AHL Texas Stars

Gameday Preview - Texas Stars at Charlotte Checkers

Published on December 3, 2011 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


Texas Stars (8-11-0-1, 17 points) at Charlotte Checkers (14-6-1-1, 30 points)

The Texas Stars and the Charlotte Checkers meet for the second time in AHL history. The Checkers claimed the first meeting of the year, posting a 3-2 win at home over the Stars on Wednesday night. Texas will play a second game in Charlotte this week on Saturday. The Stars will return home on Friday, December 9th to host the Checkers at Cedar Park Center. In all the two teams will meet three times over nine days. Charlotte will visit Texas for the fourth and final time in Cedar Park on February 4th. Charlotte was in the Eastern Conference in 2010-11 and shifted to the Western Conference over the summer. The Checkers lead the newly formed Midwest Division, sitting ahead of Peoria, Chicago, Milwaukee and Rockford. The Stars are in fifth place in the West Division.

The Stars have two wins in their last nine games, going 2-6-0-1 over that span. Both of the team's wins have come in overtime at Houston. Texas is coming off a 3-2 defeat in Charlotte on Wednesday night. The Stars are 5-5-0-0 on the road this season, having been outscored 31-29 by their opponents. Texas has won four of its last six games on the road. The Stars posted one regulation win in the month of November, finishing 4-6-0-1 in the second month of the season. The Stars are 3-4-0-0 against the Midwest Division this season. Texas' scoring has been spread out evenly this season, with 21 first-period tallies and 18 second-period markers. The Stars have been outscored in third period play 17-16. Texas has fallen to 18th in the league with a 2.95 goals per game average. The team has 17 goals over its last nine games. The Stars are 5-0-0-1 when leading after two periods of play, but they are 0-10-0-0 when trailing after two periods of play.

The Checkers are riding the wave of a five-game winning streak and the club has posted points in six straight (5-0-0-1). Charlotte is coming off a 3-2 win at home over Texas on Wednesday. The Checkers are 8-1-0-1 at home this season, outscoring the visitors 31-20. Charlotte is playing the fourth game of six straight on home ice. They have not suffered a regulation loss since November 13th at Houston (5-2). They have gone 7-2-0-1 in the last ten games played. The Checkers have done the bulk of their scoring in the second period with 28 goals. The team has 20 goals in the first and 17 in the third period. Charlotte is outscoring its opponents 28-13 in the middle period of play this season. Charlotte is 6-1-0-0 when leading after the first and 12-2-1-0 when leading after the second. The Checkers have scored the first goal ten times this year, posting a 9-1-0-0 record when scoring first. Charlotte is averaging 31.45 shots per game, ranking ninth in the AHL. The Checkers are 23rd in the AHL with 14.82 penalty minutes per game.

Texas Sends Neal to Idaho

The Texas Stars announced on Friday that forward Michael Neal has been assigned to the Idaho Steelheads, Texas' primary affiliate in the ECHL.

Neal was recalled on Monday, but did not see action with the Stars on his recent stint. He is in his third season within the Dallas Stars organization. The Whitby, ON, native has played 22 games with Texas over the previous two seasons. During his time in Texas, the forward has three goals and 14 penalty minutes. The 22-year-old played in 19 games with Idaho this season, totaling three goals and seven points. For his career, Neal has played in 144 pro games with Idaho and Texas, scoring 17 times and totaling 40 points. He was drafted by the Dallas Stars in the fifth round (#149 overall) in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Dallas Sends Wathier to Texas

The Dallas Stars announced Tuesday that the NHL club has assigned forward Francis Wathier to the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Wathier was recalled on Nov. 27 and was a healthy scratch in Monday night's game at Colorado. Wathier has skated in 19 games for the Texas Stars this season, posting five goals and seven assists totaling 12 points while earning a team-leading plus/minus rating of +3. The 6-4, 218-pound forward has gone scoreless in his eight career games with the Dallas Stars, posting an even-or-plus rating in six of the contests. The St. Isidore, Ontario, native was Dallas' sixth-round selection (185th overall) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

Texas Signs Goalie Spratt

The Texas Stars announced on Monday that the club has signed goalie Jimmy Spratt to a professional tryout agreement (PTO).

