Wolves come up short against Stars

The Chicago Wolves squared off against the Stars in a key Central Division showdown Tuesday night in Texas.

In a classic goaltending duel, the Wolves came up short to the Stars 2-1 in the first of back-to-back games between the teams. Noel Gunler scored late for the Wolves but Texas goaltender Remi Poirier made 23 saves to best Wolves netminder Cayden Primeau (22 saves). With the win, the Stars pulled within eight points of the second-place Wolves in the Central.

The Stars wasted little time in taking the lead as Cameron Hughes scored on Texas’ first shot, just 20 seconds after opening puck drop.

After that, each goaltender stood tall until late. After Cross Hanas’ empty-netter with 1:04 remaining staked the Stars to a 2-0 advantage, Gunler struck to give the Wolves a chance.

The forward took a pass from Felix Unger Sorum, wheeled around the net and snapped a shot from the left circle past Poirier to halve the deficit with :32 remaining. Unger Sorum and Justin Robidas earned assists on Gunler’s 12th goal of the season.

Poirier and the Stars held on the rest of the way for the win.

Chicago dropped to 29-16-6-6 on the season while Texas stands at 29-24-3-1.