AHL Texas Stars

Texas Stars Gameday Notes - Hamilton at Texas

Published on December 18, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


Hamilton Bulldogs (17-8-1-3, 38 points) at Texas Stars (17-11-1-1, 36 points)

Texas and Hamilton meet for first time this year and third time in AHL history. The teams played a total of two times last year with the Stars taking the season series by posting a 1-0-0-1 mark against the Bulldogs. Texas lost to Hamilton in a shootout in October of 2009 at home, before beating Hamilton 5-0 in February at Copps Coliseum. The Stars and Bulldogs met in the 2010 Western Conference Finals, with Texas edging Hamilton in seven games. The Stars took the Western Conference crown after winning the final two games of the series on the road. The teams will meet a total of two times this season. Texas will visit Hamilton on March 12th.

The Stars are 10-6-1-1 at home this season and 5-3-1-1 in the last ten games. Texas has collected points in eight of the last ten games and 13 of the last 18. Texas has played the second fewest road games in the AHL (12) and the second most home games (18) in the league. The Stars are coming off a 3-0 win in San Antonio on Friday.

Hamilton is 7-3-0-3 on the road this year and 5-5-0-0 in the last ten games played. The Bulldogs are in the middle of three games in three nights. Hamilton won 3-0 Friday night in Oklahoma City and will play Sunday afternoon in San Antonio.

Last Year's Season Series

Texas winger Mathieu Beaudoin and defenseman Andrew Hutchinson led the Stars in scoring in the 2009-10 regular season series with Hamilton. Both skaters posted a goal and two assists for three points in two games. Defenseman Garrett Stafford, as well as forwards Aaron Gagnon, Warren Peters and Raymond Sawada also had two points in two games.

Goalie Matt Climie went 0-0-1 with a 0.93 goals against average and a .974 save percentage. Richard Bachman was 1-0-0 with a 0.00 GAA and a 1.000 save percentage, posting his first career AHL shutout against the Bulldogs in February.

In two regular season games, the Bulldogs scored one goal against Texas. Forward Mathieu Darche scored the lone Hamilton goal, which was assisted by Ben Maxwell and Mathieu Carle in October. Goalies Curtis Sanford and Cedrick Desjardins both played against Texas. Sanford won a 2-1 shootout at Cedar Park Center in October, stopping 24 of 25 Texas shots for the win. Desjardins was relieved by Sanford on February 16th after allowing three goals on 17 shots. Sanford finished 1-0 against Texas with a .929 save percentage and a 1.84 GAA, while Desjardins went 0-1 with a 6.60 GAA and a .850 save percentage.

Dallas Assigns Gagnon and Bachman to Texas, Texas Stars Assign LeMay to Allen

The Dallas Stars announced on Wednesday that the club has assigned goaltender Richard Bachman and center Aaron Gagnon to the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL). The Texas Stars also announced that the club has assigned goalie Adrien LeMay to the Allen Americans of the Central Hockey League (CHL).

Bachman, 23, made his NHL debut with Dallas on Dec. 11 at Phoenix. He played in nine minutes and made four saves with no goals against. The Salt Lake City native has spent the majority of this season with Texas, posting a 9-4-1 record with a 2.01 goals-against-average and a .931 save percentage. He was drafted by Dallas in the fourth round (120th overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Gagnon, 24, has skated in five games for Dallas this season and recorded his first NHL point (assist) Dec. 6 at Columbus. He has played most of 2010-11 with Texas, appearing in 20 games and collecting nine points (5g, 4a) and six penalty minutes. The 5-11, 186-pound center led Texas in scoring in the club's inaugural season last year with 27 goals and 31 assists.

Adrien LeMay returns to Allen where he's played 11 games, going 8-2-0 with a 2.99 goals against average and a .905 save percentage. LeMay has yet to make his AHL debut.

Dallas Recalls Fistric, Assigns Fortunus

The Dallas Stars announced on Sunday that the club has recalled defenseman Mark Fistric from his conditioning assignment with the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL). He will join Dallas in San Jose Sunday afternoon. The club also announced that defenseman Maxime Fortunus has been assigned to Texas.

