Texas Stars Youngsters Lead Third Period Comeback Win

(Credit: Grand Rapids Griffins)

Texas salvaged their first road trip of the season with a win in Grand Rapids this evening. The back-and-forth game saw Texas emerge victorious in a 6-3 final score. Landon Bow came up big in the first period to keep Texas in it, and Joel L'Esperance and Adam Mascherin found chemistry on a new line combo with Travis Morin.

Denis Gurianov had the game winning goal as he knocked a puck into the net completely out of mid air on the power play. Texas tallied three power play goals on the night, including a 5-on-3, firmly shaking off their man-advantage demons from the previous few games. In addition, they were only shorthanded three times on the night.

It was Texas getting the first goal in this one as Joel L'Esperance continued his excellent start to the season, collecting his third tally. It was an unassisted marker, but Adam Mascherin's initial shot created the havoc that led to L'Esperance putting it away. It was a power play goal, just Texas's second of the season. Grand Rapids had a chance to tie it up on a penalty shot by Wade Megan a few minutes later but Bow stopped that. It was only a matter of time before Chris Terry notched his first of the year. It came in the eighth minute on a tip from Saarijarvi's initial shot.

Not far from his collegiate home in Ann Arbor, Tony Calderone picked up his first of the year after Colton Hargrove slipped through three Griffins D-men and passed it over to him for the 2-1 tally. It was short-lived as Matt Finn tied things up. A missed pass in the GR zone from Dowling to Gurianov went the other way and fast. Finn beat Bow five hole and 2-2 was the score after 20.

The lone score in the second period was a tip play by Axel Holmstrom off a shot from Jake Chelios. Texas roared back in the third period with Adam Mascherin being the beneficiary of a slick pass from Joel L'Esperance this time to tie it at three. Immediately after, Texas went to the power play with Mascherin drawing the call. Gurianov popped in his third in as many games to go ahead 4-3.

From there, the Griffins just fell apart. Another power play became a 5-on-3 for 68 seconds. Michael Mersch scored on the doorstep to make it 5-3, his first as a Star. Nick Caamano polished things off with an empty net goal in the dying minutes to make the final 6-3.

Texas heads home to take on the Iowa Wild on Friday and Saturday.

Tonight's lines:
Mascherin-Morin-L'Esperance
Mersch-Dowling-Gurianov
Caamano-Markison-Condra
Hargrove-Calderone-Phelan

Nyberg-Hanley
Heatherington-Hansson
Hanna-Gleason

Bow

Injuries, scratches, and notes:
Scarlett (lower body)
Bayreuther, Laberge, Payne, Pearce (scratch)

Tonight’s attendance was 4,010.

AHL Gamesheet - Texas at Grand Rapids - October 17 2018