AHL Playoffs Recap: Manitoba Moose vs Texas Stars (04/23/2024)

The Manitoba Moose and Texas Stars battled on Tuesday, April 23rd at the H-E-B Center in game one of the Calder Cup Playoffs First Round.

Manitoba must win game two on Thursday, April 25th to push the three-game series to the third and final game. If you missed the game yesterday, don’t worry, we have you covered with this exclusive game recap!

1-1 Tie After 20 but Manitoba Remains Dominant

The Moose took the early lead as Daniel Torgersson capitalized on a precise pass from Mark Liwiski, redirecting the puck into the net after it bounced off the top of the goal. Both teams would battle back and forth, but Manitoba kept things defensively tight and didn’t allow Texas to gain much room.

Mavrik Bourque scored his first goal of the game as the Stars responded just 37 seconds after Torgersson’s goal. The first period ended with both teams deadlocked, with Thomas Milic making 14 saves for the Moose and Remi Poirier making four saves for the Stars

Texas Fends Off Moose With 4-2 Lead After 40

The second period saw the Stars take control of the game. Curtis McKenzie broke the tie early in the period, firing a shot past Milic to give Texas a 2-1 lead. Shortly after, Michael Karow extended the Stars’ lead to 3-1 with a well-placed shot. Any momentum Manitoba attempted to gain after Texas’ second goal was dead in the water.

Christian Kyrou added insult to injury by netting another goal just two minutes later, making it 4-1 in favour of the Stars. Despite the mounting pressure, the Moose managed to claw one back late in the period, as Nikita Chibrikov converted a power play opportunity, cutting the deficit to 4-2.

Texas Wins 6-3 and Takes 1-0 Series Lead

Trailing by two goals heading into the final period, the Moose refused to go down without a fight. Parker Ford gave Manitoba a glimmer of hope just six minutes into the third period, bringing them within one goal of tying the game.

The Moose’s hopes were dashed as Bourque scored his second goal of the game, putting the Stars ahead 5-3. Despite pulling their goalie for an extra attacker, Manitoba couldn’t find the breakthrough they needed. With time running out, Matej Blumel sealed the victory for the Stars with an empty-net goal, making the final score 6-3 in favour of Texas.

Thomas Milic put up a valiant effort in goal for Manitoba, making 30 saves, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the relentless offensive onslaught from the Stars. Remi Poirier stood tall between the pipes for Texas, making 21 saves to secure the victory. With the win, the Stars take a 1-0 series lead over the Moose as they look ahead to game two at the H-E-B Center. Manitoba must-win game two