Somara did a spectacular job taking pictures of this special pre-season game so I wasn’t going to let her efforts go to waste because the timeliness of them was on the verge of irrelevance, besides, I think it’s the first time the Dallas Stars have ever played in the Austin area. Hopefully I’m correct but I won’t embrace the Right Wing Hate Machine if I am not.
As I have yakked about many, many times, Austin has its own AHL team and they are the development franchise for the Dallas Stars. Most of these guys have the potential to become future NHL players, namely with the Stars. They just aren’t completely ready like the more famous rookies everybody heard of: Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Sydney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin or there isn’t room on Dallas’ 23-man roster to have them up North.
To celebrate their inaugural year and to welcome a higher-level of professional hockey in Austin, the Dallas Stars came to play against our team in a friendly game which probably also determined who in Dallas and Austin would be waived, signed, or assigned to Austin, Dallas or Idaho.
What a view we had third row from the glass behind the net!
Three years ago I went to one of these match-ups in San Antonio with the Phoenix Coyotes coming to Central Texas to play their AHL partner. As a hockey game, it was a disappointment despite all the big names being present and letting more of them be on the home team for the crowd. My gripe was that neither team tried very hard, Gretzky only stuck around during the second period (he let his assistants run the Coyotes) and it devolved into a series of practice drills for the third period. I will concede having the important players holding back. The last thing I would want to happen is somebody experiencing a season- or career-ending injury for a contest that doesn’t count. However, I was jonsing for real hockey, not a faux all-star game. Dallas versus Austin was completely different. It was a real NHL-level game minus the fighting and both teams changed goalies in the middle of the second period. OK, it was a real NHL game if it were the Stars against the pre-Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins which many people said was an AHL franchise dressed in Pens jerseys for several years. Either way, this was more desirable to watch.
Recently acquired Alex Auld (Turco's new backup) stops the puck.
Our recently purchased camera took amazing pictures in Somara’s hands! You’ll see some shots below which were only possible through its optical lens proving why it’s superior to digital zoom. I’ll close this story with her photographs.
Austin going on the attack with (possible) future stars Sergei Korostin (32) and Perrttu Lindgren (17)
Failed pinch by defenseman Garrett Stafford (36) against Dallas Captain Brenden Morrow (10)
Now Stafford (36) gets past the Dallas D to take a shot on Turco.
Scramble for the puck near the team benches.
"Stay away from my puck!"
Great shot of the puck flying after the linesman dropped it.
Despite the lopsided score of Dallas 5, Austin 1; both teams played a great game and that's why the Dallas guys are in the NHL. Thus, they better at least make the playoffs unlike last season.