Stars Open Road Trip with 2-1 Overtime Loss to Condors
Jan 10, 2018|
Three Stars: Shots: Goaltenders: |
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - For the fourth time in six meetings this season the Texas Stars and Bakersfield Condors needed overtime to determine a winner, but unlike the previous three, it was Bakersfield that pulled out the win as Iiro Pakarinen ended things in a 2-1 final on Wednesday night at Rabobank Arena.
Pakarinen buried a loose puck in the slot with 49 seconds to play in the extra frame for the game-winner and his fifth consecutive game with a goal. Denis Gurianov scored the lone goal for the Stars (19-14-4-1), and Mike McKenna stopped 36 of 38 shots in net in the loss.
Texas continues their six-game road trip on Friday when they open up a weekend set against the Stockton Heat at 9 p.m. CST.
The Stars carried their 1-0 lead into the third where it took an awkward bounce for the Condors (15-13-6-0) to finally break through on McKenna. The Texas netminder denied Josh Currie of a backdoor chance with a kick save, but Currie stayed with the play and blindly through a loose puck from behind net that bounced of McKenna's skate for the tying goal at 7:24. It was the fifth time in the six meetings this season between the two teams that the Condors rallied in the third to tie the game after trailing after 40 minutes of play.
Five minutes into the night, Gurianov opened up the scoring to give Texas the lead on a backhand chance in front for his fifth of the season. Dillon Heatherington and Colin Markison tallied the assists on the first period's only goal.
Laurent Brossoit stopped 22 of 23 shots in his season debut for the Condors after being assigned from the NHL's Edmonton Oilers. Curtis McKenzie and Justin Dowling each saw their three-game point streaks end in the loss for the Stars.
Texas was 0-for-1 on the power play. Bakersfield was 0-for-3.
Photo Credit: Bakersfield Condors