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AHL Texas Stars

Gameday Preview - Texas Stars at Peoria

February 23, 2011 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


Texas and Peoria meet for the fifth time this season and the 13th time in AHL history. The two teams have split the season series with two wins per side. Peoria took the first two meetings while Texas claimed the last two. The last time they played was January 15th, a 3-1 Stars win at Carver Arena. The Rivermen lead the all-time series with a 6-5-0-1 record, Texas is 6-5-1-0 all-time against the Rivermen.

The two teams will play a total of six games this season, including the final meeting of the year at Carver Arena in Peoria on Wednesday, April 6th. Through four games of the season series the Rivermen have outscored the Stars 9-7. Both teams have posted a shutout in the series. Texas is coming off a 2-1 win at Milwaukee on Sunday. Peoria claimed a 6-3 decision at Rockford on Monday.

Texas is 16-11-0-1 away from Cedar Park Center this season and 6-4-0-0 in the last ten games. Texas has won three straight games and it has posted a 9-4-0-1 record in the last 14 contests. The Stars are playing the sixth of eight straight road games, the longest road trip of the season. Texas has posted three wins in a row after dropping the first two games of the trip. Of the eight games, the first three were against the North Division and the last five are against the West Division. The Stars are 26-13-1-2 against the West Division this season and 6-6-2-1 against the North Division this season. Texas is the least penalized team in the league accruing 12.12 penalty minutes a game. The Stars are 18-2-3-3 in one-goal games this year.

The Rivermen have been one of the top teams in the Western Conference throughout the season after a strong start. Peoria is 13-10-2-1 at home this season and 4-4-0-2 in the last ten games played. The Rivermen have outscored their opponents 72-71 on home-ice and 86-78 on the road. Peoria thrives on the opening goal, when scoring first this season its 24-5-1-2 with a .797 winning percentage. Peoria ranks in the top ten of the AHL with 58 first-period goals. The Rivermen are 20-13-2-3 against the West Division this season. When leading after the second period of play, the Rivermen are 21-1-0-1. Peoria is 12-3-2-3 in one-goal games this season. Peoria ranks third overall in the AHL and first in the West Division, averaging 21.57 penalty minutes per game.

Peoria's Nicholas Drazenovic leads all skaters in the series with three goals in four games, while Rivermen center TJ Hensick leads all skaters with three assists in three games. They are tied in points with Texas center Travis Morin, who has three off of two goals and an assist. Defenseman Trevor Ludwig and left wing Francis Wathier each have two assists in four games against the Rivermen.

In two starts against Texas, Peoria goalie Jake Allen is 1-1-0 with 1.01 goals against average, a .973 save percentage and a 34-save shutout in October. In two appearances against the Stars, 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. Tyler Beskorowany is 1-0-0 with a 1.01 goals against average and a .971 save percentage.

Texas Releases Mark Derlago

The Texas Stars announced on Tuesday that forward Mark Derlago has been released from a PTO (professional tryout agreement). In eight games, the Brandon, Manitoba, native had an assist and four penalty minutes for the Stars. He will return to the Idaho Steelheads, Texas' ECHL Affiliate.

Dallas Assigns Defenseman Trevor Ludwig

Prior to Sunday's game, the Dallas Stars announced that the club has assigned defenseman Trevor Ludwig to the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Ludwig, 25, was recalled by Dallas on February 15 but he did not appear in an NHL game. He has played in 50 AHL games this season with Texas and has recorded six assists and 50 penalty minutes. The 6-1, 216-pound defensemen from Rhinelander, Wisc., spent the majority of the 2009-10 season with Texas, playing 47 games and collecting eight points (3 goals, 5 assists) and 62 penalty minutes. Ludwig was Dallas' sixth round selection (183rd overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

Dallas Stars Reassign goalie Tyler Beskorowany to Texas Stars

The Dallas Stars announced on Saturday that the club has reassigned goalie Tyler Beskorowany to the Texas Stars, Dallas' AHL affiliate. Beskorowany is 5-4-0 with a 2.46 goals against average and a .930 save percentage with the Stars. In 20 games with Idaho this season, he posted a 10-8-1 mark with a 2.35 goals against average and a .928 save percentage.

The Dallas Stars drafted Beskorowany in the second round (#59 overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. The 6-foot-5, 205-pounder spent the 2009-10 season with the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL. In 62 appearances, Beskorowany posted a 29-25-4 mark with a 3.52 goals against average and a .903 save percentage. For his OHL career, the Hammer, ONT native went 52-56-17 with a 3.69 goals against average and a .902 save percentage.

Texas Recalls Defenseman Guilluame Monast

Prior to the Wednesday's game, Texas added defenseman Guillaume Monast, who was recalled from the Idaho Steelheads, Texas' ECHL Affiliate. Monast has played in seven games with one assist for Texas over three separate recalls from Idaho. He registered his first AHL point with the Stars this season at Lake Erie. In 41 games for Idaho this year, Monast has one goal and seven assists while adding 22 penalty minutes.

What's Ahead:

DATE OPPONENT TIME TV/RADIO

Friday, Feb. 25 at Houston 7:35 PM 1530 AM

Saturday, Feb. 26 at San Antonio 7:00 PM 104.9 FM

Sunday, Feb. 27 vs. Oklahoma City 5:00 PM 104.9 FM

Tuesday, Mar. 1 vs. Abbotsford 7:30 PM 1530 AM

* All times listed are central time

GAME RECAPS:

Texas 2 at Milwaukee 1 2/20/11

The Texas Stars defeated the Milwaukee Admirals 2-1 on Sunday night in front of 4,822 fans at the Bradley Center. One day after getting recalled from Idaho of the ECHL, rookie goalie Tyler Beskorowany made 34 saves to give the Stars the win and pull within one point of first place in the AHL's West Division. Right wing Sean Backman scored the game-winning goal and Mathieu Tousignant also added a tally as the Stars improved to 16-11-0-1 on the road this season. Stars defenseman Dan Spang and forward Brandon Segal each had two assists as Texas won its third straight game. Admirals' goalie Mark Dekanich stopped 22 shots in the loss.

