Texas Stars Weekly Release
Dec 15, 2014
CEDAR PARK, Texas – Having won two of three games last week, and picking up points in seven of their last nine, the Texas Stars hit the road for a three-game weekend up north when they visit upstate New York and the Toronto, Ontario area this weekend.
Last week’s record: 2-1-0-0
Overall record: 10-8-7-0, 27 pts. (3rd, West Division)
-- THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE --
Dec. 19 at Utica Comets, 6 p.m. CST:
The Texas Stars visit Utica for the first time this season after going 1-0-1-0 against the Comets in two games at Cedar Park Center earlier this year. Utica sits at the top of the North Division at 17-5-5-0 on the year. Cal O’Reilly leads the Comets with 25 points (three goals, 22 assists).
Dec. 20 at Toronto Marlies, 2 p.m. CST:
The Texas Stars and Toronto Marlies hook up for the just the second time this season, but this is the first game played north of the border. The Stars won the only matchup against Toronto back on Nov. 5, in a 3-1 final at Cedar Park Center. The Marlies are currently fourth in the North Division with a 10-13-3-0 record.
Dec. 21 at Hamilton Bulldogs, 2 p.m. CST:
The Stars took a 2-1 overtime win on the road at Hamilton just over a week ago, and now the two teams will match up again on Sunday. Hamilton is currently third in the North Division at 12-10-5-0 this season. The Bulldogs are led by the AHL’s leading scorer, Charles Hudon, who has 30 points with nine goals and 21 assists.
Broadcast Info: TexasStarsHockey.com, Texas Stars Mobile App, and AHLlive.com
-- LAST WEEK’S RESULTS --
Dec. 10 vs. Oklahoma City Barons, 5-1 Win:
Greg Rallo’s milestone night and a 34-save performance by Anders Lindback fueled the Texas Stars to a 5-1 win over the division rival Oklahoma City Barons on Wednesday. Rallo’s second goal of the game proved to be the 50th of his Texas Stars career. The veteran forward was one of four multi-point scorers for the Stars along with Derek Meech (two assists), Jesse Root (one goal, one assist) and Scott Valentine (two assists). The Texas win snapped a nine-game winning streak for the Barons.
Dec. 12 vs. Charlotte Checkers, 3-1 Win:
A second period barrage of 18 shots and two goals made the difference on Friday night for the Texas Stars in a 3-1 win over the visiting Charlotte Checkers. Brandon Troock and Matej Stransky each scored second period goals for Texas. Greg Rallo added another in the third for the 150th goal of his pro career, and Anders Lindback turned aside 21 shots for his third consecutive win in his fourth start since joining the Stars.
Dec. 13 vs. Charlotte Checkers, 3-1 Loss:
Greg Rallo scored his fourth goal in three games to give the Texas Stars a chance late in the game, but an empty-net goal by the Charlotte Checkers sealed the 3-1 final on Saturday night to close out the Texas homestand. The Stars took four of six points on the home stretch despite seeing their three-game win streak come to an end. Drew MacIntyre of Charlotte out-dueled the Stars’ Anders Lindback with 34 saves to earn the win.
-- PRACTICE/TRAVEL SCHEDULE --
Monday: Off day
Tuesday: Practice, 10 a.m.
Wednesday: Practice, 10 a.m.
Thursday: Travel Day
Friday: Texas Stars at Utica Comets, 6 p.m.
Saturday: Texas Stars at Toronto Marlies, 2 p.m.
Sunday: Texas Stars at Toronto Marlies, 2 p.m.
**All times Central (CST)
-- NEWS, NOTES AND UPCOMING MILESTONES --
Greg Rallo reached a pair of milestones last week scoring the 150th goal of his professional career and his 50th in a Texas Stars sweater. Stars head coach Derek Laxdal sits on 496 wins in his coaching career. The Stars’ special teams units remain hot with a power play goal in six of the last eight games, and having killed off 30 of their last 33 penalties (90.9). Justin Dowling is one point shy of 100, and Brendan Ranford is two points away from 50, in their AHL careers.
-- UPCOMING PROMOTIONS --
The Texas Stars are on the road this week, but after the holiday return home on Saturday, Dec. 27, for a matchup against the Charlotte Checkers. Coke Zero Family Four Packs will available with four tickets, four soft drinks, four hot dogs and parking available for purchase for as low as $15 a person. It will also be a Texas Lottery Lucky Row night where the first Stars player to score a goal will win free scratch off tickets and a prize pack for one lucky row of seats in a section at Cedar Park Center, courtesy of the Texas Lottery.
The Texas Stars are the AHL’s defending Calder Cup Champions for the 2014-15 season. Single-game tickets and season ticket packages for the 2014-15 campaign are on sale now. For more information, call (512) GO-STARS (467-8277) or visit TexasStarsHockey.com.