AHL Chicago Wolves

Wolves' Fierce Rally Dimmed by Stars

Published on April 3, 2022 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Chicago Wolves News Release


ROSEMONT, ILLINOIS - Moments after the Chicago Wolves finished erasing a three-goal deficit, the Texas Stars posted a shorthanded goal and an empty-netter to claim a 5-3 victory Sunday afternoon at Allstate Arena.

Forward CJ Smith scored twice and forward Stefan Noesen added his league-leading 38th goal for the Wolves (41-13-5-5), who now must wait until Wednesday for their next chance to clinch a first-round bye in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Noesen's goal knotted the score with 3:34 left and the Wolves earned a power-play chance moments later, but Texas' Ty Dellandrea swiped a pass at center ice and took it in for a shorthanded goal with 2:15 to go.

"Just small details that win you the games and lose you the games," said Wolves head coach Ryan Warsofsky. "Small detail on our breakout route and we can't make a play and they pick it off. I thought the resolve we had to come back was good. We know we can come back no matter what the deficit is, but it's a learning experience of small details."

For the first time in eight games, the Wolves did not produce the game's opening goal. Texas' Fredrik Karlstrom scored at 11:19 of the first as Oskar Back whipped a shot off the end wall and Karlstrom took advantage of a friendly bounce to knock home the rebound.

The Stars (27-24-6-5) took advantage of a Wolves major penalty to add two power-play goals in a 22-second span late in the first period. Riley Damiani scored on a rebound during a 5-on-3 at 18:43, then Back scored a conventional power-play goal to make it 3-0 at 19:05 of the first.

Smith launched the Wolves' comeback at 3:21 of the second. Andrew Poturalski tracked down a rebound and slid a backhand pass that Noesen tipped to Smith along the goal line to goaltender Matt Jurusik's left. Smith zipped a shot through the tiny open space between Jurusik's skates to cut the deficit to 3-1 with his 21st goal of the year.

Smith delivered again with 2.3 seconds left in the second to make it 3-2. With the Wolves enjoying a 5-on-3 advantage, Noesen and Poturalski moved the puck swiftly to Smith in the slot. His first shot was blocked, but he dug the puck out of a Texas defender's skates and roofed a backhand over Jurusik's shoulder.

The Wolves completed their rally with 3:34 to go in regulation. Defenseman Chris Bigras collected a pass from Smith and used the inside of his right foot to kick it to Noesen in the slot. Noesen blasted a one-timer into the top corner to give the Wolves a 3-3 knot.

Shortly thereafter, Dellandrea swiped a pass at center ice and launched a 2-on-0 breakaway. Wolves goaltender Jack LaFontaine got a good chunk of Dellandrea's shot, but it trickled through for the go-ahead shorthanded goal. Defenseman Joseph Cecconi added an empty-netter from deep in the defensive zone with 31 seconds left to clinch Texas' second win in eight tries this season against the Wolves.

LaFontaine (2-2-4) finished with a career-high 34 saves while Jurusik (10-6-4) stopped 29 shots to pick up Texas' fifth win in a row.

The Wolves' five-game homestand continues with a rematch against Texas at 11 a.m. Wednesday. On Saturday, Chicago hosts Manitoba at 7 p.m. and the first 1,500 fans receive a Wolves Goalie Mask Bank courtesy of My50 Chicago. On Sunday, Chicago faces Cleveland on Wizards Day. To find the best ticket specials, visit ChicagoWolves.com or contact a team representative at WolvesTix@ChicagoWolves.com.

STARS 5, WOLVES 3

Texas 3 0 2 -- 5

Chicago 0 2 1 -- 3

First Period-1, Texas, Karlstrom 13 (Back, Petrovic), 11:19; 2, Texas, Damiani 12 (L'Esperance, Louis), 18:43 pp; 3, Texas, Back 7 (Shea, Dellandrea), 19:05 pp.

Penalties-Marino, Chicago (hooking), 14:49; Leivo, Chicago (spearing major, game misconduct), 16:11; Noesen, Chicago (slashing), 17:49.

Second Period-4, Chicago, Smith 21 (Noesen, Poturalski), 3:21; 5, Chicago, Smith 22 (Poturalski, Noesen), 19:57 pp.

Penalties-Poturalski, Chicago (tripping), 15:15; Petrovic, Texas (cross-checking), 18:26; Gregoire, Texas (tripping), 19:19.

Third Period-6, Chicago, Noesen 38 (Bigras, Smith), 16:26; 7, Texas, Dellandrea 21 (unassisted), 17:45 sh; 8, Texas, Cecconi 1 (unassisted), 19:29 en.

Penalties-Gardner, Texas (boarding), 0:12; Dellandrea, Texas (tripping), 4:44; Cecconi, Texas (tripping), 16:50.

Shots on goal-Texas 19-12-8-39; Chicago 7-13-12-32. Power plays-Texas 2-5; Chicago 1-5. Goalies-Texas, Jurusik (29-32); Chicago, LaFontaine (34-38). Referees-Sean Fernandez and Brandon Schrader. Linesmen-Tyler Gregory and Jameson Gronert.

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