After a rocky patch in the Western Conference final with Rockford, the Dallas Stars AHL affiliate is headed to the Calder Cup Final.
If some of the Dallas Stars AHL prospects really want to make the Stars champions next season, they couldn’t be speaking any more clearly.
Although they dropped games 4 and 5 to the Rockford IceHogs in the Western Conference final, the Texas Stars pushed through and clinched the victory with a 2-1 game 6 win in the last 8.5 overtime seconds. Now as Western Conference champs, Texas seems to be giving Dallas a run for its money.
While the Texas Stars have made it to the final series in the Calder Cup race three times during their nine seasons, this run has been a special one. The Texas Stars have proven some real grit- stuff that should be welcome in Dallas.
The real stars of the game were, of course, Roope Hintz with the GWG in the game’s final 8.5 seconds, and Mike McKenna who stopped 38 shots for the Stars.
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McKenna got a recent shake with the Dallas Stars, filling in an injury void at the end of the season and giving Dallas a dash of hope there at the end.
Now, the Texas Stars will move on to face the Toronto Marlies, with game one beginning Saturday in Toronto. The Texas Stars were Calder Cup champions as recently as 2014, and they’re hoping they can claim it again.
While those of us still down in the mouth over the Dallas Stars’ season performance may find slim solace in the Texas Stars’ success, their Calder Cup success could be just the right thing at just the right time for their NHL brothers.
Texas as a hockey destination is still paving its own path to the limelight, and the Stars organization has been doing its best for several seasons to push it forward more quickly. With the 2018 draft coming to Dallas, a big win for the Stars’ AHL affiliate couldn’t be better-timed.
Several hopefuls could break their way into the NHL at last, providing fresh energy and new perspective for the Dallas Stars as they try to find their identity and develop a winning culture around that.
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So fingers crossed that Mike McKenna and company as they begin their crusade against the Marlies at the end of the week. Although the Dallas Stars’ season is over, the hockey world is still buzzing with events that will leave their mark inevitably on the Stars next season.