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| (Credit: Rockford IceHogs) |
After completing a weekend sweep of the Milwaukee Admirals and collecting points in three straight games, the Stars looked to carry that momentum onto the road against the Rockford IceHogs. Despite scoring just seconds into the game, Texas found itself chasing Rockford the rest of the way, falling 8-4 in a dominant performance by the IceHogs.
Any initial fears of a sluggish start after the holiday break were put to rest almost immediately. Just 14 seconds into the game, Matthew Seminoff pounced on a rebound in front of Rockford goaltender Stanislav Berezhnoy to give the Stars a 1-0 lead.
The home side responded quickly, as Gavin Hayes fired a shot past Remi Poirier from the right circle to tie the game. Rockford then took its first lead when Jamie Engelbert found a loose puck in front of Poirier and beat the Stars netminder low. What began as a fast start quickly turned into a shootout, with both teams generating quality scoring chances.
After earning their second power play of the night, Seminoff continued his strong performance, scoring from a sharp angle at the bottom of the left circle to beat Berezhnoy and tie the game at 2-2.
The momentum swung firmly to the home team late in the period when Dmitry Kuzmin scored with just 0.2 seconds remaining in the first, giving Rockford a 3-2 lead heading into the intermission.
Rockford extended its lead early in the second period, scoring on consecutive shifts to make it 5-2. Kevin Lombardi and Josh Lopina found the net, bringing Poirier’s night to an end just two minutes into the period after allowing five goals on nine shots. Stars head coach Toby Petersen turned to Arno Tiefensee in relief.
Midway through the second, Trey Taylor was called for holding, and Hayes capitalized moments later. His deflection in front of the net gave him his second goal of the night and pushed the IceHogs’ lead to 6-2.
The third period began with Kyle Looft turning the puck over at the offensive blue line, allowing Engelbert to take possession, skate the length of the ice, and notch his second goal of the night, putting Texas down 7-2.
In need of a spark, Antonio Stranges earned a penalty shot after being hooked from behind on a breakaway. The Stars forward converted with a backhanded finish to cut the deficit to 7-3. Just over three minutes later, Harrison Scott scored from the right circle to make it 7-4.
Texas could not get any closer, as Lombardi sealed the win with his second goal of the night into an empty net, securing an 8-4 victory for the IceHogs.
Hanas-Shlaine-Lind
Stranges-Scott-McKenzie
McDonald-Martino-Becker
Taylor-Bergsland
Bertucci-Karow
Looft-Punnett
Poirier (pulled)
Injuries, scratches, and notes
White, Wheatcroft, Ertel, Chisholm (scratch)
Tuomaala (injury)
Tonight's attendance was 6,326.
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