Mazur Hat Trick Spoils Stars’ Opener, Petersen’s Debut

Grand Rapids Griffins forward Carter Mazur played the role of spoiler Friday night, netting a hat trick—including the game-winner—to lead his team to a 4-3 victory over the Texas Stars. The loss soured the Stars’ season opener and the head coaching debut of Toby Petersen.

The Stars showed grit, battling back from a two-goal deficit in the third period, only to fall victim to Mazur’s late-game heroics.

Texas came out strong, controlling the play early, but it was Grand Rapids who struck first. The Stars answered midway through the first on a goal from Arttu Hyry, evening the score after an opening Griffins goal glanced off of Eduards Tralmaks and past Stars netminder Remi Poirier.

The momentum shifted in the second, as Mazur took over. He tallied a pair of goals in the frame—a rush goal from the top of the circle and a power-play marker—to give the Griffins a commanding 3-1 lead heading into the final period.

Texas mounted a furious comeback in the third. Matthew Seminoff started the rally, followed quickly by a game-tying Antonio Stranges blast. However, Mazur silenced the home crowd with just over three minutes left, stuffing home a rebound to complete his hat trick and secure the 4-3 win.

Despite the outcome, Petersen saw positives in his first game behind the bench. “The compete level, the resilience the guys showed in the third period was huge,” Petersen said. “It’s not a win; that said, there’s a lot to like. As the coach of this team for the first time, there’s a lot to work with.”

Grand Rapids goaltender Sebastian Cossa stopped 32 shots for the victory, while Poirier made 24 saves in the loss.