Spratt is a third-year pro who started the season with the Idaho, going 5-5-0 with a 2.95 goals against average and a .920 save percentage over 12 games. The Calgary Flames drafted the 26-year old in the seventh round (#213 overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

Dallas Stars Recall Bachman

The Dallas Stars announced on Sunday that the NHL club has placed goaltender Kari Lehtonen on injured reserve and recalled goaltender Richard Bachman, Dallas' primary affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Lehtonen, 28, suffered a lower-body injury on November 26 in the game against the Phoenix Coyotes. The 6-4, 217-pound goaltender leads the NHL with 13 wins and has compiled an overall record of 13-4-1 with a 2.35 goals against average (GAA) and a .926 save percentage (SV%) in his 19 appearances this season. The Helsinki, Finland, native has registered a .920 SV%-or-higher in 12 of his 19 contests and was named the NHL's "Second Star of October," where he posted an 8-1-0 record with a .947 SV% and a 1.75 GAA.

Bachman has a 7-5-1 record earning a 3.13 GAA and a .887 SV% in 15 contests for Texas this season. The Salt Lake City, Utah, native appeared in a career-high 55 games for Texas in 2010-11, posting a 28-19-5 record with a .927 SV% and a 2.20 GAA. The 5-10, 175-pound goaltender was Dallas' fourth-round selection (120th overall) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

What's Ahead:

DATE OPPONENT TIME RADIO

Saturday, December 3 at Charlotte 6:00 PM 92.5 FM

Friday, December 9 vs. Charlotte 7:30 PM 104.9 FM

Saturday, December 10 vs. Oklahoma City 7:00 PM 104.9 FM

Tuesday, December 13 at Oklahoma City 7:00 PM 104.9 FM

Friday, December 16 at Houston 7:35 PM 104.9 FM

* All times listed are central time

LAST THREE GAMES

Texas 2 at Charlotte 3 11/30/11

The Texas Stars were defeated by the C harlotte Checkers 3-2 in front of 3,839 fans at Time Warner Cable Arena on Wednesday night. Checkers forward Jon Matsumoto scored near the halfway point of the game and the team held on for its fifth straight win. Charlotte goalie Mike Murphy stopped 25 of the 27 Texas shots, including all 13 in the final period of play. Forwards Zac Dalpe and Brett Sutter also scored for Charlotte. Texas defenseman Jordie Benn and left wing Luke Gazdic each scored in the loss. Texas goalie Tyler Beskorowany stopped 21 of 24 shots in the defeat.

Houston 4 at Texas 2 11/26/11

The Texas Stars were defeated by the Houston Aeros 4-2 in front of 6,274 fans at Cedar Park Center on Saturday night. Houston left wing Joel Broda scored twice in the victory, pulling the Aeros to 7-1-0-1 on the road. Forwards Jon DiSalvatore and Chad Rau also scored for the Aeros. Houston center Casey Wellman registered two assists on the night, as the Aeros took their third game over Texas this season. Houston goalie Matt Hackett stopped 33 of the 35 shots he faced for the win. Stars' left wing Mike Hedden netted his first goal of the season and defenseman Jordie Benn also scored. Texas goalie Richard Bachman stopped 22 of 26 shots as the team fell to 3-6-0-1 at home.

Texas 2 at Houston 1 OT 11/25/11

The Texas Stars defeated the Houston Aeros 2-1 in overtime in front of 7,009 fans at the Toyota Center on Friday night. Defenseman Maxime Fortunus blasted a shot past Houston's Matt Hackett with 37 seconds remaining in overtime to lift the Stars to victory. Texas goalie Richard Bachman stopped 32 shots for the win, helping the Stars improve to 5-4-0-0 on the road this season. Stars rookie forward Scott Glennie also scored, as Texas picked up its second consecutive win at Houston this season. Aeros forward Jed Ortmeyer forced overtime, scoring with 46 seconds remaining in regulation to spoil the Stars shutout bid. Houston goalie Matt Hackett stopped 24 shots in the loss.

