STARS SNAP SKID WITH 7-5 WIN OVER BALTIMORE

KENT, WA. – The Stars (4-8-1) snapped their three-game skid with a 7-5 win over the visiting Baltimore Blast (7-5) at the accesso ShoWare Center Saturday Night. Stars goalkeeper Danny Waltman made 13 saves in the game, several key stops to maintain Tacoma’s lead throughout the contest to capture his fourth win of the season.

The Stars jumped on Baltimore quick in this game. Kevin Naranjo picked up a loose ball to the right of the box, moved around one Blast defender, and slid a low shot past Baltimore keeper Mike Zierhoffer just 15 seconds into the game for a 1-0 lead.

Just over a minute later, Tacoma struck again when Nick Perera took a long aerial pass and volleyed it with his right foot into the upper left corner for a very quick 2-0 lead.

Less than two minutes after that goal, the Stars went up 3-0 on yet another loose ball near the Baltimore goal. This time it was Alex Cacares who took possession and found a wide-open DeBray Hollimon on the right side who sent it to the back of the net with 12:12 still to go in the opening frame.

Baltimore climbed right back into the game with the next two goals. Oswald Annang’s first of two goals in the game closed out scoring in the first quarter with Tony Donatelli, who had three points on the night picking up the assist.

With 13:26 left to play in the first half, Donatelli took an assist from Annang and cut the Stars’ lead to just one goal at 3-2.

With the newest Tacoma Star, Miguel Ibarra serving a two-minute penalty for holding, Mike Ramos notched the team’s second short-handed goal of the season thanks to an assist from Alex Caceres.

Already up 4-2, just 70 seconds passed before Ibarra recorded his first career MASL point when he assisted on a goal from Raphael Cox to finish first-half scoring with the Stars up by a 5-2 tally.

Perera, who finished the game with three points, served the ball to Naranjo who buried it in the back of the goal to stretch the Tacoma lead to 6-2 with 12:35 to go in the third quarter.

At that point, the Baltimore offense found its spark and claimed three of the final goals of the game including Annang’s second of the game which set the score at 6-3 headed to the final quarter.

Tacoma played keep-away from Baltimore for long stretches of the fourth quarter after Jamael Cox ran the Stars’ lead to 7-3, assisted by Perera with 6:38 to go in the game.

Two goals less than a minute apart for Baltimore, first from Lucas Roque, and then Jamie Thomas finished the scoring in the game reaching the 7-5 final with 1:25 to play.

The Stars’ next home game will come on March 4 as the Ontario Fury make their first trip to the accesso ShoWare Center with a pair of games that weekend.

SCORING SUMMARY

1st – TAC Naranjo 0:15; TAC Perera (R. Cox) 1:23; TAC Hollimon (Caceres) 2:48; BAL Annang (Donatelli) 10:17. Penalties – TAC (blue- too many men) 4:51.

2nd – BAL Donatelli (Annang) 1:34; TAC Ramos (Caceres) 12:39 sh; TAC R. Cox (Ibarra) 13:49. Penalties – TAC Ibarra (blue- holding) 11:41; TAC Hanson (blue- tripping) 14:13.

3rd – TAC Naranjo (Perera) 2:25; BAL Annang (Thomas) 7:19. Penalties – TAC J. Cox (blue- pushing) 12:21

4th – TAC J. Cox (Perera) 8:22; BAL Roque (Miller Jr.) 12:48; BAL Thomas (Donatelli) 13:35. Penalties – None.


Power Play – Stars 0/0, Baltimore 0/4

Shots – Stars 19, Ontario 28

Attendance – 893

The Stars return to the accesso ShoWare Center for a weekend double-header with the Ontario Fury on March 4th and 5th. Get your tickets to both games at tacomastars.showare.com today.

Stay up to date with the Stars by following them on Twitter (@TacomaStarsSC) or Instagram (Instagram.com/thetacomastars), and by liking the team on Facebook (FB.com/TacomaStars).


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