Andrew's Dallas Stars Blog

Monday Texas Stars-Hershey Bears notes

Here are some more Texas Stars-Hershey Bear tidbits from Texas Stars media relations:

THREE MORE DAYS UNTIL GAME 1 OF THE CALDER CUP FINALS

Stars and Bears to Meet in Hershey on Thursday at 6:00 pm (CDT) 

Scoring First….

Texas is 6-1 in the Calder Cup Playoffs when scoring the first goal of the night and 6-5 when allowing the first goal. The Stars have not scored the game’s opening goal in their last ten straight, dating back to Game 4 of the West Division Finals at home against Chicago. During the regular season, Texas went 35-5-1-1 when getting on the board first.  

Hershey is 7-1 when scoring the night’s first goal in the Calder Cup Playoffs and 5-2 when allowing the first goal. The Bears have been outscored 13-10 in the first period of play this spring, but they have outscored their opposition 22-13 in the third period and 7-1 in overtime games. In the regular season, Hershey was 43-6-0-3 when opening the scoring.  

Goalies…

Texas goalie Matt Climie has started every game after Brent Krahn suffered an injury in Game 6 of the West Division Finals at Chicago. Climie is 5-3 in the playoffs this spring, posting a 2.62 goals against average and a .922 save percentage in ten appearances. Climie went 4-3 in the Western Conference Finals against Hamilton, sporting a 2.43 GAA and a .931 save percentage in the series. In Game 6, Climie made an AHL playoff-high 51 saves at Hamilton, a 3-2 overtime win for Texas. Four of Climie’s five playoff wins have come in overtime games. Krahn was 7-3 with a 2.32 GAA and a .928 save percentage in the Calder Cup Playoffs prior to his injury. 

Hershey goalie Michael Neuvirth (pronounced, NOY-VURTH) was named the MVP of the Calder Cup Finals in 2009 after going 16-6 with a 1.92 GAA and a .932 save percentage. As a rookie in 2009, he produced four shutouts and led Hershey to the tenth cup in team history. In the 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs, Neuvirth has appeared in 12 games, going 10-2 with a 2.13 GAA and a .917 save percentage. Fellow netminder, Braden Holtby has played in three games this spring, going 2-1 with a 3.60 GAA and a .857 save percentage.  

SERIES SUBPLOTS…….

·         Bears forward Chris Bourque leads Hershey in playoff scoring with 23 points in 15 games played. He is the son of former NHL defenseman and Hall of Famer Ray Bourque, who played the bulk of his career with the Boston Bruins. Chris Bourque is a second round pick (#33) of the Washington Capitals in 2004.

·         Texas Stars Greg Rallo (RW), Ray Sawada (RW) and defenseman Maxime Fortunus each played in the 2009 Calder Cup Finals as members of the Manitoba Moose, falling to the Hershey Bears in six games.

·         Texas goalie Matt Climie has stopped 92 of his last 96 shots in the Calder Cup Playoffs for a .958 save percentage.

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