Stransky Pushes Stars to 4-3 Overtime Win
March 23, 2017 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release
CEDAR PARK, Texas - The Tucson Roadrunners rallied in the third to force overtime, but Matej Stransky stuffed home the game-winner to give the Texas Stars a 4-3 win on Wednesday night in front of 4,877 in attendance at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park.
Stransky's goal was his fifth game-winner and his 21st overall to lead the Stars (29-30-1-4) in both categories this season. Justin Peters stopped 26 of 29 shots in net to improve to 3-0 over his former club, and Brandon DeFazio tallied two assists in the Texas win.
The Stars host the Stockton Heat on Friday at 7:30 p.m. CST.
Nick Ebert drove the net through the right circle and generated the rebound chance for Stransky 2:24 into the extra period. After Denis Gurianov's tip-in goal off a Travis Morin crossing feed at 4:09 of third made it 3-1 Texas, Tucson (24-27-7-0) tallied goals from Joe Whitney at 12:59 and Laurent Dauphin with 90 seconds to play to knot the score.
Dauphin's goal came with the extra attacker on the ice.
After a scoreless first period, the offense opened up in the early minutes of period two. Ethan Werek put Texas on the board off Dillon Heatherington's centering feed at 2:07 with his ninth of the season. Forty-four seconds later, Texas took advantage on the power play with a one-time blast by Julius Honka at the point to make it 2-0.
Tucson responded at 7:09 of the second when Tyler Gaudet deflected a shot from the point past Peters.
Texas was 1-for-5 on the power play while the Roadrunners went 0-for-4.
Adin Hill stopped 34 of 38 shots in net for Tucson.
Weekday home games (Monday-Thursday) are H-E-B night with the Texas Stars where fans can donate a non-perishable item at the box office and save five dollars on their ticket purchase. Every Saturday is a Texas Lottery Lucky Row Night where the first Stars player to score wins free scratch-off tickets for a lucky row of seats at H-E-B Center. Fans can also enjoy Coke Zero Family Four-Packs every Saturday with four tickets, four hot dogs and four soft drinks starting at just $16 per person.
The Texas Stars are the primary development affiliate of the NHL's Dallas Stars, and are currently playing their eighth season at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. Full season, 24-game, 12-game and six-game ticket packages for the 2016-17 campaign are on sale now. For more information, call (512) GO-STARS (467-8277) or visit TexasStars.com.
Three Stars:
Matej Stransky (TEX) Denis Gurianov (TEX) Brandon DeFazio (TEX)
Postgame Quotes:
Defenseman Gavin Bayreuther
On the start to his AHL career...
"I think, first off, the city is awesome. The weather, the people, everyone is so nice. Also, the team, the coaches and management have been very welcoming. I'm very excited to be here."
On playing on the power play...
"I'm very fortunate to be put in a position like that. The coaches have trust in me. I'm trying to build that trust and continue to play just a smart, simple game every game. [I] try to work up and up every game, and it's been good."
On the mood of the locker room...
"I think the biggest thing is that guys just try to keep it light. You can't hold your sticks too tight or else you panic. I think you've just got to take it day-by-day. I think the older guys have been really good about that. There's some really good leaders in this locker room, I'm already learning a lot."
Forward Brandon DeFazio
On maintaining composure in tonight's third period...
"You live and you learn a little bit. We figured it out quicker than we did the last time in Cleveland. We'd obviously like to make it a little easier on ourselves. As always, we want to find a way to shut that down, but that's not always the case. It's better coming out with a win more than anything."
On the growth of Denis Gurianov's game...
"I think he's got to learn to use his speed at all times and get to the areas where he's going to be able to score goals. That play is a perfect example of him using his speed, beating everybody wide, getting into the dirty area and getting his stick on a goal. As he matures, he's going to learn that the more and more he uses that speed, and the more and more often he gets to that house in the front of the net, more often than not he's going to score."
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