Photo Credit – Chip Crail

American’s fans will be sad to hear that goalie Aaron Dell has signed a PTO (Professional Try Out) with the Houston Aeros (AHL).

The reasoning behind this is that Houston Goaltenders Jeff Deslauriers and Cody Reichard are both injured and Dell’s services along with Mike Condon from Princeton University have been brought in to fill the spots.  Currently it is not known how long Dell will spend there and if it will impact the Americans when they play Game 1 of Round 2 in the Ray Miron Cup playoffs against the Missouri Mavericks on Sunday April 14th @ 5:05pm.

We wish Aaron well in his time there but will miss him in the Allen net.

It was a bounce back game for the Texas Stars as they were able to defeat the Chicago Wolves Friday night after suffering a nasty 4-1 defeat against Chicago Wednesday night. The key to the Stars’ victory tonight was a four goal first period including two goals by Alex Chiasson.

First Period

The Stars opened the scoring just 2:47 into the opening frame as Alex Chiasson stuffed home a rebound off a Mike Hedden shot to give the Stars a quick 1-0 lead. Just 12 seconds later Austin Smith scored his first career AHL goal and gave the Stars a 2-0 lead just under three minutes into the game. At the 10:32 mark of the first Alex Chiasson struck again and made it a highlight reel worthy goal as he stepped around Chicago’s Andrew Gordon and sniped the puck right past the glove of Chicago goalie Matt Climie giving the Stars a 3-0 lead. Then at the 13:57 mark of the first Toby Petersen finished the Stars first period onslaught with his third goal of the season. That ended the night for Chicago goalie Matt Climie as he was pulled in favor of Joe Cannata. The Wolves then showed signs of life as Andrew Gordon scored on the power play shortly after Cannata entered and the first period ended with the score 4-1 Stars

Second Period

The Wolves carried the momentum from the end of the first period into the second period. Michael Davies tipped a puck past Jack Campbell making the game 4-2 Stars. Mike Hedden struck back with a power play goal 12:41 into the second gave the Stars a 5-2 lead with his second goal of the season. At 16:52 Chicago captain Darren Haydar scored and the second period ended with the Stars ahead 5-3.

Third Period

The third period became gritty as more of a checking game developed between the two teams. At 3:06 into the third period Taylor Vause put on a one man forecheck against the Wolves and then netted a wrap around and gave the Stars a 6-3 lead. Darren Haydar would score again at 9:34 into the third period and made the game 6-4 with a little over half the third period left to play. Chicago made offensive pushes but Jack Campbell and the Stars shut the door to secure a 6-4 win.

Game Extras

• Jamie Oleksiak had three assists on the night, in his first game since being sent down from the Dallas Stars, pushing his season point total to 20 (3g, 17a)
• Mike Hedden scored the game winner tonight which means Chicago goalie Joe Cannata took the loss tonight
• Chicago Wolves’ captain Darren Haydar was involved in all four goals for his team tonight as he had two assists along with his two goals.
• Richard Bachman was the backup for the Texas Stars tonight as he was sent down to get some playing time and Christopher Nilstorp will serve as back up in the NHL with the Dallas Stars
• The Texas Stars suffered their first lost in 2013 Wednesday night. Friday’s victory pushes their record to 7-1-0-0 in 2013
• Three Stars of the Game: 1. Alex Chiasson 2. Darren Haydar 3. Jamie Oleksiak

Allen Defenseman, Trevor Ludwig is on his way to training camp with the Minnesota Wild of the NHL, after playing in his first game with their affiliate the Houston Aeros this past Sunday. He is one of three Allen Players to get a call up to the AHL (Mike Montgomery and Tyler Ludwig being the other two) in the affiliation bewtween the Allen Americans and the Houston Aeros.

Trevor has played in 31 games for the Americans this season and has 6 goals and 12 assists for 18 points.

The Americans are back in action when they hit the road this weekend with two games against the Arizona Sundogs in Prescott Valley, Arizona. The first game on Friday January 18th @7:05, and the second Saturday January 19th @7:05.

Texas Stars ice (Photo: sweetsophonic/flickr)

A tough weekend beckoned for the Texas Stars as they played three games on successive nights. It turned out to be a relatively successful one as they managed to pick up three points.

On Friday night, the Stars welcomed the Toronto Marlies to Cedar Park. Despite playing the better hockey, the Stars trailed after the first period as Leo Komarov controversially gave Toronto the lead with a wrist shot. An entertaining and physical first frame came to an end with the Marlies leading 1-0.

