I understand the Lakers were without Pau Gasol. But that was one of the most impressive wins I can remember for the Mavericks against the Lake Show, especially at the Staples Center.

On the other surface, the Stars continued their woeful play at home with a disheartening 6-5 shootout loss to the Florida Panthers.

Yes, the Stars managed to fight back and earn a point. That doesn’t matter. A home game against the Florida Panthers has to be two points. Are the Sharks going to give a point away there? I don’t think so.

Each game in more detail after the jump.

Mavs 94, Lakers 80 – There was never a point in this game (except for maybe the 10-0 run in the 2nd half) where the Mavs weren’t in control. Pretty much from the opening tip, the Mavs controlled the tempo of the game.

Dirk may have been a little off in the first half,  but there’s a reason the Mavs made their run when he got hot in the third quarter. Herr (or is it Hair?) Dirk finished with 21 points and ten rebounds, including 10-11 from the free throw line.

Not a great game in the scoring department for Jason Kidd, although he did add 11 assists. Jason Terry had a strong effort off the bench, pouring in 16 including three 3-pointers.

All of those numbers are great. The three faces of this team each did what they needed to do in order for the Mavs to pick up the win.

But the most impressive effort was from the newest face: Shawn Marion.

I’m not totally sure I buy into the plus/minus stat for basketball, but ESPN does feature it in its postgame box score, so they obviously buy into it enough to put it on there. I do love it for hockey, but I’m a little unsure of its use in a basketball stat sheet.

The point is this: Shawn Marion led the Mavs in +/- tonight with a +37. So the Dallas Mavericks outscored the Los Angeles Lakers by 37 points when Shawn Marion was on the floor.

I’ve already forgotten what the Mavs traded to get him.

I vote the Mavs start wearing those new blue alternate jerseys more often. In fact, I would be completely fine with just having the two jerseys that looked like tonight’s. Wear the green at home and blue on the road. I’ve never cared for the real jerseys anyway. Change the blues to say ‘Dallas’ in that font, and everything is all good.

If nothing else, they sure looked a lot better than the Silver Disaster.

Finally, it’s not often the Mavs get to throw in Matt Carroll and Rodrigue Beaubois against the Lakers. It’s easy to see what everybody likes about Roddy. He’s only 21 but he looks smooth and in control of the game. Maybe it was only two minutes. Maybe I can’t find anything truly negative to write about this game.

Whatever it is, I think Beaubois looks like a player. He sure looks fast enough.

Panthers 6, Stars 5 (SO) – If only the Dallas Stars could play every game on the road, they’d be unstoppable. Because when they’re at home, they’re a disaster.

Tonight’s game continued an extremely disheartening trend for the Dallas Stars: they just don’t play well at home. In six games at home this year, there has been one good game – the 6-0 blowout of the Predators.

Other than that you’re looking at the team’s only two regulation losses, two shootout losses and an overtime win against the worst team in hockey.

Yet on the road, this team finds a way to get it done. While they dropped an overtime game to the Kings last week, they bookended that with impressive wins at Anaheim and St. Louis. I’m not quite sure what this team needs to do, because they clearly have the talent to skate with good teams. The early Canadian road trip and win in Chicago proves that.

But until this team figures out how to play at home, they won’t be much higher than the middle of the conference. Perhaps all they need is Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen to come back and teach the kids how to play at home.

Tonight’s game could have been one of many others. Get down early, but manage to find a way to scratch and claw back to pick up a point.

That strategy is fine on the road. If the Stars pick up at least a point in 30 of their road games, that would be great. Assuming wins in 20-23 of those, that comes out to about 50-53 points. That would be great. Anything above 50 points through the NHL road schedule should be met with celebration.

But right now it looks like the Stars won’t be able to get more than about 40-45 at home. That won’t get it done.

The most frustrating part of the Stars’ season? It’s clear they have talent. But they can’t turn that into consistent winning efforts every night.

I’m excited about the season. The Stars have a chance to do some great things, but I’m beginning to get a little worried that this team can’t get two points when it needs them.

