Stars Hand Hogs First Playoff Loss for Series Lead
May 18, 2018|
Three Stars: Shots: Goaltenders: |
CEDAR PARK, Texas - The perfect run finally came to an end as the Texas Stars stopped the Rockford IceHogs playoff winning streak at seven games with a 4-2 win in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Friday in front of 6,150 fans in attendance.
Roope Hintz tallied a goal and an assist for the Stars while Mike McKenna stopped 31 of 33 shots in net to give the Stars (8-2) a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Game 2 will be Sunday at 5 p.m. CT at H-E-B Center.
Remi Elie's power-play goal at 8:47 of the second held up as the game-winner when the forward stuffed home a loose puck in the goal crease for his second of the playoffs.
Sheldon Dries added another for Texas seven minutes into the third with a backhand effort that slipped through Rockford's Collin Delia. The IceHogs (7-1) rookie stopped 20 of 24 shots in net in his first loss of the postseason.
Curtis McKenzie put the Stars on the board early in the first period with his third goal of the playoffs on another scrum in the goal crease for a loose puck. Carl Dahlstorm scored the equalizer later in the first on the power play, but Texas quickly responded with a stretch pass that sprung Hintz on a breakaway.
The Texas rookie snapped home his second goal of the playoffs just over seven minutes to play in the opening frame for a 2-1 lead that Texas took into the locker room.
Chris DiDimenico scored early in the second to tie the score for Rockford before Elie and Dries pushed the Stars in front for good.
Both teams went 1-for-4 on the power play in the game.
Photo Credit: Andy Nietupski/Texas Stars