Texas Stars reaching new heights

CEDAR PARK, Texas — The Space Shuttle Atlantis arrived at the International Space Station today. But the astronauts would have to travel a lot further to reach the heights of the Texas Stars, who’s play has been out of this world. The last time the Stars lost a game in regulation, the season was barely two weeks old, the Stars had only played two games against teams who’s names didn’t start with San Antonio or Houston and I was still trying to get used to only having to drive five minutes to see a professional hockey game in a quality venue. Through November 18, 2009, the Stars have recorded 12 victories, two regulation losses, two overtime losses and two shootout losses. And it doesn’t seem to matter where they play. They are 7-1-1-1 at home and 5-1-1-1 on the road. Texas Stars’ General manager Scott White reflected on the team’s early success. “I’m pleased with our start,” White said. “It’s good to get ahead of it, but we’ve got a long road ahead of us and it’s really early.” Early or not, the team has been impressive. In the beginning, it was all about defense and goaltending. But the offense has come alive, scoring 36 goals in the last 11 games.

If you look at the league statistics, you won’t find any Texas Star in the top ten in overall scoring. In fact, you have to scroll all the way down to 48th to find Perttu Lindgren who leads the Stars with 13 points (5, 8) and is a +9. What you will find is great balance among the team’s leading scorers. Center Greg Rallo is 6th in the league with nine goals. Sergei Korostin is 14th with eight goals and leads all AHL rookies in that category. Colton Sceviour is tied for second among rookies with nine assists and is a +13. “I think it (boils down to) experience for the young guys,” White said. “They understand better what our defense does; that they get open and make plays. A lot of the younger guys, especially the forwards, took advantage when four of the guys we had pegged (to be starters) were injured at the beginning of the year. They seized that opportunity and it’s a credit to them.” Special teams often define the success or failure of a hockey team and a good balance between power play efficiency and penalty killing can make a big difference in the standings. The Stars lead the AHL with a .943 penalty kill, giving up just four goals in 70 tries. They are ninth in power play efficiency at 20%. Defense has been the mantra of this team since they first stepped on the ice. Overall, the defense has been exceptional, a testament to the coaching abilities of Assistant Coach Paul Jerrard and the leadership abilities of Brad Lukowich. The defense provides great balance in experience, scoring and special teams play. When you talk defense, you must address goaltending. The puck stops here. And the Texas Stars have two of the best goaltenders in the league in Brent Krahn and Matt Climie. “Our goaltenders have been excellent,” White said. “Only one game has been sub par (referring to a 4-0 loss to Lake Erie). “That gives you a chance to win and I’ve been most pleased with their position.”Many a team has faced the wrath of Krahn who has an 8-1 record and leads the league in allowing only 1.23 goals per game. His save percentage of .964 also leads the league. He is tied for the league lead in shutouts with three. Climie is eighth in the AHL with a 4-3-2 record, allowing 1.85 goals per game. He stops 94% of shots seen and has two shutouts. The team’s success, especially the goaltending, hasn’t gone unnoticed at the NHL level. The feedback from the Dallas Stars is very positive. “They are very pleased,” White said. “Most importantly is that our goalies are playing well and (Dallas) is comfortable with those guys. The young guys have exceeded expectations so far and it’s gonna be a tough call when they need a defenseman. There’s a lot of good guys.” If you had to pick one area where the Stars might look to improve, it would have to be finishing games. The team is 1-2 in overtime games and 0-2 in shootouts. The two overtime losses were heartbreakers because the Stars were ahead in the final minutes of both game and gave up the game winners in under 30 seconds into overtime in both. Those losses came just three days apart, but didn’t seem to hurt the overal morale of the team. As Head Coach Glen Gulutzen said, “these things happen.” The Stars continue their stretch of eight games in twelve days, including seven road games. They are 2-0-2-0 so far. If the team keeps up this pace, it won’t be long before some of the players are promoted to the parent team. Fans have mixed feelings about losing their favorite players, but that’s the double-edged sword of being an affiliate. “My job is to develop Dallas Stars,” White said. “That’s what we’re about. Certainly we want to have a good product here and we do. We have a great coaching staff. The players work really hard. If you add execution along with a good work ethic, you’re going to win more than you lose. Contact the writer at: Mitch.Cooper@prohockeynews.com