Stars counting on experience, depth for stretch run | TheAHL.com

Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer

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A crucial win against a top rival. Rallying around their captain. Having fun as they play – and win – pressure games.

Wednesday night was one of those nights to remember for the Texas Stars, a team that went through significant early-season struggles before pulling themselves together and becoming one of the AHL’s most dangerous clubs in this second half of the season.

Up 2-0 on the road against Milwaukee, the Stars allowed three straight goals to the Admirals, perhaps their top rival and their closest pursuer in the Central Division playoff race. But Texas held in there, tied the game on defenseman Trey Taylor’s third-period goal, and eventually outlasted the Admirals in a six-round shootout to pull out a 4-3 victory.

It was a happy ending to a night when they celebrated captain Curtis McKenzie’s 800th pro game.

It was also a night reminiscent of last season, when they went back and forth with the Admirals all season for the Central Division title before ousting Milwaukee on the way to the Western Conference Finals.

But this year’s Stars club is without Justin Hryckowian, last season’s Dudley (Red) Garrett Memorial Award winner as the AHL’s outstanding rookie. Same with defensemen Kyle Capobianco and Alex Petrovic, who also earned promotions to the Dallas Stars. Head coach Neil Graham moved on to Dallas as an assistant. Matěj Blümel’s league-leading 39 goals left via free agency.

For new head coach Toby Petersen, who like McKenzie and assistant coaches Max Fortunus and Travis Morin won the Calder Cup with the Stars in 2014, it was a lot to overcome early. Texas lost its first six games of the season, and sat at 10-15-3-1 on the morning of New Year’s Eve.

But a Dec. 31 game in Iowa may have turned around the Stars’ season. They survived the Wild scoring in the final minute of regulation that night to pound out a 3-2 overtime victory. They have now won 13 of their last 19 games, and enter the weekend tied with Manitoba for third place, five points ahead of Milwaukee.

Texas forwards Cameron Hughes and Kole Lind know what a special team feels like; both went to the Calder Cup Finals in back-to-back seasons with Coachella Valley before joining the Dallas organization last year. Hughes, who represented the Stars at last week’s AHL All-Star Classic, leads the team with 44 points this season. Arttu Hyry, who had 24 goals last season, is back from injury. Defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok returned to the team last month after a detour to Boston via waivers. And they have Rémi Poirier has held tight many nights even when the team around him went through its early hard times.

Returnees from last season know that they can manage both games and pressure.

“If you can play in the big moments,” Hughes said, “like the big, high-pressure games, then I think when you have regular-season games, we can look back on those moments and make plays that way.”

But all of that high-pressure know-how only matters if a team is in contention.

Petersen’s group is back in Milwaukee for a rematch Friday night, the last regular-season meeting between two teams on a collision course to meet in the postseason for the fourth consecutive spring. Then it’s on to Chicago for another critical division match-up Saturday night – the first of seven remaining meetings between the Stars and Wolves.

But before Texas can think about the Calder Cup Playoffs, they must first secure an invitation. Hughes is optimistic as he continues to pursue his first Calder Cup championship.

“I like our depth,” the eighth-year pro said. “I think we have four lines rolling. We play at a pretty high pace… We have some guys that have stepped up big-time into some big roles.”