Competition has been engrained into Climie since he played hockey with his goalie brother as a child.

The Texas Stars, AAA affiliate of the Dallas Stars, broke in the ice at the Cedar Park Center in its inaugural season this weekend.

If the preseason is any indication, the Texas Stars are going to be a good defensive team highlighted by their goal-tending.

"We just have got to play intense hockey. We don't have a lot of experience up front so we are going to have some tough times scoring goals. We have just got a solid D Corps. If we bring the effort every night we should have a good chance of winning every game," Texas Stars goalie, Matt Climie, said.

Matt Climie's climb to the pro ranks was a bit unusual.

The twenty-six-year old wasn't drafted, but he made the most of his opportunities from a small college in Minnesota.

"I was a free agent. I did not get drafted. So I kind of went the college route where I went to Bemidji State University for four years. When I was a senior I signed on with the Dallas Stars," Climie said.

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He actually got a chance to play with the Dallas Stars in three games last year. One of his favorite moments last week was meeting with Marty Turco, who gave him some great advice.

"He helped me quite a bit last year adjusting to the pro level," Climie said of Turco. "Even this year at camp he helped me quite a bit during camp and just kind of gave me those little tips and advice that go a long way."

Canadian teammate Brent Krahn, 27, has brought a lot of competition on the ice as well.

Their competitive natures bring out the best in both of them.

"He sees something in my game or I see something in his. It's just positive criticism and try to make each other better out there. The best way to do it is to be competitive with each other," Krahn, said.

Competition has been engrained into Climie since he played hockey with his goalie brother as a child.

	If the preseason is any indication, the Texas Stars are going to be a good defensive team highlighted by their goal-tending.

"I grew up with my brother and my older brother was a goal-tender. We actually played on the same team for a year in junior hockey. It was kind of cool watching him and I learned quite a bit from him," he said.

The Texas Stars won their home opener 3-2 against San Antonio Saturday night.

Climie and the Stars travel to Houston this coming weekend for two games against the Aeros.