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| (Credit: Ross Bonander / Texas Stars) |
In the first sellout of the season, the Texas Stars cruised to a dominant 5-2 victory to open their first of two games against division rival Manitoba Moose Saturday night at the H-E-B Center.
After ending Manitoba’s year in a first round sweep last season, animosity and hatred seeped into their first matchup with a chippy three periods. With the first period alone both teams combined for 34 penalty minutes with three scuffles on the ice.
“We knew they would come out hard, and we knew they’d be physical,” Neil Graham said about Manitoba. “I thought our guys answered the bell on the physical side.”
The Stars were only able to capitalize on one out of their three power play opportunities in the first. A minute into their second power play, Kole Lind scored his goal of the night to bring Texas up 1-0 early.
Less than forty seconds later, Manitoba responded with their own score. Moose forward Mason Shaw scored on Magnus Hellberg to tie the game up. Alex Petrovic and Shaw would get into it pushing and shoving each other with the pair each earning a penalty.
Taking no time to regain the lead, the Stars scored 17 seconds later when Matěj Blümel, with the assistance of linemate Chase Wheatcroft, slid one past Moose goalie Domenic DiVincentiis to make it 2-1.
More pushing and shoving by the division rival ensued after the score. Lian Bichel and Manitoba Kevin Conley would each get a pair of penalties, and Shaw would get sent to the locker room with a misconduct for abuse of officials.
“The biggest thing for us is we want to be in those scrums, but we don't want to be taking those extra penalties,” Lind said. “Put ourselves in good positions on the power play, we took advantage.”
A reckless pass by DiVicentiis met Arttu Hyry just outside the faceoff circle. Pouncing on the mistake, Hyry fired a wrist shot on net and brought the Stars growing lead to 3-1 to close the first.
Texas' forecheck created constant pressure in Manitoba’s zone with the Stars holding the Moose to just three shots on goal for the entire second period. With four minutes left in the defensively dominant period, Lind captured his second power play goal of the night.
“We had a lot of smart players on our unit,” Lind remarked on the power play. “The chemistry was working real well tonight.”
Coach Graham mentioned postgame that he used the long offweek to try out some new line combinations, including breaking up Lind and Cameron Hughes, who missed the game with an injury. Lind’s trio with Antonio Stranges and Justin Hryckowian combined for four points.
Offensive woes continued for Manitoba well into the third with Texas holding them to just two shots in the first 11 minutes of the period. The Moose would finally answer late after a long slapshot caught Hellberg off guard.
Pulling DiVincentiis to gain the extra skater proved futile for the Moose. Emilio Pettersen from Hellberg’s goalie crease scored on a deep empty netter sealing the Stars victory at 5-2.
The Texas Stars return to the H-E-B Center to play the Manitoba Moose once again tomorrow at 5 PM.
Tonight's lines
Stranges-Hryckowian-Lind
Wheatcroft-Hyry-Blümel
Pettersen-Seminoff-McKenzie
Arcuri-Becker-McDonald
Looft-Petrovic
Capobianco-Bichsel
Karow-White
Hellberg
Injuries, scratches and notes
Hughes (day-to-day, injury)
Krys, Kyrou, Romano (scratch)
Tonight’s attendance was 6,778, Texas’ first sellout of the season.
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