Jet pic: nba.com

Dirk pic: nachodonut.com

Silver Unis pic: usatoday.com

Morrow pic: hfboards.com

Two years ago, Dallas Stars number #1 Goalie Marty Turco was named one of the 100 most influential men in ice hockey by the Hockey News. The revered grand daddy of all hockey publications, it was  the first hockey magazine that I ever got paid to write for. Today, Turco didn’t even make it as one of the top 5 goalies in the Pacific Division. In order for the Stars to go anywhere into the playoffs, this season ,  Turco must win. At 34, he is in the last year of his $5.7 million dollar per year, no trade contract ,that makes him the second highest paid player on the roster, eight highest paid goalie in the league  and a Free Agent at the end of the season.
Backup goaltender Alex Auld gave the Dallas Stars their best performance  of the season in their first victory as he stopped 21 of 23 saves against the previously unbeaten Calgary Flames in the Pacific Northwest. Auld looks to be the backup goaltender than the Stars did not have in their organization last year. Turco is now projected to play in 10-15 less  games this season because of Auld than last season.

If the Stars don’t get off to a fast start on the season under new coach Marc Crawford and his new system which asks the defensemen to be more aggressive charging up the ice and expects the forwards to come back more defensively on the transition, Turco is in for his most challenging season ever. It will take a while according the team standard line for the players to learn this new system. Turco is  meanwhile  playing for a new multi year, big bucks contract which should be enough incentive to succeed. So far he hasn’t shown  the fans that stopper mentality on the his  most crucial game challenge for Turco the shootout. It used to be a given that he would stop every opponent in an overtime shootout but has lost that edge in losing his first 2 shootouts this season .

The Stars look ahead to their first test of the season against an Eastern Conference powerhouse in the Boston Bruins. The Bruins boast  All-Stars:  Netminder Tim  Thomas,  6 ft – 8 inch Defenseman  Zdeno Charo plus  premiere Forwards Marc Savard, Patrice Begeron and Milan Lucic. The Bruins will be hosting my hometown Philly Flyers in the annual outdoor ice classic at Fenway Park on New Year’s Day.

Secondly, I was forced to address the sin of pride displayed so egregiously by President Barack Obama.  (The Rev’s standard operating procedure never involves discussing politics, but sometimes exceptions are made.)  Granted, it wasn’t Obama’s fault that the fools at The Nobel Foundation awarded him their highest honor, but the leader of the free world certainly didn’t do much in the way of apologizing.  (In fairness, I would have been equally offended had George W. won the prize, especially after a mere nine months in office, 9/11 or not.)  The foundation has in essence insulted truly revolutionary previous winners like Norman Borlaug, a man whose innovations improved the quality of life for untold millions of people.  The Rev does not have a problem with sitting presidents winning this prize, but to be awarded the honor largely on campaign promises yet to be delivered is both careless and naïve.  Remember the telling words of the Book of Proverbs: Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall (16.18).

Thirdly, there was the distressing news from Calgary that former NHL star and probable Hall of Famer Theoren Fleury was sexually abused for years by his youth hockey coach, Graham James.  Sadly, he wasn’t the only teenager victimized by a trusted coach or adviser.  I’ve never played hockey—or any sport, for that matter—but I’ve talked to enough people to understand that the world of youth hockey is about as competitive as it comes.  Parents will spend countless dollars (the equipment is more expensive than baseball, basketball, and football combined) to secure their sons’ spots on elite club teams.  The men in charge of these leagues are made out to be mighty emperors who can do no wrong.  While these coaches might actually teach a handful of these callow teenagers what it takes to become the next Great One, they must not be worshiped and followed blindly.  After all, they are fallen human beings.  You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.  You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments (Exodus 20.4-6).

To end the hectic week of sports news, Michael Crabtree at long last came to his senses, realized he wasn’t a magnificent receiver like Michael Irvin, and inked a contract with the 49ers.  This issue has been blogged and debated about ad nauseam, so The Rev won’t waste much space with this now antiquated story.  I wonder how clueless Crabtree must be—did he learn anything while onboard the Leach Pirate Ship in Lubbock?—to hold out until Week 5 of the NFL season and still accept nearly the same terms San Francisco originally offered.  I’ll be careful not to judge since money makes even the most pious man’s knees weak, but I fail to see what you could buy for $40M that you couldn’t for, say, $32M.  Another Maybach or ten?  I hope Crabtree receives better advice at this next level than he did from his myopic agent, Eugene Parker, and his parasitic advisor, Nine-Toed Deion.  (It is not fair to question Fleury’s though process since there’s a big difference in this case: Fleury was an adolescent when he was victimized, and Crabtree is an adult.  He presumably knows better than to trust the counsel of men with cavalier—no, not the U of Virginia variety, Arey—ulterior motives.)  I’ve watched a lot of Texas Tech football in my day, primarily because both my father and older brother have degrees from Guns Up U, and Dallas’ own Crabtree remains one of the best Red Raiders in recent memory (with apologies to Wes Welker and Kliff Kingsbury).  It will be interesting, to say the least, watching his NFL career unfold after such an inauspicious beginning.  As King Solomon writes, Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor (Ecclesiastes 7.12).

