Texas Stars Beat Iowa Wild 4-3 in Shootout

The Texas Stars opened their 2026–27 American Hockey League campaign with a dramatic 4–3 shootout victory over the Iowa Wild on Friday, October 2, 2026, at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park, securing the win after erasing a late deficit in regulation.

Early Offense and Iowa’s First-Period Response

Texas wasted little time establishing control on home ice when Jack Anderson fired a slap shot from the blue line just four minutes into the first frame, beating Iowa goaltender William Rousseau. The Stars doubled their advantage four minutes later, as Christian Fitzgerald delivered a backhand pass from the goal line to Kyle Looft in the slot, who wristed the puck past Rousseau to make it 2–0.

Iowa responded before the first intermission when Rieger Lorenz scored his first professional goal with six minutes remaining in the period. Adversity struck the hosts early in the second frame when they were forced to play down two skaters four minutes in. Hunter Haight capitalized on the ensuing power play, poking home a rebound to level the score at 2–2.

Late-Game Heroics and Overtime Stalemate

The visitors claimed their first lead of the night in the third period. With under 12 minutes remaining in regulation, Lorenz snapped home a loose puck in the slot for his second goal of the contest, putting Iowa ahead 3–3—correction, 3–2.

With goaltender Brandon Halverson pulled for an extra attacker, the Stars mounted a frantic final push. Dylan Hryckowian located a loose puck in the crease and buried the game-tying goal with just 21.6 seconds left on the clock, forcing extra hockey.

Neither side broke the deadlock during the three-on-three overtime session, despite sustained pressure from both squads. Halverson turned away 33 shots through regulation and overtime, while Rousseau countered with 29 saves.

Shootout Decision at Cedar Park

The contest ultimately required a shootout to determine the winner. Michael Sgarbossa converted his opportunity in the second round for Texas. Meanwhile, Halverson slammed the door on all three Iowa shootout attempts to seal the 4–3 victory.

Rousseau finished the night stopping one of two shootout shots in the loss. The two division rivals return to the ice on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park for the second game of their opening-weekend series.