Going into Saturday’s game, Texas was on a 4-game winning streak and had significant momentum, even beating Milwaukee 5-2 on Friday, January 10th. There was much confidence going into the first matchup this weekend despite Texas playing worse at home vs. on the road (8-5-1 vs. 13-7-0 before the weekend).
Compared to some previous matchups (Rockford, etc.), Milwaukee was going to be a tough matchup, and it took Texas a bit to get comfortable with Milwaukee’s pressure. Justin Ertel scored his first AHL goal from a tight angle and has been having a great start to his time in Texas overall (I wrote about him a few weeks ago, and he’s looked great since then). In a tight game tied 3-3, Antonio Stranges scored with 46.2 seconds left to put Texas ahead, demonstrating more of his “clutch” factor. Texas secured a massive ‘2 points’ with the 4-3 win in an exciting effort.
In the rematch on Sunday, former Texas Stars goalie Matt Murray put up a 30-save shutout, stopping Texas from taking any more points this weekend. Texas was outplayed for most of the game, until a third-period comeback attempt, outshooting Milwaukee 20-5 in the final frame. It was an exciting ending but an unfortunate result, with Texas’ win streak snapped at five games.
Player of the week: Antonio Stranges
Week Stats:
GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|
2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Season Stats:
GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|
34 | 14 | 20 | 34 |
Overall, Texas’ offense came up short in Sunday’s game, but significantly, Texas earned 2 of 4 points considering their roster. Of note, Texas Stars graduates Matej Blumel and Justin Hryckowian have been up in NHL Dallas for some time, with Blumel scoring his first goal of the season against Detroit and Hryckowian getting his first NHL point on the primary assist. From a development perspective, having strong AHL talent like Blumel/Hryckowian be successful at the NHL level is great validation in supporting the AHL Texas system and its athletes.
The Texas Stars AHL club should be considered a legitimate pathway to the NHL.
It’s exciting to have such depth in AHL Texas, where Texas can compete against tough teams even if two top players don’t dress. Should Blumel/Hryckowian return in the future, Texas will have more weapons to utilize toward their playoff push. Texas still has four active players with over 0.75 points per game, and the team has been playing well in 2025.
Week ahead:
- Sat Jan 25, 2025 @ Iowa
- Sun Jan 26, 2025 @ Iowa