Hansson's First Career Goal Lifts Stars to 5-4 Win
Dec 16, 2017|
Three Stars: Shots: Goaltenders: |
CEDAR PARK, Texas - In a back-and-forth contest featuring both teams coughing up leads and 76 combined shots on net it was Niklas Hansson who ended the night with the overtime-winner to lift the Texas Stars to a 5-4 win over the Cleveland Monsters on Saturday night at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park.
Hansson buried a rebound chance for the first goal of his career after Curtis McKenzie was denied on a 2-on-1 rush midway through the extra frame. The goal improved the Stars' record to a league-best 6-0 in overtime this season.
Sam Vigneault tallied a pair of goals for the Monsters in the loss, including a power-play tip-in goal with three minutes left in regulation to force overtime.
Texas (17-10-0-1) won four of their five games on their homestand and opens up a three-game road trip Wednesday against the Ontario Reign at 9 p.m. CST.
Tied at two entering the third, Andrew Bodnarchuk pushed Texas in front when his centering pass from behind the net deflected off the skate of Cleveland goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks and in the net for his third of the season just 44 seconds into the third. Andre Benoit tied things up again for the Monsters (8-10-3-2) with a point shot through traffic that deflected off the post at 5:01, but 13 seconds later, Matt Mangene made it a 4-3 Texas lead on a loose puck in the slot.
Vigneault opened up the scoring 4:55 into the game tapping in his own rebound to give the Monsters a 1-0 lead for his first of the game. Roope Hintz responded with just over five minutes remaining in the first on a loose puck in the goal crease from a Denis Gurianov shot, but Cleveland made it a 2-1 advantage on the power play when Nick Moutrey's crossing pass deflected into the net off a skate.
In the second, Sheldon Dries forced a turnover behind the Monsters' net at 6:52 and set up Mark McNeill for a one-timer goal in the slot for his fifth of the season.
Landon Bow stopped 40 of 44 shots in net to earn his 11th win of the season, and made two key stops on Cleveland's Calvin Thurkauf and Moutrey in the third to preserve the Stars one-goal lead at the time. The rookie netminder also shut down Sonny Milano on a partial breakaway late in the third to maintain the tie score.
Kivlenieks suffered the loss, stopping 27 of 32.
Cleveland finished 2-for-5 on the power play. Texas went 0-for-4. It was the Stars' third straight win over the Monsters this season.
Photo Credit: Derek Sparta/Texas Stars