AHL Texas Stars

Gameday Preview - Texas at San Antonio

April 13, 2012 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


Texas Stars (31-38-2-2, 66 points) at San Antonio Rampage (39-29-3-2, 83 points)

The Texas Stars and the San Antonio Rampage meet for the 12th and final time this season. The Rampage leads the season series with a 6-2-2-1 mark versus the Stars this season. The Rampage took the last meeting on March 10, a 4-3 victory at Texas. Texas is 5-5-0-1 against their in-state rival in 2011-12. The Stars are 4-2-0-0 at home against the Rampage this season. The Rampage is 2-1-2-1 at Cedar Park Center this season. This marks the 34th all-time meeting between the two teams. Texas posted a 6-2-0-2 mark over San Antonio in 2010-11 and they own the all-time series with a 19-11-0-3 record. The Stars are 13-3-0-1 in 16 games at Cedar Park Center against the Rampage. San Antonio is 4-5-7-1 over three years at Cedar Park Center. Texas is 6-8-0-2 all-time at AT&T Center, putting up five shutouts in 16 visits. The Rampage is 10-6-0-0 at home against the Stars. San Antonio currently sits in fifth place of the Western Conference, needing three points to clinch a playoff spot. The Rampage have three games remaining, including two at home. Texas is in 15th place of the conference, 16 points back of the final playoff spot with three games remaining (1 home, 2 away). The Stars are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

Texas has four wins in its last ten games, going 4-6-0-0 over that span. The team is coming off a 5-2 win at home over Chicago on Tuesday. The Stars are 13-22-0-1 on the road this season, having taking two of their last four road games. The team has been outscored 117-90 on the road this season. All three remaining regular season games are against division foes. The Stars are 14-24-0-2 against the West Division and a combined 17-15-2-0 against the Midwest and North Divisions. Texas' scoring has been spread out evenly this season, with 60 first-period tallies and 87 second-period markers. The Stars lead the opposition in second-period scoring with an 87-80 edge. In all, the club has been outscored by the opposing team 240-218 for the season. The Stars have struggled defensively, allowing a league-high 83 first-period goals. Texas is eighth in the league with a 2.99 goals per game average and it ranks 29th defensively with a 3.29 goals against average. The Stars are 21-2-1-1 when leading after two periods of play. Texas is 4-32-0-0 when trailing after two periods of play, with all four comebacks occurring at home. The Stars are 0-16-0-0 on the road when trailing after two frames. The team is 15-15-2-2 in games decided by one goal this season. Texas is second in the AHL with seven overtime wins this season, going 7 (OTW)-2 (OTL)-2 (SOW)-2 (SOL) when tied after regulation. The Stars are tied for fourth in the AHL with a team-record 12 shorthanded goals scored this season.

San Antonio comes into its final meeting of the season against Texas after a 4-1 win at home on Tuesday. The Rampage need three points to clinch its first playoff berth since 2008. San Antonio is 6-3-0-1 in the last ten games and 19-16-0-1 at home this season. The Rampage has been outscored by the opposition at the AT&T Center this year, with a 97-87 differential. The team has wins in four of the last five games at home. The Rampage has posted 29-15-3-2 (.622) record since Dec. 10. San Antonio is eighth in the league with a 2.68 goals against average. The Rampage is 26th in the AHL, averaging 2.59 goals per game. The club is 27-5-3-2 when scoring first this season. The Rampage is 18-15-3-1 against the West Division this season. San Antonio has been outscored in two of three periods this season, including a 73-61 differential in the second period of play. The Rampage has scored 61 second-period goals and 55 third-period goals. San Antonio is 22-4-1-2 when leading after the first and 25-2-3-1 when leading after the second. The Rampage is 7-23-0-0 when trailing after two periods of play. In one-goal games, the team is 25-8-3-2, the highest total of one-goal wins in the AHL.

Texas right wing Matt Fraser leads the season series with nine goals and 11 points in ten games against the Rampage. Texas forwards Travis Morin (2g-8a) and Colton Sceviour (4g-6a) are tied for second in scoring with ten points each. Rampage forwards Bill Thomas (5g-5a) and Mark Cullen (4g-6a) lead their team in scoring with ten points each. Former Star Greg Rallo has five goals and eight points in ten appearances against in Texas. From 2009-11, Rallo scored seven goals and added five assists for 12 points as a Star against San Antonio. Left wing Francis Wathier is Texas' all-time leading scorer against San Antonio. In 32 games over three seasons, Wathier has ten goals and 23 points. Rampage goalie Jacob Markstrom is 2-2-0 with a 2.73 goals against average and a .927 save percentage in four appearances against Texas. Dov Grumet-Morris is 3-1-0 with a 2.88 goals against average and a .909 save percentage.