Speaking of lists . . . because this is supposed to be a sports column, I will now shift my attention to what I call The Fab Forty.  In what is a most difficult exercise, I will now present my top ten favorite (read: not necessarily the best) players from the four major sports in Dallas.  (With no apologies to FC Dallas, but definitely multiple apologies to the Dallas Sidekicks and the amazingly short-lived MISL.  I spent many nights at old Reunion Arena watching the cardiac Kicks battle such classic teams like the Baltimore Blast, Cleveland Crunch, San Diego Sockers, and St. Louis Steamers.  When the best goalie GAA of all-time is a shockingly high 4.03, you know this is soccer as it’s meant to be played: fast and furious, with lots of scoring.  For the record, my favorite Sidekicks are Tatu “Not the Russian pop duo, but rather the guy who takes his kit off every time he scores and throws it into the adoring crowd,” Doc “Indoor Warrior” Lawson, and Krys “Don’t Call Me Leelee” Sobieski.  I still remember their first and only MISL Championship in 1986-87 [Slogan: The Wild Side of Soccer!”] when they defeated the Tacoma Stars four games to three.)  But I digress.

One final disclaimer: I only include players whom I saw play.  For this reason, many legendary names from the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor (i.e. Hayes, Lilly, and Wright) and venerated Rangers (i.e. Jeff Burroughs and Fergie Jenkins) are left out.  Without further ado . . .

DALLAS COWBOYS (years played with team)

1. Troy Aikman, 1989-2000.  Eight Ball.  Three SBs.  Well-spoken and well-groomed analyst on FOX A-Team.  Speaks with Musers every Thursday morning.  Enough said.

2.  Michael Irvin, 1988-1999.  The Playmaker.  Three SBs.  Ultimate competitor.  Audio gold. Discovered Jesse Holley on “4^th and Long.”  Acted like an immoral donkey off the field, but very few athletes are saints.

3.  Daryl Johnston, 1989-1999.  The Moose.  Three SBs.  Battering ram.  Sacrificed body.  Vastly improving FOX broadcaster still partial to all things Cow.

4.  Emmitt Smith, 1990-2002.  Three SBs.  Made of steel.  All-time leading rusher in NFL history.  Ridiculous “diamond surrounded by trash” comment knocks him down list, as does his inability to form a sentence when employed by ESPN.

5.  Jay Novacek, 1990-95.  Best TE to play in Irving.  Three SBs.  Never afraid to absorb a hit across the middle of the field.  Shockingly, only 22 TDs as a Cowboy.

6.  Darren Woodson, 1992-2003.  Best SS in franchise history.  Three SBs.  Reliable and loyal leader in the locker room.

7.  Larry Allen, 1994-2005.  Man primarily responsible for keeping Aikman non-concussed.

8.  Jason Witten, 2003-present.  Best TE in the game, soon to be best TE in Cow history.

9.  DeMarcus Ware, 2005-present.  Most intimidating and ferocious Cow pass rusher since Charles Haley.  And fortunately, a little more reserved.  (Can’t link since it’s R-rated, but just Google Haley’s name combined with the book title Boys Will Be Boys and you’ll see.)

10.  Kenny Gant, 1990-94.  I was a sucker for The Shark Dance.

Dishonorable Mention: Barbie Carpenter, Quincy Carter, Dwayne Goodrich, Chad Hutchinson, Eldorado Owens, Rowdy, Rafael Septien, GM Jerry Jones (he fired Jimmy and hired both Campo and Wade).

