Stars Win Home Opener in OT, 5-4

Between two Texas based teams, the home opener for the Stars was an old West shootout with 9 goals scored in the game and a more than 60 minutes required to determine the final winner.

San Antonio got the scoring started early with a power play tally three minutes into the game. A homerun pass from Tim Stapleton in his own defensive zone allowed Picard a clear shot at the net. Matt Climie, who started in net for the Rampage, assisted on the tally.

Texas's Scott McCulloch would even the score on a good back and forth play with Travis Morin. Tomas Vincour assisted on the goal to gain his first professional point. McCulloch would show up on the scoresheet again shortly thereafter for elbowing and then an ensuing fighting major.

San Antonio would score the next two goals off the sticks Viktor Tikhonov and former Star Mathieu Beaudoin to make it 3-1 early in the 3rd. Tikhonov's goal was a power play tally and Beaudoin's was a slow dribbler that made it across the goal line.

Texas roared back in the 3rd, however. Francis Wathier scored his first goal of the season on a controversial tip. Wathier batted the puck out of the air and in behind Climie. The signal was a goal but the Rampage protests, none more vehemently than goalie Climie. The paly was ruled a good goal and surely frustrated the San Antonio keeper. Just a few minutes later, also on the power play, Aaron Gagnon would score on the power play from a bad angle shot rebound down below the right wing circle. With the score at 3-3, San Antonio took their team timeout.

With Tristan King in the box for holding, Texas allowed another power play goal on the night and the score was set at 4-3. Just 61 seconds later, Ondrej Roman picked up his first professional goal from the left wing circle and made the score 4-4, forcing overtime.

Thirty-three seconds into the period, Maxime Goncharov pulled down a hard-charging Aaron Gagnon to take a holding penalty. Texas went on the always dangerous 4-on-3 power play. With three forwards on the ice, Texas maintained control passing from Morin, Spang, and Rallo int he umbrella. Scott McCulloch got his second goal of the night when Morin finally shot the puck in and McCulloch followed up to force the puck in. The OT winner gives the Stars a 2-0 record in home openers, both won in overtime.

Texas head coach Glen Gulutzan was happy with with win but said, "We certainly have some things to tidy up in our game." With a lot of young players, Coach feels its important not to be drawn into a "north-south" game as they were in the second period. "Tonight was a good character win," shared GWG-scorer Scott McCulloch. Texas will try to keep its streak alive tomorrow night against the Peoria Rivermen, who are 4-1 and playing the last game of a 3-in-3.

Tonight's lines:
Wathier-Gagnon-Rallo
McCulloch-Morin-Vincour
Tousignant-Roman-Sceviour
Backman-King

Larsen-Lukowich
Blindenbacher-Ludwig
Fortunus-Stephenson
Spang

Krahn

Injuries, scratches, and notes:
Benn, Sawada, Chupp, Gazdic (scratched)

Tonight's attendance was 6,302.

AHL Gamesheet - Texas v. San Antonio - October 16 2010

Comments

  1. Took my daughter to the game -- she actually skipped a choir performance to come to the game :-) -- and man, what a great game! We were a few rows up in the corner by the net the Stars shot at twice (and in OT). I have a couple good pics I'm going to tweet in a minute (hey Stephen, you weren't wearing a Led Zeppelin shirt by any chance, were you?). The Stars' lousy penalty killing was vexing, but still, what a great night!

    --Chris M.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Why has Gazdic not been playing?

    ReplyDelete

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