AHL Texas Stars

Gameday Preview - Texas at Rockford

Published on January 16, 2012 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


Texas Stars (17-17-1-2, 37 points) at Rockford IceHogs (14-21-1-3, 32 points)

The Texas Stars and the IceHogs meet for the fourth and final time this season. This marks the 18th all-time meeting between the two teams. Texas leads the season series by taking the first two games of the series. Rockford took the third game of the year, posting a 6-5 OT win at Cedar Park Center on Sunday, Jan. 8. The Stars lead the all-time series with an 11-5-1-0 record against the Hogs, including a 6-2-0-0 mark at the BMO Center.

The Stars have five wins in their last ten games, going 5-3-1-1 over that span. Texas is coming off a 2-1 loss at Milwaukee on Saturday night. The defeat ended the team's season-high five-game points streak (3-0-1-1). Texas continues an eight-day road trip that includes stops in Grand Rapids, Milwaukee, Rockford and Chicago. The Stars are 9-10-0-1 on the road this season, having been outscored by their opponents 62-56 on the scoreboard. Texas ended a three-game winless skid (0-2-0-1) on the road on Friday night with the win. The Stars are 8-12-0-2 against the West Division this season. The team is 6-5-1-0 against the Midwest Division this year. Texas' scoring has been spread out evenly this season, with 37 first-period tallies and 42 second-period markers. Since Dec. 3 (last 17 games), Texas has outscored the opposition 24-12 in the second period after getting outscored in the middle frame 26-18 in the previous 20 games. The Stars lead the opposition in second-period scoring with a 42-38 edge. The club has been outscored 113-111 overall. Texas is tenth in the league with a 3.00 goals per game average. Texas ranks 24th defensively with a 3.05 goals against average. The Stars are 12-0-1-1 when leading after two periods of play, but they are 1-15-0-0 when trailing after two periods of play. The team is 8-8-1-2 in games decided by one goal this season. Texas leads the AHL with five overtime wins this season, going 5-0-1-2 when tied after regulation. The Stars is fourth in the AHL with seven shorthanded goals this season.

Rockford returns from a seven-game road swing with stops in Peoria, Oklahoma City, Chicago, Cedar Park, Houston and San Antonio. The team concluded its trip with a 2-1 loss in San Antonio on Saturday. The Hogs went 3-4-0-0 on the roadie, falling to 8-10-1-2 on the road. The club is 3-6-0-1 in the last ten games and 6-11-0-1 at home this year. Rockford will play its first home game in 2012, where it has not won since Dec. 17. The Hogs have been outscored on home ice 64-49 this season. The IceHogs are 5-7-0-0 against the West Division this season. Rockford has allowed a league-high 51 first-period goals, followed by Texas' 45. The Hogs have been outscored in every period this season. Their closest goal margin is in the second period, where the team has been outscored 38-33. The club has been outscored 49-41 in the third period of play this season. Rockford is 4-3-0-0 when leading after the first and 11-2-0-1 when leading after the second. Rockford is 2-16-1-0 when trailing after two periods of play. The team is 8-14-1-1 when they outshoot their opponents. The IceHogs rank ninth best in the league offensively with 3.03 goals per game average. Rockford ranks last of 30 AHL teams with a 3.64 goals against average.

Texas Stars

Center Travis Morin and winger Matt Fraser lead Texas in scoring. Morin is the clubhouse leader with 28 assists and 33 points in his first 37 games played. He ranks in the top ten of the AHL for assists and power-play helpers. He has six assists and seven points in his last 10 games played. Rookie forward Matt Fraser is second in scoring with 30 points in 36 games. He leads the team with 20 goals scored and 131 shots on net. Fraser is tied for second in the AHL with nine power-play goals and he is tied for fourth overall in the AHL in rookie scoring. The All-Star ranks second among all first-year skaters with 20 goals and he is first in shots on goal by a rookie. Fraser had a ten-game scoring streak end on Dec. 30 in Abbotsford. The run was the longest scoring streak in team history. He has nine points in his last nine games. Forwards Colton Sceviour and Ryan Garbutt round out the top scorers for Texas. Center Ryan Garbutt has 25 points (9g-16a) in 37 games. Garbutt leads the team with 61 penalty minutes, followed by Luke Gazdic's 57 minutes. Garbutt is tied for the AHL lead with three shorthanded assists this year. With an assist on Saturday night, Colton Sceviour extended his scoring streak to six games. Over that span, Sceviour has two goals and nine assists. Rookie center Scott Glennie has eight points in his last five games, scoring four goals and setting up four others.

