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Texas
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Center Gage Quinney stuffed home a rebound with 1:14 left to give the Chicago Wolves a 2-1 victory over the Texas Stars on Saturday night at Allstate Arena.
Forward Brandon Pirri scored for the third game in a row for the Wolves (14-15-2-0), who have won three in a row. Goaltender Oscar Dansk posted a career-high 41 saves to earn his fifth straight win.
“Oscar was huge,” said Wolves head coach Rocky Thompson. “It was a tough game. There was a lot of action. He came up big. What more can you say? He was the reason we were able to win that game.”
Texas (11-16-1-2) took a 1-0 lead on center Joel L’Esperance’s power-play goal at 7:44 of the first. L’Esperance stepped into a slap shot from the top of the right circle while Dansk was screened by Stars forward Michael Mersch.
Pirri drew the Wolves even at 3:27 of the second. Defenseman Brayden Pachal started the play in the defensive zone and fed the puck ahead to forward Keegan Kolesar in the middle of the ice. Kolesar crossed the blue line and spotted Pirri racing down the left wing past a defenseman. Kolesar’s touch pass led Pirri toward the crease and allowed him to flick a backhander past goaltender Jake Oettinger.
Quinney recorded the game-winner at 18:46 of the third after he helped to create a Texas turnover in Chicago’s offensive zone. The puck went to Pirri, who fired a pass toward the crease. Quinney tried to redirect the puck past Oettinger, then corralled the rebound behind the goalie and jammed it across the line.
Oettinger (4-7-2) finished with 25 saves.
The Wolves wrap up their four-game homestand when they host Texas at 3 p.m. Sunday. The Stanley Cup will be at Allstate Arena for fans to visit and Allstate Arena doors open at 2 p.m.