Texas 3 at Chicago 2 2/19/11

The Texas Stars defeated the Chicago Wolves 3-2 on Saturday night in front of 10,721 fans at Allstate Arena. Stars left wing Francis Wathier scored his second goal of the night, a power-play goal with 5:14 remaining in regulation to lift Texas over Chicago. Right wing Colton Sceviour tallied a short-handed goal to even it up 2-2 early in the third period. Texas goalie Richard Bachman made 41 saves to help the Stars improve to 15-11-0-1 on the road this season. Wolves' goalie Peter Mannino stopped 23 shots for the loss.

Texas 3 at Grand Rapids 2 SO 2/18/11

The Texas Stars defeated the Grand Rapids Griffins 3-2 in a shootout on Friday night in front of 8,509 fans at Van Andel Arena. Texas goalie Richard Bachman made 35 saves in regulation and stopped all five attempts in the shootout to lift the Stars over the Griffins. Forward Brandon Segal and defenseman Dan Spang each scored in regulation as the Stars improved to 14-11-0-1 on the road this season. Left wing Francis Wathier netted the decisive goal in the shootout. Grand Rapids forwards Tomas Tatar and Jamie Johnson both scored in the loss. Griffins' goalie Jordan Pearce stopped 29 in regulation and four of five in the shootout defeat.

The Texas Stars

After 57 games of action, right wing Greg Rallo leads the team lead in points with 36 (17g-19a) in 57 games played. Ralllo also leads the team with 17 goals and 169 shots on net. Center Travis Morin is second for Texas in scoring with 13 goals and a team-high 21 assists for 34 points in 48 games played. Morin has missed the last seven games with an injury. Colton Sceviour is fifth on the team with 18 assists and tied for third with 29 points in 55 games played. Dan Spang is tied for third overall on the team with 29 points. Spang is tied for the team lead in assists (21), as well as leads all defensemen in goals (8) and shots on goal (125). Defenseman Brad Lukowich is tied for the team lead with 21 assists. Left wing Luke Gazdic's 81 penalty minutes lead the team.

Texas Stars goalies Richard Bachman, Tyler Beskorowany and Brent Krahn fill the net for the Stars. Bachman has appeared in 38 games, going 21-12-3 with a 2.17 goals against average and a .927 save percentage. Bachman ranks in the top ten in the AHL for goals against average and save percentage. Bachman has started 23 of the last 29 games. Krahn has appeared in 12 games, posting a 6-6-0 mark, a 3.20 goals against average and a .895 save percentage. Krahn was out with an injury from Nov. 10, 2010 to Feb. 4, 2011. Beskorowany has posted a 1.73 goals against average and stopped 236 of 248 shots (.951 %) in his last seven games (5-2-0) with Texas this year. Beskorowany is 5-4-0 with a 2.46 goals against average and a .930 save percentage.

Bachman Closes In On Team Records

Rookie goalie Richard Bachman is poised to set new team records this season. With 21 wins on the season, Bachman is tied with Matt Climie for the team record of 21 wins in one season. The 23-year old netminder also needs one more shutout to tie Brent Krahn's mark of five donuts in 2009-10. Bachman is five appearances away from tying Climie's record of 43 appearances in one year and he is also 304 minutes shy of setting the team mark for minutes played by a goalie. Bachman is already to team's all-time leader in wins (25), appearances (45), saves (1,206) and minutes played (2,565).

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 38 assists and 55 points in 46 games played. Mink's 39 points (18g-21a) are second on the team in 50 games played. Right wing Derek Nesbitt has 26 points in 34 games after the Rivermen added him on November 11th. Nesbitt is among the club leaders with 15 goals and is sixth among active players in scoring. Right wing David Spina is fifth among team skaters with 28 points in 54 games played. Spina's 19 assists are fourth best on the club. Defenseman Nathan Oystrick is among the top scoring defenders in the league. Oystrick's 11 goals are second in the AHL for blue-liners and his 34 points in 46 games place him 11th overall in the league among defenders.

In net, the Rivermen pair Gerald Coleman and Jake Allen, who was named a Western Conference All-Star. Goalie Ben Bishop is on recall to the NHL's St. Louis Blues. Allen is among the league leaders in goals against average, shutouts and save percentage. In 30 games, the rookie is 17-11-2 with a 2.29 goals against average and a .928 save percentage. His five shutouts lead the AHL. St. Louis made him their second-round selection in 2008. Bishop (15-12-1) is enjoying his best numbers with a 2.52 goals against average and a .916 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. Coleman has yet to play for Peoria this season.

Special Teams

After finishing second overall last season on the penalty kill, the Texas Stars penalty kill is 27th overall at 78.0%. Texas ranks 16th best in the AHL, converting on 17.3% of its power plays. The Rivermen are 10th overall on the power play, converting 19.8% of the time. Peoria is fourth overall on the penalty kill, stopping 85.7% of their opponents' power plays.

Offense and Defense

The Texas Stars are eighth overall in team defense, allowing 2.63 goals against per game. Texas is ranked 17th out of 30 teams, scoring an average of 2.75 goals per game. Peoria's defense ranks sixth overall with a 2.57 goals against per game. The Rivermen sit 20th offensively, averaging 2.72 goals per game.

Check out the Texas Stars Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from February 23, 2011


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