TEXAS 3, PEORIA 0
Making his first start of the season, rookie goaltender Richard Bachman shut down the AHL’s fourth-ranked offense with a 38-save shutout as Texas beat visiting Peoria by a 3-0 count on Tuesday night at the Cedar Park Center.
Bachman, who spent the majority of 2009-10 with ECHL Idaho but appeared in eight games for the Stars, recorded his second career AHL shutout. He posted a 17-save whitewash at Hamilton in a 5-0 win on Feb. 16, 2010.
Texas scored once in each period en route to the victory. Defenseman Dan Spang and rookie forward Cody Chupp each scored his first goal of the season, and Travis Morin moved into a tie for the team lead with his fourth of the year.
Morin finished with a goal and an assist in the victory, and rookie Tomas Vincour chipped in a pair of assists.
The Stars (4-2-0-0) played three of their first six games against the Rivermen – all at home – and finished 1-2-0-0 in that stretch, avenging a 2-0 loss on Saturday in which Peoria’s Jake Allen stopped all 36 shots he faced.
The West Division foes will not meet again until Jan. 15 in Peoria.
The Rivermen, who entered the night averaging 3.33 goals per game, finished 5-2-0-0 on their seven-game road trip – all against Texas-based opponents – and will return to Carver Arena to host Oklahoma City on Saturday night.
ROCHESTER 2, ABBOTSFORD 1
Third-year forward Michal Repik broke a 1-1 tie at 14:46 of the third period on the power-play to help the Rochester Americans snap a three-game losing streak with a 2-1 win over the Abbotsford Heat tonight at the Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre.
Amerks netminder Tyler Plante was exceptional in his first start of the season, turning away 23 of 24 shots he faced to garner his first win of the new campaign. Matt Keetley posted 16 saves in the losing effort for Abbotsford.
Evgeny Dadonov gave the Amerks an early 1-0 lead before the contest was five minutes old with his second goal in as many games at 4:45 of the opening frame. Kenndal McArdle recorded the lone assist on the play as he notched his fourth point in his last three outings. Plante was a stone wall between the pipes, denying all 11 shots he faced.
After 38 minutes of inactivity, the Heat finally put one past Plante as Matt Keith found the back of the net for his team-high fifth goal in the closing minutes of the second stanza.
The contest would remain knotted at one until the Amerks capitalized on the power-play thanks to a high-sticking infraction on Abbotsford’s J.D. Watt at 12:57. With just seconds to spare on the man-advantage opportunity, Repik, the game’s First Star, slipped one behind Keetley to put Rochester back on top and ultimately secure the win. Versatile veteran Nathan Paetsch notched his 100th professional assist on the play.