Jordie Benn, Dan Spang and veteran Brad Lukowich are tied for the team lead in points by a defensemen; each defender has 15 points on the season. Dan Spang leads all Texas defenseman with 13 assists in 36 games. Lukowich has seven points in his last six games. The 16-year pro is expected to play in his 1,000th pro game on Monday at Rockford. Rookie Brenden Dillon (2-12-14) is fourth in points and he is first among D-men with 43 penalty minutes. Veteran defender Maxime Fortunus has 12 points in 33 games.

Goalies Andrew Raycroft and Tyler Beskorowany split time in net for Texas. Raycroft was unbeaten in regulation (3-0-1) in his first four starts before suffering his first regulation loss on Saturday night in Milwaukee. He is 3-1-1 with a 2.37 goals against average and a .918 save percentage in five starts for the Stars. Beskorowany is 6-10-0 with a 3.08 goals against average and a .891 save percentage.

Special Teams

The Stars have converted 37 of 181 power plays for a 20.4% conversion rate, as Texas ranks seventh overall in power play percentage. The team broke out of a 2-for-48 slump with nine power-play goals over the last seven games - going 9-for-37 over that span. The Stars have killed off 120 of 144 opponents' power plays (83.3%), ranking 12th overall on the penalty kill. The Stars have killed off 82 of the last 93 penalties (88.2%). The IceHogs are 30th in the AHL on the penalty kill, stopping 75.8% of their opponents' power plays. Overall, Rockford ranks 22nd in the AHL on the power play after going 29-for-182 (15.9%).

The Rockford IceHogs

Center Brandon Pirri leads Rockford in scoring with a team-high 15 goals and 36 points in 37 games played. He also leads the team with 118 shots on goal. Defenseman Brian Connelly is second on the Hogs in scoring with 32 points in 39 games played. He leads the team with 28 assists, including a team-high 12 power-play assists. Connelly ranks among the top scoring defenseman, sitting second overall in points and placing second in assists.

Former Texas Stars forward Brandon Segal is back in Rockford after playing for the Hogs in 2004-05. Segal suited up in 30 games for Texas last year, totaling 17 points. He is currently tied for second on the team with 12 goals and fourth overall with 22 points in 39 games played. He is also among the worst of the Hogs with a -11 rating. IceHogs left wing Jeremy Morin, a second-round pick of Atlanta (#45 overall) in 2009, has 23 points in 33 games this season. Winger Brandon Bolig is among the AHL leaders with 13 major penalties and 117 penalty minutes in 36 games played.

Rockford features goalies Alexander Salak, Carter Hutton and Alec Richards. Salak is 3-6-0 with a 3.06 goals against average and a .893 save percentage. Hutton is 5-5-1 with a 3.19 goals against average and a .893 save percentage. Richards is 6-11-2 with a 3.64 goals against average and a .892 save percentage.

Dallas Recalls Wathier From Texas

The Dallas Stars announced Sunday that the club has recalled forward Francis Wathier from the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Wathier, 27, has skated in 37 games for Texas this season, accumulating eight goals and 15 assists for 23 points. He currently leads the AHL club with a +10 rating and is tied for second with 57 penalty minutes. The 6-4, 218-pound forward from St. Isidore, ON has been held scoreless in eight career NHL games with Dallas, registering four shots and five penalty minutes in that span. Wathier was Dallas' sixth-round selection (185th overall) at the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

Roman Traded by Dallas to Florida for Forward Esposito

The Dallas Stars announced on Friday that the club has traded left wing Ondrej Roman to the Florida Panthers in exchange for center Angelo Esposito.