Texas Stars

Center Travis Morin is the clubhouse leader with a team-record 52 assists and team-record 64 points in his first 73 games played. He ranks in the top five of the AHL for assists and in the top ten for points. With a goal on Thursday, March 29, at home against Hamilton, he surpassed the team record for most points in one season. He beat center Aaron Gagnon's mark of 58 points in 78 games of the 2009-10 season. Earlier in the season, Morin surpassed Perttu Lindgren's record of 33 assists in one season, set in 2009-10.

Rookie forward Matt Fraser is second in team scoring with 54 points in 70 games. He leads the AHL with 36 goals scored and is second on the team with 238 shots on net. Fraser is sixth overall among all rookies in points and the winger is first in shots. Fraser set the Stars single-season record for goals in one season, surpassing the old record of 27 set by Aaron Gagnon (09-10). The Red Deer, AB, native is the first Texas Star to reach the 30-goal plateau in one season.

Colton Sceviour, Francis Wathier and Scott Glennie round out the top scorers for Texas. Colton Sceviour is second on the team with a career-high 32 assists and he is third with a career-high 53 points in 72 games. Sceviour has career-highs for goals as well, potting 21 on the year. He leads the club with 240 shots on goal this year, placing him third in the league. Wathier has 18 goals and 24 assists for 42 points in 72 games played. He is the team's all-time leading goal scorer with 56 goals for Texas. Rookie Scott Glennie is fifth overall on the team with 38 points off 12 goals and 26 assists in 69 games played.

Jordie Benn leads all defensemen in scoring with nine goals and 20 assists for 29 points in 59 games played. Defenseman Brenden Dillon is second in points from the blueline with five goals and 22 assists for 27 points in 73 games played. He also leads all defenders with 95 penalty minutes. Dillon is one of three remaining skaters (Morin, Luke Gazdic) to have played in every game this season. Veteran Brad Lukowich has 26 points off 22 assists and four goals in 65 games played. Dan Spang has three goals and 21 assists for 24 points in 67 games played.

Goalies Andrew Raycroft, Tyler Beskorowany and Jack Campbell split time in net for Texas. Campbell has started the last eight games since turning pro on March 21st. The rookie netminder is 4-4-0 with a 2.89 goals against average and a .919 save percentage. His 19 saves in the first period against Hamilton on March 29th set a Stars season-high for the most in any period. Beskorowany is 10-19-0 with a 3.39 goals against average and a .886 save percentage. Raycroft is 9-10-1 with a 3.16 goals against average and a .891 save percentage in 21 starts for the Stars.

Special Teams

The Stars have converted 62 of 325 power plays for a 19.1% conversion rate, as Texas is ninth overall in power play percentage. The Stars have killed off 226 of 273 opponents power plays (82.8%), ranking 12th overall on the penalty kill. The Rampage is 24th in the AHL on the penalty kill, stopping 81.1% of their opponents' power plays. Overall, San Antonio ranks 24th in the AHL on the power play after going 38-for-254 (15.0%).

The San Antonio Rampage

Center Jonathan Matsumoto leads the Rampage with 22 goals, 37 assists and 59 points in 73 games played this year. Mastumoto played 41 games in Charlotte prior to the trade, posting 34 points (13g, 21a). In 32 games with the Rampage, he has nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points. Center Bracken Kearns is second for San Antonio in scoring with 21 goals and 50 points in 66 games played. He leads the team with nine power-play goals and 20 power-play points. Right wing Bill Thomas leads the team with 26 goals and is third in scoring with 49 points in 62 games played. Center Mark Cullen is fourth in team scoring with 45 points off 36 assists in 55 games played. Former Star Greg Rallo has 20 goals and 40 points in 69 games played this season. All-Star defenseman Colby Robak ranks as the top-scoring defenseman. He's set up 30 goals and totaled 39 points in 70 games played.

San Antonio goalies Jacob Markstrom and Dov Grumet-Morris shoulder the load in net. Grumet-Morris is 19-12-1 with a 2.34 goals against average and a .922 save percentage. Jacob Markstrom is 15-12-1 with a 2.30 goals against average and a .928 save percentage. In his last 11 decisions, Markstrom is 7-4-0 with a 1.97 goals against average and a .940 save percentage.

