AHL Texas Stars

Gameday Preview - Texas at Peoria

Published on January 15, 2011 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


Texas and Peoria meet for the fourth time this season and the 12th time in AHL history. Peoria has taken two of the three previous meetings this season, with all of the games coming at Cedar Park Center in October. The Rivermen lead the all-time series with a 6-4-0-1 record. The two teams will play a total of six games this season, including two more at Carver Arena in Peoria.

The Stars are 11-7-0-1 on the road this season and 5-3-1-1 in the last ten games. The Stars have dropped three of their last four games and are 10-1-2-2 in one-goal games this year. Texas is the most disciplined team in the AHL, taking only 12.2 penalty minutes per game.

The Rivermen are the top team in the Western Conference and among the top teams in the AHL. Peoria is 12-7-2-0 at home this season and 5-5-0-0 in the last ten games played. Prior to dropping back-to-back games at home to Oklahoma City, the Rivermen had ripped off five straight wins. On Friday night, the Barons beat the Rivermen 4-1 at Carver Arena. Peoria ranks third overall in the AHL, averaging 22.2 penalty minutes per game.

Through three games of the season series the Rivermen have outscored the Stars 8-4. Both teams have also posted a shutout in the series. Peoria's Nicholas Drazenovic leads all skaters in the series with three goals in three games. He is tied in points with Texas center Travis Morin, who has three off of two goals and an assist. Defenseman Trevor Ludwig has two assists in three games against the Rivermen. Ludwig has four assists in his other 35 games played this year. In his only start against Texas, Peoria goalie Jake Allen is 1-0-0 with a 34-save shutout. Ben Bishop is 1-1-0 with a 2.53 goals against average and a .923 save percentage. Stars goalie Richard Bachman is 1-0-0 with a 0.67 goals against average and a .980 save percentage against Peoria.

Dallas Trades Brunnstrom to Toronto

Frisco, TX - The Dallas Stars announced on Thursday that the club has traded left wing Fabian Brunnstrom to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for right wing Mikhail Stefanovich.

Brunnstrom, 25, has played in 37 games for the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary affiliate in the AHL, posting 21 points (11g, 10a). He has played 99 career NHL games, all with Dallas, collecting 40 points (19g, 21a). The Jonstrop, Sweden, native agreed to a one-year, one-way contract extension worth $675,000 on July 23, 2010 with Dallas. Brunnstom was originally signed as a free agent by Dallas on May 8, 2008.

Stefanovich, 21, has played 15 games with Minsk Dynamo of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), recording one goal and two penalty minutes. The Minsk, Belarus, native, dressed in two games for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL) going scoreless and appeared in four games for the Reading Royals (ECHL), collecting five points (3g, 2a) this season.

Travis Morin Named Western Conference All-Star Starter

The Texas Stars, in conjunction with the American Hockey League, announced on Tuesday that Texas Stars center Travis Morin has been named a starter for the Western Conference All-Star team. The 2011 AHL All-Star game is at 7 p.m. on Monday, January 31 with the Eastern Conference meeting the Western Conference in Hershey, PA at the Giant Center.

Morin will make his AHL All-Star debut after leading the Texas Stars in scoring through the first 38 games of the season with a team-high 13 goals and 17 assists for 30 points. He is also second on the team with a +10 and five power-play goals. The Brooklyn Park, MN native is one of two Texas Stars to have played in every game in team history, including the post season. The 26-year old has played 117 straight games, placing second in team history with 34 goals and first with 46 assists and 80 points. The second-year AHLer also played in 24 Calder Cup Playoff games with 12 assists and 16 points.

Dallas Assigns Brandon Segal and Returns Larsen

Cedar Park, TX - 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). Dallas announced on Tuesday that the club has assigned right wing Brandon Segal to the Texas Stars.

Larsen, 21, has skated in six games for Dallas this season, collecting two assists. He has spent the majority of 2010-11 with Texas, playing in 29 games, recording 13 assists and eight penalty minutes with a +7 plus/minus rating. The Esbjerg, Denmark, native made his NHL debut last season with Dallas, dressing in two games and posting one assist.

