Stars Shine in Game Five, Punch Ticket to Western Conference Finals

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Stars Shine in Game Five, Punch Ticket to Western Conference Finals

May 25, 2025 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


Texas Stars forward Curtis McKenzie
Texas Stars forward Curtis McKenzie
(Texas Stars, Credit: Milwaukee Admirals)

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin - The Texas Stars, American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL's Dallas Stars, punched their ticket to the Western Conference Finals with a 3-2 comeback win over the Milwaukee Admirals in Game Five of the Central Division Finals on Sunday at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. Matej Blümel and Justin Hryckowian scored third-period goals to erase a 2-1 deficit, sending the Stars to their first conference finals appearance since 2018.

Curtis McKenzie opened the scoring in the decisive Game Five just 5:33 into the first period, redirecting a slap pass from Michael Karow in the inner slot through the legs of Matt Murray to give Texas the early lead. Milwaukee responded on the power play just before the 10-minute mark, when Fedor Svechkov found Chase De Leo with a feed from behind the net, and De Leo shoveled it in from the doorstep past Remi Poirier to even the score at 1-1 heading into the first intermission.

Milwaukee took its first lead of the night 7:55 into the second period when Joakim Kemell connected on a long outlet pass from the defensive zone and settled at the top of the Texas blue line. Kemell sent a pass across to Svechkov, who skated into the right circle and ripped a shot over Poirier's blocker to give the Admirals a 2-1 advantage heading into the second intermission.

Just 1:43 into the third period, Blümel pulled the Stars even, finishing off a backdoor feed from McKenzie at the bottom of the right circle and slipping the puck past Murray on the short side. With 5:05 remaining in regulation, Trey Taylor fired a shot from the right point that ricocheted off the end boards to Cameron Hughes, who rang a shot off the left post. The rebound kicked out to Hryckowian at the bottom of the right slot, and he buried it into the open net to lift Texas to a 3-2 win and send the Stars to the Western Conference Finals.

Poirier earned the win for Texas, turning aside 22 of 24 shots, while Murray took the loss for Milwaukee with 27 saves on 30 shots faced.

The Stars now await the outcome of Game Five of the Pacific Division Finals between Abbotsford and Colorado, set for Monday afternoon. Texas will open the Conference Finals on the road, with Games One and Two to be played in either Abbotsford or Colorado, depending on the winner. Texas will host Games Three, Four and Five (if necessary) on June 2, June 4 and June 6 at 7:00 p.m. at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. Stay tuned to the Stars' social media pages in the coming days for more information on tickets.

The Texas Stars are the primary development affiliate of the NHL's Dallas Stars. For more information, call (512) GO-STARS (467-8277) or visit TexasStars.com.

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Texas Stars forward Curtis McKenzie
Texas Stars forward Curtis McKenzie
(Milwaukee Admirals)		   



American Hockey League Stories from May 25, 2025


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