Dallas Assigns Brenden Dillon, Jordie Benn, Scott Glennie and Tomas Vincour

The Dallas Stars announced on Sunday that the club assigned defenseman Brenden Dillon, forward Scott Glennie, defenseman Jordie Benn and forward Tomas Vincour to the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Dillon, 21, has played in 72 games for Texas this season, scoring five goals and adding 21 assists for 26 points and 91 penalty minutes. He was signed to a three-year contract as a free agent on March 3, 2011. The 6-3, 212-pound defenseman made his NHL debut on April 7 vs. the St. Louis Blues registering a team-leading six shots and four hits in 19:59 of ice time.

Glennie, 21, has played in 68 games this season for Texas and has 12 goals and 25 assists for 37 points. He made his NHL debut on April 7 vs. the St. Louis Blues, earning two hits and two penalty minutes. The 6-2, 200-pound forward from Winnipeg, Manitoba, was selected in the first round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft (No. 8 overall).

Benn, 24, collected two assists in his three games for Dallas this season. 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.

Vincour, 21, appeared in 47 games for the Dallas Stars this season, collecting five goals, seven assists and six penalty minutes during the 2011-12 campaign. The 6-2, 204-pound forward was Dallas' fifth-round selection (129th overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Labrie Reassigned to Idaho for ECHL's Kelly Cup Playoffs

The Dallas Stars announced on Sunday that the team has reassigned defenseman Hubert Labrie from the Texas Stars to the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL.

Labrie, returns to Idaho for the ECHL's Kelly Cup Playoffs. He played in eight games for the Steelheads in 2011-12, scoring one goal and adding four assists for five points. The rookie defenseman also played in 33 games for the Texas Stars this season, scoring two goals and totaling three points. Labrie turned pro after playing the previous four years in Gatineau of the QMJHL from 2007-08. In 192 QMJHL games, the 21-year-old defenseman scored ten goals and set up 38 others for a total of 48 points.

LAST THREE GAMES

Chicago 2 at Texas 5 4/10/12

The Texas Stars defeated the Chicago Wolves 5-2 in front of 4,969 fans at Cedar Park Center on Tuesday night. The Stars scored four goals in the first two periods of play, helping them cruise to a 5-2 victory. Texas goalie Jack Campbell stopped 36 shots for the win. Right wing Alex Chiasson and left wing Mike Hedden each registered a goal and an assist. Forward Colton Sceviour added two assists for Texas. Forwards Angelo Esposito, Tomas Vincour and defenseman Jace Coyle also scored for the Stars. Forwards Anton Rodin and Nicklas Jensen scored for the Wolves. Chicago goalie Matt Climie stopped eight shots and took the loss in 22 minutes of play.

Texas 2 at Peoria 3 4/5/12

The Texas Stars were defeated by t he Peoria Rivermen 3-2 in front of 5,235 fans at Carver Arena on Thursday night. Rivermen forwards Patrick O'Sullivan and Adam Cracknell scored 2:22 apart midway through the third period to propel Peoria past Texas. Rivermen goalie Jake Allen stopped 32 of 34 Stars shots, as his club improved to 19-17-1-0 at home this season. Texas forward Matt Fraser extended his team record for goals in a season, netting both Stars goals and pushing his total to 36 for the year. Texas goalie Jack Campbell took the loss with 35 saves on 38 shots.

Texas 2 at Grand Rapids 4 4/4/12

The Texas Stars were defeated by the Grand Rapids Griffins 4-2 in front of 8,457 fans at Van Andel Arena on Tuesday. Griffins forward Joakim Andersson registered a hat trick and helped Grand Rapids stay in the playoff hunt with a two-goal win. Despite making 16 saves in the first period and finishing with 30 for the game, Texas goalie Jack Campbell suffered the defeat. Stars forwards Matt Fraser and Shawn Weller each scored, as the team fell to 13-21-0-1 on the road this season.

What's Ahead:

DATE OPPONENT TIME RADIO

Friday, April 13 at San Antonio 7:00 PM 92.5 FM

Saturday, April 14 vs. Oklahoma City 7:00 PM 92.5 FM

Sunday, April 15 at Houston 5:05 PM 104.9 FM

* All times listed are central time

Check out the Texas Stars Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from April 13, 2012


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