TEXAS 4, ROCKFORD 2
Texas built a 3-0 lead by the midpoint of the second period and cruised to a 4-2 road win over Rockford at the MetroCentre on Friday. The Stars swept the teams’ opening-round series and will move on to the West Division Finals, where they will battle either Chicago or Milwaukee.
That series became deadlocked at 3-3 when the Admirals captured a 5-4 overtime win on Friday. Game 7 is set for Monday in Chicago.
Defenseman Andrew Hutchinson notched a pair of power play goals to pace the Texas offense. The AHL’s Eddie Shore Award winner in 2008, Hutchinson scored just 3:56 into the game and then made it a 3-0 contest at 10:23 of the second frame. In between, Mathieu Beaudoin netted a goal for the Stars.
Staring down elimination, the IceHogs attempted a third-period comeback, as rookie Kyl3 Beach scored on the power play at 7:51 and again at 19:25.
But Texas’s Warren Peters sealed his club’s victory with an empty-netter at 19:51 of the third frame.
Perttu Lindgren and Travis Morin each chipped in two assists for the Stars, and goaltender Brent Krahn turned aside 38 of 40 shots between the pipes.
Rockford was swept out of the Calder Cup Playoffs for the second time in as many years, and the IceHogs are now 0-10 in their last 10 postseason games dating back to the 2008 division finals against Chicago.