DALLAS MAVERICKS (years played with team)

1. Rolando Blackman, 1981-1992.  Modeled my FT stroke after his.  Sadly, my percentage was much lower than Ro’s stellar .840 rate.

2.  Dirk Nowitzki, 1998-present.  The Mavs’ version of Jimmy Johnson’s genius “Herschel Walker” trade.  Robert “Tractor” Traylor to Milwaukee.  Dirk to Dallas.  The rest is history.  Ironically, would be involved with another Traylor, but Crystal not as favorable to Mavs this time.

3.  James Donaldson, 1985-1992.  Solid rebounder and stout defender.

4.  Steve Nash, 1998-2004.  Mark Cuban’s biggest mistake.  Now a two-time (although a bit undeserving) MVP.  Best PG in club history.

5.  Mark Aguirre, 1981-89.  Still holds 13 franchise records, including most points in a single season (2,330 in 1983-84).

6.  Derek Harper, 1983-1994, 1996-97.  Despite the blunder of letting time run out against Lakers in 1984 WCSF, Harp remains one of the best ambassadors of the game.

7.  Jason Terry, 2004-present.  Incredibly streaky shooter, but when he’s on he’s virtually unstoppable.

8.  Michael Finley, 1996-2005.  Outstanding captain for many years, but his repeated failures in the clutch ultimately drops him down on this list.

9.  Roy Tarpley, 1986-1991, 1994-95.  Were it not for the nose candy he could’ve been one of the legends in Dallas.  I still vividly remember ignoring my heated game of APB at Balls Hamburgers on Midway/NW Highway to watch Tarp dominate the Kings in his much-ballyhooed (and, sadly, ephemeral) return to the Association in November 1994.

10.  Brad Davis, 1980-1992.  One of the original Mavericks.  Some might say including two white PGs (does “Dancing Queen” Jason Kidd classify?) on one list would be insane.  He redefined short shorts and the porn star mustache.

Dishonorable Mention: Uwe Blab, Coach Quinn Buckner, Ericka Dampier, Josh Howard, Martin Muursepp, Cherokee Parks (he went to Duke, after all), Antoine Rigaudeau (he’s French, after all), Keith Van Horn

DALLAS STARS (years played with team)

1. Mike Modano, 1993-present.  The only remaining Minnesota North Star on the roster.  Best American-born player in NHL history.  The Stars’ Aikman.

2.  Brett Hull, 1998-2001.  Normally one needs to play longer in Dallas before I shower with praise.  The self-proclaimed “Ambassador of Fun” and third-highest goal scorer (741) in NHL history vaults way up this list because of what he did in the third overtime on 19 June 1999.  Sabre fans need to get over it already.  At least you have the Bills to cheer you up . . . oh, wait.  Dallas > Buffalo.

3.  Ed Belfour, 1997-2002.  What Hull was to the offense, Belfour was to the defense.  The Eagle was the second biggest reason the Stars won the Cup ten years ago.

4.  Joe Nieuwendyk, 1995-2002.  This future Hall of Famer was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner in that brilliant 1999 run to the Cup.  He now serves as the Stars’ hopefully prescient GM.

5.  Derian Hatcher, 1993-2003.  Moved south to Dallas from Minneapolis with Modano.  One of the best enforcers/defensemen in franchise history.  The pugnacious captain came up huge on the blue line multiple times in the playoffs, and also responsible for making the ever-mouthy Jeremy Roenick drink through a straw.

6.  Brenden Morrow, 1999-present.  Although injury-prone, the current captain is the undisputed leader in the room.  When he is in the lineup, the Stars are a much better team.

7.  Jere Lehtinen, 1995-present.  Injury-prone as well, Lehts is a three-time Selke winner.  A phenomenally versatile and redoubtable defensive forward.

8. Sergei Zubov, 1996-2009.  Best Russian to ever don a Stars sweater.  Zubie was an awe-inspiring assassin running the point during power plays.

9.  Steve Ott, 2002-present.  First few years in the league he was known only as a fighter.  Has now developed a more well-rounded offensive arsenal (19, 27, 46 last season) to complement his blitzkrieg defense.  The Otter is a poor man’s Lehtinen.

10.  James Neal, 2008-present.  Hasn’t even played the equivalent of a full season in the league (80 games thus far), but this 22-year-old stud is built like a tank (6-3, 206), shoots lefty, and is nearly impossible to knock off the puck.  The future is very bright for Neal, which is why he already cracks the Top 10.  Modano’s heir apparent.

