Late Struggles Bury Stars

Texas leading scorer Travis Morin takes a face off in Tuesday night's losing effort. (Photo courtesy of Ron Byrd)

The Texas Stars (16-10-1-1) came up empty Tuesday night in a 3-1 loss to the Manitoba Moose, and moved back to sixth place in the AHL's West Division. Greg Rallo's ninth goal of the season, good for second on the team, wasn't enough to hold off Manitoba.

Texas goalie Tyler Beskorowany (2-4-0) saved 30 of 32 shots, but sat on the bench as the third goal was scored on an empty net in the waning seconds of the game. Beskorowany made his sixth start for Texas since arriving to replace injured Brent Krahn and current Dallas Star call-up Richard Bachman. He managed his crease well but was outplayed by his Manitoba counterpart; Eddie Lack protected his net from 39 Texas shots, including 19 in the final period. He even managed an assist on the final empty-netter, scored from the Manitoba defensive zone with eight seconds left.

The Stars looked to be building momentum into the first intermission, matching Manitoba's first goal with Rallo's heavy shot that rainbowed over Lack after his initial block. The puck crossed the goal line with 31 seconds left in the first. Travis Morin earned the assist, adding to his team-leading 26 points.

But momentum proved to be elusive, as the second period went scoreless; unless you count Luke Gazdic's bout with a Manitoba enforcer, which probably got more cheers than the tying goal. Gazdic has established himself as the go-to punch-thrower for Texas, a relatively disciplined team that sits last in the league in penalty minutes.

The Stars record at Cedar Park Center is 10-6-1-1, earning them 22 points at home. That's good for second-best in the AHL. The squad heads to division-leading San Antonio on Friday for a match at 7pm, and returns home the next night to take on Hamilton. After a home game Monday, Texas hits the road for five straight and won't return until January 8.

Upcoming - Vs. Hamilton: Sat. Dec. 18, 7pm. Vs. Oklahoma City: Mon. Dec. 20, 7:30pm. Cedar Park Center, 2100 Avenue of the Stars, Cedar Park, 512/467-8277. www.texasstarshockey.com.