Texas Stars Shine Bright in 4-1 Victory Over Monsters

The Texas Stars delivered a commanding 4-1 victory over the Cleveland Monsters on Friday night at the H-E-B Center, electrifying the tenth sellout crowd of the season. Goaltender Remi Poirier was the standout, turning away a remarkable 38 shots to backstop the Stars to victory.

Head coach Neil Graham lauded Poirier’s stellar performance, stating, “He’s been playing really well. We have a lot of hockey coming up, [and] we have two goalies that are both very capable.”

After a scoreless opening period, the Stars’ offense exploded in the latter half of the second. Jack Becker broke the deadlock as a Texas power play expired, pouncing on a rebound from an Alex Petrovic slap shot to put the puck past Monsters goaltender Zach Sawchenko. Becker emphasized the team’s focus, noting, “We were knowing our jobs, that was the biggest thing. I think really focusing in on our intangibles, most of the time it’s basic mechanics, and it really showed well tonight.”

Just two minutes later, Justin Hryckowian extended the lead, zipping a shot past Sawchenko from the right circle. While Cleveland’s James Malatesta quickly responded, Matej Blümel regained the two-goal advantage for Texas, capitalizing on a turnover forced by Curtis McKenzie to score on a breakaway.

Emilio Pettersen sealed the win 4:28 into the third period, snapping a shot past Sawchenko after receiving a pass from McKenzie, touched over by Kyle Looft.

Graham commended the team’s collective effort, highlighting, “The team played good in general, but a lot of different guys stepped up. Our fourth line gets the first goal of the game, that’s a big moment for our team but now it’s important that new guys step up tomorrow.” Poirier earned the win for the Stars, while Sawchenko made 22 saves for the Monsters in the losing effort.