Texas Stars drop preseason finale to Roadrunners on late goal
Cal Thomas scored with 57 seconds left in regulation as Tucson beat Texas 3-2 on Sunday, leaving the Stars 1-1 in the preseason.
Cal Thomas beat the Texas Stars with 57 seconds left on Sunday night. His shot from the left point gave the Tucson Roadrunners a 3-2 win in Texas’s preseason finale at the Tucson Convention Center Arena.
The loss leaves Texas, the AHL affiliate of the Dallas Stars, at 1-1 in the preseason. The Stars beat Colorado 4-1 on Saturday behind two goals from Ayrton Martino.
Julian Lutz opened the scoring for Tucson just under nine minutes into the first period, snapping a one-timer home from the left circle. It was the only goal of the frame.
Texas scored twice on the power play early in the second. About two minutes in, Emil Hemming fired a pass toward the slot that went off a Tucson defender and over the goal line. Martino and Kyle Burroughs drew the assists. The Stars went back on the man advantage 35 seconds later, and Matthew Seminoff put them ahead with a wrist shot from the right circle past Jaxson Stauber.
The lead lasted until four minutes into the third. Texas took a penalty, and Caleb Desnoyers tied it 2-2 from the slot.
Thomas scored the winner after that. Texas pulled Brandon Halverson for an extra attacker but could not find the equalizer.
Halverson made 26 saves in the loss. Stauber allowed two goals on 12 shots for Tucson.
The Stars will open the regular season Friday at 7 p.m. against the Iowa Wild at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park.
