AHL Texas Stars

Texas Stars Game Preview

December 4, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


Houston Aeros (12-10-1-2, 27 points) at Texas Stars (13-8-0-1, 27 points)

Texas and Houston meet for the fifth time this season and the 17th time in AHL history. The two teams will play a total of 12 games this season, including three more times at Cedar Park Center. The Aeros own the season series with a 3-1-0-0 mark against the Stars this season. Texas is 9-6-0-1 all-time against Houston after taking the season series last year by going 8-3-0-1 against their in-state rivals.

The Stars are 9-5-0-1 at Cedar Park Center this season. Texas enters tonight's game having won seven of its last ten games. Over that span, the Stars have outscored their opponents 35-15. The Stars are coming off a 2-1 shootout loss at home to San Antonio on Friday night. Houston is 6-5-0-2 on the road this year and 6-4-0-0 in the last ten games played. The Aeros are coming off a 2-1 loss at home on Friday night to Rockford.

Through the first four games of the series six different skaters are tied for the series lead in points. Texas forwards Greg Rallo and Travis Morin lead the Stars attack with four points each in four games against Houston. Aeros forwards Jon DiSalvatore, Warren Peters and Jarod Palmer, as well as defenseman Marco Scandella lead Houston with four points each.

Texas goalie Richard Bachman is 1-2-0 with a 3.41 goals against average and an .853 save percentage against Houston this season. Tyler Beskorowany is 0-1-0 with a 3.01 goals against average and a .900 save percentage. Aeros goalie Anton Khudobin is 3-0-0 with a 2.44 goals against average and a .925 save percentage.

Dallas Recalls Center Aaron Gagnon

The Dallas Stars announced on Friday that the club has recalled Texas Stars center Aaron Gagnon. Gagnon, 24, appeared in 20 games for Texas this season, scoring five goals and four assists for nine points with six penalty minutes. He was recalled by Dallas on October 17 and appeared in one game at Tampa Bay. He was assigned back to Texas the following day. Gagnon signed as a free agent with Dallas on February 2, 2007.

Dallas Assigns Defenseman Severin Blindenbacher to Texas

The Dallas Stars announced on Tuesday that the club has assigned defenseman Severin Blindenbacher to the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Blindenbacher, 27, did not play in Dallas during his recall. So far this season, he has appeared in eight games for Texas, scoring one goal and three assists for four points with four penalty minutes. He represented Switzerland at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, recording one goal and one assist in five games. Blindenbacher signed as a free agent with Dallas on July 1, 2010.

What's Ahead:

DATE OPPONENT TIME TV/RADIO

Tuesday, Dec. 7 vs. Manitoba 7:30 PM 104.9 FM

Wednesday, Dec. 8 at Rockford 6:35 PM 1530 AM

Friday, Dec. 10 at Grand Rapids 6:00 PM 104.9 FM

Saturday, Dec. 11 at Milwaukee 7:30 PM 104.9 FM

Sunday, Dec. 12 at Grand Rapids 3:00 PM 104.9 FM

* All times listed are local time

Upcoming Home Games and Promotions:

Manitoba at Texas on Tuesday, December 7, 2010 at 7:30 PM - * H-E-B Tuesday ( bring any non-perishable H-E-B food item to the box office and receive a $5 discount)

GAME RECAPS:

San Antonio 2 at Texas 1 (SO) 12/3/10

The Texas Stars were defeated by the San Antonio Rampage 2-1 in a shootout in front of 5,976 fans on Friday night at Cedar Park Center. Former Texas Stars goalie Matt Climie (10-4-0) stopped 26 of 27 shots in regulation and all four attempts in the shootout to preserve the Rampage win. Rampage winger Brett MacLean scored the only San Antonio goal in regulation, helping the Rampage end a three-game winless skid against Texas. Stars left wing Fabian Brunnstrom scored the only Texas goal of the night, as the Stars earned a point in their first shootout loss of the season. Texas goalie Richard Bachman (8-3-1) stopped 30 of 31 shots in regulation and one of three attempts for his first shootout loss of the year.

Oklahoma City 2 at Texas 5 11/30/10

The Texas Stars defeated the Oklahoma City Barons 5-2 in front of 3,368 fans on Tuesday night at Cedar Park Center. Five different goal scorers helped Texas earn its seventh win in the last nine games. Forwards Luke Gazdic, Travis Morin, Colton Sceviour and Francis Wathier each scored a goal on the night, as Texas improved to 2-1-0-0 against Oklahoma City this season. Center Mathieu Tousignant notched a goal and added an assist as the Stars improved to 9-5-0-0 at home. Texas goalie Richard Bachman stopped 29 of 31 shots for the win. Barons goalie Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers (3-4-1) took the loss with 12 saves on 15 shots in the first 20 minutes of play.

