San Antonio grinds out Comeback Win in Chicago

In a game that was mostly uneventful up in Chicago as the Rampage were wrapping up their Rodeo Road Trip against the Chicago Wolves last night. The Rampage had a grind out a 2-1 victory in a critical game against a Wolves Team that is looking to stay in the race for the 4th & Final Home Ice Spot in the AHL Western Conference Playoff Race. Like in the NHL, the AHL Western Conference Playoff Race gap from 4th Place Chicago all the way down to 10th Place Rochester is just 4 points as most teams have around 20 games left in the regular season.

San Antonio has had a bit of a up and down Rodeo Road Trip but they have ramped it up in the 2nd half of the Road Trip by winning 4 of their last 5 in very low scoring fashion recently. All 4 of their wins have had them scoring 2 or fewer goals in all of the recent wins which included a 1-0 Shutout win over Oklahoma City on February 19th; and a pair of critical wins over the Peoria Rivermen which helped them breakout of the being along the playoff borderline as the Rampage have been able to jump up in a tie for 4th with the Chicago Wolves & Abbotsford Heat. They're currently 6th in the Western Conference Playoffs Race and if the post season started today, they would play the Mid-West Division Leading Charlotte Checkers in the Conference Quarterfinals.

After going 7-3-1 during the 11 Game Rodeo Road Trip that took up nearly the entire month of February. The team will finally return home on Saturday Night when they take on the Houston Aeros on Saturday Night who are playing only their 3rd game since February 24th as the Aeros are in the middle of one their lightest stretches of the Season Schedule after coming off a split last weekend in Austin against the Texas Stars.

With both teams in the Western Conference Mindfield, both teams are needing such a critical win that could get them as high as 4th Place if teams like the Abbotsford Heat & the Peoria Rivermen lose coming up on Friday Night. The Rampage will finish the regular season with 11 of their final 19 games at home. Of the 11 remaining home games, they will have a 5 game homestand that starts on March 11 against the Lake Erie Monsters, Abbotsford Heat, Rockford Icehogs and a pair against the Grand Rapids Griffins which will wrap up the homestand on March 22nd.

Military Night

The Rampage will be having their annual Military Appreciation Night coming up on Saturday, March 3rd when the Rampage play the Aeros where they will have a special pre-game ceremony. As well as a ticket special where any current solider or veteran with a Military ID for any available set for that game for just $10 that night.

In addition, the team will be wearing special Military Uniforms that will be auctioned off after the game that will raise money for the San Antonio Rampage Sled Team that is for disabled hockey players, some of whom are Military Veterans. Last year, the team raised nearly $44,000 and have raised over $180,000 over the 8 years the team has had this promotion.

For more info, you can call any Rampage Representative at 210-444-5554 on this special night as the team returns from it's annual Rodeo Road Trip against Houston and look continue their strong run of late at home for the first time in nearly a month.

Rampage Military Night Info

The Rampage Visit San Antonio Lackland Joint Base

San Antonio Rampage 2  Chicago Wolves 1  (0-0, 0-1, 2-0)

San Antonio Rampage VS. Chicago Wolves Audio Highlights

Coach Chuck Weber Pre-Game Interview

Tyson Strachan Interview

San Antonio Rampage Press Release



The San Antonio Rampage received third period goals from Forward Greg Rallo and defensemen Nolan Yonkman to the top the Chicago Wolves, 2-1, on Wednesday Night at All-State Arena.

After a scoreless opening period, Chicago Scored the game's first goal at the 8:36 mark of the second frame. Defensemen Yaunn Sauve sent a seeing eye shot on goal that beat Rampage backstop Jacob Markstrom to give the Wolves a 1-0 lead. Center Jordan Schroeder and forward Anton Rodin notched the assists on Sauve's second goal of the season.

Rallo tied the game at for San Antonio at 3:45 into the third period with a power play goal. His shot from the slot eluded Chicago Goaltender Eddie Lack and knotted the game at 1-1. Forwards Bracken Kearns and Bill Thomas were credited with the assists' on Rallo's 16th marker of the year.

Yonkman gave San Antonio a 2-1 edge just over 4 minutes later. He registered his second goal of 2011-2012 on a shot from the blueline that beat Lack to his right. The lone helper on the play went to Center Scott Timmins.

Markstrom made 27 saves on 28 Wolves shots for his eighth win of the season. Lack turned aside 28 of 30 San Antonio attempts in the Chicago Loss.

The Rampage end the Rodeo Road Trip with a 7-3-0-1 record and franchise best winning percentage (.682%).

The Rampage (31-23-2-1) returns home for Military Appreciation on Saturday when they host the Houston Aeros at 7 PM (CT) at the AT&T Center.





San Antonio dominates in 5-2 win over the Chicago Wolves

It was a successful afternoon Sunday Afternoon at the AT&T Center as the Rampage continue to grow their lead in the AHL West Division with a convincing 5-2 win over the Chicago Wolves on Sunday as the Rampage did score 4 times in the first period.

 Including 2 goals in 33 seconds to take a quick 2-0 lead that the Wolves were never able to comeback as the Wolves also yanked starting goalie Edward Pasquale after the first intermission when San Antonio was up 4-1 as the Rampage scored the 5 goals from 5 different including Alex Picard who tied Mathieu Beaudoin for the team goal scoring lead with 9 this season.

It was also a strong showing for backup goaltender Matt Climie as he made 25 of 27 saves in the game as he helped the Rampage take the West Division Lead to 4 points over both the Milwaukee Admirals and Oklahoma City Barons are tied for 2nd with 21 points.

Other goal scorers for San Antonio included Danish Left Winger Mikkel Boedker who had a goal and assist in his 2nd straight game and takes his point total to 17 which he is starting to become a point a game player as he also had a 3 assist game in a 5-1 win over Abbotsford back on November 5.

Other Goal Scorers on Sunday Afternoon include Ryan Holloweg, Bracken Kearns and Viktor Tikhonov who each logged their 3rd goal of the season on a day where the Power Play was strong as they went 3-4 on the man advantage as well.

San Antonio takes their record to a division leading 12-4-1 for 25 points as the Rampage will prepare for a special field trip game on Wednesday as the Rampage will travel to Peoria which will start at 10:00 AM.

Here's a look at the upcoming San Antonio Rampage Schedule as the team will begin a huge stretch of road games as they have only 2 home games left in November. Overall, 8 of their next 11 games will be on the road which goes through the December 11th game against the Manitoba Moose.

Next 5 Games (All Games are on Sports Radio 760 The Ticket)

11/17: @ Peoria Rivermen   10:05 AM

11/19: VS. Milwaukee Admirals    7:00 PM

11/26: @ Houston Aeros   7:35 PM

11/27: @ Texas Stars    7:00 PM

11/28: VS. Milwaukee Admirals   3:00 PM

Chicago Wolves 2  San Antonio Rampage 5  (1-4, 1-0, 0-1)

San Antonio Rampage VS. Chicago Wolves Game Highlights

Game Story from the San Antonio Rampage Website

From San Antonio, Texas: The San Antonio Rampage jumped to an early lead scoring four first period goals and held on to a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Wolves on Sunday Afternoon at the AT&T Center. The Rampage improved 12-4-1 and lead the Western Conference with 25 points.

