One More: Stars Crush Rockford 6-1, Saturday Becomes Everything

(Credit: Logan Foust/Texas Stars)

Texas did their job tonight. In front of a crowd of 6,526 at the H-E-B Center, the Stars dominated the Rockford IceHogs from start to finish, rolling to a 6-1 victory that puts them firmly in the driver’s seat heading into the final day of the regular season. Manitoba almost had it tonight, too, but a late goal by the Iowa Wild tied it up with just over two minutes left in regulation, and in an overtime shootout, Iowa was able to get the win. Manitoba still closed out the night with a point. So here we are, heading into Saturday with the third seed not yet officially decided, but the Stars holding every card they need.

Ellis Rickwood came into tonight with a feeling about Texas. “When I was talking to my agent about coming to Texas, I had a good feeling, a gut feeling,” he said. That instinct showed up quickly.

Making his professional debut, the Stars rookie wasted no time. At 7:27 of the first period, Rickwood put Texas on the board first, netting his first professional goal on assists from Curtis McKenzie and Cross Hanas. The fourth line looked electric from the drop of the puck, and Rickwood’s finish was the reward for sustained pressure on Rockford netminder Drew Commesso.

He wasn’t done. In the second frame, Cross Hanas lost his stick, used his skate to pass the puck to Rickwood, who buried it for his second goal of the night, assisted again by Hanas and McKenzie. Two goals. One game. Professional debut.

Rickwood was one of two rookies making their professional debut on the night, alongside Christian Fitzgerald. The fourth line was absolutely lethal all evening, and Rickwood’s two-goal performance was the exclamation point on an impressive first night in a Texas Stars uniform.

An early tripping penalty against Cameron Hughes in his first game back in Cedar Park after his Dallas assignment didn’t seem to faze the first line. Texas peppered Rockford netminder Drew Commesso throughout the penalty kill and beyond. 

Trey Taylor gave the Stars a little more breathing room with a backhand shot past Commesso on the five-hole at 18:31 of the first, assisted by Antonio Stranges and Kole Lind, and Texas went into the first intermission with a 2-0 lead and a 12-7 shots on goal advantage.

The second period was where the Stars put it away. Michael Karow launched a rocket past Commesso at 3:00 to make it 3-0, assisted by Hanas and McKenzie. Rickwood’s second then made it 4-0. Cameron Hughes, back in the building where he’d made his name before his NHL call-up, got the puck past Commesso with just over three minutes left in the frame to push the lead to 5-0, assisted by Artem Shlaine and Aram Minnetian. 

Each of the four lines kept Rockford and Commesso against the ropes all night. Texas finished with a 36-23 shots on goal edge.

Rockford pulled Commesso for Olivier Rodrigue to start the third period. Brett Seney got one back for the IceHogs at 1:10, but Matthew Seminoff answered with the Stars’ sixth goal at 14:12 on assists from Hughes and Shlaine. Texas 6, Rockford 1.

Texas Stars head coach Toby Petersen wasn’t interested in savoring the moment for long. When asked about the approach heading into the rematch with Rockford tomorrow night, he kept the focus squarely on execution. “We need to play with the same type of intensity and same type of execution in our systems. We’re going to need it tomorrow”, said Petersen. “We’re going to need our guys ready to go from the outset. Just take care of our business.”

With a win on Saturday, Texas will play host to playoff hockey at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park in front of the crowd that’s been there all year, in the building that this team has earned the right to play in. 

Texas just needs to handle its own business one more time.

Puck drop Saturday is at 7:00 PM CT.

Tonight's lines:

Hughes-Shlaine-Seminoff

Stranges-Becker-Lind

Fitzgerald-Scott-Hryckowian

Hanas-Rickwood-McKenzie

Taylor-Krys

Karow-Minnetian

Bertucci-Anderson

R. Poirier

Injuries, scratches, and notes:

J. Poirier, Ertel, Kolyachonok, Martino, McDonald, Looft (scratch)

Chisholm (warmup)

Wheatcroft, Tuomaala (injury)

Tonight’s attendance was 6526.

AHL Gamesheet- Texas at Manitoba - Aptil 17 2026