Stars Handle Ontario Reign

Who are these guys?  Where did they come from?  What happened to last season’s Texas Stars?  You remember, the same guys that got chased out of their loading dock warm-up area by visitors. 

This year’s Texas Stars are aggressive.  They have a swagger.  They fight every minute in a sixty-minute game.  They even seem to be having fun.  All of that produces eight wins in the last ten games.

Saturday’s match-up against the Ontario Reign was more of the new stuff.  The Stars were all over the ice pressing the Reign.  Play was so lopsided that the Reign couldn’t get a shot-on-goal in the first ten minutes of play. 

Justin Dowling gave Texas the lead on a power play goal early in the first period.  Michael Mersch tied the game for Ontario late in the second period, also on a power play.  The Reign momentarily took the lead in the beginning of the third period on a goal by Austin Wagner.  The remainder of the game was all Texas. 

Jason Dickinson scored the first of two goals on a power play.  Less than a minute later Samuel
Laberge scored the game winner.  Dickinson’s empty-net goal sealed the victory for the Stars. 

The Stars, who previously failed to leverage power plays, converted two of five man-advantage opportunities. 

Stars goal tender Landon Bow performed brilliantly, despite being manhandled by Reign center Brett Sutter on two occasions.   Bow made 23 saves against 25 shots-on-goal.  Former Texas goalie, Jack Campbell, was assigned the loss, allowing three goals on 32 shots. 

Final score: Ontario 2, Texas 4.