Esposito, 22, has played in 16 games for the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League (AHL) this season, collecting two goals and three assists totaling five points and eight penalty minutes. Prior to his professional hockey career, Esposito spent parts of four seasons with the Quebec Ramparts and the Montreal Juniors of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). He scored the game-winning goal at the 2009 World Junior Championships to secure the gold medal for Team Canada. The 6-0, 190-pound forward from Montreal, QC, was selected by Pittsburgh as the 20th overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Roman, 22, has spent the majority of the season with the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary affiliate in the AHL collecting one goal and four assists totaling five points and four penalty minutes with the club. The 6-0, 185-pound forward was selected by Dallas in the fifth round (136th overall) in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Dallas Reassigns Jace Coyle to Idaho

The Texas Stars announced on Thursday that defenseman Jace Coyle has been reassigned from the Texas Stars to the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL. The rookie defenseman has split time between Idaho and Texas this year, recording an assist in 17 games with the Stars this season. He also spent three games with Idaho in early December, setting up one goal for his lone ECHL point.

Dallas Assigns Jordie Benn

The Dallas Stars announced on Wednesday that the club has assigned defenseman Jordie Benn to the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Benn, 24, has played in two games for Dallas this season collecting one assist and one shot. He became the 10th player in Dallas Stars history to record his first NHL point in his first NHL game. Along with younger brother Jamie Benn, they became the third set of brothers in Dallas Stars history and the sixth in team history to play in an NHL game together. At the time of his recall, the defender had se ven goals and eight assists for 15 points in 31 games. Four of his seven goals have come on the power play. Jordie Benn is the older brother of current Stars forward Jamie Benn. The 6-0, 205-pound defenseman from Victoria, BC, signed a one-year free agent contract with Dallas on July 1, 2011. He played in 60 games for the Texas Stars last season, scoring two goals and 10 assists for 12 points with 39 penalty minutes.

LAST THREE GAMES

Texas 1 at Milwaukee 2 1/14/12

The Texas Stars were defeated by the Milwaukee Admirals 2-1 in front of 6,885 fans at the Bradley Center on Saturday night. Milwaukee goalie Jeremy Smith led the way with 25 saves off 26 Texas shots. Admirals Jusso Puustinen and Joel Champange scored 1:15 apart in the first period, helping the Milwaukee end a three-game losing streak. Stars goalie Andrew Raycroft stopped 23 shots in the defeat, as the team had its five-game points streak ended with the loss. Forward Mike Hedden scored the team's lone goal, as the Texas fell to 9-10-0-1 on the road this season. Stars right wing Colton Sceviour continued his torrid pace, extending his points streak to six games with an assist.

Texas 6 at Grand Rapids 4 1/13/12

The Texas Stars defeated the Grand Rapids Griffins 6-4 in front of 8,791 fans at the Van Andel Arena on Friday night. Rookie Scott Glennie scored twice, including 21 seconds into the third period to break a 4-4 tie. Glennie also added an assist, propelling Texas back over .500 for the first time since November 11, 2011. Right wing Colton Sceviour added three assists, as the team extended its points streak to five games (3-0-1-1). In all, five Texas skaters and four Griffins finished with a multi-point night, as the two teams combined for six goals in the opening period. Francis Wathier (1g,1a), Brad Lukowich (2a) and Ryan Garbutt (1g,1a) helped Texas improve to 9-9-0-1 on the road this season. After allowing four goals in the first period, Stars goalie Andrew Raycroft stopped 23 shots in the final two periods to pick up the win. Grand Rapids goalie Tom McCollum stopped 31 of 36 Texas shots in the defeat.

Abbotsford 1 at Texas 2 1/11/12

The Texas Stars defeated the Abbotsford Heat 2-1 in front of 3,640 fans at the Cedar Park Center on Wednesday night. Stars' right wing Colton Sceviour scored the game-winning goal with 12 seconds remaining in the third period. Forward Stephen Schultz also scored for Texas, extending the team's points streak to four games (2-0-1-1). Stars goalie Andrew Raycroft stopped 32 shots, as the Stars improved to 8-7-1-1 at home. Abbotsford goalie Danny Taylor stopped 29 of 30 shots faced in his first 40 minutes of play. Joni Ortio stopped 12 shots in relief, taking the loss for the Heat. Abbotsford center Quintin Laing scored the lone Heat.

What's Ahead:

DATE OPPONENT TIME RADIO

Monday, January 16 at Rockford 1:05 PM 92.5 FM

Wednesday, January 18 at Chicago 7:00 PM 104.9 FM

Friday, January 20 vs. Peoria 7:30 PM 104.9 FM

Saturday, January 21 vs. Houston 7:00 PM 104.9 FM

All-Star Break

* All times listed are central time

Check out the Texas Stars Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from January 16, 2012


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