Not exactly the exciting thrill-a-minute game that you might have expected between the top two teams in the division. But sans Mark Dekanich, the Admirals rode the shoulders of Jeremy Smith en route to a 2-1 victory in a shootout over the Houston Aeros.
“He played great,” Coach Lambert said after the game. “He found some pucks through traffic. The difference to me was on some of those traffic shots, he was able to smother the rebounds. He had good net presence in good traffic. I thought for the most part he was excellent tonight.”
Picking up where they left off in the last game, the Admirals were outshot 16-3 in the first period, but weren’t particularly outplayed. The Aeros had lots of low percentage shots, and the Admirals were able to kill off three penalties, including 1:35 of being down two men. Smith had a couple of nice saves, but for the most part, he wasn’t tested too often in the period.
The only regulation goals came within 25 seconds of each other early in the 2nd period. Mark Van Guilder was the beneficiary of a loose puck in front of Matt Hackett after a Roman Josi shot :29 into the frame. Patrick O’Sullivan got the goal back on a play that found Jeremy Smith out-of-position. He was probably expecting a Jon DiSalvatori shot from the slot, but DiSalvatori made a nice pass back to O’Sullivan. (The scorer thought it was Cody Almond instead of DiSalvatori…..it might have been…meh)
The Aeros had the better overall play for the rest of the game. And then the theme of the 3rd period seemed to be Admiral turnovers in their half of the ice. It was all of the defensemen, and it was some of the forwards. Not going to name names tonight….they know who they are. And again, their goaltender bailed them out.
With Mark Santorelli out of the lineup, Blake Geoffrion got the nod to be the opening shooter in the shootout, and he delivered one of the best non-Klasen shootout shots so far this year. (Too bad he was invisible the rest of the game).
The Aeros scored the next two, and Jeremy Smith learned from the ones he let in.
“I feel that no matter what happens on the other end I just got to stay the same goalie no matter what. I felt like on the first goal, I wasn’t patient. I felt like I maybe bit too early. I learned from that, I was like, ‘I gotta be more patient on these next two. I know they can’t beat me laterally if I just out-wait them’, so that’s what I tried to do.”
Roman Josi was the last shooter for the Admirals, and was able to beat Hackett. Smith then proceeded to make his best save of the game, squeezing the pads on a Cody Almond attempt.
Gabriel Bourque scored in the 6th round on a pretty goal, and Brandokn Buck hit the pipe in the bottom of the inning, to give the Admirals the win.
“We were overdue, weren’t we?” Coach asked after the game, forgetting that it’s US that ask the questions, tough guy. “It’s funny how it goes because you’re down to your last shot and you score. And then you still have to make a save, and it turned around for us.”
NOTES
LINES:
Klasen – Blake – Thang
Halischuk – Mueller – Bourque
Wilson – Van Guilder – Thuresson
Flynn – Bartlett – Hunter
Zero flow to this game. Major overdose on offsides and icing.
Bourque and Jed Ortmeyer dropped the gloves after Maxim Noreau tripped Mueller on a rush… Bourque obviously was trying to show management that they did indeed make the right decision not re-signing Ortmeyer. Actually no. But it was a statement fight. Not a heavyweight bout by any means, but a nice try to get some momentum standing up for your linemate.
Sutty’s Twitter predictions were 0-for-2. Probably because he’s not very smart. (His guesses were a Wilson fight with hotdogging, and lots of shots)
Great crowd tonight….9,529 strong, and they were in to the game.
QUESTIONS:
Do you chalk this up as another game that we didn’t really deserve to win?
Was there any semblance of a playoff atmosphere in this game?
Your thoughts on the maturation of Jeremy Smith?
3-in-3 this weekend….do you want Chet Pickard to play tomorrow in Peoria, Sunday against the Stars, or not at all?
Did you like your Mr. Baseball bobbleheads? What’s your best Harry Doyle quote…..the more obscure, the better….
Admirals Roundtable 
Maybe it was a game we didn’t deserve to win, but these are the games that build character and the games we need to win coming down the stretch.
I saw nothing that looked like playoff atmosphere. Both teams looked flat, there was a big crowd (which we never see in the playoffs) and you are correct, there was no rhythm at all…but we’ll take it.
Smith was awesome tonight, and I love hearing Pearl Jams Jeremy after he does well. Kudos to Geoff on that. Jeremy wasn’t tested often, but when he was, he was sharp. The Houston goal was a fluke that we all wish we had back, but he was solid.
