AHL Texas Stars

Gameday Preview Texas at Oklahoma City

Published on November 19, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


Texas Stars (8-6-0-0, 16 points) at Oklahoma City Barons (10-6-1-0, 21 points)

Texas will meet Oklahoma City for the second time this season. The Barons lead the all-time series 1-0-0-0 after beating Texas 6-1 at the Cox Convention Center on Nov. 5, 2010. Texas is coming off back-to-back wins, including an 8-2 win at home on Tuesday night over Chicago. The Barons are coming off a 6-2 win at home on Friday night over Chicago and have not played since. The Stars and Barons are scheduled to meet eight more times this year, including five games at Cedar Park Center.

Oklahoma City is 5-5-1-0 at the Cox Covention Center this year and 7-3-0-0 in the last ten games overall. The Barons are in the middle of an eight-game home stand. Texas is 3-2-0-0 on the road and 5-5-0-0 in the last ten games played. The Stars and Barons continue a hockey rivalry that dates back to the 1990s when the Oklahoma City Blazers played the Austin Ice Bats.

Stars Recall Goalie Tyler Beskorowany from Idaho, LeMay Assigned Back to Allen

Cedar Park, TX - The Texas Stars announced on Thursday the club has recalled goalie Tyler Beskorowany from the Idaho Steelheads, Texas' ECHL Affiliate. The team also announced that goalie Adrien LeMay has been assigned to the Allen Americans, the Stars' Central Hockey League Affiliate.

At the time of his call up, Beskorowany ranked among the best goalies in the ECHL, including the third best save percentage (.932) and the fifth best goals against average (2.27). In ten games with Idaho, the rookie netminder is 4-3-2 and sits fourth in the league for minutes played (582) and third with 303 saves. The 20-year old played in one preseason game for Texas on Oct. 2, posting 20 saves in a 4-2 loss to Oklahoma City.

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.

The Texas Stars returned goalie Adrien LeMay to the Central Hockey League's Allen Americans. LeMay dressed in Tuesday night's 8-2 win over Chicago, but did not play. In six games with Allen, LeMay is 4-1-0 with a 2.85 goals against average and a .914 save percentage.

What's Ahead:

DATE OPPONENT TIME TV/RADIO

Saturday, Nov. 20 vs. Milwaukee 7:00 PM 1530 AM

Sunday, Nov. 21 at Houston 4:05 PM 1530 AM

Wednesday, Nov. 24 vs. Houston 7:30 PM 1530 AM

Friday, Nov. 26 vs. Milwaukee 7:30 PM 1530 AM

Saturday, Nov. 27 vs. San Antonio 7:00 PM 1530 AM

* All times listed are local time

Upcoming Home Games and Promotions:

Milwaukee at Texas on Saturday, November 20, 2010 at 7:00 PM

* State Farm Family Four Pack (4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 sodas for $52)

* The first 2,500 fans receive a Texas Stars Winter Hat compliments of Mighty Fine Burgers

Houston at Texas on Wednesday, November 24, 2010 at 7:30 PM

GAME RECAPS:

Chicago 2 at Texas 8 11/16/10

The Texas Stars defeated the Chicago Wolves 8-2 on Tuesday in front of 4,699 fans at Cedar Park Center. Texas broke three team records in the lopsided win, including five power-play goals and six second-period goals. Right wing Tomas Vincour scored two of the team's record setting eight goals. Seven different forwards lit the lamp for the Stars and all but two skaters picked up a point as the team improved to 5-4-0-0 on home ice. Defenseman Dan Spang and forward Fabian Brunnstrom each picked up three assists as Texas handed Chicago its sixth straight defeat. Center Travis Morin (1g,1a) and right wing Ray Sawada (2a) also enjoyed a multi-point night as the Stars improved to 3-0-0-0 against Chicago this season. Texas goalie Richard Bachman (3-2-0) stopped 26 shots in the win. Chicago goalie Drew MacIntyre (0-3-0) stopped 21 of 28 shots in the loss and was pulled after 40 minutes of play.

Chicago 2 at Texas 3 11/10/10

Cedar Park, TX - The Texas Stars defeated the Chicago Wolves 3-2 on Wednesday in front of 4,090 fans at Cedar Park Center. Stars left wing Francis Wathier scored the game-winning goal with 4:25 left in the third period, helping Texas get back to .500 on home ice. Stars right wing Greg Rallo also tallied as Texas improved to 2-0-0-0 against Chicago this season. Texas goalie Brent Krahn stopped 20 shots in the victory, which ended the Stars four-game losing skid. Chicago goalie Edward Pasquale stopped 27 of 30 shots in the defeat.

Toronto 3 at Texas 0 11/6/10

The Texas Stars were defeated by the Toronto Marlies 3-0 in front of 5,734 fans on Saturday night at Cedar Park Center. Marlies goalie James Reimer stopped all 32 Stars shots to notch his first win of the season. Toronto forward Ryan Hamilton opened the scoring in the first and Joey Crabb added an early goal in the third to secure the win. Stars goalie Brent Krahn stopped 25 of the 27 shots in the loss.

The Texas Stars

After 14 games of action, center Travis Morin leads Texas in scoring with five goals and 12 points. Left wing Francis Wathier leads Texas with six goals, including a team-high four on the power play. Wathier is second on the team in points with seven and second on the squad with 23 penalty minutes. Left wing Scott McCulloch has four goals in seven games, and is tied for third in points with six other skaters. Forwards Aaron Gagnon, Fabian Brunnstrom, Tomas Vincour, Greg Rallo, and Mathieu Tousignant, along with defenseman Dan Spang, are all tied with six points each. Mathieu Tousignant's 27 penalty minutes are tops on the team.

