Stars Stumble Again, Fall to Wild in Home Rout

The Texas Stars suffered their second consecutive defeat at the hands of the Iowa Wild, succumbing to a 6-2 loss on Wednesday night at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park. The disappointing performance left head coach Neil Graham searching for answers.

“We obviously weren’t good for two days here. Never really able to find our footing,” Graham stated candidly after the game. “We’re going to have to review some things today. We’re going to have to give some thought to combinations that we need to right the ship with.”

The Wild wasted no time asserting their dominance, with Adam Raska putting them on the board just nine seconds into the contest. Travis Boyd doubled Iowa’s lead less than seven minutes later, capitalizing on a three-on-two rush. Liam Öhgren added to Texas’s woes with a power-play goal, giving the Wild a commanding 3-0 advantage in the first period.

The second period offered little respite for the Stars. Ben Jones extended Iowa’s lead early in the frame, outmaneuvering the Texas defense. Jack Becker managed to get one back for the home team, scoring off a give-and-go with Artem Shlaine, who earned his first professional point on the play. However, Iowa quickly responded, with Hunter Haight restoring their four-goal cushion. The goal prompted a goaltending change for Texas, with Magnus Hellberg replacing Remi Poirier. Iowa also saw a goalie change, as Samuel Hlavaj took over for an ailing Jesper Wallstedt.

Emilio Pettersen scored a late goal for the Stars, but Travis Boyd’s empty-netter sealed the 6-2 victory for the Wild. Despite the lopsided scoreline, Graham insisted his team wouldn’t give up. “This group cares a lot about each other. We’re a proud group. We’re not happy with how either game went. We’re never going to roll over and die or quit,” he affirmed. The Stars will need to regroup quickly as they look to bounce back in their upcoming games.