Texas Stars Fall in Season's First Road Bout 4-3 in Shootout

(Credit: Iowa Wild)

In their first road game of the season, Texas earned a point but fell 4-3 in the shootout to the host Iowa Wild in Des Moines. Adam Mascherin picked up his first career goal, and the Texas Stars power play activated for the first time on the season. Youngsters Denis Gurianov and Gavin Bayreuther for Texas and Gerry Fitzgerald for Iowa all had a goal and an assist.

Landon Bow got the start and took the loss, stopping 27 of the 30 shots he faced.

Texas got off to a rough start with a 5-on-3 power play going against them for a full two minutes as they took a penalty during a delayed call. Landon Bow and the defense stood strong on this and the next penalty kill, giving Texas a chance at some offense late in the period. Extended O-zone time and an iced puck from Iowa would give the Stars their best chances of the period, but the score would be 0-0 after one.

The scoring kicked off in the second with a bad bounce for Texas. A breakout pass went off the back of Justin Dowling and landed on the stick of Iowa’s forwards. Justin Kloos kicked a pass out to Ryan Murphy at the point and he beat Bow clean for the 1-0 lead.

The Stars would come back with a pair in the frame. Adam Mascherin picked up his first of the season and first of his career less than a minute after the Iowa goal. A power play goal for Texas off the stick of Gavin Bayreuther would push them ahead 2-1 halfway through the second. The primary assist was Ben Gleason’s first pro point.

It wasn’t a lengthy lead for Texas with Mike Liambas, the former Admiral, sneaking into the crease and redirecting a pass from Gerry Fitzgerald up high and past Bow.

Fitzgerald would get one of his own, his third already on the young season, in the third period to regain the lead over Texas. It was another bad luck play as Bayreuther and Michael Mersch both broke their sticks on the backcheck.

With Bow on the bench late, Denis Gurianov would score his first of the year down the right side and whipping one past Andrew Hammond to tie things up. Ben Gleason would have the best chance of the overtime period, dancing past the Iowa defense but ditching his chance on the side of the Wild net instead of in the back of the cage. In the shootout, Sam Anas was the only goal scorer as the Wild collected the extra standings point.

Texas heads to Rockford tomorrow to continue their second longest road trip of the year.

Tonight's lines:
Mersch-Dowling-Gurianov
Condra-L'Esperance-Macherin
Caamano-Morin-Hargrove
Laberge-Markison-Pearce

Heatherington-Hanley
Bayreuther-Hansson
Nyberg-Gleason

Bow

Injuries, scratches, and notes:
Scarlett (lower body)
Hanna, Calderone, Payne, Phelan (scratch)

Tonight’s attendance was 4,624.

AHL Gamesheet - Texas at Iowa - October 12 2018