Dishonorable Mention: Sean Avery, Matthew Barnaby, Todd Fedoruk, Mike Lalor, Roman Lyashenko, Janne Niinimaa, Tobias Stephan, Jamie Wright

TEXAS RANGERS (years played with team)

1. Steve Buechele, 1985-1991.  As a child, I always felt sorry that the fans booed #22 so lustily.  Only later did I find out they weren’t booing, but shortening his last name as a sign of respect.  No matter.  The proverbial die was cast.  He was my favorite.  Styled my mullet after his.

2.  Nolan Ryan, 1989-1993.  The Ryan Express finished out his Hall of Fame résumé in Arlington by recording his sixth and seventh no-hitters and his 5,000^th strikeout.  Records unlikely ever to be broken.  Also “pwnd” (ask my high school students what that means) Robin Ventura in August 1993, the penultimate month of his career.  Now the Rangers’ president and resident snow monkey expert.

3.  Rusty Greer, 1994-2002.  Played with reckless abandon which, as a result, abridged his career.  Many of the most acrobatic catches in club history came courtesy of the The Red Baron.

4.  Michael Young, 2000-present.  Who would have ever thought that the former Blue Jay spare part (Young was traded with Darwin Cubillan to Texas for Esteban Loaiza in July 2000) would mature into one of the most indispensible Rangers?  The 2009 season was basically wrecked when he went on the DL and missed the last month.

5.  Pudge Rodriguez, 1991-2002, 2009.  Despite the rampant steroid rumors, Pudge is by far the best catcher in franchise history (with no apologies to Geno Petralli and some apologies to Don Slaught), as well as one of the most beloved players to ever wear a Rangers uniform.

6.  Ruben Sierra, 1986-1992, 2000-01, 03.  Besides Pudge and Oddibe McDowell, Ruben was the only Ranger in franchise history to ever have an excellent shot to hit for the cycle in any game and/or an outside shot of winning the Triple Crown in any season.  Was absolutely electrifying to watch.

7.  Pete Incaviglia, 1986-1990.  Inky Power was alive and well for five summers in Arlington.  Perhaps the slowest base runner in franchise history (with apologies to Bill Haselman, Larry Parrish and Mickey Tettleton).

8.  Ian Kinsler, 2006-present.  Everything from his knee-high socks to the all-out hustle screams old school.  I love it.  (Although he needs to stop swinging for the fences every AB.  And staying healthy would help.)

9.  Neftali Feliz, 2009-present.  Yes, he’s only appeared in 20 games for the Rangers. Yes, he’s only 21 years old.  But he’s the undeniable future for this club.  Much like Neal for the Stars, Feliz is the Rangers’ cornerstone.  (Pitching wins the WS.)  Feliz Navidad indeed.

10. Roger Pavlik, 1992-98.  Perhaps the most misunderstood and most unfairly maligned Ranger in history (I’m talking to you, Bryan), Pavlik richly deserved his All-Star appearance in 1996 (although some argue that fellow Ranger Kevin “Little Big League” Elster should have earned the invite).  A truly blessed way to celebrate my final summer of freedom after graduating from St. Mark’s and before leaving for Davidson College.

Dishonorable Mention: Mark Clark, John “Empty Golf Shirt” Hart and his enabler Tom Hicks, Chad Kreuter, Ruben Mateo, Laynce Nix, Chan Ho Park, Sammy Sosa (even W. can make mistakes), Mark “Traitor” Teixeira

Here ends the lesson.  And all of God’s people say . . . “Amen!”

***Happy 30^th birthday, Andrew!!***

FRISCO – September 30, 2009 – Mico Solorzano of the Texas Tornado made a milestone jump last weekend when he suited up against the Topeka RoadRunners. Solorzano started the season off with the Texas Tornado U18 team of the NAPHL. His move to the Texas Tornado of the NAHL marks the first time a player has graduated from the league.

The North American Prospects Hockey League is a collection of Tier I Midget AAA teams created to serve as a developmental league for the NAHL. This is the NAPHL’s inaugural season, never having a player called to the NAHL until now. Solorzano’s exceptional play at the midget level has quickly earned him a spot at the junior level where he debuted last weekend in the Tornado home opener against the Topeka RoadRunners.

