Texas Takes Five Points, Clinch Top Seed in Western Conference
Apr 15, 2014
Two Games Left, Stars Travel to OKC, Host Abbotsford Saturday
2013-14 Record: 47-17-3-7, 104 points (29-7-0-1 Home, 18-10-3-6 Road), First Place – West Division
Week 28 Recap:
Week 28 for the Texas Stars comprised of a three-in-three with the San Antonio Rampage. The Stars took the first game on Friday, April 11th, shutting out the Rampage 5-0. Scott Glennie scored the only goal Texas would need, finishing off a give-and-go with Chris Mueller 3:43 into the game. Just 47 seconds later, John Klingberg picked up his first career AHL point when he fired a cross-ice pass to Mike Hedden, who slammed it home at the far side of the net. Later in the period, rookie Curtis McKenzie collected a bouncing rebound and snapped it over San Antonio starting goaltender Michael Houser’s shoulder. The AHL’s top ranked power-play capitalized on first penalty called during the game on a Chris Mueller goal with only 4.9 seconds left on the clock. After a scoreless second period, William Wrenn scored his second goal of the season, the Stars’ final goal, off a two-on-none with Chris Mueller with 5:19 left in regulation. Goaltender Jack Campbell stopped all 27 shots he faced to earn his 12th win and third shutout of the season. The win gave Texas their 101st point of the season, setting a new franchise record.
The following evening, the teams hit the ice again, this time at AT&T Center in San Antonio. Kevin Henderson started the scoring for the Stars 1:50 into the game with a backhand shot for his 11th goal of the season. Less than two minutes later, rookie Curtis McKenize doubled the lead with a power-play goal. A mere 63 second later, Radek Faksa notched his first professional goal at 4:48, prompting the Rampage to replace goaltender Michael Houser with Rob Madore for the second straight night. Travis Morin made it 4-0 at 8:36 and Maxime Fortunus added his sixth goal of the year for a 5-0 Texas lead at 10:34. San Antonio was able to get on the board later in the period on a power-play goal by Joey Crabb. Bobby Butler made it 5-2 at 4:48 of the second period, but McKenzie responded at 8:03 with his second goal of the game to regain the Stars’ four goal lead. Just 63 seconds into the final period, Justin Dowling scored his 12th of the season, before Garrett Wilson scored back-to-back goals at 8:11 and 13:09 to bring San Antonio with three goals. McKenzie iced the 8-4 victory for Texas with his third goal of the game notching his first professional hat-trick and 26th goal of the year. Morin had the primary assist for his fourth point of the night and AHL leading 86th point of the season. Goaltender Cristopher Nilstorp stopped 26-of-30 shots he faced to record his 26th win of the season and sixth straight victory. With the win, the Stars’ clinched the top spot in the Western Conference for the second consecutive year.
On Sunday afternoon, the Stars and Rampage concluded their three-in-three and season series at AT&T Center. Starting goaltenders, Jack Campbell for Texas and Scott Clemmenson for San Antonio, stopped all shots they faced in regulation and overtime, sending the game to a shootout. Bobby Butler gave the Rampage the lead with a goal in the second round, but Brendan Ranford immediately answered to tie the shootout back up at one. Logan Shaw scored in the fourth round, and Justin Dowling hit the post on the Stars’ final shot to give San Antonio the 1-0 win. Despite not extending their franchise record winning streak, Texas tied the franchise record point streak with 12 straight games with a point.
Week 29 Preview:
With only two games left in the 2013-14 season, Texas is still leading the entire American Hockey League with 104 points in 74 games, setting a new franchise record for points in a single season. The Stars’ magic number to clinch the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy, as the AHL’s regular season points champion, is down to two.
This week Texas will play its final two games of the regular season. The Stars begin with their final road game of the regular season on Wednesday, April 16th as they travel to Cox Convention Center for a 7:00 p.m. faceoff with the Oklahoma City Barons. Texas will close out the regular season on Saturday, April 19th at Cedar Park Center as they host the Abbotsford Heat for a 7:00 p.m. faceoff. Saturday’s game is Fan Appreciation Night as the Stars will honor their fans with giveaways throughout the game, including the Texas Stars Commemorative Print Giveaway. Saturday’s game is also a Coke Zero Family Four Pack Night and a Texas Lottery Lucky Row Night.
