ROCHESTER, NY – Justin Dowling scored three goals, one in each period, to guide the defending Calder Cup champion Texas Stars to a 5-2 win over the Rochester Americans Friday night at The Blue Cross Arena. The loss closes out the two-game series against Texas for the Amerks, who end with a season split against their Western Conference foes and fall to 22-28-4-0 on the season. 
Zac Dalpe and Dan Catenacci scored for Rochester, and Matt Hackett saved 36 of the 40 shots he faced in net. Jake McCabe also tallied an assist for the Amerks, and now has 10 points (2+8) over his past 11 games.
In addition to Dowling’s hat trick, Scott Glennie finished with a goal and an assist and Greg Rallo scored for the Stars. Veteran forward Travis Morin also finished with two assists and Jussi Rynnas made 30 saves to earn the win.
The teams combined for four goals in the opening period, with Texas starting things off with a tally just 24 seconds into the contest after Glennie grabbed a rebound and slammed it into the net.
Dalpe scored Rochester’s first goal of the night 9:46 into the first period for his 14th of the season. Chad Ruhwedel skated low into the offensive zone and delivered a no-look pass to Dalpe at the far post for an easy tap-in past Rynnas.
Less than three minutes later, Glennie fed Dowling from behind the net for Texas’ second goal. The Stars would hold the lead only temporarily as Rochester tied the score 2-2 with 5:13 left in the first period with Catenacci scoring his ninth goal of the season.
Catenacci’s goal came on a simple play, after the forward went to the net as McCabe fired a slap-shot from the blueline. Rynnas left a rebound right in front of the net, allowing Catenacci to swing through the crease and flip the puck around the goaltender.
Texas added two more goals to its total in the second period. Just 5:05 into the middle frame, Morin, the reigining AHL MVP, spotted Rallo cutting to the net and sent a hard pass through the slot that Rallo one-timed past Hackett to make the score 3-2. Dowling added some insurance on his second of the game with 58 seconds left in the period, firing a slap-shot over Hackett’s shoulder on the power-play to put the Stars ahead by two goals.
Still trailing by a pair with 2:45 left, the Amerks pulled Hackett for a sixth attacker. Rochester offered a number of scoring chances, but with 11.6 seconds left, Dowling sealed the game into the open net for the hat trick to clinch the win for Texas.
With Rochester game report
