In an all-too-familiar storyline, the Texas Stars found themselves down by two goals in the second period.
The Stars needed some late-game heroics or a spark against the San Diego Gulls Saturday night at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. Texas found it in the final 20 minutes, rallying from its two-goal deficit, scoring two goals in the third period to push the game into overtime.
Texas forward Kole Lind netted the game-winning goal in the overtime period, sealing the Stars’ 6-5 come-from-behind victory over the Gulls.
“Proud of the guys. We’ve seen this storyline quite a few times this year,” Stars head coach Toby Peterson said. “We get our backs against the wall and we find ways to plow our way back.”
Stars goaltender Arno Tiefensee struggled, allowing five goals on 23 shots, but was picked up by his offense. The Stars tattooed 35 shots on Gulls goaltender Tomas Suchanek by the end of regulation, giving Texas the fuel it needed to see overtime.
What had been a bizarre game for Lind turned into a victory in the blink of an eye. Errant pucks, a broken stick and a crucial turnover looked to just be part of one of those off nights for any good player.
But as Lind netted the game-winner as the crowd exploded in excitement, all the errors washed away.
“Feels like the story of the year for me,” Lind said. “Just not getting balance or breaking my stick throughout time. … The rest of the team did a heck of a job to keep us in that game and give us a chance to go win it in overtime.”
Both the Stars and Gulls threw blows back and forth, but a pair of rapid goals by Gulls forward Yegor Sidorov and defenseman Nikolas Brouillard gave San Diego a comfortable 4-2 lead with 13:21 left in the second period.
Rather than get down, Texas forward Artem Shlaine took the game into his own hands, scoring both goals in the final period of regulation to send the game into overtime tied up at five.
Both teams struggled to stay on the ice, drawing nine penalties combined, including two pairs of offsetting penalties. Three of the five power plays resulted in goals, including a shorthanded goal by Gulls defenseman Tyson Hinds.
The Stars had not received a power play opportunity since their win over Milwaukee on Feb. 20. The two-game dry streak set the record for the longest in franchise history. This stretch coincided with two of the Stars’ four losses in what ended as a blazing hot February for the club.
“We called (a power play meeting) this morning but there wasn’t much to touch on,” Lind said. “It’s kind of tough in those situations when you don’t get one for a long time, (you) feel like sometimes you lose your touch. But the guys did a great job, went out there and buried one right away.”
Texas will face the Chicago Wolves for a two-game series starting at 7 p.m. on March 7 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.