Oh Chet….no idea where/if we play him. Play Jeremy tomorrow and hope Anders is alright, and send Dex down for Sunday? Please? You know he wants to hang out with Koko B Ware.
Love the bobbleheads, and love the commercials even more. Would have been nice to see Mr Baseball there tonight….we should have made this happen.
So when Milwaukee was killing off the 5-3….they used 2 forwards and a defenseman. Strangest thing I’ve ever seen. Think we can ask Lane what that was all about? Also, Linus didn’t play much at all the last 10 minutes of regulation. They were playing Bartlett with Geoffrion and Thang.
Four things:
1. Linus was terrible tonight. Seemed to not want to pass, and when he did it was to the other team.
2. The refs were TERRIBLE towards the end of the game. Several trips, and one of the times I think Thurreson(?) was being held to the ground behind the Aeros net when the puck wasnt even close to him.
3. Smith looked great tonight, especially with the gloves.
4. Doesnt it seem like we are afraid to hit people? Houston was throwing around their bodies but we had no answer.
When I got to the top of the escaltor some guy offered to buy my bobblehead coupon. The line to get your bobblehead was like never before. I wouldn’t be afraid to play Chet, but if he’s only going to go back, then only if we need to.
A game I’m shocked we won. Mostly because Dex wasn’t there,and we weren’t scoring.
What a great power play kill by Geoffrion,Lasko,and ?. Another big crowd. Weren’t those teachers in the food eating contest suppose to be in Madison?
Smitty was definitely on his game, and as I said to the folks around me in overtime, I wouldn’t mind if it goes to a shootout. I’d never say that with Dex in goal. Given more seasoning, this kid will go far. Loved the interview at the end of the game. He was so proud of himself you couldn’t help but feel the same for him.
That being said, this was another example of ‘holy cats, is that the puck? I better get rid of it’ play that has become all too familiar. Blind passing directly into the sticks of the Aeros, no show of planning being exercised on the ice, slow skating, yada yada yada. In my opinion (which may not be worth a nickel) it continually looks to me that our defense plays too far off of the opposition, and because of that, misses opportunities of interceptions or steals. Watching the Aeros tonight, they were on us like butter on toast.
And what the heck is this- sending forwards out for the shootout? I thought the M.O. was to use defensemen? Imagine asking the guys who should know how to shoot a goal to actually go out and do it. A marvelous tactic that actually worked. Maybe someone actually read MilwaukeeHockey’s article… I guess we can let Josi slide in as a forward, as he spends a lot of time in that position.
I would have Smitty fill out the weekend, unless there would be a reason to pull him. Chet is too much of a gamble, and it’s too close to crunch time to be gambling.
Loved seeing Bourque mix it up, even though it wasn’t a barn-burner. Il a eu l’air de confiance et determnation. Je pense que la future, pour lui , sera très brilliante .
And with a bit of license, and all due respect to Harry Doyle “Well, The Admirals have a win. I think I’ll wet my pants.”
Probably one of the most overused Harry Doyle quotes that I used about six times tonight on Admirals shots….
Jussssttttttt a bit outside!
Couldn’t agree more with Taylor. I too, got tired of watching Klasen skate in circles 3-4 times only to cough it up for another turnover. It didn’t surprise me he was riding the pine at the end.
Smith has been great, give him the start in Peoria and hopefully Dex is back by Sunday, if not, start Pickard. Asking a guy to give you three straight is tough, especially when he played his ass off on the first one. I hope everybody on the team buys Jeremy a beer for this game, they owe it him.
I think I may have a small man-crush on Bourque. Again, he was one of the few physical players out there tonight lighting people up, and his shoot-out goal would have made my lady parts tingle if I in fact had lady parts.
My favorite Harry Doyle quote: “The post-game show is brought to you by… Christ, I can’t find it. To hell with it!”
…Oh and Ryan, could you talk to somebody in charge and tell them not to allow Brett Palin in a commerical with that ridiculous pedophile mustache? Either grow out a matching beard, or shave it all off. The one with him sleeping with a teddy bear screamed NAMBLA…all he needed was a conversion fan with “FREE CANDY” on the side.
And while we are on the subject of talking to people, creepsters, and NAMBLA…could we knock it off with showing the shirtless boys on the jumbotron?
MiB, if I could “like” a comment on here like you can on Facebook, rest assured, I would have “Liked” yours!
Mark and mib,
I fail to see what the North American Marlin Brando Look Alike, otherwise known as NAMBLA has to do with the game or anyones moustache.
Sutty, you fool! the “MB” in NAMBLA clearly stands for Mel Brooks. Now do you see our point? It was a Spaceballs joke the whole time…and in the words of President Skroob, “I’m surrounded by Assholes!”
