CEDAR PARK, Texas – Saturday night, the Texas Stars defeated the visiting San Jose Barracuda 6-3 in front of their 10th soldout crowd of the season, tying a franchise record.
The game started off slow, with a combined 12 shots on net in the first period, resulting in a 0-0 tie going into the second period.
The Stars got on the board first in the second period when Mark Rassell fanned on a shot at the top of the crease but managed to get just enough on it to slide through the legs of Barracuda goaltender Eetu Makiniemi. The Stars would score again just 28 seconds later when Matej Blumel slammed a puck into a half empty net when Makiniemi coughed up a large rebound from a Gavin Bayreuther slap shot. San Jose would get their first goal of the game when Ozzy Wiesblatt received an unitentional birthday gift from the linesman when he gathered a deflected puck off the linesman skate at center ice, skated it in and buried it glove side on Stars goaltender Matt Murray making it 2-1. The Stars would regain their two-point lead with just seven seconds left in the second period when Matej Blumel rocketed a one-time pass from Derrick Pouliot past Makiniemi. The Stars would take a 3-1 lead into the third period.
In the third period Jack Becker added to the Stars lead when he went bar down on a laser of a wrist shot from the high slot. Becker would get his second goal of the night a minute and a half later when he put a back hand shot past a falling Makiniemi making it 5-1. San Jose would keep things interesting with back-to-back goals from Nikolai Knyzhov and Scott Sabourin making the score 3-5 with just 29 seconds left in the game. Fredrik Karlstrom would seal the victory for the Stars with his league leading 6th empty net goal of the season.
Three Stars of the night
- TEX – J. Becker
- TEX – M. Blumel
- TEX – M. Rassell
