Barons Escape Final Trip to Texas in 3-2 Win Over Stars
Feb 8, 2015
CEDAR PARK, Texas -- A dominant third period by the Texas Stars was not enough on Sunday night to close the gap and come back against the Oklahoma City Barons in front of 4,624 fans in a 3-2 loss in the final meeting ever between the two teams at Cedar Park Center.
Greg Rallo scored 52 seconds into the third to make it a 3-2 deficit for the Stars, who outshot the AHL's top team 16-5 in the frame in a push to rally and force overtime. It was the final meeting at Cedar Park Center this season between the two clubs as the Barons will relocate to Bakersfield, Calif. next season to join the AHL's newly created Pacific Division. The Barons (30-11-3-3) put themselves in position to hold on in the end after snapping open a tie game with a pair of second period goals. Texas outshot Oklahoma City overall 37-28 in the loss.
The Stars (20-16-10-1) will host San Antonio on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. before starting a 13-day road trip at the end of this week.
Tied up 1-1 entering the second, Oklahoma City picked up a power play goal from Brad Hunt at 8:02 on a one-timer from the point, and a quick wrist shot from Jujhar Khaira in the closing minutes to spring the Barons in front. Barons netminder Laurent Brossoit held down things the rest of the way, stopping 25 of 26 Texas shots through the final two periods, and finished with 35 saves overall in the win. Stars goaltender Jussi Rynnas returned from an NHL call-up to go 25 of 28 before being pulled in the game's final minute for an extra attacker.
Oklahoma City's Andrew Miller tapped home a centering feed with 1:36 remaining in the first to open the scoring, but Derek Hulak responded for the Stars just 38 seconds later with his 12th of the year off a rebound from Rallo's slap shot.
Rallo redirected Derek Meech's slap pass in the slot for his 13th of season and his seventh power play goal of the year, tied for seventh in the AHL.
Both teams finished 1-for-5 on the power play, and the Barons man-advantage tally was just the ninth given up by the Stars in their last 28 games. The Texas power play unit also remains hot with a goal in nine of the last 11 games. Texas saw it's six-game point streak come to a close in the loss, and sit one point back of a playoff spot in the AHL's Western Conference.
Photo Credit: Christina Shapiro
Three Stars:
1. Jujhar Khaira (OKC)
2. Greg Rallo (TEX)
3. Derek Hulak (TEX) |
Shots:
Stars - 38
Barons - 28
|
Goaltenders:
W - Brossoit
L - Rynnas |