After just 5 games in the young NAPHL season the 17-year-old Solorzano had accumulated 7 points, good enough to be third in the league in points overall and first among defensemen. His 3 goals also led all NAPHL defensemen. His most memorable game in his short NAPHL career was a 2-1 win against the Green Bay Jr Gamblers in which Solorzano notched both goals for his team.

His scoring presence was felt early as a new member of the NAHL Tornado as he scored in Saturday’s game against Topeka, just his second game with the junior team.

Solorzano will wear number 23 for the Tornado.

Since their inception in 1999, the Texas Tornado has set the standard for excellence for junior hockey in the United States. Besides their three straight National Championships from 2004-2006 the Tornado has won seven NAHL Regular Season Division titles and had seven straight 40+ win seasons from 1999-2007. Their seventh straight division crown in 2007 tied a 30-year NAHL record, and their seven straight 40+ win seasons is an NAHL record. The Tornado have developed and moved on over 80 players in nine years onto NCAA and professional teams.

ALLEN, Texas – The Central Hockey League announced today that there has been a schedule change for the Allen Americans and Arizona Sundogs.

The games scheduled for Friday, Feb. 19, and Saturday, Feb. 20 at Arizona have been moved to Wednesday, Feb. 17, and Thursday, Feb. 18. The start times will remain 7:05 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, 8:05 p.m. Central Standard Time.

The Americans open their inaugural season Oct. 16 on the road against the Sundogs and play their first home game in the Allen Event Center Saturday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m versus the Corpus Christi IceRays.

Full, half and eight-game season ticket plans, as well as group tickets, are on sale now. For more information, call 972.912.1000.

The Americans, the Dallas Stars’ CHL affiliate, begin play this fall in the newly built Allen Event Center. 32, 16, and 8-game season ticket plans and group tickets are on sale now. Corporate partnerships are also available. For information, call 972.912.1000 or visit allenamericans.com. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday.

–AMERICANS–

ALLEN, Texas – Allen Americans goaltender Chris Whitley made his National Hockey League camp debut Wednesday night at Centre Ice Arena in Traverse City, Mich., during the NHL Prospects Tournament hosted by the Detroit Red Wings.

The 6-foot-1, 215-pound goaltender played in net for the Red Wings against the New York Ranger rookies.

“I was pretty nervous. It’s the first game I’ve played in five months or so, but I was looking forward to getting back on my feet,” Whitley said Thursday afternoon.

Whitley graduated in May from Lakehead University after leading the Thunderwolves to a Queen’s Cup championship in 2005-06. The 26-year-old left Lakehead with almost every goaltending record including most career overall wins (82), best goals against average for an overall season (2.34 in 2007-08) and best save percentage for an overall season (.917 in 2007-08).

The game against the Rangers ended in a 4-3 loss, but Americans Head Coach and General Manager Dwight Mullins was pleased with Whitley’s play. “He made nice saves at key moments. For his first pro experience, he looked good,” Mullins said.

With Whitley’s first game under his belt, he’d like to pick up momentum. “The first game is hard to judge. I’d like to get on a roll from here.”

The Ontario native is staying in Traverse City, commonly referred to as Camptown, for Detroit’s main camp that begins Sept. 13 after the NHL Prospects Tournament concluded yesterday.

A few of the household names Whitley’s looking forward to skating with are Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Nicklas Lidstrom. “It’ll be a good experience for me to see how they play on the ice.”

The Americans, the Dallas Stars’ CHL affiliate, begin play this fall in the newly built Allen Event Center. Season tickets, partial plans and group tickets are on sale now, and corporate partnerships are also available. For information, call 972.912.1000 or visit allenamericans.com. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday.

Click on either plan / package image for more information.

Parties of 10 or more qualify as groups, and tickets have different discounts depending on the game and seat location with individual ticket prices ranging from $7 to $20. Group prices start as low as $10 per ticket for the first home game in Americans’ history Nov. 7.

Along with the release of group tickets, the Americans put an eight-game mini plan on sale. The package consists of seven Saturday night games and St. Patrick’s Day with prices starting at $88 per seat.