Fistric, 24, was assigned to the Texas Stars for conditioning on Dec. 8. He appeared in three games for Texas, going scoreless with two penalty minutes. Fistric suffered a lower-body injury on Nov. 22 and missed seven games prior to the conditioning assignment. He has skated in 16 NHL games so far this season, accruing one assist and 20 penalty minutes. Last season he played in 67 games for Dallas, collecting one goal, nine assists and 10 points, all career highs. The Edmonton, Alberta, native posted a plus/minus rating of +27 last season, which ranked him 10th overall in the NHL and was the only player from a non-playoff team to be ranked in the top 35.

The 6-foot-3, 234-pound defenseman has skated in 156 career NHL games, all with Dallas, tallying 17 points (1g, 16a), 155 penalty minutes and a +28 plus/minus rating. Fistric was drafted by Dallas in the first round (28th overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

Fortunus, 27, was recalled by Dallas on Dec. 9, but did not appear in a game. He has played in 25 games for Texas so far this season, posting seven points (2g, 5a) and eight penalty minutes. Fortunus made his NHL debut last season with Dallas, appearing in eight games and accruing four penalty minutes. The La Prairie, Quebec, native, helped Texas reach the Calder Cup Finals in the 2009-10 season, tallying 23 points (11g, 12a) in 72 regular season games during the club's inaugural season.

What's Ahead:

DATE OPPONENT TIME TV/RADIO

Sunday, Dec. 26 at Houston 4:05 PM 104.9 FM

Tuesday, Dec. 28 at Oklahoma City 7:05 PM 104.9 FM

Thursday, Dec. 30 at Abbotsford 9:00 PM 104.9 FM

* All times listed are local time

GAME RECAPS:

Texas 3 at San Antonio 12/17/10

The Texas Stars defeated the San Antonio Rampage 3-0 on Friday night in front of 6,202 fans at the AT&T Center. Texas goalie Richard Bachman (10-4-1) stopped 41 shots in his return from the NHL's Dallas Stars. Bachman made 18 saves in the first period and coasted to his third shutout of the year, the fourth of his AHL career. Stars forwards Greg Rallo, Luke Gazdic and Francis Wathier each scored as the Stars picked up their fourth shutout in eight all-time visits to the AT&T Center. Rampage goalie Joe Fallon (0-1-0) stopped 19 of 21 shots in the loss.

Manitoba 3 at Texas 1 12/14/10

The Texas Stars were defeated by the Manitoba Moose 3-1 in front of 4,220 fans on Tuesday night at Cedar Park Center. Manitoba goalie Eddie Lack (8-6-2) stopped 39 of 40 shots, including all 19 Texas shots in the third period to preserve the 3-1 victory. Manitoba center Marco Rosa scored 7:57 into the third period, breaking a 1-1 tie, as the Moose snapped a four-game winless skid. Stars right wing Greg Rallo scored the lone Texas goal in the first period. Texas goalie Tyler Beskorowany (2-4-0) stopped 30 of 32 shots for the loss.

Texas 2 at Grand Rapids 4 12/12/10

The Texas Stars were defeated by the Grand Rapids Griffins 4-2 in front of 3,373 fans on Sunday afternoon at Van Andel Arena. Grand Rapids forward Tomas Tatar scored at 14:03 of the third period, breaking a 2-2 tie and giving Griffins a lead they never surrendered. Despite 37 saves, Stars goalie Tyler Beskorowany (2-3-0) suffered the loss. Texas right wing Raymond Sawada scored in the defeat, extending his points streak to six straight games. Center Travis Morin netted his team-leading 12th goal of the year, as Texas finished its four-game road trip 2-2-0-0. Griffins goalie Joey MacDonald (5-3-1) stopped 22 shots in the loss.

The Texas Stars

After 30 games of action, center Travis Morin leads Texas in scoring with 12 goals and 26 points. Right wing Greg Rallo is second on the team in scoring with 19 points (10g-9a) in 30 games played. Left wing Francis Wathier is third on the club with 15 points. Wathier is tied for second in goals scored (10) and also tied for the team lead with five power-play goals. Right wing Colton Sceviour is tied for third on the team with ten assists and he is fourth on the team with 14 points. Dan Spang and Fabian Brunnstrom are tied for fifth overall on the team with 13 points each. Spang leads all defensemen with 13 points. Forwards Ray Sawada and Mathieu Tousignant are tied for seventh overall with 12 points each. Defenseman Brad Lukowich is second on the team with 11 assists. Tousignant is also second on the team with 43 penalty minutes, 13 behind Luke Gazdic's 56 penalty minutes.

