(Credit: Texas Stars)
Following yesterday’s embarrassing 10-1 loss to the Grand Rapids Griffins, tying the worst loss in franchise history, the Texas Stars desperately needed to respond with anything that resembled competitive hockey.
From an inverse from last night, Texas put up a competitive effort, making a major defensive adjustment to force Grand Rapids to fight more for pucks and upping the intensity that was lacking for 60 minutes yesterday.
“I was really happy with the effort, the battle level to compete, all the things that we were asking them to do that we were missing last night showed up early on, and we stuck with it for pretty much the whole game,” head coach Toby Petersen said. “We never like to take moral victories. But that is the moral victory.”
Despite their best efforts, the Stars could not manage enough firepower late in the third period to respond, falling to the Griffins, 6-3, Saturday night at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park.
Looking at the result on the final scorecard, Grand Rapids had to do a lot more fighting for their scoring chances. Tonight saw four lead changes, with either team never giving the other much leeway — it was anyone's game until the final period.
Despite their best efforts, the Stars could not manage enough firepower late in the third period to respond, falling to the Griffins, 6-3, Saturday night at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park.
Looking at the result on the final scorecard, Grand Rapids had to do a lot more fighting for their scoring chances. Tonight saw four lead changes, with either team never giving the other much leeway — it was anyone's game until the final period.
Texas headed into the final period tied up at 3-3 with Grand Rapids, after successfully killing off a Griffins power play to close out the second frame. The Stars lost all of its momentum early in the final period when Kole Lind lost control of the puck near Remi Poirier’s net.
Lind collected the puck behind the net and started to sail up the ice, but with pressure barreling down his backside by a Grand Rapids defender, he was unable to maintain his balance, falling on his stomach.
The following turnover was quickly collected by Griffins forward Micheal Brandsegg-Nygård in the low slot, beating Poirier for his second point of the night.
“You look at what was generated by them or mistakes by us. The mistakes were a lot of physical mistakes, some mental mistakes,” Petersen said.
Trailing by one, the Stars struggled to find open shooting lanes down the stretch. Kyle Looft, one of three goal scorers for Texas tonight, was set up for a wide-open one-timer but whiffed on his attempt, turning the puck over in the process.
Lind was kicked from the contest, his second of the season, after he was called for a kicking major on Griffins netminder Sebastain Cossa during a massive scrum.
Lind collected the puck behind the net and started to sail up the ice, but with pressure barreling down his backside by a Grand Rapids defender, he was unable to maintain his balance, falling on his stomach.
The following turnover was quickly collected by Griffins forward Micheal Brandsegg-Nygård in the low slot, beating Poirier for his second point of the night.
“You look at what was generated by them or mistakes by us. The mistakes were a lot of physical mistakes, some mental mistakes,” Petersen said.
Trailing by one, the Stars struggled to find open shooting lanes down the stretch. Kyle Looft, one of three goal scorers for Texas tonight, was set up for a wide-open one-timer but whiffed on his attempt, turning the puck over in the process.
Lind was kicked from the contest, his second of the season, after he was called for a kicking major on Griffins netminder Sebastain Cossa during a massive scrum.
“When [the officials] see something, you're not gonna argue it,” Petersen said. “You're never gonna win the argument. So you are just going to have to take their word for it.”
Poirier was pulled on the following face-off, leaving the net wide open. Grand Rapids tattooed a pair of insurance goals on the board to grow their final goal total this weekend to 16 on the weekend.
Texas will face the Coachella Valley Firebirds this Saturday at 8:30 P.M. at Acrisure Arena in Thousand Palms, California
Tonight’s lines
Hughes-Hyry-Lind
Shlaine-Seminoff-Tuomaala
Stranges-Scott-McKenzie
Chisholm-Becker-Ertel
Taylor-White
Bertucci-Karow
Punnett-Looft
Tonight’s attendance was 6,414
Tonight’s lines
Hughes-Hyry-Lind
Shlaine-Seminoff-Tuomaala
Stranges-Scott-McKenzie
Chisholm-Becker-Ertel
Taylor-White
Bertucci-Karow
Punnett-Looft
Poirier
Injuries, Scratches and Notes
Injuries, Scratches and Notes
Capobianco, Kolyachonok (callup)
Martino, Hanas (scratch)
Martino, Hanas (scratch)
Bergsland (warm-up)
Tonight’s attendance was 6,414
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