Stars Fall to Admirals in Game Two, Series Shifts to Milwaukee Tied (May 18, 2025)

The Texas Stars dropped a critical Game Two of the Central Division Finals on Sunday night, falling 6-4 to the Milwaukee Admirals at the H-E-B Center. Despite a valiant effort, including a hat trick from Kole Lind and a brief second-period lead, a four-goal third period by the Admirals proved to be the deciding factor, evening the best-of-five series at 1-1 as it heads to Milwaukee.

“You got to give them credit. We know it’s going to be a tight series, as is every year. They made a push today; they won the game. Now we move on and get ready for the next,” said Texas Stars head coach Neil Graham.

Milwaukee took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission thanks to Jesse Ylönen’s slap shot with 1:30 left in the opening frame. Graham acknowledged the Admirals’ strong start, noting, “We knew they were going to come out hard. I thought we defended well in the first (period). But, unfortunately, probably defended too long and that can be taxing on you.”

The Stars found their rhythm in the second period. Lind jammed home a power-play rebound to tie the game at 5:33, and Justin Hryckowian gave Texas its first lead at 7:55. However, Milwaukee quickly responded with Joakim Kemell’s one-timer, leveling the score before the second intermission.

The third period saw the Admirals seize control, with Chase De Leo, Ylönen, Jake Lucchini, and Ozzy Wiesblatt all finding the back of the net. Lind completed his hat trick with two late goals for Texas, but it wasn’t enough to spark a full comeback.

Magnus Hellberg made 23 saves on 29 shots for Texas, while Matt Murray stopped 16 of 20 shots for Milwaukee. “I think it’s important to play out every game hard because it’s the playoffs,” Graham emphasized. “The game is never over so you play to the final buzzer.” The Stars now look to regroup as they travel to Milwaukee for Game Three.