It was a long and grinding season, but the Texas Stars came through in the end, officially clinching a spot in the 2017-2018 AHL playoffs.
The Stars skated out of Saturday night’s contest against the Rockford IceHogs, played at home in Cedar Park, with a 4-3 win, and punched their ticket into the postseason.
Forward Joel L’Esperance, who signed with Texas on an Amateur Tryout Agreement at the end of March, picked a good time to score his first ever professional goal, as he put home the game-winning tally with just 2:54 left in the third period.