San Antonio 2 at Texas 5 11/27/10

The Texas Stars defeated the San Antonio Rampage 5-2 in front of 5,961 fans on Saturday night at Cedar Park Center. Stars forwards Greg Rallo and Francis Wathier each scored and added assists as Texas snapped San Antonio's seven-game winning streak. Defenseman Brad Lukowich also set up two goals as Texas improved to 8-5-0-0 at home this season. Texas forwards Raymond Sawada, Fabian Brunnstrom and Sean Backman also scored as the Stars improved to 3-0-0-0 against the West Division leaders this season. Texas goalie Richard Bachman (7-3-0) stopped 19 of 21 shots for the win. San Antonio goalie Matt Climie (9-4-0) stopped 27 of 31 shots for the loss.

The Texas Stars

After 22 games of action, center Travis Morin leads Texas in scoring with eight goals and 19 points. Right wing Greg Rallo has moved into second on the team in scoring with 13 points in 22 games played. Left wing Francis Wathier and center Mathieu Tousignant are tied for third in team scoring with 11 points each. Wathier is tied for the team lead with eight goals scored and he is first on the team with five power-play markers. Left wing Luke Gazdic leads the team with 41 penalty minutes. Dan Spang is fifth on the team with ten points, and he is the leader among team defensemen in scoring.

Texas Stars goalies Richard Bachman and Tyler Beskorowany 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 14 games, going 8-3-1 with a 1.86 goals against average and a .935 save percentage. Bachman ranks fifth overall in the AHL for goals against average and he is sixth in save percentage. Beskorowany is 0-1-0 with a 3.01 goals against average and a .900 save percentage.

The Stars 24-man roster is composed of three goalies, eight defensemen and 13 forwards. Texas returns 15 players from the 2010 Western Conference Championship squad. The players range from ages 20 to 34 with an average age of 24.16. Eight players are 22-years old or younger. The roster is made up of six different nationalities. The roster also features 17 NHL draft picks, including ten Dallas Stars draft picks.

Strong November

Texas finished the month of November in strong fashion. Forwards Greg Rallo and Travis Morin led the way with ten points each. The Stars went 7-4-0-0 in November, with goalie Richard Bachman going 6-1-0. Bachman was named AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Nov. 21, 2010. He posted one shutout, a .942 save percentage and a 1.62 goals against average in the second month of the season. Defenseman Dan Spang and Rallo led the team with a +5.

The Houston Aeros

The Aeros return 14 players from 2009-10 team that went 34-34-7-5 with 80 points and a seventh place finish in the West Division. Houston hired their eighth head coach in team history this summer, bringing in Mike Yeo to replace Kevin Constantine. Yeo played for the Aeros from 1994-99 and he spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Yeo helped the Pens win the Stanley Cup in 2009.

The Aeros have four skaters tied for the team lead in points with 14. Defenseman Maxime Noreau, as well as forwards Jean-Michel Daoust, Jon DiSalvatore and Jarod Palmer are jockeying for the team lead in scoring. Noreau leads the team with five power-play goals and he ranks second in the AHL for goals by a defenseman and tied for 12th in the among all blueliners. Rookie center Jarod Palmer leads Houston with ten assists and he ranks tied for 12th in the AHL for points by a rookie. Right wing Jean-Michel Daoust has five points in his last five games. Forward Robbie Earl was recently returned from a stint with the NHL's Minnesota Wild, he has 11 points in 16 games with the Aeros.

Goalies Anton Khudobin and Matt Hackett split time in net for Houston. Khudobin is 8-5-1 with a 2.20 goals against average and a .927 save percentage. He is 12th in the AHL in goals against average and 10th in save percentage. Hackett, a rookie netminder, is 4-6-1 with a 2.87 goals against average and a .905 save percentage. Hackett is a first-year pro who was drafted by the Wild in the third round (#77 overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

The Houston returnees include the top four scorers from last year. Forward Jean-Michel Daoust led the team with 21 goals and 55 points in 78 games played. Right wing Jon DiSalvatore tied Daoust for the team lead with 21 goals and was second on the team with 52 points in 79 games. DiSalvatore has scored 20 goals or more in seven straight seasons. Defenseman Maxim Noreau returns after leading the team in points among blueliners. Noreau scored 18 goals and set up 34 others for 52 points in 76 games played. As a rookie, Chad Rau finished fourth on the team in scoring with 19 goals and 38 points in 79 games played.

Former Star Warren Peters has nine points in 25 games with the Aeros this season, including two goals and two assists in four games against Texas. Peters was instrumental in the Stars run to the Calder Cup Finals. He enjoyed an AHL career-high 20 goals and 34 points in 61 games with Texas last year. Peters also played in 23 Calder Cup Playoff games with four goals and four assists. The Saskatoon, SK native led the team with 56 penalty minutes in the post season.

Special Teams

After finishing second overall last season on the penalty kill, the Stars rank 19th overall at 82.1%. Texas sits 13th in the AHL, converting on 17.7% of its power plays. The Aeros are 22nd overall on the power play, converting 15.3% of the time. Houston is fifth overall on the penalty kill, stopping 87.3% of its opponents' power plays.

Offense and Defense

The Texas Stars are third overall in team defense, allowing 2.45 goals against per game. Texas is ranked 18th out of 30 teams, scoring an average of 2.77 goals per game. Houston's defense is 11th overall with a 2.68 goals against per game. The Aeros sit 22nd offensively, averaging 2.64 goals per game.

Check out the Texas Stars Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from December 4, 2010


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