San Antonio's first goal came at 4:23 of the first period mark when Alex Picard tallied his fourth goal power play goal of the season. With only four seconds remaining on the Rampage power play, Picard redirected Mathieu Beaudoin shot from the left faceoff circle over goalie Edward Pasquale. Oliver Ekman-Larsson earned his first Rampage point recording the second assist on the play. Picard and Beaudoin both extended their point streaks to four games.

The Rampage struck again just 33 seconds later to extend their lead to 2-0 when Ryan Helloweg shot from the left faceoff circle beat Pasquale high stick side. David Brine and Ryan Weston supplied the assists each receiving their first point of the season.

Chicago Center Jason Krog cut the deficit in half to 2-1 at the 12:21 mark of the first period. Wolves left wing Frederick Petterersson centered a pass to Krog who tipped the puck over Rampage goalie Matt Climie's right shoulder. Andre Deveaux chipped in the second assist on Krog's second goal of the season.

The Rampage extended their lead to 3-1 when Bracken Kearns scored a power play goal at the 15:27 mark of the first stanza. Kearns redirected Mikkel Boedker's shot from the left faceoff circle over the stick of Pasquae and into the back of the net. Brett Maclean added the second helper with his 8th assist of the season .

San Antoino took a 4-1 advantage off Mikkel Boedker power play goal at the 17:41 mark of the opening frame Boedker one-timer from the right faceoff circle went high stick side past Pasquale. Ekman-Larsson earned his second point of the night as he and Tim Stapleton both combined for assists.

After letting in four goals in twenty minutes, Chicago Head Coach Don Lever substituted net- Drew Macintyre for Pasquale who finished the game with 13 saves on 17 shot attempts.

Chicago made it a 4-2 game at the 6:26 mark of the second period on Paul Postma's power play Goal. Postma fired a shot from the blue line that passed Climie low on the stick side and into the back of the net. Assisted were provided by Jared Ross and Jason Krog.

Viktor Tikhonov solidified the Rampage victory with a goal at 2:23 of the 3rd period into the third period. Picard passed to Tikhonov was camped out in front of the crease and his shot beat Macintyre high to the stick side. Beaudoin added the second assist for his second point of the night.

Climie turned aside 25 of 27 Wolves Shot attempts while Pasquale and Macintyre combined for 33 of saves on 38 Rampage shots.

The Rampage return to the ice on Wednesday morning when the team travels to the Peoria Civic Center Carver Arena to face the Rivermen for a 10:05 AM.

Oklahoma City Barons Rout Chicago 6-2 to keep pressure on San Antonino

Their was no question that the Barons were looking to catch up to the Rampage and tie them for the West Division. Despite the Rampage win, the Barons were no match for the Chicago Wolves as the stay within 2 points of the division leading Barons. This also takes OKC to 3-2 as they are 5 games through the longest home-stand of the season as the Barons have also had wins over the Texas Stars & Toronto Marlies during this stretch.

It was a big night for Ryan O'Merra (3 Assists), Liam Reddox (2 Goals) and Alexander Giroux (2 Assists) as the attack minded Barons never held the Wolves out of their sight as the Barons went up 2-0 late in the first and never looked back for the rest of the night.

In addition, Martin Gerber who was brought in because of his Experience at all levels in the NHL, AHL & in Europe also had 35 saves in a game that had a lot of flow and shots as the Barons out-shot the Wolves 43-37 where both sides had to make some key saves for the Barons to keep the lead all night long.

Despite the win, the Rampage also won their game 3-2 over Rockford to keep the lead. With the Barons not hitting the ice again until next Friday on November 19, the Barons have temporally lost their chance to jump over the Rampage to take over the West Division Lead.

The Next time the Barons hit the ice is on 11/19 against the Texas Stars, then the team will wrap up the home-stand with a pair of games against the Milwaukee Admirals on 11/21 & 23.

San Antonio will now have a chance to gain some breathing room on top of the West with games on Sunday afternoon against the Chicago Wolves on Sunday, then a special Field Trip Game for local Grade School Kids in the area on Wednesday the 17th against the Peoria Rivermen.

Oklahoma City Barons VS. Chicago Wolves Highlights

OKC VS. Chicago Post Game Reaction

Game Story from Ryan Aber of the The Daily Oklahoman

From Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: The first period had been a problem for the Barons for much of the season.

But Friday against Chicago, the Barons broke through early, let the Wolves back into it, then controlled the 3rd period to come away with a 6-2 win in front of 3,601 at the Cox Convention Center.

"It's something we've focused on," Barons Winger Liam Reddox said. "We've talked about it in the room. It's nice to get a couple of goals there early."

Once again, Reddox played a big part.

He scored 3:24 into the game on a shorthanded breakaway to put the Barons ahead. Reddox has two of the three Barons Shorthanded goals this season.

Later in the period, Colin Macdonald put the Barons up 2-0. It was a nice change of pace for the Barons from their early struggles as of late. The Barons have allowed goals in the first 5:35 in the last six games.

A big part of the Barons early game success was because of Martin Gerber. Gerber stopped all 16 first period shots from the Wolves as he picked up his seventh straight win.

"Streaks are always nice when they are positive," Gerber said. "It's much earlier to stay in a winning streak thenn to break out of a losing out."

But after Reddox scored his goal less then six minutes into the second, the Wolves Spencer Machacek scored two straight goals to cut the Barons lead to one entering the third period.

The Wolves out-shot the Barons 15-11 in the 2nd period.

Barons Head Coach Todd Nelson had a strong conversation with his team in the second period.

"I just told the guys, 'Don't cheat the game,'" Nelson said. "They looked like they wanted to get on the bus after jumping 3-0."

The Barons lead stayed at one through much of the third period until Chris VandeVelde, getting the puck off the draw in the zone near the boards, streaked behind the net and tried a wraparound.

VandeVelde initial shot didn't make it past Chicago Goaltender Peter Mannino, but it bounced off a Wolves player in the crease and past Mannino.

That was the first of three Barons Goals in a stretch of 5:21 stretch that quickly put the game firmly in the Barons Grasp.

Brad Moran and Shawn Belle added goals for the Barons during that stretch.

The game was the final of a four game conditioning assignment for Edmonton's J.F. Jacques. Jacques had three shots and five penalty minutes, getting into his first fight of the season and showing no effects from the back injury that had sidelined him since last season.

Ryan O'Marra assisted on three of the Barons goals, giving him 12 for the season. While O'Marra has yet to score a goal, he's already registered a professional high in assists.

The Barons (10-6-1 21 PTS) get most of the week off before resuming their eight game home-stand Friday against the Texas Stars.

The team will take the next two days off from practice, with most of the team attending today's OU Football Game before a team event on Sunday.

San Antonio Rampage comes up big against Chicago in Season Opener

San Antonio after a busy off-season by picking up players like Matt Climie and Mathieu Beaudoin, the Rampage were eagar to show off the new talent to show the AHL West Division that they are looking to be big time contenders in the Division after finishing 6th last season.

