Texas Blanks Grand Rapids as Morin’s Number 23 is Enshrined

Oct 19, 2019

CEDAR PARK, Texas – The Texas Stars, American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars, shutout the Grand Rapids Griffins 3-0 on Saturday night to complete a weekend sweep of the Central Division rival. In a game full of milestones, Jake Oettinger notched his first career shutout while Parker MacKay and Joel Kiviranta tallied their first AHL goals. 

 

Midway through the first period, MacKay net his first career goal to put Texas ahead 1-0. Tye Felhaber fired a shot on goal from the point that created mass chaos at the Griffins net. As the shot deflected off the pad of Grand Rapids goalie Filip Larsson, Emil Djuse then continued the offensive surge with another shot. The deflected puck eventually made its way to Conner Bleackley who was parked in front of a net full of scrambled Griffins defenders. As he took another shot-on goal, MacKay and Larsson each dove headfirst toward the goal. Fighting for the loose puck, MacKay tucked in the first Stars goal of the evening and the eventual game winning goal.

 

The following intermission was one that will be remembered forever. The Stars lifted Travis Morin’s #23 into the rafters at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. Morin and his family supported by the entire Texas Stars roster on the bench looked back at the history of his career as the franchise’s leader in goals, assists, points and games played. Captain Dillon Heatherington jumped onto the ice in the final moments of the ceremony for an embrace with the greatest player in team history.

 

Each team saw power play minutes in the scoreless second period, but ultimately came up empty. In total, the Griffins and Stars each went 0-for-4 on the man advantage. Oettinger dazzled in the period during a flurry of chances for the Griffins and made three sprawling saves to keep Grand Rapids off the score board. 
 

Texas extended their lead in the third as Reese Scarlett dished the puck to Kiviranta, who raced into the offensive zone. The forward then snuck through four Griffins defenders before blasting a wrist shot over the shoulder Larsson. As icing on the cake, Gavin Bayreuther scored an empty net goal from center ice to up the final score to 3-0. 

 

Oettinger was dominant in his third start of the season, saving all 28 shots he faced to fuel his first professional shutout. On the other side of the ice, Larsson stopped 19 of Texas’ 21 shots in his second professional start.

Written By Stevie Golding

Photo Credit: Taylor Sammarco
 

Game Info	Shots	Goaltenders	3 Stars (Xerox Business Solutions Southwest)
Boxscore	TEX: 21	W: Jake Oettinger (TEX)	1: Jake Oettinger (TEX)
Photo	GR: 28	L: Filip Larsson (GR)	2: Parker MacKay (TEX)
Video			3: Joel Kiviranta (TEX)