Texas Holds on Against Colorado for Fifth Consecutive Win

Mar 12, 2021

CEDAR PARK, Texas – The Texas Stars, American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars, never relinquished the lead to the Colorado Eagles after scoring 34 seconds into the game and completed the night with a 4-2 win at home. Texas has won five consecutive games and recorded a four-goal game for the sixth time this year.

 

Josh Melnick capitalized in the first minute of play to give Texas the lead. As the team stepped into the zone, Anthony Louis held off a defender and, with one hand on his stick from a knee, slipped a pass to his center at the top of the hashmarks. Melnick launched his third of the season past the glove of Adam Werner in the Colorado net.

 

Texas turned in another goal three minutes later. Tye Felhaber set up Cole Schneider in the slot but the pass slipped past the captain and drifted to the top of the right circle. He touched it to Joe Cecconi who sailed the puck right back over, through two defenders, to Felhaber at the left side of the net for a wide open tap-in.

 

Colorado was able to battle back twice in the game and narrow the deficit to just one goal. The first came from the momentum of a first period power play that helped get them back in the game. Mike Vecchione drove to the net and battled for position and ultimately tipped a shot from Matt Abt between the legs of Stars goaltender Landon Bow for his second goal of the year.

 

Bow remained steady for the Stars in his first game action since Mar. 11, 2020. The netminder made 25 saves in his return to the crease and eventually earned the win. He outdueled Werner in the outing, who made 15 saves for his second loss of the year.

 

The scoreless second period rolled into a quick start for Texas in the third. Jake Slaker intercepted the puck from the Eagles at center ice and stepped into the zone. The rookie launched a shot from the right circle just inside the elbow of the net to regain Texas’ two-goal advantage. The goal extended Slakers point streak to four games, earning five points (2-3=5) in the stretch.

 

The insurance was needed for the Stars as Miikka Salomaki responded three minutes later. The veteran winger was led on a long breakaway pass from TJ Tynan and managed to gather a difficult sliding puck before approaching Bow. His stickhandle in front of the net pushed the puck past Bow’s pad and off the post before ricocheting off the back of Bow’s leg and into the net.

 

Texas held down the defensive zone for the remainder of the third period and even held a pair of power plays late in the third period to dwindle time off the clock. Melnick added an empty net goal for his fourth of the season in the final second of the game to give Texas an exclamation point on the win.

 

Colorado finished the night with 27 shots as compared to Texas’ season-low 19 shots on goal. Neither team capitalized on the power play despite four chances each.

 

The rematch is tomorrow night at 7 p.m. from H-E-B Center at Cedar Park and is the second of four games between the Stars and Eagles in six days.

 

Photo Credit: Andy Nietupski

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Game Info	Shots	Goaltenders	3 Stars (Xerox Business Solutions Southwest)
Boxscore	TEX: 19	W: Landon Bow (TEX)	1: Jake Slaker (TEX)
Photo	COL: 27	L: Adam Werner (COL)	2: Landon Bow (TEX)
Video			3: Josh Melnick (TEX)