch at Colorado College.

Lukowich Named Texas' 2010-11 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year

Cedar Park, TX - The Texas Stars are proud to announce that Brad Lukowich has been named the team's winner of the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year award for his outstanding contributions to the Central Texas community during the 2010-11 season.

Lukowich is now one of 30 finalists for the AHL's 2010-11 Yanick Dupre Memori award is named after the former Hershey Bears forward and AHL All-Star who died in 1997 following a 16-month battle with leukemia. The winner of the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award will be announced by the American Hockey League in the coming weeks.

Stars Hitting Stride

For the first time this season, the Stars have five straight wins. Over that span, the team has outscored its opponents 21-8. The Stars are seven for 28 on the power play (25%) and 20-for-21 on the penalty kill. In the last five games, Greg Rallo has five goals and five assists for ten points, while also posting a +7. Colton Sceviour has five goals and four assists in his last five games. Six skaters have at least one point per game over the last five contests. Defenseman Maxime Fortunus is a +7 over that span. In his last five starts, goalie Richard Bachman has gone 5-0-0-0 with a 1.40 goals against average and a .947 save percentage. He has stopped 126 of the last 133 shots he has faced.

What's Ahead:

DATE OPPONENT TIME TV/RADIO

Saturday, April 2 at Oklahoma City 7:05 PM 1530 AM

Sunday, April 3 vs. Rockford 5:00 PM 104.9 FM

Wednesday, April 6 at Peoria 7:05 PM 104.9 FM

* All times listed are central time

LAST GAME RECAP:

Chicago 2 at Texas 3 OT 4/1/11

The Texas Stars defeated the Chicago Wolves 3-2 in overtime in front of 5,710 fans at Cedar Park Center Friday night. Defenseman Philip Larsen scored the game-winning goal for Texas just 38 seconds into overtime, reducing the team's magic number to clinch a playoff spot to four points. The win also extended the team's streak to five straight. Right wing Colton Sceviour and defenseman Maxime Fortunus each tallied a goal in regulation on the night as Texas improved to 22-10-3-3 at home. Texas goalie Richard Bachman stopped 29 of 31 shots for the win as Chicago outshot Texas 31-24. Defenseman Jaime Sifers and center Andre Deveaux each notched a goal in the Wolves loss. Chicago goalie Peter Mannino stopped 21 shots for the loss.

Grand Rapids 1 at Texas 5 4/1/11

The Texas Stars defeated the Grand Rapid Griffins 5-1 in front of 6,040 fans at Cedar Park Center Saturday night. Texas goalie Richard Bachman stopped 29 of 30 shots for the win, which extended the team's streak to a season-high four straight. Four Texas skaters had multi-point nights in the contest, led by Colton Sceviour's second straight three-point night. Forwards Greg Rallo, Francis Wathier and Ray Sawada each tallied two points, as the Stars improved to 21-10-3-3 at home this year. Grand Rapids goalie Jordan Pearce stopped 13 of 15 shots in the loss.

The Texas Stars

After 74 games of action, right wing Greg Rallo leads the team in points with 53 (26g-27a). Ralllo also leads the team with 26 goals and 241 shots on net. He is tied for second in the league lead with seven game-winning goals and he ranks third for shots on goal. Center Travis Morin is second for Texas in scoring with 18 goals and 24 assists for 42 points in 58 games played. Morin returned to the lineup on March 7th after missing 14 games with an injury. Colton Sceviour is third on the team with 41 points and he is fourth with 25 assists in 72 games played. Dan Spang is fourth overall on the team with 36 points. He is tied for third on the team in assists (26), as well as leading all defensemen in goals (10) and shots on goal (161). Left wing Francis Wathier is second on the team with 18 goals and 165 shots in 62 games played. Defenseman Maxime Fortunus leads the team with 28 assists in 68 games played. Center Mathieu Tousignant leads the team with 109 penalty minutes.

Texas Stars goalies Richard Bachman and Tyler Beskorowany fill the net for the Stars. Bachman has appeared in 51 games, going 27-16-5 with a 2.19 goals against average and a .926 save percentage. Bachman ranks in the top ten in the AHL for goals against average and save percentage. Bachman has started 34 of the last 45 games. Overall, Beskorowany is 7-6-1 with a 2.51 goals against average and a .923 save percentage. 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.