C Travis Morin (32-54-86) leads the AHL in points and assists, ranks second in goals and has 12 points (3 goals, 9 assists) and a +4 rating in his last 10 games. LW Curtis McKenzie (26-38-64) leads all AHL rookies in points and assists and has seven points (5 goals, 2 assists) and a +3 rating in his last six games. LW Mike Hedden (23-32-55) is fifth on the team in points and has 13 points (3 goals, 10 assists) and a +15 rating in his last 10 games. C Justin Dowling (12-35-47) is third on the team in assists and has 14 points (7 goals, 7 assists) and a +15 rating in his last 10 games. LW Brendan Ranford (12-20-32) is eighth on the team in points and has six points (1 goal, 5 assists) and a +4 rating in his last 6 games.
Week 29 Schedule:
(All games are broadcast LIVE over the Internet at www.TexasStarsHockey.com and the free radio button on the schedule page of www.ahllive.com and can be viewed via internet pay-per-view video on www.ahllive.com. All times listed in Central Time)
Wednesday, April 16 – 7:00 p.m. – Cox Convention Center – Oklahoma City, OK
@ Oklahoma City Barons (34-28-2-9, 79 pts.)
Third Place, West Division
· Team Notes: The Oklahoma City Barons (79) currently have a two point lead on the Charlotte Checkers and Rockford IceHogs (77) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Oklahoma City has three games remaining and has a game in hand on both Charlotte and Rockford, who each have two games remaining. The Barons have picked up points in eight of their last 10 games (5-2-1-2, 13 pts.) and have gone 4-1-0-0 in their last five games. Of the teams in the West Division, Oklahoma City has the second most home wins (21) and division wins (19), but have gone 4-5-2-0 this season against the Texas Stars. Offense and defense have been polar opposites for the Barons this season. They rank second in the league on the power-play (22.4%), but have the 29th ranked penalty-kill (78.1%). Oklahoma City ranks sixth in goals per game (3.16), fifth in shots per game (32.22), but rank 28th in goals against (3.41) and last in shots against (33.64). The Edmonton Oilers assigned defensemen Darnell Nurse, the seventh overall pick from the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, from his junior team to the Barons on April 10th; Nurse made his debut on April 11th. Anton Lander, Oscar Klefbom, Roman Horak, Steve Pinizzotto, Tyler Pitlick and Will Acton were all returned to Oklahoma City from Edmonton on April 13th.
· Leading Scorer: Roman Horak (C) – 53 points (22 goals, 31 assists) and a +9 rating in 64 GP.
Leading Goaltender: Richard Bachman (G) – 3.01 GAA, 0.908 save pct., 25-18-6 and 2 SO in 50 GP.
Who’s Hot: C Roman Horak (22-31-53) leads the team in goals and points and is currently on a three-game point streak with six points (2 goals, 4 assists) during that span. RW Matthew Ford (24-21-43) leads the team in goals and has 12 points (9 goals, 3 assists) in his last 13 games. RW Andrew Miller (8-24-32) has 12 points (2 goals, 10 assists) in his last nine games.
Saturday, April 19 – 7:00 p.m. – Cedar Park Center – Cedar Park, TX
vs. Abbotsford Heat (40-25-5-3, 88 pts.)
Second Place, West Division
· Team Notes: The Abbotsford Heat have gained points in six of their last seven games going 5-1-0-1 during that span. Abbotsford will travel south to finish their season with a three-in-three, starting with two games in San Antonio on April 17th and 18th and then finishing up at Cedar Park Center on the 19th. The Heat have the most road wins (20) in the West Division and have a 2-4-1-0 record against the Texas Stars this season. They are the third least penalized team in the AHL by average PIM per game (12.73). On special teams, Abbotsford boasts the fourth ranked power-play (22.3%) but has the 27th ranked penalty-kill (79.3%), including ranking 29th in road penalty-kill (70.7%).
· Leading Scorer: Ben Street (C) – 58 points (28 goals, 30 assists) and a -13 rating in 56 GP.
