Condors Hold Off Stars to Win Weekend Opener

Feb 2, 2024

CEDAR PARK, Texas – The Texas Stars, American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars, fell 5-3 while taking on the Bakersfield Condors on Friday night at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park.

 

Kyle McDonald put the Stars in the score column 5:19 into the opening period when he fired a one-timer passed to the slot by Riley Damiani from behind the net to beat Olivier Rodrigue. Condors’ forward Xavier Bourgault tied the game 1-1 while shorthanded at 10:59 when he slid the puck on his backhand underneath Matt Murray on a breakaway. The Stars reclaimed a 2-1 lead 21 seconds later on a power play when Matej Blumel unloaded a shot from the right circle that clanked off the crossbar and in. Bakersfield then evened the score again at 2-2 with Greg McKegg burying a backdoor pass from Cam Dineen as a power play expired at 17:40.

 

Christian Kyrou fired a shot from the slot past Rodrigue 1:40 into the second period to put Texas back on top, 3-2. Max Wanner tied the game 3-3 for the Condors at 9:21 by scoring from the slot off a pass from James Hamblin. Bakersfield grabbed its first lead of the night 13:46 into the middle frame when Seth Griffith tapped in a backdoor feed from Lane Pederson on a power play.

 

The third period saw Bakersfield hang on and win 5-3 after Hamblin scored an empty-net goal in the final minute of regulation.

 

In goal for the Condors, Rodrigue turned aside 21 of the 24 shots sent his way to improve to 9-4-4 on the season. For the Stars, Murray came down with the loss to fall to 9-9-1 on the season after making 33 saves on 37 shots.

 

Texas plays Bakersfield again on Saturday with another 7:00 p.m. face-off scheduled at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park to close out a two-game weekend series.

 

Photo Credit: Andy Nietupski / Texas Stars

 

Game Info	Shots	Goaltenders	3 Stars (Ubeo Business Services)
Boxscore	TEX: 24	W: Rodrigue (BAK)	1: Griffith (BAK)
Photo	BAK: 38	L: Murray (TEX)	2: Kyrou (TEX)
Video			3: Bourgault (BAK)