San Antonio did last night by spreading the scoring around which was lead by Mathieu Beaudoin who had 2 goals and 2 assists last night, other strong performances include Garrett Stafford and Ryan Hollweg who each had a goal and 2 assists.

 In all, 8 players had at least a point in the game where the Rampage were up 5-0 early in the 3rd period. With the exception of a 3 goal surge by the Wolves, the Rampage had this one sown up to win the season opener 6-3 where the Rampage won the home opener for the 6th time in team history, but they hope to begin to convert this into only their 3rd playoff appearance in their history.

Another former Texas Star Matt Climie stopped 26 of 29 Wolves shots in the game, and he's looking to take control in net for the Rampage this season after helping get the Stars to the Calder Cup Final last season.


Chicago Wolves 3  San Antonio Rampage 6  (0-2, 0-1, 3-3)

Chicago VS. San Antonio Game Highlights

Here's the Game story from the San Antonio Rampage Website

From San Antonio, Texas: The San Antonio Rampage set the tone for the 2010-2011 season with a 6-3 victory over the Chicago Wolves in front of a full house with a 8,043 fans in attendance Friday Night at the AT&T Center.

Action commenced right from the gate for San Antonio, as Mikkael Boedkar jumped in front of the pack with a breakaway for the Rampage's first play of the season. He misfired the puck due to a holding penalty by Chicago defensemen Nolan Welch.

A penalty shot was awarded to Boedkar was unable to take advantage of the one-on-one match up against Wolves goaltender Drew Macintyre. Boedkar skated from the right wall and into the slot before firing a shot that was blocked by Macintyre's right leg just 23 seconds into the opening period.

This does not stop San Antonio from getting on the scoreboard first during the first period as defensemen Garrett Stafford gave the Rampage their first goal of the season at 4:54 of the first period. Rampage right wing Mathieu Beaudoin set up Stafford up perfectly in front of the net as the shot went in over Macintyre's right shoulder. Stafford and Beaudoin were both part of the Texas Stars Calder Cup Finals team last season and teamed up again tonight to help set the tone for the Rampage.

Shortly after the first goal, Beaudoin was back in action scoring on a slim angle to bring the Rampage a 2-0 lead at 6:47 mark of the first period. With the Rampage winning the faceoff, Beaudoin fired a shot from the right corner along the goal line that deflected off the back of Macintyre left leg and into the net. Ryan Hollweg and Bracken Kerns were credited with the assists.

After a quiet second period, Boedker shook things up in the 2nd period with 12 seconds to go in the middle frame by scoring on the power play to give the Rampage a 3-0 edge. Stafford sent a cross ice pass to the stick of Boedken where he then placed it directly underneath the cross bar in the right corner. Viktor Tikhnov was credited with the second assist.

The Rampage continued to dominate the scoreboard as they took a commanding 5-0 lead over the Wolves at 4:34 into the final stanza with a rebound goal by rookie Chris Summers. Center Andrew Ebbett fired a shot down the center where it was reflected off Macintyre's chest and landed at the top of the crease where Summers was able to pick it up and hit the top left corner of the net.

Chicago rallied with just under 10 minutes remaining in regulation by scoring three goals in less then two minutes.

Wolves right wing Darren Haydar passed the puck from the right side of the net to set up Jamie Hunt at the left circle for a shot that escaped over the right shoulder of Rampage goalie Matt Climie and into the net for Chicago's first tally of the season at 10:47.

Just 32 seconds later, the duo repeated with the same play that surprised Climie to double the Wolves score. Both of Hunt's goals came on the power play.

At the 12:43 mark of the final frame, Chicago center Jarred Ross came from behind the net of the right side and passed the puck to the Wolves RW Spencer Machacek who was camped right in front of the net for a direct shot and into the upper right hand corner of the net and brought the Wolves within 2 at 5-3.

The Rampage sealed the victory with 2:03 left in the game when Rampage veteran Ryan Hollweg scored his first goal of the season. Hollwog skated down the left hand boards and fired a shot at Macintyre that flew past his left shoulder and into the upper right corner of the net. Beaudoin and Stafford posted the assists on the goal.

Climie stopped 26 of 29 Wolves shots for his first Rampage win while Wolves net-minder Macintyre gave up 6 goals on 31 shots.

Beaudoin was awarded the first star of the game with four points (2 Goals and 2 Assists) on the night. In 2008, Beaudoin tallied an assist in one game with San Antonio and now has five career points in two games with the Rampage.

Beaudoin, Stafford & Climie all joined the Rampage from the Texas Stars and proved to be key players in the game as Beaudoin and Stafford combined for seven points for the Rampage.

The Rampage won the home opener for the sixth time in team history. The Rampage will take on the Texas Stars this Sunday at 3 PM at the AT&T Center.

Resilent Stars comeback three times to win in OT, Advances to the Western Conference Final against Hamilton

After coming back from 2-0, 4-2 and 5-4 down in Game 7 of the AHL West Division Finals. A late goal by Andrew Hutchinson with just 6 minutes left, the Stars were able to force OT where the next goal would advance them to the Western Conference Finals against the Hamilton Bulldogs.

Unlike Game 2 where the Stars and Wolves went to OT on Mother Day, this time, it took all of 5 minutes for Jamie Benn to score his 8th goal of the Calder Cup Playoffs on a solo run to knock out the Wolves. And advance to the Western Conference Finals to play the Hamilton Bulldogs which gets underway on Friday Night.

From the Texas Stars Website: http://www.texasstarshockey.com/

From Chicago, Illinois: The Texas Stars defeated the Chicago Wolves 6-5 in OT on Tuesday Night in-front of 3,958 fans at the Allstate Arena in Game 7 of the West Division Final. Right Wing Jamie Benn beat Chicago Goalie Drew Maclntyre 4:57 into overtime, lifting the Stars to the Wolves and into the Western Conference Finals. Texas over-came a pair of two goal deficits and a one goal deficit with with 10:15 left in the 3rd period to defeat the Wolves in the 15th game Game 7 in AHL History to go into overtime. Defensemen Andrew Hutchinson and Maxime Fortunus each scored third period goals to complete the Texas comeback.

Fortunus finished with a goal and two assists. The Stars out-shot the Wolves 24-6 in the third period and overtime combined. Forward Travis Morin, Scott Mcculloch and Aaron Gagon also posted goals in the first Game 7 in Texas Stars history. Stars goalie Matt Climie made 24 stops in his first postseason win of the 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs. Chicago Drew Maclntyre made 47 saves in the loss. The Stars begin the Western Conference Finals in Hamilton on Friday. Game 1 is scheduled for Friday, May 14 at 7:30 PM EDT.

The first period featured a pair of goals on both sides over a wild two minutes of play. Chicago opened the scoring with the first two goals of the night, starting the scoring with Spencer Machacek's sixth goal of the playoffs and a 1-0 Wolves lead. Machacek packed the puck from behind the Texas net off the skate of goalie Matt Climie, giving the Chicago lead at 3:22. Chicago added to its one minute later as Brett Sterling scored his fourth goal of the series at 4:22 for the 2-0 Wolves lead.