Leading Goaltender: Joni Ortio (G) – 2.35 GAA, 0.924 save pct., 25-8-0 and 2 SO in 35 GP.
Who’s Hot: Ben Street (28-30-58) leads the team in goals, has 13 points (6 goals, 7 assists) and a +5 rating in his last 11 games and is currently on a three-game point streak with 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) during that span. C Max Reinhart (20-38-58) leads the team in assists and has 12 points (3 goals, 9 assists) and a +1 rating in his last nine games. C Brett Olson (17-26-43) has six goals in his last six games and is currently on a three-game goal streak. C Blair Jones (16-20-36) is currently on a three-game point streak with five points (2 goals, 3 assists) and a +1 rating during that span.
Week 28 Game Results:
April 11, 2014 San Antonio 0 @ Texas 5
April 12, 2014 Texas 8 @ San Antonio 4
April 13, 2014 Texas 0 @ San Antonio 1 – SO
Stars Player of the Week: (Week 28)
Jack Campbell – G – #1 2 GP, 1-0-1, 0.00 GAA, 1.000 Sv%, 2 SO
Jack Campbell turned in a stellar week between the pipes for the Texas Stars. The second year pro from Port Huron, Michigan, stopped everything sent his way as he produced back-to-back shutouts in two starts against the San Antonio Rampage in Week 28. Campbell began his week with a 27-save effort to blank the Rampage 5-0 on home ice on Friday night, recording his 12th win of the season and helping Texas win its 10th-straight game. Campbell was in net again on Sunday to complete a three-in-three against San Antonio and again he did not allow a goal, this time going through overtime with 29 saves and then stopping three-of-five shootout attempts, but the Stars fell 1-0 via the shootout. His heroics in Sunday’s game helped Texas extend its current point streak to 12 games, which ties a franchise record. Additionally, Campbell broke the Stars’ all-time record shutout streak, which was set by Todd Ford (163:25) during the 2009-10 season. Campbell’s record-breaking streak is now a 172:37 and counting. For the season, Campbell has put up incredible numbers, including a 12-1-2 record, a 1.32 goals-against average, a 0.949 save percentage and four shutouts.
Stars Quick Hits:
· STARS ATOP CONFERENCE – With their 8-4 victory against the San Antonio Rampage on Saturday, the Texas Stars clinched the top seed in the Western Conference for the second consecutive season. Texas (47-17-3-7, 104 pts.) will face the eight seed in the first round of the playoffs. Last season, the Stars compiled a 43-22-5-6 record (97 pts.). It was also the team’s 47th win of the year, which is also a new club record.
· ROOKIE OF THE YEAR – Rookie winger Curtis McKenzie was voted as the AHL’s Rookie of the Year, winning the Dudley “Red” Garrett Memorial Award. McKenzie (26-38-64) leads all rookies in points and assists and ranks ninth overall in points. Last week, McKenzie was also voted to the AHL’s All-Rookie Team. He is the first Texas Stars rookie to win either award.
· LONGEST POINT STREAK TIED – Despite not extending their franchise record winning streak, the Stars picked up a point for the 12th straight game. Dating back to March 15th, Texas has gone 11-0-0-1. The record was set during the 2009-10 season, when the Stars went 9-0-2-1 from October 23, 2009 to November 18, 2009.
· A NEW ACCOUNT OPENED – Rookie center Radek Faksa scored his first career AHL goal on Saturday at San Antonio early in the first period on Rampage starting goalie Michael Houser. Faksa also added two assists for the first three-point game of his pro career and was named the game’s first star in an 8-4 Texas victory. Faksa has four points (1 goal, 3 assists) in six career pro games, all with the Stars.
· CAMPBELL BREAK SHUTOUT RECORD – Jack Campbell has not given up a goal in his last 172:37 minutes of game action. Campbell allowed a goal to the Lake Erie Monsters at 12:19 of the first period on April 4th and has not allowed a goal since. In his last three games Campbell is 2-0-1 with a 0.32 GAA and a 0.988 save percentage. The previous record was set by Todd Ford in January 2010 who did not allow a goal in 163:25 minutes of playing time.