Texas Stars

Center Travis Morin and right wing Raymond Sawada lead Texas in scoring. Morin is the clubhouse leader with 15 assists and 19 points in his first 20 games played. He ranks in the top ten of the AHL for assists and he is among the AHL leaders with nine power-play helpers. Morin has four assists in his last eight games, while Raymond Sawada has one goal in his last eight. Sawada is second overall in team scoring with five goals and ten assists for 15 points in 20 games played. Sawada (9) and Morin (10) are among the top 20 in the AHL for power-play points. Rookie forward Matt Fraser is third in team scoring with 13 points in 20 games. He leads the team with nine goals scored and 81 shots on net. Fraser is tied for second in the AHL with six power-play goals and he is tied for 14th overall in the AHL in rookie scoring. Fraser has been held scoreless in his last eight games.

Forwards Francis Wathier and Ryan Garbutt round out the top scoring forwards for Texas. For the season, Wathier has five goals and seven assists for 12 points in 20 games played. Center Ryan Garbutt has 12 points in 20 games. Garbutt ranks in the AHL's top five with 16 minor penalties. Left wing Luke Gazdic leads the team in penalty minutes with 37, while Garbutt comes in second with 32 minutes. Rookie forward Scott Glennie had a three-game scoring steal snapped on Wednesday. He still has four points in his last four games.

Jordie Benn leads all Texas defensemen in scoring with seven goals and 13 points in 20 games played. He ranks tied for first in goals scored and tied for seventh in points among all AHL defensemen. Benn has a point in four straight games and has at least a point in seven of the last eight games. Dan Spang and Brenden Dillon are tied for second among all team defenders with nine points each. Veteran Brad Lukowich has five assists and Maxime Fortunus has added seven points this season.

Goalies Tyler Beskorowany and Jimmy Spratt split time in net for Texas. Goalie Richard Bachman remains on recall to Dallas. Beskorowany is 1-5-0 with a 3.19 goals against average and a .891 save percentage. Beskorowany went 0-3-0 in the month of November, posting a 3.07 goals against average and a .898 save percentage. Bachman had started nine of the last 11 games for Texas prior to his recall. Spratt has yet to make his Texas debut.

Special Teams

The Stars have converted 25 of 101 power plays for a 24.8% conversion rate. The Stars have failed to register a power-play goal in only seven of their first 20 games. Texas has scored more than one power-play goal eight times this season. The Stars are second in the league with 25 power-play goals this season. The Stars have killed off 70 of the 86 penalties (81.4%), ranking 18 th overall on the penalty kill. The Checkers are 13th overall in the AHL on the penalty kill, stopping 82.4% of their opponents' power plays. Overall, Charlotte ranks 11th best in the AHL after going 22-for-113 (19.5%). Charlotte had a streak of four consecutive games with a power-play goal snapped on Wednesday.

The Charlotte Checkers

The Checkers return 16 players a from 2010-11 squad that made a deep Calder Cup Playoff run, falling in the Eastern Conference Finals to Binghamton after knocking out Hershey and Wilkes-Barre. The Checkers line-up is composed of 18 drafted players, including 13 Carolina Hurricanes draft picks. The team carries three former first round selections and two second round picks. Carolina selected Zach Boycuk in the first round in 2008 (14th overall). Defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti (NYR-06 21st overall) and center Riley Nash (EDM-07 21st overall) are also former first round picks on the Checkers roster.

Center Jonathan Matsumoto leads Charlotte in scoring with 21 points in 22 games. Matsumoto also leads the Checkers with a +9. He is tied for the team lead in goals with Jerome Samson; both have nine goals this season. Samson is second in team scoring with 20 points in 22 games played. He leads the AHL with 97 shots on goal. Left wing Chris Terry leads Charlotte with 14 assists and he is third on the team with 18 points in 20 games played. Terry has nine assists and 11 points in his last ten games played. He has a point in eight straight games, posting nine assists and 11 points over that span. Michal Jordan leads all Charlotte defenseman with eight assists and 11 points in 22 games played.

In net, the Checkers feature goalies Justin Peters and Mike Murphy. Peters is 6-2-1 with a 2.17 goals against average and a .932 save percentage. Peters is tied for sixth in the AHL for goals against average and he is fourth in save percentage. He is 5-1-0 in his last six starts with a 1.63 GAA and a .949 save percentage. Peters was named the Reebok/AHL Goaltender of the Month for November. In seven appearances during the month, Peters went 5-1-1 with a 1.63 goals-against average and a .949 save percentage. Murphy is 8-5-0 with a 2.40 goals against average and a .924 save percentage.

Check out the Texas Stars Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Hockey League Stories from December 3, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central