The Stars applied a lot of pressure to Jussi Rynnas in the Marlies net to start the second but couldn’t manage to get on the scoreboard. Late in the second, a high-sticking penalty sent Nemeth to the bin for Texas and the Marlies capitalized. Komarov bagged his second of the night with a skilful one-timer on the power play to give Toronto a 2-0 lead.

Texas edged the third period shots but a goal from Ryan Hamilton with seven minutes to play sealed the points for the Marlies.

On Saturday, the Stars and the Lake Erie Monsters played out an epic encounter, which ended in a 5-4 loss for the Stars after penalty shots.

The first period was one of dominance for the Stars, as they out-shot their opponents by a massive 21 to 4 but somehow the period ended with the score at 1-1. A much closer second frame lead to score being tied at 2-2 and an exciting third period was nicely poised.

Two goals from each team in the final period, including a last second equaliser from Cody Eakin, sent the game into overtime with the score at 4-4. A goalless overtime meant penalty shots, which the Monsters comprehensively won 3-1.

The Stars carried the momentum from yesterday into today’s game against state rivals, the Houston Aeros. Cody Eakin maintained his impressive start to the 2012/13 campaign, as he bagged his sixth of the season with just over two minutes on the clock. Vincour doubled the visitor’s lead with a fierce wrist shot that flew into the top corner midway through the first. A Houston goal from Kris Foucault cut the Stars lead to one, but they soon got their two-goal lead back through Travis Morin. An entertaining first period ended with Texas leading 3-1.

Houston bagged the only goal in the second period through Jason Zucker to give the Aeros a chance going into the third frame.

An Antoine Roussel goal early in the third period sealed a very impressive road win for the Stars to finish a tough three game stretch.

The Stars currently sit bottom in their division but can hopefully take some momentum from the big win against the Aeros.

Some news was also released from the Texas camp last week and the Dallas Stars reassigned Austin Smith to Texas. He has been playing for the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL so far this season, where he recorded five points in six games. He will add some power to the Texas offense.

The Stars are back in action on Thursday as they take on San Antonio at Cedar Park.

Until then….

Brenden Dillon a future star (Photo credit: Melissa Grissom)

While the NHL lockout is going on, I have decided to do some Texas Stars players who would have made the Dallas Stars if there was no lockout. Today I am going to start out with defenseman Brenden Dillon, who right now is one of the most improved prospects in the system. He was even impressive during the Stars prospect that was held in July at the Dr. Pepper Stars Center. Even Les Jackson, the Stars director of player person told the Dallas Stars official site about Dillon’s improvement:

“He’s a big guy who can defend, carry and pass the puck up the ice. He’s got a real heavy shot. There’s a lot to like about his game,” said Jackson. “He’s a good team player and he plays with a lot of heart.”

» Continue reading “Texas Stars Profile: Brenden Dillon”

Jordie Benn (Photo credit to Melissa Grissom)

The Texas Stars are currently riding a two game losing streak after falling to the Oklahoma City Barons and Grand Rapids Griffins. After a decent start to their season, Texas now holds a record of 3-5-0.

On Friday the Stars welcome the Toronto Marlies to Cedar Park Center. The Marlies have also got off to a tough start in their 2012/13 campaign, as they occupy an identical record to that of the Stars.

A positive part of the Stars first eight games has been Cody Eakin, the young Canadian Forward, who was acquired by the Dallas Stars from the Washington Capitals in the recent off-season. He has really looked the part so far, showing high levels of skill leading to seven points in his first eight games.

Jordie Benn has also started his season well. He has been a big force on the defensive unit as well adding some offensive points going forward. He has three points so far, and a +/- rating of 1.

It has been a team effort so far for the Marlies, as six players have scored four or more points already. Keith Aucoin, the American center, leads the Marlies in points with six and it is crucial that the Stars shut him down on Friday.

The Marlies are also riding a two game losing streak, meaning both teams will be eager for victory on Friday. This will make it a tense and exciting encounter.

Be sure to get along to Cedar Park on Friday, as it is Stars and Stripes military appreciation weekend. Face off is 7.30pm.

Benn and Ryder Giggling (Photo: Melissa Grissom)

An NHL lockout has not only knocked out the Dallas Stars but also made them lose the month of game for October and November.  A total of 22 games have been lost so far and many fans are wondering if they are going to see their big brightest stars play in Big D. Many fans wanted to see Jamie Benn grow into the player he was last year and see if Michael Ryder can live up to the expectations of his career high season last year. Many fans wanted to see Jaromir Jagr do his salute for the fans after he scores a goal while others wanted to see that Ray Whitney do his famous “Where’s Whitney” interviews. They also wanted to see if this team, their Stars, try and make the playoffs for the first time since 2008 when they had their magical run to the Western Conference. Their  journey was then ended by the Detroit Red Wings as they lost their series 4 games 2. After that they saw their team not make the playoffs. I know that fans are mad that the NHL season is currently locking out their favorite teams but there are other opportunities to see your players.

