Texas Stars' Season Comes to an End after 4-2 Loss in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals

 

(Credit: Abbotsford Canucks Flickr)

 

It took six games and three frantic final periods, but the curtains eventually came down on the 2024-25 AHL season for the Texas Stars. Who fell 4-2 to the Abbotsford Canucks in Game 6 of the AHL’s Western Conference Finals Sunday night at the Abbotsford Centre.

The Stars got goals from Matěj Blümel and Harrison Scott while Magnus Hellberg made 36 saves. Abbotsford scored four unanswered goals, including three in the third period, to shut the door on the Stars season just short of the Calder Cup Finals.

It was a tightly-contested series between the best of the Central and Pacific Divisions that, at various points, were carried on the shoulders of the dueling goaltenders Hellberg and Artūrs Šilovs.

Nowhere was that more evident than the fact that Sunday’s 4-2 final score was the first two-goal margin of victory during the entire series. With the margins for errors so very thin at this point of the year, the Stars eventually succumbed.

The Canucks pushed hard early in the first period looking for an early lead in their home building and forced a few big saves out of Hellberg. That momentum, ironically, led to a chaotic series of events that put Texas on the board first when a shot from Sammy Blais beat Hellberg top corner but pinged off the crossbar and across the crease.

It was enough to confuse the Abbostford arena crew who lit the goal light and the arena spotlights, despite the fact that the referees had both waved off the goal and did not whistle the play dead.

While several Canucks began to celebrate what they thought was a goal, the puck found its way Stars captain Curtis McKenzie who started a odd-man rush up ice and found an open Blümel to tap in the puck and make it 1-0 Texas at 18:35 of the first period.

It was the momentum the Stars needed in the second period as, again, Abbotsford controlled the majority of play. Knowing that one goal had not been enough all series, the Texas fourth line orchestrated a textbook grind goal to give the Stars a two-goal cushion.

After getting the puck deep, Justin Ertel dove in on the forecheck and beat the Abbotsford defense to the puck. With possession secured, Ertel quickly found Harrison Scott charging toward the net and set the rookie up for his first professional goal to make it 2-0.

But Abbotsford would not let up, and a momentary lapse in rush coverage left Jujhar Khaira wide open to finish off a one timer and tie the game for the Canucks in the closing moments of the second period.

Despite still holding the lead, the moment had full shifted to Abbotsford who sensed the opportunity to close out the series and dominated the final frame. The constant pressure eventually paid off when Max Sasson tipped in a shot to make it 3-2 at 11:50 of the third period.
Abbotsford would eventually get an empty netter from Arshdeep Bains to make it 4-2 and secure the win and hit the lights on the Stars’ season.

Despite the loss, it was not a lost season for Texas, who featured an AHL Rookie of the Year in Justin Hryckowian and a Willie Marshall Award winner in Blümel who’s 39 regular-season goals set a new franchise record.

Developments on and off the ice made it a memorable season for the team from Cedar Park, which could look very different come Opening Night this fall. With jobs up for grabs with the big club in Dallas both on and off the ice, many of the players and staff for Texas made an impression to remember.

But that is a story for another time.

Tonight's lines
McKenzie-Hryckowian-Lind
Blümel-Hyry-Hughes
Pettersen-Becker-Stranges
Seminoff-Scott-Ertel

Capobianco-Krys
Taylor-Karow
Looft-White

Hellberg

Injures, scratches and notes
Bergsland, Wheatcroft, Thomson, Chisholm, Terness, Ertel, Bertucci, White, Arcuri, Kyrou, Martino, Punnett, Shlaine, Hemming (scratch)
McDonald (out for season)

Tonight's attendance was 6,983