Wow… you seriously just called the Noreau hip-check a TRIP? I get that is what it was called, but it was a text-book epic hip-check. If it was the opposite way, everyone would have been clamoring about the awesomeness of it.
Either way, lots of calls missed either way, but that’s the AHL for you.
And if you want to say the Aeros goal was a fluke, you can say the same about the bouncing puck that went in for the Ads. Either way, a solid defensive game from both.
Similarly, props to the ushers for actually listening to the “fans” who complained about us cheering too loudly for the Aeros. All positive, no “sucks” type negative, and and usher still comes down to tell us that “some fans have complained about your cheering”. Epitome of fail?
BTW, don’t bother checking T3I, they’re phoning it in… like they do every road game in the regular season for the past 2 years.
Chris,
We were not calling it a trip. The officials did when they penalized him for the move. However, I do agree that tripping was a bad call. Interference perhaps, but a trip it was not.
Houston is a team I don’t think I’d want to face in the first round of the playoffs. In a 7 game series I can see the Admirals team tiring out due to Houston’s speed game, especially if they take an early series lead. :(
While we’re at criticizing the game production, how about we send out the male game day crew on the ice to toss out t-shirts and tennis balls before the game and other stuff during intermissions? No offense to the Skeleton Crew but every game, the same set of people catch t-shirts in my area because they can’t throw past the fifth row. Luckily last night Berne Brewer was at least tossing them out. And don’t even bring up the gun they use to shoot them out of the ship… Another area where we can take some notes from Chicago’s production crew. Send Roscoe out while resurfacing the ice and slingshot a few into the crowd. That’s a “lull” time during the game anyways, and with big crowds, there’s lots of people sitting in the seats with nothing else to do.
Before complaining about the game day production, remember that, if you are a season ticket holder, the almighty ones already have your money. Along with that, they didn’t spend any of it on hearing aide batteries, so speak though you will, it’ll fall upon deaf ears.
For the record, I’m not “complaining” I’m “criticizing” because I personally don’t want any of those free t-shirts. :)
Point taken, Creed.
Ouch and Chris and MiB– sorry guys….I had to edit your comments. The censors learned from their previous mistakes in allowing discussions on that topic.
Admirals goal was in NO way a fluke. Are you kidding me? Shot from the point, saved by the goalie, and MVG was on the doorstep to put in a rebound. That’s a fluke? ‘
I love the disclaimer that they have to put up on the video board during the T-Shirt Toss. It says *shirt thrown may not be the same one as pictured (or something) That means SOMEONE had to complain about getting a free t-shirt just because it wasn’t the one they saw on the jumbotron.
Sorry Ryan, I assumed if the anthem singer doesn’t read ASS that it shouldn’t matter then. And MiB, the put-in rebound wasn’t a fluke no, but the deflected shot that ended up at hackett could have been argued to be fluky.
What an ignorant comment from an obviously very ignorant person about Palins commercial, and just as much blame to the board moderators who allow comments like that. All the players in the AHL spend alot of time in schools , hospitals and many other functions trying to make a difference . I guess he did not visit the small man syndrome ward where you must be.
I’m going to quickly acknowledge this and then let’s all move on. Lots of action this weekend.
First, thanks for reading from up north.
Second — you’re absolutely right, we don’t give guys enough credit for the stuff they do off the ice. Palin, Ford, and Johnson have all done a great job, and the community is lucky to have them this season. It’s things like that that really make them exceptional team captains, and exceptional people.
Call out the players, call out me….that’s fine. But we’re not here to fight each other. Let’s stick to hockey here instead of personal insults to fellow readers.
And now back to your regularly scheduled discussions.
Again, thank you for reading.
Ahhhh, ignorant for cracking a small joke!!! I have nothing against Brett Palin, or the things he does for the community. In fact I think he’s a great guy for doing them. I just have a personal vendetta against bad mustaches (quite possibly from my lack to grow a full one). However, I will point out that I am not the only bad-mustache hater on this board Squirrel Face .
If you’re not a fan of my twisted sense of humor, that’s fine, few people are, but don’t go after the moderators. I think they, and most of the other “regulars” on this page know that I like to try to throw stupid jokes in on my posts most of the time.
As far as the “Small Man Syndrome Ward”. He has not yet visited. If you run into him at any time, please let him know I have things that need signing, thanks!
Hmmmm….I posted “cough” Squirrel Face “cough” but it was deleted for some reason…it really takes away some of the “oooomph”. So I just had to clarify that.