Stars Even Up Finals with Game 4 Win

Jun 6, 2018

Boxscore Photos Video Three Stars: 1. Dowling (TEX) 2. McKenzie (TEX) 3. Johnsson (TOR) Shots: Stars - 18 Marlies - 31 Goaltenders: W - McKenna L - Sparks

CEDAR PARK, Texas - The Toronto Marlies knotted the game with a pair of goals 47 seconds apart in the second period, but Justin Dowling scored the only goal of the third period to lift the Texas Stars to a 3-2 win in front of a sold out crowd on Thursday night at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park to win Game 4 of the Calder Cup Finals.

Dowling deflected Matt Mangene's point shot 9:58 into the third period for his fourth of the playoffs and the Stars (13-6) clamped down the rest of the way to hold a furious push from the Marlies (13-4) with the goaltender pulled in the final two minutes.

The series is tied 2-2, heading into Game 5 on Saturday at H-E-B Center at 7 p.m. CT.

Dmytro Timoshov and Andreas Johnsson each scored the late goals for the Marlies in the second period that erased a 2-0 Texas with with just under four minutes to play in the frame.

Curtis McKenzie scored the first two goals of the night for Texas with a rebound goal on the power play midway through the first. Then a one-time finish from the slot, which was set up by Dowling on an odd-man rush.

Dowling (goal, assist), McKenzie (two goals) and Travis Morin (two assists) each tallied two-point nights as the forward line for Texas combined for six points in the game and generated all the offense the home team needed to even the series.

Mike McKenna stopped 29 of 31 shots in net for the win. Toronto's Garret Sparks was 15 of 18 in the loss. Texas managed just three shots in the third period, but Dowling's tip was good enough to guarantee the series will head back to Toronto for a Game 6.

Toronto was 0-for-2 on the power play. Texas was 1-for-2.

 

Photo Credit: Andy Nietupski/Texas Stars