Stars Falter Late, Lose 5-3 to Barracuda

Apr 16, 2021

SAN JOSE, California – The Texas Stars, American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars, dropped their second game against San Jose this week in a 5-3 defeat at SAP Center at San Jose. The Stars are 2-3-0-0 against San Jose this year with one final meeting set for Saturday night that will end an eight-game trip away from Cedar Park.

 

The Barracuda were relentless around the net in the first period and it benefitted them early in the period. Lean Bergmann net his first goal of the season as a scramble for a rebound resulted in him down on the ice to the right side of the crease. The winger swung his stick at the puck and snuck it past Colton Point less than four minutes into the game.

 

Texas grabbed a late first period goal to even the score. Josh Melnick began a career-high three point game by scoring the team’s first goal. After Tye Felhaber broke up a play at center ice, Riley Tufte took the puck into the zone and behind the net. The winger stopped and while falling to the ice, tucked the puck to the side of the net where Melnick flipped it past the glove of Alexei Melnichuk and into the net. The goal was Melnick’s second tally in three games and held the game at a 1-1 score until the first intermission.

 

Rookie Riley Damiani broke out of a 13-game goal drought by netting his seventh of the season in the first four minutes of the second period. The center broke to the front of the net after Cole Schneider had a shot hit the glass and bounce back out in front of the net. Damiani didn’t wait for it to touch the ice, swatting the puck out of the air and into the net for the go-ahead goal.

 

San Jose responded two minutes later as Steenn Pasichnuk was able to slap home the tying goal. The Barracuda brought the puck down toward the goal and a battle ensued two feet away from the crease. The quick chance for Pasichnuk caught point off guard and slid under his right pad for his first pro goal.

 

Point’s night ended there as he was relieved by Adam Scheel who entered his third game this week. The netminder ended the period with eight saves and eventually finished the night with 13 stops but shouldered the loss.

 

At the start of the third period, Melnick benefitted from a fortuitous bounce off the end boards. Tufte brought the puck into the zone and left it for Thomas Harley at the top of the left circle. The defenseman fired a shot wide of the left post where the puck ricochet off the wall and right to Melnick at the right side of the net. Melnick lofted the puck over Melnichuk’s outreached glove to give Texas a 3-2 lead three and a half minutes into the final period.

 

The Barracuda took advantage of a few late missteps by Texas to grab a pair of third period goals. First was Evan Weinger who stepped up on a 2-on-1 due to a step-up by the Stars defense at the blue line. He wristed a shot through the legs of Scheel for his second of the season to tie the game at 3-3 with 13 minutes left in the game. Then in the final five minutes, Bergmann stripped the puck away from the Stars below the goal line before centering it to Scott Reedy who entered the zone late. The newly signed center blasted home the eventual game-winning goal for his second tally of the season.

 

With Scheel on the bench and the Stars attempting to tie the game with an extra attacker, Alexander True sealed the deal with an empty net goal in the final 30 seconds.

 

Melnichuk earned his third win this year with 25 saves while neither team struck on the power play in the game.

 

Texas and San Jose wrap up their four-game week tomorrow, Saturday, Apr. 17 at 8 p.m. CT from SAP Center at San Jose.

Photo Credit: Kavin Mistry, San Jose Barracuda

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Game Info	Shots	Goaltenders	3 Stars (Xerox Business Solutions Southwest)
Boxscore	TEX: 28	W: Alexei Melnichuk (SJ)	1: Lean Bergmann (SJ)
Photo	SJ: 30	L: Adam Scheel (TEX)	2: Scott Reedy (SJ)
Video		ND: Colton Point (TEX)	3: Zachary Gallant (SJ)