The mini plan comes with spectacular season ticket holder benefits, including a flexible ticket exchange policy to eliminate wasted tickets, 20% off of merchandise in the team store, an invitation to a skate with the team event and buddy passes so fans can invite friends to join them at a game.

The Americans also have a special promotion for fans interested in buying season tickets. If fans purchase season tickets before Sept. 18, they will receive a pair of Platinum Level tickets to the Dallas Star preseason game Sept. 24.

Other notable games on the schedule for 2009-10 include the four games versus the cross-town rival Texas Brahmas Nov. 11, Nov. 28, Dec. 26 and Feb. 15, New Year’s Day and the season finale against Amarillo March 20. The full promotional schedule will be released later this month.

To purchase tickets, fans can call 972.912.1000 or visit 190 E. Stacy Road, Ste. 1508, in The Village at Allen.

The Americans, the Dallas Stars’ CHL affiliate, begin play this fall in the newly built Allen Event Center. Season tickets, partial plans and group tickets are on sale now, and corporate partnerships are also available. For information, call 972.912.1000 or visit allenamericans.com. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday.

Dallas Cowboys

Interestingly enough, the stadium is the biggest newsmaker of the week for the Cowboys. The $1.2-billion Cowboys Stadium has been lauded for its beauty but the jumbo-tron above the field looms so huge that Titans punter A.J. Trapasso hit it with a punt last week.

Tony Romo and Roy Williams are finally improving their rapport. Williams caught five balls against the Titans last week. In other receiver news, Sam Hurd continues to distance himself from Miles Austin for the WR3 job. Hurd isn’t explosive but he’s consistent; Austin has deep speed but has no official catches this preseason, though he did have a 74-yard kick-return touchdown called back for holding.

Dallas Mavericks

You know it’s a slow news week when a rumor from the online betting community is the top headline. The conspiracy theory goes like this; the Mavs commonly ask their players to avoid international play so they don’t get hurt. Dallas did so with Dirk Nowitzki and J.J. Barea. However, newly acquired Nathan Jawai still has the green light for the World Basketball Championships. That could mean the Mavs aren’t worried about him burning himself out because they’re planning to deal him.

Dallas Stars

The Dallas front office remains quiet and, as a result, no one has any idea of what to expect for the Stars’ hockey odds this season. In a sense, I’m betting management feels its best acquisition is returning captain Brenden Morrow, who missed most of 2008-09 with a torn ACL. He’s the heart and soul of the club and one of the best all-around players in the game, delivering big hits, blocking shots and scoring clutch goals. The competition will be steep in the West this season but the Stars at least have a chance to contend for eighth, depending largely on how quickly Morrow gets his legs back and if Marty Turco can rebound after a poor season.

The Americans, the Dallas Stars’ CHL affiliate, begin play this fall in the newly built Allen Event Center. Season tickets and partial plans are on sale now, and corporate partnerships are also available. For information, call 972.912.1000 or visit allenamericans.com. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday.

The Allen Americans announced today that they are sending another player to an American Hockey League training camp. The Worcester Sharks invited forward Bill Loupée to their camp Sept. 21.

Loupée is excited about the invitation. “It’s a good opportunity and will be a good experience before coming to Allen,” Loupée said Tuesday.

Americans Head Coach and General Manager Dwight Mullins has similar thoughts.

“To be able to go and compete at the American League level will be a great learning experience for Billy. With his strong work ethic and ability to skate, I think he’ll make a positive impression,” Mullins said.

Loupée, 24, is known for his strong skating ability and has a knack for creating scoring opportunities. He can play wing or center, making him a flexible asset for any club.

The 5-foot-10 forward weighs 183 pounds. He graduated from Miami University in Ohio this year and was part of the school’s first trip to the Frozen Four.

Loupée joins the growing list of Americans attending AHL or National Hockey League camps. Goaltender Chris Whitley and forward Justin Bowers will be skating with the Detroit Red Wings and Phoenix Coyotes respectively, while Liam Huculak and Bruce Graham have been invited to attend the Texas Stars’ training camp.

Attached photo by Jeffrey Sabo/Miami University.

The Americans, the Dallas Stars’ CHL affiliate, begin play this fall in the newly built Allen Event Center. Season tickets and partial plans are on sale now, and corporate partnerships are also available. For information, call 972.912.1000 or visit allenamericans.com. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday.