Admirals Roundtable

Photo Courtesy of Scott Paulus

The Ads signed Mike Liambas to a standard player contract Sunday after an impressive 27-game stint last season.

His physical style of play and fighting ability quickly made him a fan favorite after he was loaned to Milwaukee by Orlando on February 4.

Liambas picked up 74 penalty minutes, scored his first AHL goal back on February 17 and added an assist in the Western Conference Quarterfinals against Texas.

In the NHL playoffs, seven former members of the Admirals organization remain in contention for a Stanley Cup: Boston’s Claude Julien and Rich Peverley, Ottawa’s Cory Conacher, Pittsburgh’s Tomas Vokoun and Mark Eaton, Detroit’s Jordin Tootoo and Chicago’s Sheldon Brookbank.

What do you think of the Liambas signing? Nice to see the team keep his presence on the roster, and it’ll be interesting to see what he can do over a full season.

Which former Admiral has the best shot at the Cup? Who are you rooting the hardest for?

Photo courtesy of predators.nhl.com

The Roundtable caught up with Ads coach Dean Evason and forward Mark Van Guilder to get their thoughts on the 2012-13 season after about a week of allowing things to sink in.

Coach Evason

On the season overall and the team’s finish:

“Mixed emotions obviously. When you first lose you’re very disappointed, obviously. When you sit back and look at the effort we put in, and how we actually got there down the stretch it’s very rewarding for the entire group. We played some great hockey down the stretch, and I don’t think we were burnt out or wore out, we just ran into a really good team that’s very similar to us.”

“At the start of the year and middle of the year there were a lot of learning experiences, and a lot of things we went through as far as the lockout and having it end and losing players. It was hard to gain momentum, but we found ourselves as the season went on.”

“We thought we had a really nice balance of developing individuals and certainly the players who got their first opportunities to play in the NHL; guys who came up from the minors like the Budishes and the Rasks. It all added up to creating a good winning atmosphere by the end of the season.”

On first year with the Admirals:

“For myself, personally it was a great learning experience. It was my first opportunity to be a head coach in pro hockey, and I learned a lot from this year from both the negative and positive experiences. Hopefully I become a better coach after going through all those situations that we talked about.”

“You could say it was like a real-life roller coaster where you get scared at some points, but when you finish the ride and look back the overall experience was a lot of fun.”

“The overall experience for me was very positive. This whole organization is just a first-class organization and it really allows its people to do their jobs. I really look forward to getting started again next year.”

On selecting any one player as an unsung MVP:

“We’ve got so many guys. You can go down the list starting with our back end in Hellberg. He’s a good example of a lot of our players that we had here when you watch his development from his first game of the season to the last game of the playoffs.”

“I could go down the line and name so many players that had such major impacts on our hockey club. Again, they’re developing but creating a winning atmosphere as well.”

On moving to and living in Milwaukee:

“I’d heard a lot about Milwaukee and had been here before and heard about the people and what a great city it was with its small-town feel, but big-city life.”

“The biggest thing I noticed was the people. I really have enjoyed the people of Milwaukee; not only the fans, though they and our season-ticket holders are amazing, but really the overall community supporting the team, but more importantly just being great people. It’s certainly made my first year here very comfortable.”

On the offseason and what his focus will be?

“When I came in last year I didn’t really know any of the players. I didn’t know their dimensions, I didn’t know where they sit, I didn’t know their skill levels, their personalities. Now we’re going into next season and a lot of our people that were here at the end of the year are going to be back.”

“It’s nice to have the ability to kind of depth chart your team, put your team on paper and kind of fill holes with our general manager who does a tremendous job in Paul Fenton. Now we can have an input on the abilities of these players. Hopefully we’ll be ahead of the game next year, as we might have been a little behind not knowing the personnel at the beginning of last year.”

Photo courtesy of Scott Paulus

Mark Van Guilder

On the season overall:

“Unfortunately we wanted to win a championship, but I think what we did the last month of the season or so and the stretch we went on to even make the playoffs was awesome.”

On comparing this year’s team to last year’s:

“I think every team has its own identity. We had a lot of young guys this year, and I think it was one of the most fun teams I’ve been a part of. They were really close and we had a great time. Obviously its a job for us, but at the same time we play the game, love it and have fun doing it. I had an absolute blast with this group.”

On his first year under Evason:

“Oh man, he was awesome. He demanded a lot from us, but at the same time made it fun to come to the rink. I think that’s key. Guys never dreaded coming to the rink for practice, but at the same time he demanded work ethic and discipline and all that kind of stuff.”

“I love playing for him and Stan (Drulia). They’re a great team. I think anytime you have a group of guys who love playing for their coach it goes a long way.”

On his favorite moments from the season:

“Always my best memories come from just me and the guys on the road being idiots and going to dinner, just joking around and having a good time.”

“As far as hockey goes, that last week of the season was just awesome. The whole season was on the line, and the intensity level of the games was great.”

On the offseason:

“I think it’s the same as every offseason for me. I just have to get better and work on my skating and skills, try to get stronger, faster. I think its important to not relax and take a break but spend the summer getting better.”

Ok, so we’ve had a few days for everything to set in.  The Admirals played well, but were beaten by a good team in the Texas Stars.  Since the league doesn’t seem to be in much of a hurry, the next round of the playoffs hasn’t even started yet for any of the teams that advanced.  Hershey and Providence are finishing their series tonight.  It’s taking them 13 days to finish a best-of-5 series.  Seriously..with all this down time….make the first round a best-of-7 series.  Deal with the travel costs.

But looking back on the 2012-13 Admiral season, there were a lot of great things that happened.  So even though the season is over, I encourage you to remember the good times and look forward to the future times.

One of the things that I’ve enjoyed the most this year was watching the players improve their games.  Hellberg, Puustinen, Beck, Latta, Watson, Shalla, Bitetto, Henderson….the list goes on.  They all took giant steps forward in their game over the course of the season.  That’s a credit to both the players and the coaches.  The players for working hard, and the coaches for helping them get their game to a higher level.  That’s the way the system is supposed to work.  It didn’t always translate into wins early on, but towards the end?  Man, this was a fun group to watch.

The regular season finish was great.  The 10-2 record against the Wolves was a treat.  There were some memorable last minute comebacks along the way.  Chris Mueller dropped the gloves and knocked down his opponent.  Mike Liambas may be the best fighter we’ve had since Raitis Ivanans….just a half foot shorter.  I’ve gushed on the record about Magnus Hellberg…so I’ll keep it brief here….But I sure hope we get to see him one more year, and get to watch him become an even better goalie.  Pekka was here for three seasons.  I’d be delighted for a pair from Magnus.

Of course I’m bummed that the season is over.  But Texas played well, and they weren’t jerks.  I’m at peace with it.  I hope you are too.

At this point, I’d like to take a moment to send out some sincere thanks to you.  Thank you for reading the blog.  Whether it’s every day, every week, a couple of times a month, or if you just stumble onto it once in a blue moon…..whether you like to speak your mind, or lurk far away from the comments section….whether you agree or disagree with our opinions….whether you’re a local fan, a Preds fan, or a family member of a player….. thank you so much for reading.  Simply put, without you, there is no blog.  There’s no Furying The Fury without you.

On behalf of Trey, Jason, and myself….thanks for a great season on the Admirals Roundtable.

So the future of the blog?  We’ll continue to post when things of note happen during the off-season.  So do check in and say hi periodically.  And if you’re in to the twitter thing, follow @adsroundtable and @ryanadmirals .

Maybe I’ll even get around to giving the site the graphic design makeover it so desperately needs…we’ll see…

Talk to you soon,

-Ryan

Photo Courtesy of Texas Stars

The Admirals had their backs against the wall in Texas. Facing a 2-0 deficit after two periods in Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals, Milwaukee needed to dig deep to keep its season alive.

While the Ads mustered a quick goal and outshot the Stars 18-8 in the final 20 minutes, they would come up just short, closing out what was a truly exciting late-season run.

The Ads did a lot of good things Friday night, winning more faceoffs than Texas and firing 35 shots on net to Texas’ 26. Unfortunately, the Stars held the only advantage that really mattered as the final horn sounded.

Milwaukee started the game with a surprising twist in the lineup. The starting five featured Chris Mueller centering Joonas Rask and captain Mike Moore at the wings. As speculated, Scott Valentine played again at wing, where he had been a decent sparkplug for the offense.

Before the game, Kevin Henderson’s comments built some excitement. He made it known that he would be the most physical player on the ice and backed it up with a solid performance.

Just 1:40 into the third period, Henderson got Milwaukee on the board and cut into the Stars’ lead. He entered the Texas zone and dropped a pass off for Taylor Beck at the right circle. Christopher Nilstorp stopped Beck’s wrister with his left pad, but the rebound came to Henderson who buried it. (Enjoy the slow-mo call courtesy of TexasStarsHockey.com)

It was the first time Milwaukee had scored in Cedar Park since October 24th, but it would be the Admirals’ last goal of the season.

Just minutes later, a Henderson pass could’ve set up a huge breakaway for Beck, but it sailed just wide for an icing call. That about sums up how things went for the Ads’ offense the rest of the way.

With around seven minutes to play, Magnus Hellberg robbed Kevin Connauton on a three-on-one rush using all of his 6-foot-5 frame to stretch left while going right and make an incredible left toe save. He finished the night with 24 saves, allowing just seven goals in the series’ four games.

The Ads continued to ratchet up the intensity late in the period, but couldn’t get another puck past Nilstorp, despite a holding call on Scott Glennie that gave Milwaukee a power play.

Hellberg left for the bench with 1:20 left in the game, but the Ads couldn’t get a decent chance on net as the final seconds ticked away.

Matt Fraser opened the scoring for the Stars at 10:16 of the first period, after a pass from Colton Sceviour in the corner inexplicably snuck through the sticks of Victor Bartley and Moore and hit Fraser in the slot. His low shot beat Hellberg glove side.

Texas added a goal early in the second period that ended up being the game-winner. For the second game in a row it was Alex Chiasson who ultimately decided things, as he redirected a Connauton shot in the slot past Hellberg at 1:29.

Before the game, Mattias Ekholm humorously stated that the “two Swedish guys in net” had been the reason goals were so scarce during the series. With just 12 total goals scored between both sides, it was the lowest-scoring playoff series in Admirals history.

Nilstorp and Hellberg were the last guys off the ice after hugging and talking for a while in recognition of what was a magnificent series by both goalies.

In his postgame interview, assistant coach Stan Drulia offered some closure for Ads fans.

“It’s not too hard to go out like this,” Druila said. “They gave it everything they had. They came together and had a tremendous run. It all came down to the men we had in the locker room. We had a really good group of people.”

Questions:

This is the last game recap post we’ll have this season, so I toss it up to you. Share your thoughts on the game and the series overall. Were you ultimately pleased with the Ads’ performance? Are you still impressed with the run they put forth to get to this point?

2012-2013 Milwaukee Admirals: 76 G.P., 41-28-4-3–52 pts., 197 goals scored, 200 goals allowed, 8th place in the Western Conference (2nd Midwest Division). Leading playoff scorer: Zach Hamill (1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points.

Heading into Friday night’s Game 4, the Milwaukee Admirals will go to the Cedar Park Center just outside of Austin, Texas with their season in the balance. One loss in the next two games and the franchise’s second straight amazing end of season comeback bid will end in the first round of the playoffs.

Perhaps you might think its an unenviable position, having to win two straight games on the road to advance, but this series is much, much closer than just Texas leading two games to one. One overtime goal in Game 1 and the Admirals are leading 2-1 in the series. Perhaps one Milwaukee goal in the decisive third period on Wednesday might have lead to a similar fate and a 2-1 series lead for the Admirals.

Two years ago when these teams met Milwaukee was actually down two games to one to the Stars, before winning the next two games in a row in Texas. The Admirals would eventually win a third-straight in double overtime to take the series. That might not mean much this time around (especially considering that was a seven-game series, this a five-game series), but that experience is something to draw on.

But one area of concern in this series that is being overlooked, a little bit for both teams is the lack of goals scored. Maybe this was to be expected in this extremely competitive, tight series, but the two teams have combined for just nine goals in three games (and just four in the last two games). More staggering, Milwaukee has just three non-empty net goals against Christopher Nilstorp so far.

To move on to a second round battle with Toronto, the Admirals must find some more offense. There is no time like the present.

One unlikely solution: Less traffic in front of the net. Just ask John Tortorella of the New York Rangers (approximately :25 seconds into this clip).

So Roundtable . . . How does Milwaukee beat Nilstorp tonight? Do the special teams have to produce even more? Are you expecting more from Chris Mueller, Austin Watson, Taylor Beck, Daniel Bang and Kevin Henderson, all forwards with recent NHL experience? Who will step up and be the difference maker tonight?

Photo Courtesy of TexasStars.com

The Admirals got some familiar faces back Wednesday night, but it wasn’t enough to win Game Three and break the 1-1 deadlock in the Western Conference Quarterfinals.

Along with the returns of Daniel Bang and Kevin Henderson, the Ads lineup card also featured Chris Mueller, Taylor Beck and Victor Bartley. However, in an entertaining contest, Texas scored twice in the final thirteen minutes to make Friday’s Game Four a must-win for Milwaukee.

The Stars’ Alex Chiasson, who rejoined Texas along with Reilly Smith for Game Three, ended up with the game-winner at 7:42. After making contact with Mueller on what could’ve been a crosschecking call, Chiasson was fed by Justin Dowling in the slot and redirected the pass past Magnus Hellberg.

It was the first road goal the Admirals had surrendered in 205 minutes and 33 seconds, and it didn’t get any better for Milwaukee from that point.

Kevin Henderson ran into Kevin Connauton behind the Texas net, drawing a roughing call that gave Texas a power play at 13:33.

Connauton would give Texas a late two-goal cushion just 24 seconds later, firing a slapper from near the blue line that zipped through traffic and over Hellberg’s glove.

That was more than the Stars would need to seal the win, as the Ads couldn’t sneak one past Christopher Nilstorp. Hellberg hit the bench with two minutes left, but it was for naught.

The game was very tightly played up to Texas’ first goal, as the Ads and Stars battled back and forth for two periods.

Milwaukee got off to a shaky start as it was outshot 5-1 in the first eight minutes and 15-6 total for the first period. The Ads bounced back to win the shots battle 7-4 in the second period, and finished the game with 21 total shots.

Texas fired the puck long on Hellberg all night, forcing him to play it and setting up a lot of offensive zone faceoffs. Though they didn’t win a majority of these faceoffs, this strategy kept the Ads at their own end for good chunks of the game.

Despite the loss, Helberg had another solid showing stopping 29 of 31 Texas shots and adding to his total of 93 saves on 98 shots for the series. Nilstorp has been just as good, allowing just three goals in his three games started.

After the game, assistant coach Stan Drulia said the team will need to find “a way to get more pucks to the net in Friday’s game.”

“We just didn’t get into it in the third period,” Drulia said. “We have to shake this one off and be ready to go Friday. We’ll also need to make sure we’re getting out of our end cleanly at key moments. In the end we try not to rush to judgments, so we’ll look at the video and see what adjustments we need to make.”

Milwaukee must now win on back-to-back nights in Cedar Park to advance to the Western Conference semifinals.

Questions:

How do you think the presence of Mueller, Beck and Bartley affected the team tonight, if at all? Mueller led the team with four shots, and Bartley was a close second with three. Zach Budish and Patrick Cehlin were the only other guys with more than one shot.

If you were at Goolsby’s (or if not), what adjustments do you see the Ads making in Game Four? Valentine back at wing possibly?

So much for carrying momentum into game 3.  By the time Wednesday rolls around, Saturday will be ancient history.

With all these off-days, it makes me wonder why we can’t have a 7-game series in the first round…  It doesn’t appear to be due to a lack of time.

Looks like we get a Koharski of the Jamie variety on Wednesday, along with Graham Skilliter.  I know a lot of you don’t care much for Koharski, but I’ll take any Koharski over Shaun Davis any day of the week.

Here’s an open thread for you to discuss whatever you want heading into game 3….but here are some topic suggestions…

- Give us some line combinations you’d like to see. Are any lines from the stretch run untouchable?

- Now that the NHL talent is back for both teams, do you expect another defensive grudge match or some higher scoring games?

- If they go with six defensemen, who do you scratch?  And if Fordo is your answer, how much will they miss his leadership during the game?

- Ever been to Austin?

- Who is going to Goolsby’s on Wednesday for the viewing party?