Nov. 20, 2021

CEDAR PARK, Texas– For the third straight game the Grand Rapids Griffins headed into overtime but were knocked off against the Texas Stars 4-3 at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park on Saturday.

A Grand Rapids penalty put the Stars in position to score the game’s first goal. At the five-minute mark, Thomas Harley waited at the blue line and found an open Riley Damiani who sent a 25-foot one-timer from the right wing into the left corner of the net.

Texas looked to take an early two-goal advantage late in the first. With 2:59 remaining, Fredrik Karlstrom had the initial long shot, but Calvin Pickard was able to make the stop. Oskar Back then got the rebound that deflected off of Pickard’s left leg and put the puck into the right side of the goal.

With the frame coming to an end, Grand Rapids was eager to get on the board before the break. At the 18:23 mark, Kyle Criscuolo found Jonatan Berggren at the left boards. Berggren weaved his way through the slot and sent a wrister between the legs of goaltender Adam Scheel to make it a 2-1 game.

With 15:31 remaining in the second during a Griffins’ power play, Josh Melnick forced a turnover near the Grand Rapids zone. Melnick skated out on the breakaway and fired a shot from the slot that sailed over the glove of Pickard for the shorthanded tally.

Things got heated between both clubs as the second period came to a close. Dominik Shine and Texas’ Harley each received game misconducts in result of the altercation.

After a scoreless middle frame for Grand Rapids, the team regrouped in the third period with two scores. At the 15:30 mark, Turner Elson centered a rebound pass for Criscuolo who stood at the right post and bagged an easy tap-in goal.

Fifty-eight seconds later, Jon Martin rushed to get the puck behind the net and found Berggren near the left post. Berggren stabbed the disc just past the outstretched leg of Scheel for the game-tying score. The tally marked Berggren’s second of the evening.

For the second time in back-to-back games, the contest was sent to overtime. Twenty-seven seconds into the extra frame, Ty Dellandrea skated down the right side finding a streaking Ben Gleason at the left wing. Gleason fired a laser from the left circle to win the game for the Stars, 4-3.

Notes

• Martin (0-3—3) is now on a three-game point streak while Elson (1-1—2) is on a two-game streak.

• Criscuolo tallied his first two-point (1-1—2) outing of the season.

• Grand Rapids totaled a season-high 34 shots, including a period-best 17 attempts in the first frame.

• The Griffins went 0-for-4 on the power play and have converted on just one of their last 21 opportunities with the man advantage.