The Admirals certainly didn’t do themselves any favors Sunday, dropping their second and last home game of the first round 4-2 to Abbotsford. Milwaukee showed a lot more fight defensively than it did Friday night, but Krys Kolanos and the Heat were too much.
After a gritty but scoreless first period, Brodie Dupont made his own break to put the Ads on the board first 32 seconds after the first intermission. Dupont threw the puck into the Abbotsford zone where it was corralled by Taylor Beck. Beck fed it back to Dupont to the right of the right circle and Brodie delivered a one timer past Danny Taylor.
Milwaukee quickly conceded a 5-on-3 power play, however, allowing the Heat to tie the game. Kolanos put the puck right between Jeremy Smith’s legs on a point blank wrister 4:08 into the second period.
About a minute later, Abbotsford’s Hugh Jessiman went to the box for goalie interference and he was joined nine seconds later by Greg Nemisz, giving Milwaukee a 5-on-3 of its own.
Kyle Wilson and Chris Mueller Furied the Double Fury teaming to put the Ads back on top 2-1. Wilson fired a pass cross ice, right in front of the net and Mueller beat Taylor top left shelf. Chris gave Kyle most of the credit.
The Heat tied the game again when Jessiman fired a slapper from the point and Ben Walter tucked the rebound in behind Smitty with 5:01 left in the period.
Kolanos struck again 4:17 into the third, pulling up and slapping one past Smith’s left shoulder from the point.
That would be the eventual game-winner as the Ads couldn’t get any of their last 11 shots through. Smith went to the bench with about 1:20 left, but Jon Rheault killed any chance of a comeback, putting away an empty-netter fourteen seconds later.
Now the Ads are in a tough spot, but as Mueller recalls, they are also capable of rolling on the road.
Notes:
The Admirals went only one-for-eight on the Fury, and got off a little over 11 shots with the man advantage. Coach Herbers thinks there’s room to improve.
The Heat were very beatable at home this year posting an 18-15-5 record in Abbotsford.
Milwaukee will try to avoid being swept for the eighth time in its history Wednesday in Abbotsford. The Ads are 20-23 overall in Game 3’s with a 6-15 road record.
Questions:
What did you think of Smith’s night? Was that last goal more on him, the skill of Kolanos or the Ads’ defense?
The Ads won four in a row on that seven-game road trip towards the end of the season, but now they MUST win three in a row away from the Bradley Center. Think they can do it, or was Sunday the last time we’ll see the Ads take the home ice this season?
What’s impressed you the most about this Abbotsford team, that is, what’s giving them that extra advantage over the Ads?
Anyone out there that you wish you’d seen more of tonight?
Admirals Roundtable 
Kolanos has been uncovered way too much in the two games. I think the season is over.
Abbotsford has better speed, better passing and better neutral zone defense than Milwaukee. They also cheat better than any team that I have seen this season with holding and hooking etc…Hugh Jessiman standing in Jeremy Smith’s crease is a good example.
Latta seemed to play every other shift in the third period, I think he wore down. We needed more of Zack Stortini in front of the Heat crease. Why no Joel Champagne?
I watched the video of the coach’s press conference….He was asked about how he thought Smith did, and the answer was simply “Okay”. That’s not a ringing endorsement. That’s an “if I don’t have anything nice to say, I’m not going to say anything at all.”
First goal, yeah, it was a 5-on-3, but it looked like he got beat five-hole from a tough angle. And then on the third goal, the replay from the overhead camera made it look like Kolanos had all kinds of square footage to shoot at.
Chicken poop.
Pretty well sums it up.
Just chicken poop.