Cedar Park, TX—Chase Wheatcroft scored two goals to lead the Texas Stars to a 6-4 win over the Admirals Friday at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park.
Wheatcroft scored the Stars fourth and fifth goals. The markers were the first two of his career. The game-winner came at 1:58 of the third period when Antonio Stranges’ shot hit the goalpost but bounced to Wheatcroft and he muscled the puck into the goal.
Texas built a 3-2 lead after the first frame as the Stars and Admirals traded goals in the first period. Texas scored on the power play at :59 when Logan Stankoven deflected a pass into the net to give Texas a 1-0 lead,
Milwaukee tied the game at 3:23 of the first. Jasper Weatherby forced a turnover behind the Texas goal. He slid a pass to Navrin Mutter in the right circle and Mutter quickly fed Anthony Angello for a tap-in at the left post. It was Angello’s first goal of the season.
The Stars reclaimed the lead when a pass from the right corner found Fredrik Karlstrom in the right circle. Karlstrom fired a shot past the glove of Ads goalie Troy Grosenick at 5:55.
Fedor Svechkov’s second goal of the season tied the game at 2-2. Denis Gurianov entered the Stars zone on the left wing and sent a pass toward the right post. The pass hit a defender and ended up on Svechkov’s stick for the goal at 9:29.
Texas moved back in front with another power play tally at 13:55. Riley Damiani tipped a pass from his position in the slot past the glove of Grosenick for his third goal of the campaign.
The Stars expanded the lead to 4-2 when Wheatcroft found a bouncing puck in front of the Ads goal and snapped in his first of his pro career at 6:21 of the second.
Milwaukee’s Kevin Gravel scored his first goal of the season at 6:40 of the second stanza to bring the Admirals within one. Gurianov poked a puck past a defender on the left boards and Gravel’s shot from the left point sailed past the glove of Stars goalie Matt Murray.
Milwaukee tied the contest at 4-4 when Cal O’Reilly scored his first goal of the season at 15:07 of the second frame. The plane started when Zach L’Heureux drove to the net from the right wing boards. L’Heureux tried to jam the puck past Murray, but the goalie stopped the shot. The puck popped into the slot where Joakim Kemell slapped a shot to the net. It deflected off O’Reilly into the goal.
The Stars added an empty-netter at 19:13 from Fredrik Karlstrom.
Milwaukee outshot the Stars 34-29 in the game and had 17 shots in the third period.
Milwaukee will remain in Texas for another game Sat., Nov. 11. The Admirals return home Sat., Nov. 18 to play host to the Chicago Wolves at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.
