Stars Snap Winless Skid in Offensive Showdown, Defeat IceHogs 6-3

(Credit: Logan Foust/Texas Stars)

The Texas Stars got goals from six different goal-scorers as they overcame the Rockford IceHogs 6-3 in a back-and-forth offensive slugfest. The Stars lost the lead twice in the game but overcame that adversity to earn two points and get back in the win column after a three-game losing streak. 

Texas controlled the pace of the game from start to finish. They outshot the IceHogs 37-19 in the contest and had the majority of the scoring chances. Despite the Stars dominating the game, they just could not shake Rockford until the final ten minutes of the third period. 

“I think when everyone's kind of pulling the rope in the same direction, good things are going to happen,” head coach Neil Graham said after the game. “And there were moments we really had to stay composed and stay in the fight to make sure we could break through. And eventually, we did so good for our group.”

Staying composed proved to be pivotal for Texas. They gave up their second lead of the night late in the third period, but less than a minute later, Arttu Hyry would take it right back. “Obviously, great feeling,” Hyry said when asked about his game-winning goal. “I think our line had a couple good shifts, … we played a 200-foot game and got a lot of chances.” 

Matěj Blümel scored 1-1=2 and earned the night's first star. His own personal game felt like a microcosm of the Stars’ night as a whole. He had two breakaways in the first period and nine shots on goal for the night but struggled to find the back of the net. Despite what could have been a frustrating situation, Blümel scored the first goal of the third period and had the primary assist on Hyry’s game-winning goal. 

Coach Graham thought his team did a great job avoiding that frustration throughout the contest, “There's times of frustration, but tonight wasn't one of those. I think we felt really good about our game and our plan, and we just kind of had to make sure we saw it through. And I think more [composure] from our group is probably what eventually got the two points.”

Texas came out strong in the first period, outshooting Rockford 11-6 and springing Blümel on the two breakaways, as mentioned earlier. Despite their efforts, the game remained scoreless after the first period. 

The second frame started with the first power play goal for the IceHogs. A wrister from the wing hit Alex Petrovic, who had his man tied up in front of the Stars’ net. The puck fell directly to the Hogs’ forward Andreas Athanasiou and was deposited into the Stars’ net. 

Texas proved that goal came against the flow of play by recording all but one of the next 16 shots on goal in the game. That offensive onslaught earned the Stars two goals and the lead courtesy of Chase Wheatcroft and Curtis McKenzie. 

Wheatcroft scored the first for Texas from the slot after a missile of a shot from Kole Lind rebounded off the Rockford netminder's mask. McKenzie’s tally was set up by Antonio Stranges dangling the puck around the entirety of the offensive zone, seemingly lulling the IceHogs’ defenders to sleep, before finally dishing it into the slot, where the captain angled the puck into the net. 

As the seemingly successful period neared its end, Stars forward Justin Hryckowian took a blatant hooking penalty in the neutral zone. That allowed Rockford to tie the game back up with their second power play goal of the game. “All the players that have been on the ice [during the penalty kill] have done a great job. So it's a reminder, and you see what happens if we deviate, and then you just get back on track. So there's no panic. Those guys will be back on the ice. They'll do a great job the next time. ” 

Despite losing their lead, Texas would punch right back as Blümel netted a power play goal just over a minute into the final frame. Stranges recorded his second primary assist of the night on the goal with a cross-crease pass, which gave Blümel the easy tap-in goal. 

However, Rockford refused to go away quietly. Cole Guttman earned his second goal of the night in the middle of the third period with a powerful shot from the slot. You could feel the building let out a collective sigh as the Hogs tied the game again in a contest where they had been outmatched by the Stars. 

At that point in the game, it seemed as though Texas decided they had enough. Within two minutes of Rockford’s game-tying goal, Hyry and Kyle Capobianco both found twine to take the lead back for the third and final time. Both Hyry and Capobianco scored off the rush with wrist shots that simply overwhelmed the IceHogs' goalie. 

After an empty net insurance goal from Kole Lind, Texas would take their lead to the buzzer and earn the 6-3 victory. Texas and Rockford will face off again on Saturday, February 8th, at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park.

Tonight’s lines
Stranges-Hyrckowian-McKenzie
Pettersen-Hyry-Blümel
Wheatcroft-Hughes-Lind
Arcuri-Becker-McDonald

Petrovic-Kyrou
Looft-Krys
Karow-White

Poirier

Injuries, scratches and notes
Helberg (injury)
Ertel, Punnett, Romano, Looft (scratch)

Tonight’s attendance was 5,645.

AHL Gamesheet - Texas v. Rockford - February 7 2025