Stars squeak past Iowa, 4-3

DES MOINES, IA – The Iowa Wild (21-41-1-2, 45 points) were defeated by the Texas Stars (32-19-13-1, 78 points) 4-3 in front of 3,650 fans on Tuesday at Wells Fargo Arena. Defenseman Maxime Fortunus scored late in the second period to put the Stars up for good and past the Wild. Forwards Derek Hulak, Devin Shore and Branden Troock also scored for the Texas road win. Stars goalie Jack Campbell (8-12-5) made 33 saves on 36 shots for the victory. Forwards Zack Mitchell and Jared Knight, along with defenseman Joel Chouinard, each scored for Iowa in the loss. Wild goalie Johan Gustafsson (8-19-1) stopped 33 of 37 shots in the defeat. Iowa hosts San Antonio at 7 p.m. on Friday, Mar. 27.

Iowa opened up the scoring at 14:34 of the first period when rookie forward Zack Mitchell muscled a loose puck past Texas goalie Jack Campbell. Forwards Marc Hagel and Tyler Graovac assisted Mitchell on his 16^th goal this season, giving the Wild a 1-0 lead.

The Wild extended its lead 3:55 into the second period when defenseman Joel Chouinard scored. Defenseman Jon Blum and Wild Captain Stephane Veilleux aided Chouinard on his third goal this year for the 2-0 lead. Texas drew within one at 4:45 of the period when rookie forward Derek Hulak launched a wrist shot past Iowa goalie Johan Gustafsson. Forward Scott Glennie fed Hulak the puck for his 18^th goal this season, making it 2-1 Wild. The Stars tied the game 2-2 when rookie forward Devin Shore redirected a shot into the net at 13:07 of the period. Forward Matej Stransky and rookie defenseman Julius Honka assisted Shore on his second goal this year. Texas took the lead late in the period when defenseman Maxime Fortunus scored a power-play goal at the 19:40 mark. Hulak and forward Greg Rallo aided Fortunus on his ninth goal this season, giving the Stars a 3-2 lead.

In the third period, Texas added an insurance tally when rookie forward Branden Troock scored at 13:54 of the period. Defenseman Jamie Oleksiak and forward Justin Dowling assisted Troock for his fifth goal this season, giving the Stars a 4-2 lead. The Wild drew within one when forward Jared Knight scored at the 18:50 mark of the period. Knight’s second goal this season was aided by Veilleux and forward Brett Bulmer for the 4-3 final.