· A PLUS-FIVE RECORD – Defenseman Hubert Labrie tied a single-game Texas Stars record on Saturday at San Antonio when he recorded a +5 rating against the Rampage. Labrie, who also had an assist in the game, tied the record originally set by fellow defenseman Cameron Gaunce almost exactly a year prior in the same building. Gaunce had a +5 rating and a record-tying four assists on April 14, 2013 at AT&T Center.
· TRICENTENNIAL – Left wing Kevin Henderson played in his 300th career pro game on Friday night vs. San Antonio. Henderson has 98 points (43 goals, 55 assists) in 302 career pro games, including 296 career AHL games with Worcester, Milwaukee and Texas.
· RECORD ROAD STREAKING – With Saturday’s win at San Antonio, Texas set a new franchise record for consecutive road wins, winning their sixth straight on opposition ice. Then with the shootout loss on Sunday, the Stars set a new franchise record for road point streak with a point in their last 10 road games. During that span, Texas has gone 7-0-0-3 and has outscored opponents 33-22.
· THE 200 CLUB – Center Justin Dowling played in his 200th career pro game on Sunday at San Antonio. Dowling has 153 career points (49 goals, 104 assists) in 200 pro games, including 140 career AHL games with Abbotsford and Texas.
· CAPTAIN HITS 250 – Defenseman Maxime Fortunus recorded his 250th career pro point on Saturday at San Antonio, part of a three-point night (1 goal, 2 assists) for the Texas captain. Fortunus has 251 points (66 goals, 185 assists) in 764 career pro games, including 632 career AHL games with Houston, Manitoba and Texas.
· NEW ON THE BOARD – Defenseman John Klingberg recorded his first career AHL point with an assist during Friday’s 5-0 win over the Rampage at Cedar Park Center. Klingberg has 42 points (12 goals, 30 assists) in 78 career pro games, mostly in Sweden, but has one assist in three career AHL games, all with Texas.
· APPROACHING STARS MILESTONES – D Jamie Oleksiak is 1 GP away from his 150th career pro game. C Travis Morin is 1 GP away from his 350th career AHL game, is 1 goal away from his 100th career AHL game, is 5 assists away from his 200th career AHL assist and is 6 points away from his 300th career AHL point. D Hubert Labrie needs 2 GP to record his 100th career AHL game. LW Kevin Henderson is 4 GP from his 300th AHL career game, 2 points from his 100th pro point and 3 points from of his 100th AHL point. C Toby Petersen is 4 GP from his 950th career pro game and 3 goals from his 150th career AHL goal.
Stars Week 28 Transactions:
April 12 – DELETE – Chris Mueller (C) – Recalled from loan by Dallas (NHL).
Texas Stars Team Leaders:
Games Played: Mike Hedden & Curtis McKenzie (73)
Goals: Travis Morin & Colton Sceviour (32)
Assists: Travis Morin (54)
Points: Travis Morin (86)
Plus/Minus: Justin Dowling (+21)
Penalty Minutes: Curtis McKenzie (85)
Power Play Goals: Chris Mueller (15)
Short Handed Goals: Brendan Ranford (2)
Game-Winning Goals: Colton Sceviour (6)
Shots: Colton Sceviour (228)
Shooting Percentage: Scott Glennie (17.2%)
Saves: Cristopher Nilstorp (1,154)
Wins: Cristopher Nilstorp (26)
GAA: Jack Campbell (1.32)
Save Percentage: Jack Campbell (0.949)
Shutouts: Jack Campbell (4)
The Texas Stars are back in action on Wednesday, April 16th at 7:00 p.m. as they battle the Oklahoma City Barons at Cox Convention Center. Texas will complete its 2013-14 regular season schedule at Cedar Park Center on Saturday, April 19th at 7:00 p.m. against the Abbotsford Heat. The game on the 19th is Fan Appreciation Night with a Stars Commemorative Print Giveaway, as well as being a Coke Zero Family Four Pack Night and a Texas Lottery Lucky Row Night. Texas Stars’ 2014 Calder Cup playoff ticket packages are on sale now! Reserve your seats for all Calder Cup playoff games at Cedar Park Center at a discounted rate. For more information on Texas Stars playoff tickets call (512) GO-STARS (467-8277) or visit www.TexasStarsHockey.com.