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Stars News & Notes Thursday, March 20, 2008 The Stars get back to work following Wednesday's loss to the Ducks, Sergei Zubov skates, the Stars sign two college free agents and a top Dallas prospect rakes in some top honors. Back to work It was back to work for the Stars Thursday afternoon in Frisco following a disappointing 2-1 loss to Anaheim on Wednesday night. There was a lot of focus on special teams, especially the power play in Thursday's one-hour long workout. Afterwards there was talk of some of the positives from Wednesday's games, some of the work that needs to be done and some of the frustration of losing six of seven games and dropping in the Pacific Division standings. Coach Dave Tippett said he saw some positives in Wednesday's game, which was a tight-checking, playoff style game against a very good team. "I thought last night's game was a very competitive game. There were some very good things within the game," Tippett said after Tuesday's practice. "There are some things we've got to get better at. We worked a long time on power play today. There's some urgency that has to get in there. If you look at the game as a whole, a very competitive game. Anaheim is a very good team, we competed very hard against them. "That's a positive sign for me because I felt we got into a few games where I felt our work ethic and desperation levels weren't at the other teams' levels, and we got beat. Last night I thought our work ethic and that part of the game was very strong. Now there was some execution that we wish was a little bit better." And that lack of execution end up being costly in the loss to Anaheim, but Tippett saw the game as a step forward and a sign that there is still work to do as well. "We gave ourselves a chance to win that game, so we are going in the right direction," said Tippett. "We didn't and that's the bottom line, so we've got to continue to work until we do." Stars captain Brenden Morrow said the team's current slump has led to frustration among the players. "Everyone is a little edgy. We're all frustrated and the mood isn't great," Morrow said during his weekly appearance with BaD Radio on The Ticket Thursday afternoon. "It shouldn't be when you go 1-6 in your last seven. I wouldn't want to see anyone walking around with ear-to-ear grins on their faces." Stars forward Steve Ott, who will return from his suspension for Saturday's game against the Kings, called that tilt a "stepping stone" as the Stars try to get back on track. Morrow said the team needs to get back in the win column and they hope to get that ball rolling this weekend. "We need to get that winning feeling back and having fun," Morrow said. Hopefully we can start that process on Saturday." Injury update: Zubov skates As expected, defenseman Sergei Zubov, who has been out since the middle of January with foot and groin injuries, skated before the team's practice on Thursday and the initial reports were good. "It's good to see him on skates. It's a positive sign," said Stars coach Dave Tippett. "He just went out and saw how it felt and in his words, 'Pleasantly surprised.' That's not a bad place to start." There's still no definitive timetable on a possible return for Zubov. Tippett said the team will see how it goes over the next few days and that for now it is "day-by-day." The end of the month remains a possibility. Defenseman Philippe Boucher, who has been skating on his own, skated with the team in practice on Thursday for the first time since he went out with a separated shoulder on March 5. "I am out there just for the skating part of it. I stayed away from all the contact," Boucher said after the practice. "I might as well skate with people around me instead of by myself." Boucher still isn't sure when he might be able to return, but, like Zubov, there is a possibility he could return by the end of the month as well. Ott ready to go Stars forward Steve Ott's three-game suspension ended with Wednesday's game against Anaheim. While it lasted only three games it still amounted to a lot of time out for Ott because of the schedule. His last game was March 9, the one in which he hit Colorado Leopold and was punished by the league, and his next one will be Saturday's game against Los Angeles. That will be almost two weeks without playing in a game. "It took a long time, actually. It was only three games, but it took a couple weeks," Ott said. "I'm anxious to finally get back in a game Saturday. I'm energized absolutely. I tried to diffuse the games off, I guess you could say, by working out hard and staying in good shape and being ready for the final push of the season." Quotable "I can't wait to bench Hullie." Stars coach Dave Tippett on his upcoming job as coach of the Pros team in the Pros vs. Prospects Charity Classic Friday night at the Dr. Pepper StarCenter in Frisco. Stars co-GM Brett Hull is one of several ex-NHL players taking part in the game. Prospect notes: Bachman named WCHA Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year Stars goaltending prospect Richard Bachman was named the WCHA Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year on Thursday. Bachman, a freshman at Colorado College, is 25-6-1 with a 1.75 goals against average and a .935 save percentage. He and Colorado College play Minnesota Friday night in a WCHA semifinal game. The Stars selected Bachman in the fourth round (120th overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Bachman became only the second player in WCHA history to win both the Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season. The other was goalie Curtis Joseph, who did it with Wisconsin in 1988-89. Stars sign two prospects The Stars Thursday announced the signing of two college free agents. They signed forward Tyler Shelast of Michigan Tech University to a two-year entry-level deal and inked goaltender Matt Climie of Bemidji State University to a one-year contract. Shelast, 23, received a $175,000 that will be paid out at $87,500 each year of the contract. His NHL level salary will be $787,500 each season and his minor league salary will be $65,000 each season. Shelast also has the potential to earn bonus money for making the NHL All-Rookie Team and Individual League "B" Bonus money. Climie, 25, received a $150,000 signing bonus. He will be paid $650,000 at the NHL level and his minor league salary will be $75,000. Both players have signed amateur tryout contracts with the Iowa Stars.
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