CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Texas Stars were defeated by Lake Erie 4-3 in front of 8,933 fans at the Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday. Monsters winger Patrick Rissmiller broke a 3-3 tie just 45-seconds into the third period and Lake Erie held on for a one-goal win, extending the team’s Points’ streak to seven games (6-0-0-1). The Stars fought back with three goals in the last six minutes of the second period, erasing a 3-0 deficit from the first period.
Left wing Francis Wathier registered the Gordie Howe hat trick, as Texas fell to 10-17-0-1 on the road this season. Forwards Angelo Esposito (2a) and Scott Glennie (1g,1a) each had a multi-point game as the Stars concluded their three-game road trip. Lake Erie goalie Gerald Coleman (8-2-1) made 30 saves in his ninth straight start.
Texas goalie Tyler Beskorowany (6-13-0) made 40 saves in the defeat, including 17 saves in the second period.
The Monsters started the scoring at 6:55 of the first period with a power-play goal by Greg Mauldin. The Lake Erie forward snapped a wrist shot past Texas goalie Tyler Beskorowany for his tenth goal of the year and a 1-0 Monsters lead. Right wing Brad Malone set up left wing Justin Mercier at 11:37 to make it 2-0 Monsters. Mercier finished off a two-on-one for his 12th goal of the year. Lake Erie closed out the first frame with its third goal of the period at 18:11. Center Mark Olver set up Dean Strong for his second goal of the season and a 3-0 lead.
The Monsters outshot the Stars 18-8 in the opening frame.
The Stars responded with three goals in the last six minutes of the second period. The scoring spree started at 14:27 of the middle frame with a rebound goal by left wing Francis Wathier. Angelo Esposito and Stephen Schultz each had an assist on Wathier’s tenth goal of the year, trimming the Lake Erie lead to 3-1. Texas struck again less than three minutes later at 17:13. Esposito and Scott Glennie each had an assist on Colton Sceviour’s 12th goal of the year to make it 3-2. Sceviour found a rebound in the Monsters crease and shuffled it past Lake Erie goalie Gerald Coleman to bring his team within a goal.
Texas scored its third unanswered goal in the closing minute to tie the game 3-3. Rookie Scott Glennie scored on the power play off a rebound at 19:06 of the middle period. His 11th goal of the season came from defenseman Brad Lukowich and Wathier, tying the game 3-3.
Just forty-five seconds into the third period, Lake Erie’s Patrick Rissmiller skated to the right-wing circle in the Texas zone and lifted a backhand shot over the glove of Beskorwany. Rissmiller’s seventh goal of the year pushed the Monsters in front for good at 4-3.
Texas returns home on Friday, February 17th for a 7:30 p.m. faceoff against the San Antonio Rampage.
Comment@prohockeynews.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.