The Stars countered with a pair of goals in just 20 seconds, tying the game at 2-2. First, Landon Wilson was stuffed on a breakaway shot at 4:55, but Travis Morin swooped in and put the rebound in for his third goal of the postseason, trimming the Stars deficit to 2-1. The Stars tied the game 2-2 just 20 seconds later with another goal. Rookie Scott Mcculloch picked up a rebound off a Maxime Fortunus shot and scored the first Calder Cup Playoff Goal of his career at 5:15. The Wolves claimed the lead prior to the end of the opening frame. Machacek stole the puck from a Stars defensemen and raced in for a shorthanded breakaway. Machacek snapped a wrist shot five-hole at 18:09, giving the Wolves a 3-2 lead at the 1st intermission.

In the 2nd period, the Wolves doubled their lead just 2:16 into the middle frame. Joey Crabb sent a cross ice pass to the Stars crease, catching a streaking Tim Stapleton for the 4-2 Wolves Lead. Stapleton's fourth goal of the playoffs was also assisted by Matt Andersen. Texas countered midway through the 2nd period at 9:10. Defensemen Trevor Ludwig sprung center Aaron Gagon for a breakaway. Gagon cruised in on Chicago Goalie Drew Maclntyre, beating him five-hole for the 4-3 Wolves lead.

In the third period, the Stars clawed their way back into the game at 4:09 of the final frame. Defensemen Maxime Fortunus ripped open a one-timer past Chicago's Maclntyre, scoring his 2nd of the game to tie the game 4-4. Chicago answered back at 9:45 of the third period, regarding a 5-4 lead. Sterling played the puck to the Stars net and it bounced off a Texas Defender.

Center Jason Krog lifted a backhander off the cross-bar and into the Texas Net for his fifth goal of the playoffs, giving the Wolves a one goal lead with half a period to play. Texas tied the game once again, knotting the scoreboard at 5-5. Fortunus sent off the puck along the blue-line for Andrew Hutchinson in the Chicago Zone. Hutchinson blasted a one-timer past Wolves goalie Maclntyre, scoring his fourth goal of the playoffs and tying the game 5-5, forcing sudden-death OT.

In OT, the Stars out-shot the Wolves 9-2 and continually pressured the Chicago net. Jamie Benn won a battle along the left-wing wall in the Wolves zone. Benn snapped a shot from the bottom of the left wing circle that deflected off the pads of the goalie Drew Maclntyre and into the net at 4:57, giving Texas the 6-5 OT Win ousting the Chicago Wolves from the playoffs.


West Division Finals Update

Game 1: Texas Stars 4 Chicago Wolves 3 (OT)

Game 2: Texas Stars 3 Chicago Wolves 4 (2OT)

Game 3: Chicago Wolves 5 Texas Stars 3

Game 4: Chicago Wolves 2 Texas Stars 3

Game 5: Chicago Wolves 3 Texas Stars 5

Game 6: Texas Stars 0 Chicago Wolves 2

Game 7: Texas Stars 6 Chicago Wolves 5 (OT)


To purchase a Calder Cup playoff Package, which offers fans the same seat for all 16 possible playoff home games, fans may call 512-GO-STARS. To rent a suite for a home playoff game or book a group, those interested may call 512-GO-STARS. Ind. tickets can be purchased for playoff games at Cedar Park Center also can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 1800-745-3000, visiting any Ticketmaster outlet or the Cedar Park Box office, or online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/


Texas Stars Win Series 4-3, The Texas Stars will play the Hamilton Bulldogs in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Game Boxscore

Texas Stars 6 Chicago Wolves 5 (OT) (2-3, 1-1, 2-1, 1-0)

0-1 CHI: Spencer Machacek (Holzapfel) 3:22 1st

0-2 CHI: Brett Sterling (Vishnevskiy, Welch) 4:22 1st

1-2 TEX: Travis Morin (Wilson) 4:55 1st

2-2 TEX: Scott Mcculloch (Beaudoin, Fortunus) 5:15 1st

2-3 CHI: Spencer Machacek (Unassisted) 18:09 1st

2-4 CHI: Tim Stapleton (Crabb, Anderson) 2:16 2nd

3-4 TEX: Aaron Gagon (Ludwig, Stafford) 9:10 2nd

4-4 TEX: Maxime Fortunus (Sceviour, Benn) 4:09 3rd

4-5 CHI: Jason Krog (Sterling, Stewart) 9:45 3rd

5-5 TEX: Andrew Hutchinson (Fortunus, Benn) 13:50 3rd

6-5 TEX: Jamie Benn (Unassisted) 4:57 OT

Game Stats

SOG: TEX 53 CHI 29

PP: TEX 0/4 CHI 0/1

PIM: TEX 2 Minutes on 1 Penalty CHI 8 Minutes on 4 Penalties

Goalies: TEX Matt Climie 24 SVS on 29 Shots CHI Drew Maclntyre 47 SVS on 53 Shots

ATT: 3958

3rd Star: Maxime Fortunus (TEX)

2nd Star: Spencer Machacek (CHI)

1st Star: Jamie Benn (TEX)

Texas Stars Preview for Game 5

Here's a look at a preview for tonight's Game 5 of the AHL Calder Cup West Division Finals as the Texas Stars & Chicago Wolves will play a huge Game 5 tonight.

The winner will go up 3-2 in the series with a chance to close-out the series on Sunday Afternoon with a chance to advance to the Calder Cup Semifinals either against the Hamilton Bulldogs or the Abbotsford Heat. Abbotsford won Game 4 last night to tie the series at 2-2 with a 4-1 win last night.

One of the big developments was another suspension for Forward Warren Peters with a controversial hit midway through the game when he was called for a 5 minute boarding major and was later tossed from the game.

Also for fans tonight, the first 5,000 fans will get a 2010 Texas Stars Playoff Poster upon arrival at the Cedar Park Center for tonight's game.

From the Texas Stars Website: www.texasstarshockey.com

Following a split of the first four contests, Chicago and Texas will suit up for a critical Game 5 in the West Division Finals tonight at the Cedar Park Center. The host Stars need a victory to avoid needing two wins back in Chicago to advance on Sunday and Tuesday. After playing back-to-back overtime games to begin the series, the teams have collected a regulation win in suburban Austin, most recently a 3-2 Stars triumph on Wednesday Night. Texas coughed up 1-0 and 2-1 leads in that contest before finally prevailing after a power-play goal by defensemen Dan Jancevski with 6:17 left to play in regulation.

It marked Jancevski's first Calder Cup Playoff Goal since June 4, 2007 when he scored in Game 3 as a member of the eventually Calder Cup Champion Hamilton Bulldogs. Rookie Travis Morin, who was second on the Stars with 21 goals during the regular season, had gone without a goal in the playoffs before scoring twice in Game 4. Morin registered seven points - all assists - in the Stars first Round Sweep over the Rockford Icehogs, but Wednesday's performance marked his first points of the West Division Finals.

