4
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Texas
2
The Chicago Wolves secured a 4-2 win over the Texas Stars on Sunday afternoon at Allstate Arena, which pushed the Wolves past Grand Rapids for the best winning percentage in the Central Division.
Forwards Keegan Kolesar and Daniel Carr and rookie defensemen Zach Whitecloud and Dylan Coghlan scored goals as the Wolves (31-17-5-1) earned their fourth win in a row. Oscar Dansk (17-8-3) posted a season-high 38 saves.
“Even though they outshot us, I liked our compete level,” said Wolves head coach Rocky Thompson. “We scored a huge goal on the 5-on-3 (power play). I thought Oscar played great. Our goaltending has been really good during this stretch.”
Forward Joel L’Esperance scored both goals for Texas (26-23-3-3) while netminder Landon Bow (18-11-5) ended the night with nine saves before being removed 4:38 into the second period.
Kolesar scored just 6:33 into the game for his second goal in as many games. Linemate Curtis McKenzie gained control of the puck behind the Texas net, then dished a quick pass to Kolesar outside the crease that he deposited behind Bow.
Carr doubled the lead at the 2:12 point of the second on the Wolves power play, burying a loose puck over Bow’s shoulder. Whitecloud made it 3-0 with a snipe from the high slot at 4:38. Texas opted to switch netminders after Whitecloud’s tally, bringing Philippe Desrosiers in for Bow.
L’Esperance broke Dansk’s shutout 6:06 into the third on the Texas power play, but Coghlan regained the three-goal lead at 9:12 when he sent a rocket from the right circle past Desrosiers just 10 seconds into the Wolves’ 5-on-3 power play.
Carr finished with three points, which increased his AHL-leading point total to 69. He owns a 10-game point streak while McKenzie’s pair of assists pushed his point streak to eight games.
The Wolves go for a sweep of their five-game homestand at 7 p.m. Tuesday with an Illinois Lottery Cup showdown against the Rockford IceHogs. It marks the final time the Wolves host the IceHogs this season.
