Late Heroics Cap 5-4 Texas Stars Win Over Rampage

(Credit: Darren Abate/San Antonio Rampage)

I was in Allen covering the Steelheads' game, so I didn't have eyes on everything in this game. Here's the high-level report.

Caleb Herbert notched three points in just his fifth AHL game of the season, but it took some late-game heroics from a veteran to put Texas on a win streak heading into the Christmas break.

Herbert tipped a shot from Julius Honka and scored a clean one in the second to make it 3-2 Texas. He assisted on Gemel Smith's goal a few minutes later to make it 4-2. In the third period, San Antonio clawed back to even at four. Matej Stransky found twine with just 12 seconds left to set the final score at 5-4.

Landon Bow got the start and stopped 33 of 37 shots against him. Texas chased starter Spencer Martin but Jeremy Smith took the loss, as he allowed the final goal.

These two teams rematch after the Christmas break in San Antonio next Tuesday.

Here's the release:

The San Antonio Rampage knotted the game with less than three minutes remaining in regulation, but it was Matej Stransky who scored the key goal with 12 seconds left to give the Texas Stars a 5-4 road win on Thursday night in front of 4,176 in attendance at AT&T Center.

Stransky’s game-winner gave the Stars (15-10-1-1) a two-game sweep of their rivals in the home-and-home series. The Rampage (12-15-2-0) suffered their fifth loss in the last six games. Caleb Herbert finished with a three-point game for the Stars (2-1=3). Justin Dowling tallied an assist to take over sole possession of third place in Stars history in points (192) and assists (124).

The Stars will visit the Rampage again on Tuesday at 7 p.m. CST after the American Hockey League’s holiday break.

Rocco Grimaldi tapped in a rebound goal at the left post to tie the game at 4-4 with 2:42 to play in the game. In the closing seconds, Travis Morin slipped a puck into the goal crease that Stransky was able to bang home in a crowd of players for his tenth of the season.

The scoring began just over a minute into the game when Herbert deflected a Julius Honka shot from the point for his first goal in a Texas sweater. The Rampage responded with back-to-back goals from Jim O’Brien at 3:54 and Mike Sislo on the power play at 8:09.

Trailing 2-1 entering the second, the Stars answered back with three goals of their own to take a 4-2 lead. Dowling’s milestone assist two minutes in set up Morin in the slot for a power play goal and his team-leading 11th of the season overall. Herbert snapped a wrist shot off a Texas faceoff win past San Antonio’s Spencer Martin at 3:59, and Gemel Smith finished off a two-on-one rush from the right circle at 11:05 with Herbert adding the assist.

Landon Bow earned his fourth career AHL win in just his sixth appearance this season for the Stars with 33 saves. Martin was chased from the game after Smith’s goal and finished 11 of 15. Jeremy Smith came on in relief to stop eight of the nine shots he faced.

Texas finished 1-for-4 on the power play. San Antonio went 1-for-6.

The Stars have won four straight games against the Rampage this season.

Tonight's lines:
DeFazio-Dowling-Elie
Dickinson-Smith-Herbert
Ranford-Morin-Stransky
Van Brabant-McMurtry-Mangene

Honka-Bodnarchuk
Stevenson-Ebert
Bystrom-Faust

Bow

Injuries, scratches, and notes:
Backman (mid-body injury)
Fyten, Werek, Ully (injury)
Gurianov (World Juniors)
Anselmini (scratch)

Tonight's attendance was 4,176.

AHL Gamesheet - Texas at San Antonio - December 22 2016