Francis Wathier and former Calder Cup Champion Landon Wilson each contributed an assist for Texas; Wathier has a point in all four games in this Round (1G 4A), while Wilson shows a point in five of his last 6 outings (1G 4A).

Stars goaltender Brent Krahn bounced back from consecutive losses to stop 21 of 23 shots in the Game 4 victory.

Brett Sterling nabbed both goals for the Wolves, giving him three goals in the last two games and points in all four games in this series VS. Texas (3G 4A). Jason Krog is also on a four game scoring streak (2G 3A) for Chicago, while Defensemen Nathan Oystrick has a point in three in his last four outings (2G 2A). This is the 4th time the Wolves have been tied 2-2 in a best-of-7 series since joining the AHL in 2001-2002, and they went on to win the series in three of the four times.

Warren Peters Suspension for tonight

The American Hockey League announced today that Texas Stars Center Warren Peters has been suspended under the provisions of Rule 29.1 (Supplementary Discipline). For a Boarding Call nearly midway through the game, he was also tossed from the game as well. Peters will miss Game 5 (Tonight) of the West Division Final tonight.

In addition to Peters, Stars Defensemen Garrett Stafford will serve the final of a 3 game suspension tonight after a similar hit back in Game 2. He will return for Game 6 on Sunday Afternoon.

Series Sub-Plots

• Texas Forwards Francis Wathier and Greg Rallo, have both recorded an assist in the last 3 games.
• After totalling 8 PTS in his first five playoff games, Texas Rookie Jamie Benn has been held scoreless in the last games against the Chicago Wolves.
• In the AHL's 109 previous best-of-7 series tied at 2-2, the Team that has won Game 5 has won the series 86 times (78.9% of the time).

Boxscores and Game Stores from the series up to tonight.

4/30: Texas Stars 4 Chicago Wolves 3 (OT) (1-1, 1-1, 1-1, 1-0)

http://theahl.com/stats/game-summary.php?game_id=1007290

Game 1 Game Story: www.texasstarshockey.com/news/news/index.html?article_id=285

5/2: Texas Stars 3 Chicago Wolves 4 (2OT) (0-1, 1-1, 2-1, 0-0, 0-1)

http://theahl.com/stats/game-summary.php?game_id=1007291

Game 2 Story: www.texasstarshockey.com/news/news/index.html?article_id=287

5/4: Chicago Wolves 5 Texas Stars 3 (2-2, 2-0, 1-1)

http://theahl.com/stats/game-summary.php?game_id=1007292

Game 3 Story: www.texasstarshockey.com/news/news/index.html?article_id=291

5/5: Chicago Wolves 2 Texas Stars 3 (1-1, 0-0, 1-2)

http://theahl.com/stats/game-summary.php?game_id=1007293

Game 4 Story: www.texasstarshockey.com/news/news/index.html?article_id=293

Other Games Tonight

Worcester Sharks VS. Manchester Monarchs (MAN. Leads Series 3-2)

Expect another defensive showdown as the Monarchs Bud Holloway scored the only goal in the Game 5 to put the Monarchs within one win of facing the Hershey Bears in the Calder Cup Semifinals.

Hershey has been off since April 29 when they beat the Albany River Rats in a 4 game sweep. Hershey beat Albany in 4 games in just 6 days to finish their series so quickly.

Texas comes back to tie the series at 2-2

After the teams first playoff loss of this year's playoff run. The Texas Stars came-back strong with a strong team defense and keeping the Wolves PP off the scoreboard for the most part to win 3-2.

With the win, the series will at-least head back to Chicago for a Game 6 coming up this weekend. Travis Morin also scored his first 2 goals of the post-season while Dan Jancevski put the game away with just 7 minutes left in this game to even up the series at 2-2.

From The Texas Stars Website: www.texasstarshockey.com

From Cedar Park, Texas: The Texas Stars defeated the Chicago Wolves 3-2 on Wednesday Night at Cedar Park Center in Game 4 of the Best-of-7 West Division Final. Stars defensemen Dan Janceveski broke a 2-2 tie with 6:17 remaining in the 3rd period, leading Texas to victory over the Chicago Wolves.

Stars Center Travis Morin scored his first 2 goals of the playoffs as the Texas Stars tied the best-of-7 series at 2-2. Goalie Brent Krahn picked up the win, stopping 21 of 23 saves. Wolves winger Brett Sterling scored twice in the loss. Chicago Goalie Peter Mannino stopped 20 of 23 Texas Saves. Game 5 of the West Division Final will be on Friday Night at 7:30 PM at Cedar Park Center.

Texas took an early 1-0 lead when Center Travis Morin scored on a breakaway after a one-on-one with Wolves goalie Peter Mannino. Morin's first goal and eighth point of the post-season came at 6:23 of the opening period. Chicago tied the game at 1-1 with a power-play goal at 11:12. Defensemen Nathan Oystrick fired a shot from the blue-line and Brett Sterling redirected the puck past Brent Krahn. The goalie was Sterlings 2nd of the playoffs.

After a scoreless 2nd period, the Stars jumped ahead 2-1 as Morin scored his 2nd of the game at 6:06 of the final frame. Morin found a rebound in-front of the net from Greg Rallo's shot and fired a backhander past Mannino on the stick-side. Defensemen Derek Stephenson also tallied an assist on the rookie's team leading ninth point.

Just 2:31 later, the Wolves tied the game at 2-2. Sterling scored has second goal of the night, finishing off a centering pass from Winger Anthony Stewart for his second goal of the game. With 6:17 remaining in the third period, Stars Defensemen Dan Jancevski scored off a rebound in the crease, giving Texas a 3-2 victory over the Wolves. Francis Wathier and Greg Rallo both notched assists on the game-winning goal.

West Division Finals Update

Game 1: Texas Stars 4 Chicago Wolves 3 (OT)

Game 2: Texas Stars 3 Chicago Wolves 4 (2OT)

Game 3: Chicago Wolves 5 Texas Stars 3

Game 4: Chicago Wolves 2 Texas Stars 3

Game 5: Chicago Wolves VS. Texas Stars 7:30 PM

Game 6: Texas Stars VS. Chicago Wolves 3:00 PM

Game 7: Texas Stars VS. Chicago Wolves 7:00 PM*

*If Necessary


To Purchase a Calder Cup Playoff Package, which offers fans the same seat for all 16 possible playoff games, fans may call 512-GO-STARS. To rent a suite for a home playoff game or to book a group, those interested may call 512-GO-STARS. Individual tickets for playoff games at Cedar Park Center also can be purchased by calling Ticket Master at 1-800-745-3000, visiting any Ticket Master Outlet, the Cedar Park boxoffice, or online at www.ticketmaster.com


Series Tied 2-2

Game Boxscore

Chicago Wolves 2 Texas Stars 3 (1-1, 0-0, 1-2)