Texas Stars goalies Richard Bachman and Tyler Beskorowany will split time in net for Texas. Brent Krahn is currently out with an injury. Krahn has appeared in nine games, posting a 5-4-0 mark, a 2.93 goals against average and a .898 save percentage. Bachman has appeared in seven games, going 3-2-0 with a 2.43 goals against average and a .920 save percentage. Both goalies have posted a shutout this year. Beskorowany has yet to make his AHL debut.

The Stars 25-man roster is composed of three goalies, eight defensemen and 15 forwards. Texas returns 15 players from the 2010 Western Conference Championship squad. The players range from ages 19 to 34 with an average age of 24.16. Eight players are 22-years old or younger, including two 19-year olds. The roster is made up of six different nationalities. The roster also features 17 NHL draft picks, including ten Dallas Stars draft picks.

The most notable forward returnees on the Stars roster include Aaron Gagnon, Travis Morin and Greg Rallo, three of the top scorers on the team in 2009-10. Gagnon scored a team-high 27 goals and totaled 58 points in a breakout year. Morin and Rallo also had breakout years. As an AHL rookie, Morin finished in the top ten for points by a rookie and was second on the team with 52 points. Rallo had a career-high 19 goals and 44 points on the year.

On defense, the Stars return Maxime Fortunus, Matt Stephenson and Trevor Ludwig. Also, veteran defender and two-time Stanley Cup Champion, Brad Lukowich rejoins the team. Last season, Lukowich started the year with Texas and played in the first 29 games. He was recalled to Vancouver on New Year's Day and did not return.

Both goaltenders saw action for Texas last season. Returning starter Brent Krahn played in 22 games, going 17-4-0 with a 1.83 goals against average and a .945 save percentage. His season was shortened due to injuries. Richard Bachman played in seven games for Texas last year, posting a 4-3-0 record, a 2.02 goals against average and a .933 save percentage.

The Oklahoma City Barons

The Oklahoma City Barons are the AHL Affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers. Head Coach Todd Nelson is the first coach in team history, guiding the club in its inaugural season. Nelson spent the last two years as an assistant coach with the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers prior to his first head coaching job in the AHL.

Left wing Linus Omark leads the Barons with 19 points in 17 games played, including a team-high ten goals. Omark was selected by the Oilers in the fourth round (#97 overall) in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. Omark is playing in his first North American pro season. Omark has points in 12 of his last 14 games, collecting all 19 of his season points in that span.

Left wing Alexandre Giroux is second on the Barons with 17 points in the first 17 games of the year. Giroux spent the last four years with the Hershey Bears, winning two Calder Cups and making three Finals appearances. Giroux led the AHL in goals scored the last two seasons. The veteran winger scored the OT game-winning goal for Hershey at Cedar Park Center in a pivotal Game 5 of the 2010 Calder Cup Finals. Giroux's winner capped a 2-1 win for the Bears and sent the series back to Hershey with 3-2 series lead intact.

Left wing Liam Reddox is third on the team in scoring with 16 points and he is second with nine goals. Reddox is also second on the team with a +8. Center Brad Moran is tied for fourth on the team in scoring with 15 points on seven goals and eight assists.

Shawn Belle is on recall to the Edmonton Oilers. Despite being on recall, Belle is still second in the AHL for points by a defenseman with 15, including a team-high 13 helpers. He spent last season with the Hamilton Bulldogs, falling to the Texas Stars in the Western Conference Finals. Belle is joined on the blueline by Jeff Petry, a rookie out of Michigan State. Petry was drafted by Edmonton in the second round (#45 overall) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Experienced defensemen Richard Petiot, Alex Plante and Taylor Chorney help round out the defense.

In net, the Barons feature goalies Jeff Deslauriers and Bryan Pitton. Fellow goalie Martin Gerber was recalled to Edmonton after starting 9-4-0, with a 2.56 goals against average and a .911 save percentage. Gerber has also played for the NHL's Ottawa Senators, Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes, and Toronto Maple Leafs. Fellow tender, Jeff Deslauriers is a second-round pick (#31 overall) of Edmonton in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. Deslauriers played in 48 games for Edmonton last season, going 16-28-4 with a 3.26 goals against average and a .900 save percentage. Deslauriers is 0-2-0 this year, sporting a 4.61 goals against average and a .836 save percentage. Pitton is 1-1-0 with a 3.52 goals against average and a .891 save percentage.

"Special" Teams

After finishing second overall last season on the penalty kill, the Stars rank 15th overall at 83.0%. Texas sits 15th in the AHL, converting 18.1% of its power plays. The Barons are 19th overall on the power play, converting 16.7% of the time. Oklahoma City is first in the AHL on the penalty kill, stopping 90.9% of its opponents' power plays. Texas is 0-7 on the power play against Oklahoma City.

Offense and Defense

The Texas Stars are 16th overall in team defense, allowing 2.79 goals against per game. Texas is ranked 19th out of 30 teams, scoring an average of 2.79 goals per game. Oklahoma City's defense ranks 21st overall with a 3.00 goals against per game. The Barons sit fourth offensively, averaging 3.53 goals per game. The Barons have given up 18 goals in the last four games.

Check out the Texas Stars Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from November 19, 2010


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