(Credit: Logan Foust/Texas Stars)
A missed puck freeze by goaltender Remi Porirer in the final period sealed the Texas Stars’ 4-3 loss to the Chicago Wolves Saturday night at the H-E-B Center.
Despite the second consecutive loss at home, head coach Neil Graham remained positive on his team's fight tonight.
“It’s a one goal hockey game, I actually thought we played a really good hockey game,” Graham said. “We weren’t able to score on the power play. They did. …In those one goal games, everything matters.”
Texas stabbed first after an unguarded Antonio Stranges shot missed to the left. Recovering the puck from behind the net, Stranges connected with linemate Justin Hryckowian for the first goal of the night.
Chicago’s power play unit has been explosive the past two nights, capitalizing on a Micheal Karow interference penalty, Wolves forward Felix Unger Sorum met Porirer face-to-face for a quick wrist shot tying goal.
Despite a handful of scoring opportunities for the Stars in the middle frame. Texas was shut out in the second after dazzling saves by Wolves goalie Ruslan Khazheyev.
To open the final period, Emilio Pettersen's wrist shot was blocked in front of the crease. An idle Stranges connected with the blocked shot to nail in the goal to give Texas a 2-1 lead. It was his fifth consecutive game with a point.
“The chemistry with me, [Hryckowian] and [Kole Lind] I haven’t played with at all in my career,” Stanges said about his recent points streak. “Points at the end of the year are just a number, and we are growing as a group right now.”
Curtis McKenzie and Wolves forward Scott Morrow were both sent to the penalty box after being called for slashing. On the 4-on-4, Chicago forward Ryan Suzuki hit from the backside meeting Porirer one-on-one, beating the goaltender to tie the game back up at 2-2.
Deep from the blue line, Wolves forward Bradly Nadeau’s slapshot found the back of the net to give Chicago its first lead of the night. Not all hope was lost for the Stars. Responding less than a minute later, Cameron Hughes found a wide-open net on a rebound from the shot off the stick of Arttu Hyry to tie the game up.
Catching Poirer on the opposite end of his crease, Chicago defensemen Scott Morrow's wrist shot was tipped forward by the skate of an idle Kyle Looft. Scrambling to freeze the puck, Poirier was too late to save it, breaking the line to seal the Wolves third straight victory.
Texas attempted to tie the game late in the third, pulling Poirer to add the extra skater on the ice. Despite the extra man advantage, the Stars came up short in the end only getting off one shot on goal.
“I think we are doing a lot of things right, but at the same time the little things that we are making mistakes on are costing us,” Stranges said. “Once we go down one, we are kinda too hard on ourselves. We have to do a better job of staying neutral and clear minded.”
Texas returns for midweek action facing division leader Grand Rapids Griffins next Tuesday at 7 P.M. at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park.
Tonight's lines
Stranges-Hryckowian-Lind
Hughes-Hyry-Blümel
Wheatcroft-Pettersen-McKenzie
Ertel-Seminoff-Becker
Capobianco-Krys
Looft-Petrovic
Karow-White
Poirier
Injuries, scratches and notes
Bichsel, Hellberg (call-up)
Romano (warm-up)
McDonald (scratch)
Tonight’s attendance was 6,220.
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