» Continue reading “Stars And The NHL Lockout”

Pineault and Americans looking for victory (Photo Credit: Todd Miller)

Game 5: Allen American @ Tulsa Oilers

Wednesday, October 31 @ 7:05 pm

Arena:  Allen Event Center in Allen, Texas

Local Radio: 97.5 KLAK

Today is Halloween, where kids will be trick or treating for candy but in Allen, Texas, the Allen Americans are 3-1-0 into their young season as they will be trying to snap a one game losing streak after losing 3-2 against the Fort Worth Brahmas. They will be facing a 3-1-0 Tulsa Oilers team who defeated the same team, the Brahmas, 4-2.

Looks like tonight’s match up will be an intense battle between both teams. The Oilers are led by Gary Steffes and Ben Gordon, who both lead the teams with 3 goals while the Americans are led by Scotty Howes and Darryl Bootland, who both have 3 goals.  The Americans will be looking to stop taking so many penalties and getting the first goal to help their fans get into the game.

PLAYERS TO LOOK FOR: Scotty Howes and Darryl Bootland are the top scorers right now for the Americans so the Oilers should keep them both off the scoreboard in order to win. Also they should look out for forward Adam Pineault who is also scoring goals and leading the team.  

The Americans will be looking to snap their one game losing streak and keep a dominating presence over the Oilers. The Oilers will be looking to continue their win streak and keep a hold over the first spot in the division. Will the Americans win their fourth game of the season and snap a one game losing streak? Will they get the performance from Steve Silverthorn like they did against the Brahmas and Sundogs? Or will the Oilers try and frustrate the Americans to win their fourth game of the season? Tonight we will know if the Americans can win and dominate the Oilers and stay out of the penalty box!

Tomas Vincour (Photo: Melissa Grissom)

With the NHL lockout still ongoing, it seemed inevitable that some players from the Texas Stars would eventually be moved down to the ECHL or CHL. Austin Smith and Mathieu Tousignant are on their way to Idaho to play for the Steelheads. While it would be entertaining at the very least to have Tousignant on the ice, agitating the other teams as best as he knows how, it came as no surprise that he was scratched game after game. There was simply not enough room for him on an already crowded bench.

Reilly Smith and Tomas Vincour would be playing in Dallas, if not for the NHL lockout. Sending them down to Texas is good for them, but bad for the other players battling for a spot in the AHL. We are now beginning to really see the trickle down effect from the lockout.

It is disappointing to see Dallas native Smith go, but in the long run this may be better for his career. Better to get more ice time than sit up in the press box as a healthy scratch.

It is nice to have hockey here while the NHL is still locked out, but we are not untouched by it, as seen by the recent transactions. Let’s hope these shenanigans end soon so we can all get back to watching the game we all love.

Texas Stars ice (Photo: sweetsophonic/flickr)

It seemed almost too good to be true. The Texas Stars started the preseason and first two games of the regular season with a fire that was not seen last year. This past weekend, the Stars lost their 3 in 3. Twice to Houston and last night to Lake Erie with a shutout. It was not just the losses that were disappointing, but the way in which they lost those games. Too much flash and nothing to show for it. Bad passes and too many turnovers. They were not able to convert any power play opportunities into goals, though given plenty of chances. The performance last night was completely uninspiring.

Willie Desjardins ran with 11 forwards and 7 defense men this past weekend. Jordie Benn played more of a forward position, but looked lost out there. There were too many mistakes made by defense that left Cristopher Nihlstorp high and dry. Once down three goals, he was replaced by Jack Campbell. Saturday night’s game against Houston the roles were reversed, Nilhstorp coming into to relieve a floundering Campbell.

Now before we fall into a downward spiral of negativity about this team, the season is still young. We are just five games into the regular season. Three losses does not a season make. I still have hope for this young team and the direction Desjardins is leading them.

It seemed as though Mathieu Tousignant would be in the lineup last night as he was dressed for warm-ups but was announced as a scratch. There is still an air of mystery surrounding Scott Glennie, as he has been a healthy scratch for five games now and Desjardins has been elusive as to the reason why. Desjardins did indicate that Glennie might be in the lineup in the next couple games or so.