Author: Daniel Lavender

Scouting

Checkers: Scouting the Enemy

First and foremost, I hope that you all had lovely Thanksgivings and tame Black Friday festivities!

Tonight marks the first meeting of the season against the Charlotte Checkers. It has been a very difficult season to this point for them. They sit above only the Utica Comets for the worst record in the AHL with a record of 6-12-0-1 (13 pts). As a team they’ve scored one more goal than the Admirals have, 49, but have conceded 14 more goals.

The current run the Checkers have gone through is a cringe inducing one that has them 1-9-0-0 in their last 10 games including back-to-back losses. Not one of those games went past regulation. Four of the defeats were decided by one-goal. They conceded 40 goals during that span including 23 goals in six home games.

In fact, the Checkers have played eight games at home and have only won once. OUCH.

Their current top scorer is Zach Boychuk with 5 G, 9 A, and 14 pts. If he sounds familiar it is because last season he was picked up on waivers by every team under the sun… alright, put on waivers by Carolina, claimed by Pittsburgh, waived by Pittsburgh, claimed by Nashville, waived by Nashville, and claimed by Carolina again before being sent to the Checkers… so all went to Carolina’s plan. While it has been a struggle for the entire team of late, Boychuk has produced 4 points (2 G, 2 A) in his last three games at home. He could well be the igniter the Checkers desperately need in order to claw back into the win column.

The top goal scorers of the Checkers are defensemen Mark Flood and winger Chris Terry with 7 goals each. That sounds all well and dandy but both started off the season with red hot months of October and have since cooled off. Terry scored 6 goals and 4 assists in October and earned an NHL call up. He played in seven games, didn’t hit the scoresheet, and went -3. Since being sent back down he has scored 1 goal in three games. As for Flood, he scored 5 goals and 3 assists in October. In November he has cooled, 2 goals and 3 assists, but the bulk of those points came in the two-in-two at home against the Rockford IceHogs where he picked up 2 goals and 2 assists in two games.

Six. Six goalies. The Checkers have played six different goalies. One of which was Rick DiPietro – who the Checkers released from his PTO earlier in the week. The main man between the pipes has been John Muse who has started 11 games from 19 total. The numbers: 4-6-0-0 record, 2.55 GAA, 0.912 SV%, and 2 SO. He started the season with three straight wins including back-to-back shutout performances over the Griffins and Wolves. Great right? Now here’s where it gets bad. In the month of November Muse has gone 1-6-0-0 with a 0.885 SV% conceding an average of 3.2 goals per game. In his last five appearances he has allowed 19 goals. Whether he gets the net against the Ads is a mystery at this point. If you read up on the Checkers website… it sounds like we might see the seventh different goalie they’ve used in net this season.

Thoughts on the Checkers? What are your expectations for this two-in-two scenario? Will the Ads take both games this weekend or meet a Charlotte team ready to get off the floor?

Game Recaps

Ads Come Up Short in OT, 2-1

The Admirals lost 2-1 in overtime against the Rockford IceHogs Wednesday night.

While they may have earned a point on the road this is certainly a game that the Ads should have walked away from victorious. The goalies were brilliant at both ends of the rink in this one – neither allowed a puck to get behind them until the third period. Yet the backbreaker comes in OT with a poor penalty taken by Scott Valentine that leads to a four-on-three power-play opportunity that sealed the Ads fate tonight.

While the goal scoring came later on in this contest the Ads produced one of those rare fast starts. Credit that to the weekend off and very fresh legs on the ice. The Ads outshot the IceHogs 12-7 in the first period and 15-9 in the second period. Major credit has to be given to IceHogs’ netminder Kent Simpson who was pretty much lights-out tonight – stopping 33-34 shots on goal.

The third period is where the goals came in and, against the run of play through the first two periods, it was the IceHogs who managed to score first. Joakim Nordstrom picked up a feed in the slot from Mark McNeill to finally tally the game’s opening goal at the 7:07 mark of the third period.

After a holding penalty against Austin Watson the Ads aggressive penalty-kill were able to race into attack mode and score their third shorthanded goal of the season. A shot by IceHogs d-man Brett Skinner was blocked in front by Joonas Jarvinen. The big Fin acted quickly and delivered an outlet pass for Taylor Beck who broke off on a breakaway. Beck went forehand-to-backhand to beat the tip-top Simpson in net to level the game at 1-1. The goal by Beck is his fifth of the season and fourth of this month.