Record Breaker

Rookie goalie Richard Bachman has set numerous team records this year. With 27 wins on the season, Bachman has passed Matt Climie's team record of 21 wins last season. The 23-year old Bachman has topped Brent Krahn's mark of five shutouts in 2009-10. Bachman recorded his sixth shutout of the season on March 22nd against Houston. His 51 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 2,953 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 31-19-5 all-time in 58 appearances with Texas. He has played 3,339 minutes, posting a 2.17 goals against average and a .927 save percentage with seven shutouts.

Rallo Closes in On Team Record

Texas right wing Greg Rallo is closing in on the team record for goals in one season. Rallo tallied his 26th goal of the year last Saturday night, pulling him within one goal of the team mark. Center Aaron Gagnon scored 27 goals in 78 games last season to set the current team mark. Rallo has already blown away the team mark for shots on goal in one season. He is third overall in the AHL with 241 shots. In 2009-10, left wing Francis Wathier posted 159 shots on goal. Rallo is tied for second in the league with seven game-winning goals this season. The fifth-year pro has career highs for goals (26), assists (27) and points (53). He is the only remaining skater to have suited up in all 74 games played this year. The fifth-year pro is second all-time among Texas skaters with 142 games played and first all-time with 44 goals. Rallo is one point ahead of Travis Morin for the team's all-time lead with 95 points.

The Oklahoma City Barons

The Oklahoma City Barons are the AHL Affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers. Head Coach Todd Nelson is the first coach in team history, guiding the club in its inaugural season. Nelson spent the last two years as an assistant coach with the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers prior to his first head coaching job in the AHL.

Left wing Alexandre Giroux leads the Barons in scoring with 31 goals and 73 points in 67 games played. He is second in the AHL in points and fifth in goals scored. Giroux spent the last four years with Hershey, winning two Calder Cups and making three Finals appearances. Giroux led the AHL in goals scored the last two seasons.

Former Hershey teammate Bryan Helmer joined the Barons on January 7th. In his first 39 games with the Barons, Helmer has 18 assists and 24 points. Helmer is the AHL's all-time points leader among blueliners, and he became the seventh player in league history to play in 1,000 games earlier in the season. Helmer played with Giroux in Hershey the last two seasons, winning Calder Cups with the Bears in 2009 and 2010. Helmer was also a Calder Cup champion with Albany in 1995.

Colin MacDonald leads the Barons with 36 goals in 76 games played. His 50 points place him third highest on the club. Overall, MacDonald is second in the AHL for goals scored. Center Brad Moran is second on the team in scoring with 67 points on 20 goals and a team-high 47 assists. His 67 points rank seventh in the league. Kevin Montgomery is the top scoring defenseman on the team. He has three goals and 25 points in 63 games played.

In net, the Barons feature goalies Bryan Pitton and Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers. Martin Gerber is out with an injury. Fellow tender, Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers is a second-round pick (#31 overall) of Edmonton in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. Drouin-Deslauriers played in 48 games for Edmonton last season, going 16-28-4 with a 3.26 goals against average and a .900 save percentage. Drouin-Deslauriers is 14-13-4 this year, sporting a 3.03 goals against average and an .902 save percentage. Pitton has appeared in eight games, going 3-2-1 with a 3.09 goals against average and a .897 save percentage. He has spent the majority of the year with the Stockton Thunder of the ECHL.

Special Teams

The Stars rank 26th overall at 80.1% on the penalty kill. Texas sits 20th in the AHL, converting 17.4% of its power plays. The Barons are 11th overall on the power play, converting 18.9% of the time. Oklahoma City is 16th in the AHL on the penalty kill, stopping 82.9% of its opponents' power plays.

Offense and Defense

The Texas Stars are tied for seventh overall in team defense, allowing 2.64 goals against per game. Texas is ranked 17th out of 30 teams, scoring an average of 2.80 goals per game. Oklahoma City's defense ranks 17th overall with a 2.97 goals against per game. The Barons sit ninth offensively, averaging 3.04 goals per game.

Check out the Texas Stars Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from April 2, 2011


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