Stars Stack Another Win, Down Wolves 3-1 in Chicago

(Credit: Ross Dettman/Chicago Wolves)

The puck dropped at Allstate Arena on Saturday night, and the Texas Stars didn't just show up, they showed who they're becoming.

A composed, disciplined 3-1 victory over the Chicago Wolves. A second straight road win. A statement that December's nightmare is over, and whatever this team is building right now feels real.

"The onus is on our guys right now to come into this game tonight and make sure that we use that game last night as a catapult of sorts, to get us moving in the right direction," head coach Toby Petersen had said before the game. He challenged his group to treat this as a continuation, not a celebration. To prove Friday's upset over league-leading Grand Rapids wasn't a fluke.

They did exactly that.

Texas entered the night at 14-16-3-1, close enough to climb if they kept stacking performances. After Saturday, they're 15-16-3-1 with 34 points, just one point behind Manitoba for third place in the Central Division. The climb is real. The standings are finally starting to reflect it.

In the first, Texas wasted no time getting in Chicago's face and setting the tone. They swarmed Wolves goaltender Amir Miftakhov from the opening shift, dictating possession and forcing mistakes. Two Chicago penalties—Joel Nystrom for interference, Skyler Brind'Amour for tripping, gave Texas chances to capitalize. Remi Poirier looked sharp from the jump, tracking pucks cleanly through traffic and swallowing up everything Chicago threw at him. The period ended scoreless, but the Stars carried the momentum into the intermission. They were playing with purpose again.

Three minutes into the second, Jack Becker redirected a Kyle McDonald feed past Miftakhov. Antonio Stranges picked up the secondary assist. It was hard-earned, blue-collar, the kind of goal that's defined this turnaround.

But Stranges wasn't done. After being denied on a breakaway earlier in the period, he got another chance with under four minutes left in the frame and buried it. His finish doubled the lead and silenced the Rosemont crowd as Texas skated into the second intermission up 2-0. 

This was the complete game Petersen had demanded. Reflecting on Friday's win over Grand Rapids, he'd said, "It was consistent from everyone, really. There were no bystanders. No passengers. Everyone was pitching in, doing what they were supposed to do."

Through forty minutes in Chicago, Texas looked like that same team again.

Texas opened the third with a brief 5-on-4 advantage but couldn't convert. Still, they kept pressure on Miftakhov, forcing Chicago to chase.

Four minutes in, Luke Krys was called for hooking, Texas's first penalty of the night. The Wolves pushed hard, but the Stars' penalty kill held firm. Poirier made every stop that mattered.

At 11:24, Becker went to the box for tripping, and Chicago finally broke through. Bradly Nadeau scored on the power play, a goal Texas immediately challenged, believing the puck had been kicked in. After review, the call stood. 2-1. 

Chicago had life.

The final minutes were chaos. With 2:35 left, the Wolves pulled Miftakhov for the extra attacker. Kole Lind pounced on a loose puck and buried the empty-netter to restore the cushion. Chicago pulled their goalie again with a minute left, but Poirier slammed the door, turning aside every desperate shot they fired.

Texas held on. 3-1. A poised, structured road effort that would've been unthinkable a month ago.

This wasn't just about two points. With eight more meetings against Chicago this season, dictating the pace early on mattered.

"We want to make sure that we set the tone here with these guys," Petersen said. "We know they're a high-powered offense. They generate a lot of offensive chances, and they've had a successful season so far. We're gonna be ready for them."

On Saturday, Texas was ready.

This doesn't erase everything. The 10-1 blowout. The December collapse. The nights when nothing went right. But it's proof that the team capable of making a Western Conference Finals run is still in there, clawing its way back to the surface.

The defensive structure is tighter. The neutral zone is cleaner. The third period doesn't devolve into panic. These are the building blocks that were missing in December. 

Whether this is the true turning point or just a hot stretch before reality hits again remains to be seen. But right now, Texas has momentum. 

They have belief. They have wins stacking up instead of losses piling on.

The Stars return home Tuesday to face the Coachella Valley Firebirds at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. Puck drop is 7 p.m. CT.

For the first time in a true Texas hot minute, the home crowd will once again have something to get loud about.

Tonight’s Lines

Hughes-Scott-Seminoff

Hanas-Shlaine-Lind

Stranges-Becker-McDonald

Martino-Chisholm-McKenzie

Taylor-Krys

Karow-Looft

Punnett-Bergsland

Poirier

Injuries, scratches, and notes

Ertel, Hreschuk (scratch)

Bertucci, Tuomaala, Wheatcroft, Hyry, White (injury) 

Tonight’s attendance was 7,266.