0-1 TEX: Travis Morin (Wilson, Jancevski) 6:23 1st

1-1 CHI: Brent Sterling (PP) (Oystrick, Pohl) 11:12 1st

1-2 TEX: Travis Morin (Rallo, Stephenson) 6:06 3rd

2-2 CHI: Brent Sterling (Stewart, Krog) 8:37 3rd

2-3 TEX: Dan Jancevski (PP) (Wathier, Rallo) 13:43


Game Stats

SOG: CHI 23 TEX 23

PP: CHI 1/3 TEX 1/5

PIM: CHI 10 Minutes on 5 Penalties TEX 19 Minutes on 4 Penalties

Goalies: CHI Peter Mannino 20 SVS on 23 Shots TEX Brent Krahn 21 SVS on 23 Shots

ATT: 3017

3rd Star: Brett Sterling (CHI)

2nd Star: Travis Morin (TEX)

1st Star: Dan Jancevski (TEX)

Strong Wolves PP takes down Texas, takes 2-1 series Lead

A strong PP where the Wolves fired 3 times along with 2 goals from Nathan Oystrick gave the Wolves a 5-3 win and gave the Texas Stars their first home loss of the playoffs. What did in Texas was to many penalties as the Stars were given a double minor for High Sticking by Francis Wathier and a pair of delay penalties that led to the Wolves first 2 PP Goals of the night that eventually made it 2-2.

Perttu Lindgren scored two goals along with Brent Krahn's first time being pulled in these playoffs made it that much tougher for the Stars to comeback in this one..

This made Game 4 huge for the Stars to win to help them stay in the series and have a shot of advancing to the Calder Cup Semifinals where they would play either the Hamilton Bulldogs or the Abbotsford Heat for the Western Conference Title and a spot in the Calder Cup Championship.

From the Texas Stars Website: www.texasstarshockey.com

From Cedar Park, Texas: The Texas Stars were defeated by the Chicago Wolves 5-3 on Tuesday Night at Cedar Park Center in Game 3 of the West Division Finals. Chicago Right Wing Spencer Machacek and defensemen Nathan Oystrick each scored a pair of goals as the Wolves claimed the 2-1 series lead in the best-of-7 series.

Chicago Goalie Peter Mannino picked up the win with 27 saves, while Stars goalie Brent Krahn suffered the loss after stopping 18 of 22 shots in 40 minutes of play. Texas Center Perttu Lindgren scored two goals in the Stars first home loss of the playoffs. Game 4 of the West Division Final is Wednesday Night at 7:30 PM at Cedar Park Center.

The Stars took a 1-0 lead just 2:41 into the first period. Forward Prettu Lindgren finished off a centering pass from Francis Wathier, beating Wolves goalie Peter Mannino for his first goal of the night. Lindgren's 2nd goal of the post-season was assisted by Francis Wathier and Raymond Sawada. The Wolves countered at 5:46, as Winger Spencer Machacek sent a shot past Texas Goalie Brent Krahn for a power-play tally and a 1-1 score.

At 8:33, Chicago capitalized on a 5-on-3 power play and jumped ahead to 2-1. Defensemen Nathan Oystrick fired a shot from the lest point past Krahn for his first goal of the playoffs. The Power-Play goal was assisted by Tim Stapleton and Jason Krog.

The Stars tied the game at 2-2 with a power-play goal at 11:37. Forward Greg Rallo found Aaron Gagon open at the bottom of the left-wing circle for a past shot Mannino on the stick-side. The Power-play was Gagon's 2nd goal of the playoffs.

Chicago claimed its second lead of the night at 14:49. Winger Brett Sterling scored from the botton of the left-wing circle, beating Krahn on the stick-side for the 3-2 Wolves lead. The Wolves extended the lead to 4-2 with 1:28 remaining in the 2nd period. Nathan Oystrick his second goal of the night after firing a shot from the left point. Riley Holzapfel assisted on the power-play tally.

Stars goalie Matt Climie replaced Krahn at the start of the 3rd period after Krahn stopped 18 of 22 shots through 40 minutes of play. In the 3rd period, Chicago expanded its 5-3 lead when Machacek scored his second goal the night at 7:28. The winger brought the puck down the right side and powered a shot past Climie on the glove-side.

At 14:58, Lindgren scored his second goal of the night for the Stars, bringing within two goals of the Wolves at 5-3. Defensemen Andrew Hutchinson and Dan Jancevski each tallied assists on Lindgren's third goal of the playoffs.

West Division Final Update:

Game 1: Texas 4 Chicago 3 (OT)

Game 2: Texas 3 Chicago 4 (2OT)

Game 3: Chicago 5 Texas 3

Game 4, 5/5: Chicago VS. Texas 7:30 PM

Game 5, 5/7: Chicago VS. Texas 7:30 PM

Game 6, 5/9: Texas VS. Chicago 3:00 PM

Game 7, 5/11: Texas VS. Chicago 7:30 PM*

*If Necessary

The Best-of-7 series continues at Cedar Park Center for Games 4 & 5. The Stars will host the Wolves on Wednesday, May 5 and Friday May 7 with both games starting at 7:30 PM. If necessary, Chicago will host Game 6 and Game 7. Game 6 is slated for May 9 at 3:00 PM and Game 7 would be on May 11 at 7:00 PM.

To purchase a Calder Cup Playoff Package, which offers fans the same seat for all 16 possible home playoff games, fans may call 512-GO-Stars. To rent a suite for home playoff games or to book a group, those interested may call 512-GO-STARS. Ind. Playoff Tickets for playoff games may be purchased at Cedar Park Center Box Office, they also can be purchased via TicketMaster at 1-800-745-3000 or by visiting any Ticketmaster Outlet or the Cedar Park Center Box Office, or online at www.ticketmaster.com


Chicago Wolves Lead Series 2-1

Game Boxscore

Chicago Wolves 5 Texas Stars 3 (2-2, 2-0, 1-1)

0-1 TEX: Perttu Lindgren (Wathier, Sawada) 2:41 1st

1-1 CHI: Spencer Machacek (PP) (Holzapfel, Welch) 5:46 1st

1-2 CHI: Nathan Oystrick (PP) (Stapleton, Krog) 8:33 1st

2-2 TEX: Aaron Gagon (PP) (Rallo, Wathier) 11:37 1st

3-2 CHI: Brett Sterling (Stewart, Krog) 5:11 2nd

4-2 CHI: Nathan Oystrick (PP) (Stapleton, Machcek) 18:32 2nd

5-2 CHI: Spencer Machacek (Unassisted) 7:28 3rd

5-3 TEX: Prettu Lindgren (Hutchinson, Jancevski) 14:58 3rd


Game Stats

SOG: CHI 28 TEX 30

PP: CHI 3/7 TEX 1/4

PIM: CHI 10 Minutes on 5 Penalties TEX 16 Minutes on 8 Penalties

Goalies: CHI Peter Mannino 27 SVS on 30 Shots TEX Brent Krahn 18 SVS on 22 Shots Matt Climie 5 SVS on 6 Shots

ATT: 3046

3rd Star: Nathan Oystrick (CHI)

2nd Star: Perttu Lindgren (TEX)

1st Star: Spencer Machacek (CHI)

Chicago gives Texas Their first Playoff Loss in 2OT, Ties series at 1-1

It was another OT Game in the West Division Final as the Chicago Wolves gave the Texas Stars their first playoff loss in team history to even up the series at 1-1. Unlike Friday Night where the Stars won quickly, this one took double OT as the Stars had to comeback late to get it there.

