SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Rampage (26-15-4-0) struck first, but fell to the Texas Stars (20-15-10-1) in front of 5,491 at the AT&T Center on Thursday night. The game was the first of two games that will be played on pink ice as part of the Rampage’s Pink Week.
Mark Mancari and Garrett Wilson each tallied goals while Michael Houser finished with 24 saves on 28 shots in the loss.
The Rampage converted off a Texas turnover to kick off the scoring, as Mancari took a pass from Connor Brickley and flipped it past Anders Lindback for the only tally of the opening stanza.
With six minutes left in the second period, the Stars scored the equalizer when Travis Morin sent a cross-ice pass to Matej Stransky, who fired from outside the right circle to even the score at one. Just over two minutes later, Julius Honka gave the Stars a 2-1 lead, and for the 14th time this season, the Rampage trailed entering the third period.
Early in the final frame, Garrett Wilson tipped in a Shane O’Brien blast to tie the game again, but it didn’t take long for the Stars to counter. A one-timer by Greg Rallo on the power play gave the lead back to Texas at the 5:17 mark.
They extended the lead to two when Jamie Oleksiak tallied his first of the season, taking a pass from Stransky in the slot before firing. An empty-net goal by Brendan Ranford sealed the 5-2 victory for the Stars. Lindback finished with 30 saves on 32 shots.
QUOTABLE “Anytime you can play for a cause like that, it’s pretty important. When we can raise awareness, it’s all the better.” Goalie Michael Houser on Pink in the Rink
LINEUP NOTES
There was some shuffling in the Rampage lineup. Vincent Trocheck centered the first line with Garrett Wilson and Bobby Butler, while Brett Olson moved to the second
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