Mavrik Bourque notched two goals and two assists to lead the Texas Stars to a 6-3 win over the Manitoba Moose in the opening game of the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs on Tuesday evening.
The Stars lead the best-of-three series, one game to none, heading into Game 2 on Thursday.
Bourque, who won the AHL scoring title with 77 points during the regular season, scored 37 seconds after the Moose had taken a 1-0 lead late in the first period, then assisted on a pair of goals in the second period before adding an insurance marker in the third.
Curtis McKenzie added a goal and two assists and Christian Kyrou and Matej Blümel each notched a goal and an assist for the Stars, who had finished the regular season with back-to-back losses to Manitoba over the weekend. It was Texas’s first win in five home games against the Moose this season.
Daniel Torgersson, Nikita Chibrikov and Parker Ford scored for Manitoba.
(Texas leads series, 1-0)
Game 1 – Tue., Apr. 23 – TEXAS 6, Manitoba 3
Game 2 – Thu., Apr. 25 – Manitoba at Texas, 8:00
*Game 3 – Fri., Apr. 26 – Manitoba at Texas, 8:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern