Texas Stars Win 2014 Calder Cup Championship

Patrik Nemeth of the Texas Stars got the game winner in overtime in Game 5 to lead his club past the St. John’s IceCaps by a score of 4-3 in overtime as the Stars have won their first Calder Cup Championship in their short five-year franchise history tonight before 6287 fans at Mile One Centre in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

Mike Hedden got things going early for Texas scoring 1:08 into the first for his eighth goal of the playoffs beating Michael Hutchinson, who finished with 41 saves for the evening. Brett Ritchie put Texas up 2-0 in the second, but then St. John’s roared back with three unanswered goals with the first two by Jordan Hill and Josh Lunden,  beating Cristopher Nilstorp after two periods.

Blair Riley scored in the third for the IceCaps to take a 3-2 lead but that would not seem enough for the high-powered Stars. Sure enough, at the 6:34 mark of the third Hedden scored his second of the game to tie it at three and send it to overtime for the third consecutive game between the two clubs.

Then defenseman Nemeth beat Hutchinson for his first of the playoffs at the 5:30 mark in the extra session for the game winner, which was initially assisted by Travis Moran but later removed. Texas went 6-0 in the postseason in OT as the IceCaps were 0-4. Morin scored all game winner’s in this series for Texas before Nemeth’s tally tonight.

The MVP of the Calder Cup playoffs is Moran and was awarded the Jack A. Butterfield trophy, which overall he led the league with 9 goals and 13 assists in 21 playoff appearances.

The Binghamton Senators’ 2014-’15 campaign can’t come quick enough mind you, however congrats is in order to the Texas Stars.