After going down 2-0 early in the 2nd period, Aaron Gagon got the scoring going for the Stars with just 1:14 left in the 2nd period as the Chicago Goalie Peter Mannino who was looking to blank the Stars for the first time this post-season.

Just a few minutes later early on in the 3rd period it was another quick strike with Anthony Stewart giving the Wolves a 3-1 lead on the PP that was set up fantasitacly step up by Tim Stapleton on the One Timer.

After Stars Defensemen Andrew Hutchinson made it 3-2, it looked like that time would runout on this day. But Warren Peters emerged from a scrum with less then a minute left to tie the game at 3-3 as the Offical Scorers had a hard time determing who to give credit for the goal.

Chicago were getting their chances as they out-shot the Stars 19-9 where Antony Stewart scored his 2nd of the game to tie the series at 1-1. The Series now shifts back to the Cedar Park Center for Game 3 on Tuesday Night.

Game Story from the Texas Stars Website: www.texasstarshockey.com

From Chicago, Illinois: The Texas Stars were defated by the Chicago Wolves 4-3 in OT in-front of a crowd of 3732 fans at the All-State Arena. Chicago's Anthony Stewart scored his second of the game of the night at 12:21 of the 2nd OT to lift the Wolves over the Stars and tie the best-of-7 series at 1-1. Texas scored twice in the last 8 minutes of play to erase a two-goal deficit, including a goal with 54 seconds left to force OT in Game 2 of the West Division Final. Stars Goalie Brent Krhan made 42 saves in his first loss of the playoffs.

Chicago Goalie Peter Mannino picked up the win with 35 saves for the Wolves. Stars forward Warren Peters and Aaron Gagon each scored in a game that lasted 97:21, the longest in the team's short history. Defensemen Andrew Hutchinson scored a goal and added an assist in the first loss of the post-season. With the Chicago win, the series will stretch at-least five games, with the next three at Cedar Park Center. Game 3 of the West Division Final is Tuesday Night at 7:30 PM @ Cedar Park Center.

For the first time in the Calder Cup Playoffs, the Texas Stars surrendered the first goal of the game. At 8:36 of the first period, Chicago held the puck in the Texas Zone for a lengthy cycle, working the puck to the left point for Arturs Kulda. The Chicago Defensemen blated a shot from the blue line to the Texas net. Wolves forward Spencer Machacek tipped the shot, beating Goalie Brent Krahn for his third goal of the playoffs for a 1-0 Wolves lead.

The two teams traded goals in the 2nd period, starting with Chicago scoring 3:51 into the middle frame. Off a face-off in the Texas Zone, Wolves defensemen Ivan Vishnevskiy fired a shot to the net was tipped by center Jason Krog. The Puck redirected past Brent Krahn for Krog's fourth goal of the playoffs and a 2-0 lead for Chicago.

Texas countered late in the 2nd period with 1:14 left in the frame. Right wing Greg Rallo worked in a give-and-go with defensemen Andrew Hutchinson into the Chicago Zone. Rallo snapped a shot to the net was blocked by Peter Mannino. The rebound bounced in the crease and Stars Center Aaron Gagon poked the puck into the net for his first goal of the playoffs at 18:46, trimming the Wolves lead to 2-1.

In the third period, Chicago expanded its lead to 3-1 after Anthony Stewart snapped a loose puck into the Texas Net, finishing off a Wolves power play just 92 seconds into the 3rd period. Brett Sterling and Tim Stapleton set up Chicago's third tally of the night. The Stars cut the Chicago lead to 3-2 at 11:57 of the 3rd period. Captain Landon Wilson set up behind the Wolves net, dropping a pass to the bottom of the left-wing circle. Defensemen Andrew Hutchinson ripped a one-timer past Mannino for his third goal of the playoffs to make it a 3-2 score.

The Stars pulled goaltender Brent Krahn for the extra attacker with 1:30 left in regulation. Texas tied the game off a scramble in the Chicago slot with under a minute left. Center Warren Peters snapped the puck to the Chicago Net. Goalie Peter Mannino made the first save, but the puck trickled in behind him for the game tying goal. Left wing Francis Wathier set up the goal that forced OT.

After a scoreless first OT, Chicago finally broke the drought and ended the game. Anthony Stewart jammed a puck from the pads of Krahn and the puck trickled in behind the Stars goalie for the game winning goal with 7:39 left in the 2nd OT. Brett Sterling and Ivan Vishnevskiy were given credit for the assist on the game-winning goal at 12:21, the sixth of the playoffs for Stewart.


West Division Final Update

Game 1, Texas Stars 4 Chicago Wolves 3 (OT)

Game 2, Texas Stars 3 Chicago Wolves 4 (2OT)

Game 3, 5/4: @ Texas 7:30 PM

Game 4, 5/5: @ Texas 7:30 PM

Game 5, 5/7: @ Texas 7:30 PM

Game 6, 5/9: @ Chicago 3:00 PM*

Game 7, 5/11: @ Chicago 7:00 PM*

*If Necessary

To purchase Calder Cup Playoff Packages, which offers fans for all 16 possible home games, fans may call 512-GO-STARS. To rent a suite for a home playoff game or book a group, those interestred may call 512-GO-STARS. Ind. Tickets for playoff games at Cedar Park Center also can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, visiting any Ticketmaster outlet or the Cedar Park Center Boxoffice, or online at www.ticketmaster.com


Series Tied 1-1, Game 3 will be Tuesday Night in Austin, Texas.


Game Boxscore

Texas Stars 3 Chicago Wolves 4 (2OT) (0-1, 1-1, 2-1, 0-0, 0-1)

0-1 CHI: Spencer Machacek (Kulda, Sterling) 8:36 1st

0-2 CHI: Jason Krog (Vishnevskiy) 3:51 2nd

1-2 TEX: Aaron Gagon (Rallo, Hutchinson) 18:46 2nd

1-3 CHI: Andrew Stewart (PP) (Stapleton, Sterling) 1:32 3rd

2-3 TEX: Andrew Hutchinson (Wilson) 11:57 3rd

3-3 TEX: Warren Peters (Wathier) 19:06 3rd

3-4 CHI: Anthony Stewart (Sterling, Vishnevskiy) 12:21 2OT


Game Stats

SOG: TEX 38 CHI 46

PP: TEX 0/3 CHI 1/2

PIM: TEX 10 Minutes on 5 Penalties CHI 12 Minutes on 6 Penalties

Goalies: TEX Brent Krahn 42 SVS on 46 Shots CHI Peter Mannino 35 SVS on 38 Shots

ATT: 3732

3rd Star: Andrew Hutchinson (TEX)

2nd Star: Brett Sterling (CHI)

1st Star: Anthony Stewart (CHI)

Garrett Stafford's OT Winner gives Stars Series Opener in Chicago

A back-and-fourth game help kick off what should a great series in the West Division Finals in Chicago on Friday Night. The Stars never trailed in this one, but it wasn't out a fight as the Wolves were able to comeback from every one goal lead the Stars had in the game. Including Jamie Benn's 4th goal of the playoffs as he has been doing a strong job of helping the Stars offense is this year's Calder Cup Playoffs. Benn also got an assist on the Game Winner to give the stars the Series Opener.

