Every point earned in the hockey standings at this time of the year is important, especially when a team has to claw its way back in the third period like the Monsters did March 28. In the end, the Texas Stars came out on top, 5-4, by scoring twice in a shootout while Stars goalie Magnus Hellburg bl anked Cleveland shooters Trey Fix-Wolansky and Mykael Pyythia. No one in the blue jerseys was happy, but what transpired before the shootout gave Coach Trent Vogelhuber something to build on with nine games left in the regular season. The Monsters trailed, 4-2, after two periods. They kept getting quality chances all night, but had little to show for them except a goal by Samuel Knazko in the first period and one by Fix-Wolansky in the second. The Monsters tied the game in the third period when Fix-Wolansky netted his 25th goal of the season and Hunter Mckown scored a one-timer into the top right corner of the Dallas net off a perfect pass from Luca Pinelli. Pinelli, in the first AHL game of his career, also assisted on Knazko’s goal. McKown scored with 9:23 left in regulation. The crowd of 12,015 inside Rocket Arena implored the Monsters to finish the rally. They stepped up the attack, but Hellburg shut the door. “I thought once we made the plays that were there and didn’t try to invent them, we played more in the offensive zone,” Vogelhuber said. “We have to clean up special teams and penalty kill. That’s a dangerous power play, but overall I thought it was a pretty solid effort. I was proud of the way they battled back.” The Monsters are 31-21-5-6 and tied for third in the AHL North with the Toronto Marlies. The Marlies have a game in hand. The Monsters and Stars meet again at 7 p.m. March 29. The Monsters lost five of six games before winning a pair from the Senators in Belleville on March 23 and 26. Fix-Wolansky believes the Monsters are coming together at just the right time. “I think it’s a mindset thing,” Fix-Wolansky said. “We know it’s going to be a tight battle the rest of the way. We want to get as many points as possible and be in a great playoff spot. “I think for all the guys that were here last year, there are a lot of lessons we can bring over to this year whether the game’s going good or bad. Just focus on the next shift and do your job.” The Monsters advanced to the the seventh game of the Eastern Conference finals last year before being eliminated by the eventual Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears. ...read more read less