Going into this week, Texas knew they had to take some points off of division rival Grand Rapids if they wanted to keep close in the fight for first place in the Central Division. Texas had two chances this week to beat Grand Rapids.
In Tuesday’s game, the Stars found themselves in a fast, high-skilled, back-and-forth game against Grand Rapids. After trailing 2-0 in the first period, Texas bounced back in the second period with goals from Arttu Hyry and Matej Blumel. Blumel’s shot was on display, including a slick backhand goal early into the third to tie the game 3-3. Grand Rapids fired back with two goals before Kyle McDonald fired an awkward shot to score and make it 5-4 Grand Rapids with eight minutes left in the game.
With the goalie pulled, multiple transitional pass attempts were blocked by Grand Rapids’s sticks in their trap-like defensive formation. This did not allow Texas to gain the offensive zone with possession, ultimately leading to interceptions, an Empty Net goal, and 0 points for Texas on the evening. It was a reasonable effort, but conceding six goals would not contribute positively toward the momentum needed to win.
In the rematch on Wednesday night, Matej Blumel showed off again with an NHL shot mid-way through the first to tie the game 1-1. Grand Rapids scored short-handed late in the first to go ahead 2-1. Kyle Looft scored his first AHL goal via a pass from Justin Ertel on a 2-on-1, where Looft cut to the backhand on a slick deke (a goal to remember). The third period began with a 2-2 game and back-and-forth action until Kyle Capobianco took a penalty 5 minutes into the period.
Texas proceeded to load up their Penalty Kill with Arttu Hyry and Matej Blumel, which resulted in Hyry scoring a short-handed goal from a Matej Blumel shot. Hyry followed that up ten minutes later with a shot that scraped Grand Rapids goalie Jack Campbell’s glove on the way in to get insurance, followed by a Curtis McKenzie empty-netter to seal the deal and secure 2 points against a top team.
The Texas Stars had taken 2 of 4 points off of Grand Rapids, but the week was not over, with two more games to be played on the weekend against the Chicago Wolves. While the Wolves are not a top team per se, they are competitive with select few young stars (Bradly Nadeau, Scott Morrow, Justin Robidas, etc.), making for a dangerous offensive lineup.
In Saturday’s game, Texas started slower overall but took a more methodical approach to controlling the game and avoiding a ‘goal-fest’ from the opponent. Justin Hryckowian scored an admirable goal to finish the first period up 1-0, but Chicago fired back five minutes into the second period to tie the contest.
With just under a minute left in the 2nd period, Curtis McKenzie dangled Bradly Nadeau for what would have been a throwback highlight-reel goal if not for a great save by Dustin Tokarski. However, less than 20 seconds after that attempt, Cameron Hughes scored off of a toe-drag around a sliding defender on a 2-on-1 with a shot that hit multiple bodies to put Texas up 2-1.
Halfway through the third period, Curtis McKenzie found justice with an insurance goal to put Texas up 3-1. After the period ended, Chicago fought back hard, with two goals in their goalie pulled in the final two minutes to force overtime.
In overtime, Arttu Hyry almost turned the puck over in his end, falling multiple times, but he kept possession, carried the puck out of the zone, and scored via a rush-passing play with Kyle Capobianco. Texas took a key extra point to begin a win streak.
The win streak extended into Sunday’s game, with a back-and-forth game for the first 40 minutes, but Remi Poirier made great saves and earned a shutout in a 4-0 victory. Matej Blumel took on the ‘playmaker’ role in this game with two assists, and goals from Curtis McKenzie, Cameron Hughes, Justin Hryckowian, and Antonio Stranges (the usual crew) secured the win for Texas.
Player of the week: Matej Blumel
Week Stats:
GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|
4 | 3 | 6 | 9 |
Season Stats:
GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|
46 | 26 | 25 | 51 |
Overall, the Stars took 6 of 8 points and are now in sole possession of first in the Central Division, one point ahead of Milwaukee and two points ahead of Grand Rapids. The Stars boast three players in the top 20 of AHL scoring (Blumel, Hryckowian, and Hughes) and have gotten good goaltending recently to complement the offense and make for a dangerous team. Texas is rolling right now, and I look forward to following them during this hot streak, highlighted by Matej Blumel’s offensive ability.
Matej Blumel has now moved into 2nd in AHL, scoring 51 points in 46 games (26 goals). Blumel has already been called up to Dallas before. I expect Dallas to consider calling him up for the road trip to Canada for three games beginning March 8th @ Edmonton (potentially). The Dallas Stars have many healthy forwards available, but Blumel’s play should be rewarded somehow.
That's 26 for 28!!! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/RtmzmP11OB
— Texas Stars (@TexasStars) February 27, 2025
Week ahead:
- Wed Mar 5, 2025 @ Milwaukee
- Sat Mar 8, 2025 @ Rockford
- Sun Mar 9, 2025 @ Chicago