Texas Tops Bakersfield 4-2 To Start West Coast Weekend

Radek Faksa just recently returned from the NHL and is already making an impact on the lineup. His late goal in Bakersfield put Texas up 3-2 and stood up as the game-winner in a 4-2 contest. The Stars also got a pair of goals from Greg Rallo and one from Mattias Nackman.

Philippe Desrosiers picked up his third victory of the year with an 18 save effort.

Here's the release:
Radek Faksa’s slap shot with just over a minute remaining in regulation snapped a tie game and lifted the Texas Stars to a 4-2 win on Friday night over the Bakersfield Condors in front of 4,363 at Rabobank Arena.

Faksa’s game-winner came from the left circle with 1:09 to play, and gave the Stars (20-14-3-3) their fourth win this season over the Condors (14-14-2-2) in as many games. Greg Rallo added an empty-net goal to finish with two in the win, and Philippe Desrosiers turned aside 18 of 20 shots to earn his third straight victory.

The Stars continue their road trip tomorrow against the San Diego Gulls at 9:05 p.m. CST.

Faksa’s goal snapped a 2-2 tie after the Condors erased a two-goal deficit with a pair of power play goals in the third. Griffin Reinhart beat a screened Desrosiers from the center of the blue line at 2:51 and then Joshua Winquist knotted things up from the top of the right circle with a one-timer for his four goal of the season. It was his third against the Stars.

Curtis McKenzie tallied the assist on Faksa’s winner when he fed the Stars’ forward from his belly in the corner.

Rallo opened up the game’s scoring with his ninth power play goal of the season, and 14th overall, at 12:53 of the first as Travis Morin threaded a crossing pass to the left circle for a one-time blast.

Texas extended their lead to 2-0 at 2:31 in the second when Mattias Backman’s centering pass from the corner slipped through Bakersfield goaltender Laurent Brossoit at the post.

The Condors goaltender more than made up for the second period error after finishing with 41 saves in the game, including 34 of them through the first forty minutes of play. The Stars held the Condors to just two shots on goal in the opening frame, tied for their lowest effort of the season.

Texas finished 1-for-7 on the power play, while the Condors went 2-for-6.

Jason Dickinson’s point streak came to an end at six games for the Stars. Rallo’s empty-net goal in the dying seconds of regulation was his 15th of the season.

Tonight's lines:
Elie-Faksa-Stransky
McKenzie-Morin-Ranford
Dickinson-Smith-Rallo
Hulak-Dowling-Ritchie

Lindell-Honka
Kamrass-Mangene
Backman-Bystrom

Desrosiers

Injuries, scratches, and notes:
Troock, Shore, Johns (injury)
Blacker, Evans, Kane, Muse, Dowling (scratch)

Tonight's attendance was 4,363.

AHL Gamesheet - Texas at Bakersfield - January 15 2016

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