Texas Stars goalies Richard Bachman and Tyler Beskorowany fill the net for Texas. Brent Krahn is currently out with an injury. Bachman has appeared in 17 games, going 10-4-1 with a 1.88 goals against average and a .937 save percentage. Bachman ranks fifth overall in the AHL for goals against average and fifth in save percentage. From Nov. 16 - Dec. 7, Bachman started 10 of 11 games before receiving a call up to Dallas. In his absence, Beskorowany started in five straight games, stopping 144 of 154 (.935 %) in his last four games. Overall, Beskorowany is 2-4-0 with a 3.36 goals against average and a .910 save percentage. Krahn has appeared in nine games, posting a 5-4-0 mark, a 2.93 goals against average and a .898 save percentage.

Shooting Stars

Center Travis Morin has a point in eight of his last ten games, after having a four-game scoring streak snapped on Friday in San Antonio. Over the ten-game stretch, Morin has five goals and nine points. Right wing Raymond Sawada had his six-game point streak halted on Tuesday against Manitoba. Sawada has collected a point in eight of his last 11. Right wing Sean Backman had a five-game point streak snapped in Grand Rapids on Sunday. Over the span, the rookie scored three goals and dished out three assists for six points.

The Hamilton Bulldogs

Hamilton started the season with new Head Coach Randy Cunneyworth, who took over for Guy Boucher. The Tampa Bay Lightning named Boucher the club's head coach over the summer after he led the Bulldogs to a 52-17-3-8 regular season mark, the second highest point total (115) in the AHL. The Bulldogs return 12 players from the 2009-10 squad that went the Western Conference Finals.

Left wing Max Pacioretty was recently called up to Montreal after ranking among the league leaders in goals (17) and points (32) in 27 games played. Center David Desharnais returns for his third full season with the Bulldogs, he is the active leader among Bulldogs forwards with 26 assists and 34 points in 29 games played. Desharnais ranks second in the AHL for points and tied for second in assists. He also leads the team with a +11 and 15 power-play points. Right wing Aaron Palushaj is second on the team in scoring with 16 assists and 21 points in 23 games played. Center Ben Maxwell has ten assists and 15 points in 20 games for Hamilton. Mathieu Carle is the leader among team defensemen with 12 points in 28 games played.

Defenseman Alex Henry returns for his sixth season with the Bulldogs. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound blueliner Captains the North Division leaders. David Desharnais returns after leading Hamilton with 78 points in 60 games played in 2009-10, he also picked up 23 points in 19 2010 Calder Cup Playoff games. After scoring 36 goals and 77 points in 75 games last year, forward Brock Trotter signed in the KHL with Riga Dynamo. All-Star defenseman P.K. Subban graduated to the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens. After picking up 12 points in his first 15 games this season, defenseman Yannick Weber was called up to Montreal, where he has two assists in six games played.

In net, the Bulldogs pair James Sanford with Robert Mayer. Sanford was among the league's best in 2009-10, going 23-11-3 with a 2.13 goals against average and a .916 save percentage in 41 games with Hamilton. Sanford is 10-5-0 with a 1.69 goals against average and a .939 save percentage. Sanford ranks second in the league in goals against average and he is fourth in save percentage. Mayer is 6-4-2 with a 2.92 goals against average and a .888 save percentage.

Special Teams

After finishing second overall last season on the penalty kill, the Stars rank 23rd overall at 79.6%. Texas sits 24th in the AHL, converting 15.7% of its power plays. Hamilton is fifth overall on the power play, converting 20.6% of the time. The Bulldogs are sixth in the AHL on the penalty kill, stopping 86.3% of its opponents' power plays.

Offense and Defense

The Texas Stars are seventh overall in team defense, allowing 2.67 goals against per game. Texas is ranked 14th out of 30 teams, scoring an average of 2.90 goals per game. Hamilton's defense ranks third overall with a 2.41 goals against per game. The Bulldogs sit tied for 14th offensively, averaging 2.90 goals per game.

Check out the Texas Stars Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from December 18, 2010


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