Segal, 27, has played in 36 games for Dallas this season, recording four goals and five assists with 34 penalty minutes. He posted a career-high four-game point streak (2g, 3a) this season from Dec. 2-8. Segal was claimed off waivers from Los Angeles on February 11, 2010. He has played in 82 career NHL games, collecting 21 points (10g, 11a). The Richmond, British Columbia, native was selected by Nashville in the fourth round (102nd overall) in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. From 2003-10 Segal played in eight AHL seasons for Milwaukee, Norfolk, Manchester and Portland. In 425 AHL contests, Segal has 100 goals and 91 assists for 191 points with 507 penalty minutes.

Texas Recalls Monast

Prior Saturday's game, Texas recalled defenseman Guillaume Monast from the Idaho Steelheads. Monast has played in 30 games for Idaho this season, tallying one goal and four assists while adding 20 penalty minutes. The Quebec native spent his rookie season with Idaho, setting up six goals in 68 games played, helping the Steelheads reach the Kelly Cup Finals. Monast attended training camp in Dallas and in Texas each of the last two years.

What's Ahead:

DATE OPPONENT TIME TV/RADIO

Tuesday, Jan 18 vs. Grand Rapids 7:30 PM 104.9 FM

Friday, Jan. 21 at Houston 7:05 PM 104.9 FM

Saturday, Jan. 22 vs. Milwaukee 7:00 PM 104.9 FM

* All times listed are central time

GAME RECAPS:

Texas 1 at Rockford 3 1/14/11

The Texas Stars were defeated by the Rockford IceHogs 3-1 on Friday night at the Rockford Metro Centre. Rockford rookie Jeremy Morin scored 2:47 into the third period and forward Ryan Potulny added an empty-net goal late in the third period to seal the Hogs second straight win over Texas. Rockford goalie Hannu Toivonen (8-7-3) made 29 saves for the win, while Texas goalie Richard Bachman (14-8-2) stopped 30 of 32 Rockford shots in the loss. Texas right wing Colton Sceviour had the lone Stars goal, as the team dropped to 11-7-0-1 on the road this season.

Texas 4 at Chicago 2 1/12/11

The Texas Stars defeated the Chicago Wolves 4-2 on Wednesday afternoon at Allstate Arena. Trailing 2-1 heading into the third period, the Stars scored three goals to claim a two-goal win. Texas forward Fabian Brunnstrom scored two goals and added an assist, as Texas improved to 4-0-0 against Chicago this season. Texas goalie Richard Bachman made 31 saves for the win, while Chicago goalie Peter Maninno (12-10-1) stopped 22 of 25 Stars shots in the loss. Defenseman Dan Spang and right wing Colton Sceviour also scored as Texas moved to 11-6-0-1 on the road this year. Stars All-Star center Travis Morin had two assists in the win.

Lake Erie 3 at Texas 1 1/8/11

Cedar Park, TX - The Texas Stars were defeated by the Lake Erie Monsters 3-1 on Saturday night in front of a soldout crowd of 6,863 fans at Cedar Park Center. Lake Erie winger Ryan Stoa had a goal and two assists, helping the Monsters end an eight-game losing streak on the road. Lake Erie forwards Patrick Rissmiller and Ben Walker also scored in the win. Texas goalie Richard Bachman (13-7-2) stopped 26 of 29 shots in the loss. Lake Erie goalie John Grahame (5-6-2) stopped 18 of 19 shots for the victory. Stars center Aaron Gagnon scored the lone Texas goal in the third period.

The Texas Stars

After 40 games of action, center Travis Morin leads Texas in scoring with 13 goals and 19 assists for 32 points. Right wing Greg Rallo is second on the team in scoring with 24 points (11g-13a) in 40 games played. Left wing Francis Wathier is third on the club with 21 points. Wathier is second in goals scored (12) and leads the team lead with six power-play goals. Right wing Colton Sceviour (8g-12a) and is fourth on the team in points with 20. Dan Spang is fifth overall on the team with 17 points. Spang is also tied for third on the team in assists (13) and leads all defensemen in shots on goal (84). Defensemen Brad Lukowich is second on the team with 14 assists. Rookie defender Philip Larsen also has 13 assists. Left wing Luke Gazdic's 68 penalty minutes lead the team.

