After a successful four-game homestand, the Manitoba Moose headed south to Cedar Park, Texas, for a back-to-back weekend set with the red-hot Texas Stars at H-E-B Center.

Despite just three shots on goal in the opening frame, Texas struck twice in the first five minutes, scoring goals 36 seconds apart. Trey Taylor opened the scoring at 4:13 with his sixth of the season, putting home a rebound, followed by Antonio Stranges’ 10th at 4:49, finishing off a pass from Kole Lind to put the Stars up by a pair.

Texas led 2-0 after 20 minutes despite being outshot 6-3.

There was no scoring in the middle frame as Manitoba outshot the Stars 14-10 but still trailed by two.

Captain Mason Shaw got Manitoba within one at 17:44. Parker Ford found Shaw at the side of the left post from behind the Stars’ net, and he beat Remi Poirier for his team-leading 13th of the season.

Although Manitoba outshot Texas 25-15, it wasn’t enough, as the Stars snapped Manitoba’s three-game winning streak with a 2-1 regulation win, their sixth in a row.

Domenic DiVincentiis made 13 saves as Manitoba fell to 22-16-3.

The two Central Division clubs went right back at it the following night, with Manitoba hoping for a better result.

Kole Lind opened the scoring at 13:53 with his ninth of the year. Tristan Bertucci sent a pass to Lind at the side of the net, and he tapped it into the yawning cage to give Texas a 1-0 lead.

Much like Friday, Manitoba trailed after 20 minutes, but this time by just one goal, while outshooting Texas 16-8.

Manitoba continued to pressure in the second period, outshooting Texas 11-4, and it paid off. Brad Lambert tied the game at 8:01. Elias Salomonsson’s point shot was blocked in front, and after a scramble, Lambert backhanded the puck past Poirier for his sixth of the season.

The Moose refused to go into the break tied, as Shaw scored his second in as many games with 42 seconds left in the frame, giving Manitoba a 2-1 lead and his 14th of the campaign.

Things turned sideways in the third. Jack Becker tied it 2-2 at 8:57 after Ayrton Martino picked off Thomas Milic’s pass from behind the net and fed Becker in front, an unfortunate turnover that swung momentum in favour of the home side.

Texas regained the lead just 1:43 later when Justin Ertel deflected a Vladislav Kolyachonok point shot for his second, making it 3-2. Michael Karow added another at 16:10 to make it 4-2.

Shaw scored his second of the game and third of the weekend at 18:01, cutting the deficit to one and pushing his team-leading total to 15, but Poirier shut the door the rest of the way as Texas won its seventh straight and handed Manitoba its second consecutive loss.

Manitoba dominated the shot totals 36-20. Milic made 16 saves as the Moose fell to 22-17-3.

The Moose don’t play again until Valentine’s Day, when they open a four-game homestand against the Calgary Wranglers at 2:00 p.m. CST. Before that, the AHL All-Star Classic takes place Feb. 10-11, in Rockford, where Milic will represent Manitoba.