Matěj Blümel Scores Twice Leading the Texas Stars to a 4-1 Win over Rockford IceHogs

 

(Credit: Rashaad Robinson / Rockford IceHogs)

 

Four days after a shorthanded Texas Stars squad grinded out a dominant 5-0 victory against the Tucson Roadrunners at home, the Stars set out for their first road trip of 2025, hoping to leave behind the inconsistency that plagued them outside the state of Texas in 2024. Wednesday night’s 4-1 win against the Rockford IceHogs was a promising early sign that the Stars may be hitting their stride heading into the second half of the season.
 

Matěj Blümel scored 15 seconds into the game, the fastest goal scored this season, and added a second to extend his points streak to eight games while Magnus Hellberg made a 24-save effort on the way to his 15th win of the season.
 

The win was the Stars’ seventh in their last eight games and their sixth straight road victory, a massive turn around from their early road struggles to start the season.
 

Blümel wasted no time getting the festivities started when he fired an impressive backhand shot from the right circle that beat Rockford goaltender Drew Commesso cleanly over the shoulder.
 

The Stars did not let up after that as they were able to get wherever they wanted on the ice against a Rockford team that was clearly missing their top player in Frank Nazar who got a deserved callup to Chicago.
 

That control paid off for the Stars when Jack Becker made it 2-0 at 12:46 of the first period when he jumped on a Rockford turnover in the slot that put him in prime shooting position.
 

Rockford’s lack of puck possession cost them again in the second period when Chase Wheatcroft capped an extended offensive zone shift with an easy tuck in to make it 3-0. Blümel would add his second goal of the night on the power play at 10:55 of the first period to make it 4-0.
 

The third period got slightly hairy for the Stars who committed five penalties in the third period with Cole Guttman capitalizing on one for the IceHogs. Though they did manage to snap out of cruise control mode to ultimately secure the 4-1 victory.
 

They’ll head to Wisconsin next for a meeting with the Milwaukee Admirals Friday night at 7 PM.   

Tonight's lines
Stranges-Hryckowian-Pettersen
Blümel-Hughes-Lind
Wheatcroft-Seminoff-McKenzie
Ertel-Becker-McDonald
 

Bischel-White
Capobianco-Krys
Karow-Kyrou
 

Hellberg
 

Scratches, injuries and notes
Hyry (callup)
Petrovic (upper body injury)
Looft, Romano (scratch)
 

Tonight’s attendance was 2,254
 

AHL Gamesheet - Texas at Rockford - January 8 2025