Texas Stars embark on first Calder Cup playoffs

CEDAR PARK, Texas — The Texas Stars are about to go where they’ve never gone before; the Calder Cup playoffs. The first year expansion team finished the regular season with 99 points and nearly finished on top of the heap in the West Division of the Western Conference.

“It would have been nice (to get 100 points), but it’s been a good year,” Stars’ General Manager Scott White said. “99 points isn’t that bad.”
In fact, the team spent a good deal of the seaon as the frontrunners in the division. But callups to Dallas and injuries took their toll.
“We were banged up for a good month with our goaltending situation,” White said. “But win or lose, we’ve had pretty good goaltending. Battling through injuries and moving players (up and down) is just part of what goes on at this level. (Head coach Glen Gulutzan) has been through this before at another level and our guys have taken advantage of their opportunities.”
The Stars are built around a solid defensive corps under the direction of Assistant Coach Paul Jerrard. They allowed just 198 goals. Only the Hamilton Bulldogs gave up fewer goals at 182. As the season progressed, the team became more consistent on the offensive side and they enter the playoffs with confidence on both sides of the red line.
“Scoring has a lot to do with special teams,” white said. “Our power play has been better. Guys get better during the season and learn from each other. The chemistry amongst lines gets better. Solid defense has also led to more odd man rushes. We’ve executed and scored (more) goals the last 20 games and it’s good to see going into the playoffs.”
Texas took a big step on the offensive side when Stars rookie center Jamie Benn was assigned to them by the Dallas Stars. The 20-year-old scored 22 goals and 19 assists at the NHL level.
They begin the playoffs at home against the Rockford IceHogs. The Stars are a confident team, but are suffering from a few late season injuries that could affect the outcome of the series.
“Our M O is good defense, good goaltending and special teams,” White said. “Nothing will change. Our key issue is will we get our guys back in time?”
Rockford is a tough opponent that will challenge the Stars in every aspect of the game.
“Rockford is a good team,” White said. “It’s well coached. The games all year have been tight. We expect that to be the same in a seven-game series.”
The series begins this Friday (April 16) in Cedar Park with game two on Saturday. The Stars won six of the eight regular season games against the IceHogs, winning all four games on the road. Rockford was 18-18-2-2 on the road, while Texas was exceptional n the road with a record of 22-14-2-2.
That said, this is the playoffs and regular season statistics are not always predictors of what happens in the post-season. Expect a tight checking, low scoring series going at least six games. Texas’ ability to win on the road may very well be the defining factor in the series.
Contact the author at: mitch.cooper@prohockeynews.com