Cedar Park, TX— Joakim Kemell scored the game-winning goal in overtime to lift the Milwaukee Admirals to a 5-4 win over the Texas Stars Saturday at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park.
Kemell skated into the Stars zone on the left wing and deked into the slot. No defender came to meet him, so Kemell skated to the net and lifted a backhander high into the cage for his first game-winner of the season. Zach L’Heureux recorded the lone assist.
The Ads improved to 5-5-0-0 on the season. The team is now 3-0 in games decided in overtime.
Milwaukee’s power play gave the Ads a 4-3 lead in the third period at 10:33. Tye Felhaber scored the team’s first power play goal since Oct. 25 when he stood near the crease and tapped a pass from the right corner into the goal. It was Felhaber’s third goal of the season. Mark Jankowski and Kevin Wall earned assists. For Wall, it was his first professional point.
Overtime was needed, however, because the Stars Maverick Bourque scored a goal at 19:11 of the third period. With the Stars goalie pulled, Bourque received a pass from the right post in the left circle and slapped the puck into the net.
Texas’ Logan Stankoven scored his eighth goal of the season to start the scoring at 2:54 of the first period. Stars forward Antonio Stranges shot the puck off the crossbar and the puck was lying near the goal line. Stankoven pushed it across for the tally.
Milwaukee tied the game at 12:17 of the first frame. Navrin Mutter intercepted a clearing attempt in the Stars left circle and fed a pass to Denis Gurianov. Gurianov blasted a slap shot over the glove of Texas goalie Remi Poirier for his third goal of the season.
The Admirals took the lead at 7:01 of the second period. Adam Wilsby’s shot from the blue line went off a defender to Fedor Svechkov at the right post. Svechkov slid a backhander into the net for his third goal of the season. Wilsby and Tye Felhaber were awarded the assists on the goal.
Stars defenseman Christian Kyrou tied the score at 13:38 of the second frame when his shot from the left circle found its way through traffic and into the net for his first professional goal.
Milwaukee reclaimed the lead at 19:21 of the second stanza. Defenseman Kevin Gravel’s shot from the left point bounced off Ads center Cal O’Reilly to L’Heureux inside the left circle. L’Heureux spun a backhander past the glove of Poirier for his third goal of the year.
Stars forward Nick Caamano tied the game 3-3 when he wristed a shot from the left circle into the goal at 9:30 of the third frame.
Goalie Troy Grosenick stopped 22 shots to earn the win for the Admirals.
Milwaukee will visit Rockford Fri., Nov. 17. The Admirals return home Sat., Nov. 18 to play host to the Chicago Wolves at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.