Texas Stars goalies Richard Bachman and Tyler Beskorowany fill the net for Texas. Brent Krahn is currently out with an injury. Bachman has appeared in 26 games, going 14-8-2 with a 2.19 goals against average and a .927 save percentage. Bachman ranks ninth overall in the AHL for goals against average and eighth in save percentage. Bachman has started 11 of the last 12. Beskorowany has posted a 2.02 goals against average and stopped 169 of 179 shots (.944 %) in his last five games. Overall, Beskorowany is 3-4-0 with a 2.88 goals against average and a .919 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.

Milestones

Defenseman Matt Stephenson played in his 100th AHL game last Saturday at home against Lake Erie. Francis Wathier also played in his 300th pro game against Lake Erie. Right wing Greg Rallo needs five more games to reach his 300th pro game. Center Aaron Gagnon is six games short of his 200th AHL game.

The Peoria Rivermen

Peoria welcomes its 17th coach in team history for the 2010-11 season after Jared Bednar was hired this past summer.

Bednar was an Assistant Coach in Abbotsford last season and from 2007-09 he was the Head Coach of the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays. Bednar led the Stingrays to the 2009 Kelly Cup, a team that included Stars forward Travis Morin.

Veterans Graham Mink and T.J. Hensick lead the way for Peoria. Hensick leads the squad with 24 assists and 33 points in 28 games played. Mink's 29 points and 18 assists are second on the team through 36 games played. Right wing Derek Nesbitt has been outstanding after the Rivermen added him on November 11th. Nesbitt leads the club with 14 goals and is fifth among active players in scoring with 21 points in 23 games. Right wing David Spina is fourth among team skaters with 23 points in 36 games played. Spina's 17 assists are third best on the club. Defenseman Nathan Oystrick is among the top scoring in the league. Oystrick's ten goals are tied for the AHL league lead for blue-liners and his 23 points in 28 games place him 14th overall in the league among defenders.

Peoria returns six players from the 2009-10 team that missed the playoffs and finished with a 38-33-2-7 record (85 points, fifth place West Division). Center Nicholas Drazenovic returns after scoring 19 goals and setting up 20 others for 39 points in 58 games played. Right wing Adam Cracknell is in his second season with the Rivermen after netting 17 goals and totaling 38 points in 76 games played. Cracknell and Drazenovic both have enjoyed their first call-ups to the NHL with the Blues this season.

In net, the Rivermen pair Ben Bishop and Jake Allen, who was named a Western Conference All-Star. Allen is seventh in the league with a 2.04 goals against average and he is third with a .937 save percentage. Allen is first in shutouts (5) and tied for fifth overall in wins (15). Overall, Allen is 15-4-0 in his first pro season after St. Louis made him their second-round selection in 2008. Bishop (10-10-1) is enjoying his best numbers with a 2.51 goals against average and a .914 save percentage. Bishop went 23-18-4 with a 2.77 goals against average and a .901 save percentage in 48 games with Peoria last year.

Special Teams

After finishing second overall last season on the penalty kill, the Texas Stars penalty kill is 29th overall at 77.3%. Texas ranks 24th best in the AHL, converting on 15.2% of its power plays. The Stars have gone four straight games without a power-play goal and have gone 16 straight power plays without a goal. The Rivermen are fourth overall on the power play, converting 21.4% of the time. Peoria is fourth overall on the penalty kill, stopping 86.3% of their opponents' power plays.

Offense and Defense

The Texas Stars are eighth overall in team defense, allowing 2.68 goals against per game. Texas is ranked 17th out of 30 teams, scoring an average of 2.85 goals per game. Peoria's defense ranks fifth overall with a 2.45 goals against per game. The Rivermen sit 13th offensively, averaging 2.93 goals per game.

Check out the Texas Stars Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from January 15, 2011


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