Colton Sceviour & Francis Wathier also scored in the Game as both players scored their first goals of the playoffs while Brent Krahn knew he would be tested more then against Rockford. But he was still very solid as he stopped 32 of 35 shots in the Game 1 win. While Wolves goalie Peter Mannino stopped 24 of 28 shots despite the loss.

This is a clear indicator that we are going to expect a very close series throughout. Don't be surprised to see at-least a couple of OT Games mixed in and possibly some multi OT Games as well in this series. The winner of this series will play the North Division Final Winner between the Hamilton Bulldogs & Abbotsford Heat.

From the Texas Stars Website: www.texasstarshockey.com

From Chicago, Illinois: The Texas Stars defeated the Chicago Wolves 4-3 in OT in front of 3576 fans at the Allstate Arena. Defensemen Garrett Stafford scored a power-play goal 2:22 into the 1st Overtime to give the Stars the 4-3 victory. The Stars now lead the best-of-7 series 1-0. Texas Goalie Brent Krahn made 32 saves in the teams fifth straight playoff win. Rookie forward Jamie Benn scored and assisted on the Game Winner in OT for the Stars.

Colton Sceviour and Francis Wathier also scored as Texas improved to 3-0 on the road in the playoffs. Chicago Goalie Peter Mannino suffered the los with 24 saves. Wolves forward Anthony Stewart, Joey Crabb and Jason Krog each scored in the defeat. Game 2 of the West Division Final is Sunday Afternoon at 3:00 PM.

For their fifth straight playoff game, the Stars opened the scoring with Corey Sceviour capitalized off a Chicago Turnover at 6:34 of the 1st period. Winger Scott Mcculloch sent a pass in behind of the Chicago Net. The Puck bounced off Wolves Forward Greg Stewart to the crease and Sceviour worked a back-handed shot past Chicago Goalie Peter Mannino for the 1-0 lead.

The Wolves countered just 53 seconds later, as defensemen Artus Kulda centered the puck pass from the Left-Wing Texas corner to the crease. Captain Jason Krog redirected the pass between the legs of Texas Goalie Brent Krahn for his third goal of the playoffs. Krog's goal came at 7:27 and closed out the first period at 1-1.

The Stars claimed the second lead of the night, scoring just 1:43 into the 2nd period. Texas worked the puck along the blue-line and defensemen Maxime Fortunus blasted a shot to the Chicago net. Left Wing Francis Wathier tipped the shot past Manninio for his first goal of the playoffs and a 2-1 Texas Lead.

The Wolves countered at 6:36 with the first power-play goal of the series. Defensemen Nathan Oystrick worked the puck down the right-wing and snapped a pass to the Texas Crease. Camped out in-front of the net, Anthony Stewart redirected the puck past Texas Goalie Brent Krahn for his Fourth goal of the playoffs and to tie the game at 2-2.

Texas took its third lead of the game just 16 seconds of the 3rd period. Stars forward Jamie Benn collected a rebound off a Dan Jancevski shot and snapped in half with his 4th goal of the playoffs to give a 3-2 Texas lead. The Wolves answered late off a face-off in the Stars Zone. Forward Joey Crabb stole the puck from a Stars defender and snapped a quick wrist shot past Brent Krhan for the 3-3 tie with 5:35 left in regulation.

In overtime, the Stars took advantage of their foruth power-play goal of the night after Chicago Captain Jason Krog was whistled for high sticking 1:06 into the extra period. The Stars capitalized with 43 seconds left on the extra-man advantage. Defensemen Garrett Stafford ripped a shot from the point that blistered through traffic and into the back of the Chicago Net for the 4-3 OT Win.


Texas Stars VS. Chicago Wolves Playoff Update:

Game 1, Texas Stars 4 Chicago Wolves 3 (OT)

Game 2, 5/2: Texas Stars VS. Chicago Wolves 3:00 PM

Game 3, 5/4: Chicago Wolves VS. Texas Stars 7:30 PM

Game 4, 5/5: Chicago Wolves VS. Texas Stars 7:30 PM

Game 5, 5/7: Chicago Wolves VS. Texas Stars 7:30 PM*

Game 6, 5/9: Texas Stars VS. Chicago Wolves 3:00 PM*

Game 7, 5/11: Texas Stars VS. Chicago Wolves 7:00 PM*

*If Necessary

Texas & Chicago continue the West Division Final at Allstate Arena schedule for May 2 at 3:00 PM. The best-of-7 series will then shift to the Cedar Park Center for Games 3 & 4. The Stars will host the Wolves on Tuesday, May 4 at 7:30 PM for Game 3. Texas will also host the Wolves for Game 4 on Wednesday May 5 at 7:30 PM. Then on Friday If Necessary will be at the Cedar Park Center on May 7 at 7:30 PM.

Chicago will host Games 6 & 7 if they are needed. Game 6 will be on May 9 then Game 7 would be on May 11. The Winner of the Texas VS. Chicago Series would play the North Division Final Winner between the Hamilton Bulldogs VS. Abbotsford Heat.

To purchase a Calder Cup Playoff Package, which offers fans for all 16 possible home games. fans may call 512-go-stars. To rent a suite for a home playoff game or book a group, those interestred may call 512-go-stars. Ind. tickets for playoff games at Cedar Park Center also can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, visiting any Ticketmaster outlet or the Cedar Park Box office, or online at www.ticketmaster.com


Texas Stars Lead Series 1-0


Game Boxscore

Texas Stars 4 Chicago Wolves 3 (OT) (1-1, 1-1, 1-1, 1-0)

1-0 TEX: Colton Sceviour (Mcculloch, Wilson) 6:34 1st

1-1 CHI: Jason Krog (Kulda, Sterling) 7:27 1st

2-1 TEX: Francis Wathier (Fortunus, Hutchinson) 1:43 2nd

2-2 CHI: Anthony Stewart (PP) (Oystrick, Crabb) 6:36 2nd

3-2 TEX: Jamie Benn (Jancevski, Gagon) 0:16 3rd

3-3 CHI: Joey Crabb (Anderson) 14:25 3rd

4-3 TEX: Garrett Stafford (PP) (Benn) 2:22 OT


Game Stats

SOG: TEX 28 CHI 35

PP: TEX 1/4 CHI 1/3

PIM: TEX 6 Minutes on 3 Penalties CHI 8 Minutes on 4 Penalties

Goalies: TEX Brent Krahn 32 SVS on 35 Shots CHI Peter Mannino 24 SVS on 28 Shots

ATT: 3576

3rd Star: Jamie Benn (TEX)

2nd Star: Joey Crabb (CHI)

1st Star: Garrett Stafford (TEX)