Texas Stars Fall Short Against Division-Leading Griffins 4-2

(Credit: Logan Foust / Texas Stars)

The Texas Stars hosted the Grand Rapids Griffins in their first of eight matchups this season. Despite a valiant effort, the Stars fell to the division-leading Griffins by a score of 4-2 at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park in front of a Tuesday crowd of 4,811.   

With the Stars losing the last four games, Texas remained positive they could turn things around. “At the end of the day, the guys are playing hard. We can't lose sight of the big pitch. It's still early yet,” said Texas Stars head coach Neil Graham. “You got to find a way to get through this stretch of adversity, and when you do, you'll be better for it in the long run.” 

From the jump, Texas came out strong, keeping pace with the Griffins shot for shot and in possession. With assists by Kyle Capobianco and Luke Krys, Arttu Hyry got Texas on the board first. The back-and-forth dancing continue a little longer but on a race to the Texas net, Griffins’ Gabriel Seger rolled one past Stars goalie Magnus Hellberg tying the game at one. As the period continued, Texas’ Kole Lind served time in the penalty box on a holding call. Texas came out of that initial penalty, able to hold off the Griffins to keep it tied at one at the end of the first frame. 

The second period saw Texas turn up the heat on Grand Rapids, keeping pace in shots on goal. An odd shot from Griffins defenseman William Wallinder ricocheted off the crossbar and into the net past Hellberg, giving the Griffins the lead in the second. 

Texas also saw more time in the penalty box in the frame, but Texas was able to hold off the Griffins each time. As the second was just about done, a scuffle between Eemil Viro and Cameron Hughes sent them both to the penalty box charged with roughing, leaving both teams skating 4-on-4. With 19 seconds left, Justin Hryckowian cut to the net and slipped one through the five hole of Griffins goalie and former Star Jack Campbell with assists by Emilio Pettersen and Alex Petrovic. 

Coming into the final frame, Texas remained aggressive with their puck handling, attempting to get more past the Griffins. Texas just could not overcome the blocked shots.

“They’re one of the top defensive teams in the league,” said Graham of the visitors. “So it’s always going to be a tougher night to generate the quantity of looks… I thought it was pretty low event on both sides.”

With the game still tied at 2, former Star Sheldon Dries put his team back in the lead on a mid-air baseball shot past Hellberg. With the score now 3-2 in favor of the Griffins, Texas continued to drive to the net only to have their efforts stymied by the Griffins’ defense.

With a little more than a minute left in the game, Texas pulled Hellberg in an effort to knot up the game. The Stars struggled to achieve zone time, and the Griffins’ Austin Watson found the empty net to set the 4-2 final score. 

Texas returns for game two against the Grand Rapids Griffins on Wednesday at 7 PM at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. 

Tonight’s lines
Stranges - Hryckowian - Lind
Hughes - Hyry - Blümel
Pettersen - Seminoff – McKenzie
Wheatcroft - McDonald 

Capobianco - Krys
Looft - Petrovic
Karow - White
Kyrou

Hellberg

Injuries, scratches, and notes:
Ertel (warm-up)
Becker, Romano (scratch)

Tonight’s attendance was 4,811.

AHL Gamesheet – Texas v. Grand Rapids – December 17 2024