Stars Back in Second After Big Third Period
Feb 3, 2018|
Three Stars: Shots: Goaltenders: |
CEDAR PARK, Texas - It was a tightly played forty minutes and a tie hockey game between the Texas Stars and San Antonio Rampage on Saturday night before Denis Gurianov took over with a third-period hat trick to lead Texas to a 5-1 win over their in-state rivals in front of 6,440 fans in attendance at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park.
Gurianov was responsible for three of the Stars four goals in the third to snap a 1-1 score with his first career hat trick. Roope Hintz (1-1=2) and Brian Flynn (0-2=2) each tallied multi-point games for the Stars. Phil Desrosiers stopped 23 shots in net in his season debut for Texas to earn the win after being recalled from the ECHL Saturday morning.
With the win, Texas moves back into second place in the AHL's Pacific Division and sets up a showdown with first-place Tucson next weekend beginning Friday at 7:30 p.m. CST.
Gurianov's first goal came just 44 seconds into the third when he took the puck the length of the ice and beat two Rampage defenders before slipped a backhand shot through Ville Husso to pull Texas in front. Seven minutes later, Tommy Thompson's no-look pass from the slot set up the second-year forward in the right circle for a one-timer goal. Gurianov's hat-trick tally came on a odd-man rush with Hintz down the slot with 4:06 to play.
Austin Fyten also scored for Texas in between Gurianov's second and third goals in the period to make it 4-1.
For the second straight meeting is was Texas who jumped out to the 1-0 lead as Hintz stuffed home a rebound goal on the power play nine minutes to play. Greg Rallo and Justin Dowling tallied the assists on the rookies 14th of the season.
Oskar Sundqvist answered back for the Rampage from the middle of the offensive zone with two minutes to play in the second.
Husso stopped 23 of 28 shots in the loss for the Rampage.
Texas finished 1-for-4 on the power play. San Antonio went 0-for-3. The win snapped a four-game losing against San Antonio for Texas.
Photo Credit: Derek Sparta/Texas Stars