After a late surge by the IceHogs, one that required a last second save of Magnus Hellberg to deny Jeremy Morin, the two teams headed to OT. Just a minute and a half through OT Ads defensemen turned forward turned defensemen Scott Valentine took a swipe up high on Alex Broadhurst and went to the box for roughing. The Ads special teams at this moment in the game had gone 0-4 on the power-play and 3-3 on the penalty-kill with a shorthanded goal. Still, this is OT hockey where there is plenty more space to operate and the IceHogs didn’t waste time delivering the goods. A one-timed shot was deflected in past Hellberg and the IceHogs edged the Ads in a game they probably shouldn’t have even earned a point in. The game-winner was officially credited to McNeill. For the Ads, who have played in four OT games this season, this was the third time they have lost on a power-play goal in OT.

Some other notes out of this game: Scott Ford was listed as out with a lower-body injury. Initial reaction on my end was that this might be something precautionary. According to Aaron Sims on his radio call tonight the captain might miss a few weeks. In light of that, the “C” patch is off the ice meaning there will be an added “A” divvied out to Admiral veterans Kevin Henderson and Bryan Rodney. Henderson will wear the “A” at home and Rodney wore it on the road black uniform tonight. The new kid on the block, Vinny Saponari, played on a line with Henderson and Mark Van Guilder tonight. Saponari didn’t register a shot and was on the ice for the IceHogs opening goal in the third period. Mike Liambas made his return to the lineup after missing the last eight-games. Liambas picked up ten-minutes worth of penalty time after getting into a verbal bout with Theo Peckham. Both players received ten-minute misconducts for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Thoughts on the game tonight? Could the lack of a finishing touch on all those shots just have been a sign of some “off-day” rust or is there a bigger issue when it comes to this team burying chances? Would you say Hellberg and Beck are starting to show that they are back in form? How will this team fair against the Checkers?

On behalf of my family to your’s – Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Let’s just eat everything and get ready for the Charlotte Checkers this weekend.

Scouting

IceHogs: Scouting the Enemy

It has been 10 games since these evil –EVIL– IceHogs faced off with the Ads. That game looked a little something like this:

The game finished with a 4-2 Admirals win. Since, the Ads have played in ten games going 4-4-1-1. The IceHogs played nine games since their defeat in Milwaukee and have gone 3-6-0-0. So, both have been in a less than favorable stretch looking to snap out of it.

The IceHogs currently sit third behind the Ads in the Midwest division with a record of 10-10-1-0 good for 21 points. Their top scorer is defenseman Adam Clendening who has 4 goals, 14 assists, 18 points, and 20 PIM’s. As far as goals are concerned there really isn’t one player shouldering the load. There are three tied with six goals (Klas Dahlbeck, Mark McNeill, and Jeremy Morin) and another three tied behind them with five goals (Alex Broadhurst, Terry Broadhurst, and ex-Admiral Brad Winchester).

There is also a lot of sharing the spotlight as far as goaltending is concerned. The IceHogs have wheeled in three different goalies in their last four games: Kent Simpson, Mac Carruth, and Antti Raanta. Coming into Wednesday’s game against the Ads the top man in net for Rockford has been Raanta… but he is currently playing in the NHL with the Blackhawks. That leaves the starting role in the hands of the 21-year old Simpson who has gone 3-4-1-0 in seven starts and three relief appearances. Backing him up is another 21-year old in Carruth who made his AHL debut in a 5-2 loss in Charlotte where he allowed all five goals scored by the Checkers. My expectation is for a goaltending match up between Simpson and Magnus Hellberg tomorrow night. Simpson faced the Ads in the first meeting of the season stopping 34-37 shots on goal in a losing effort.

Penalty Minutes. The IceHogs have 101 more PIM’s than the Admirals. Alright, fair enough the IceHogs have played in four more games… but still. The first meeting between these two produced 26 combined PIM’s that gave the IceHogs six power-play chances (producing one goal) and the Ads with seven power-plays (where they scored twice). Top of the top in PIM’s in this contest is Rockford’s Jared Nightingale with 63 PIM’s. Those wondering who leads the way for the Ads: Anthony Bitetto with 34 PIM’s. Interestingly enough, as much as I love going back to the infamous bench clearing brawl between these two, there wasn’t a fight in the last game when these two met nor the pre-season game at the Kern Center. You have to go back to last season’s final meeting between the Ads/Hogs to find a scrap which involved Mike Liambas and Kyle Beach. Liambas is a possibility to return at some point in this road trip. Should he return tomorrow night I feel he would be a welcome element to stand toe-to-toe should push come to shove-facewash-punching.

Thoughts on tomorrow night’s game? How will the rested Ads come out to start this game? Will we see anyone drop the gloves?

News

Ads recall Vinny Saponari from ECHL

Saponari_Northeastern
(Photo credit to Dave Arnold)

Two days before the Ads take to the road against the Rockford IceHogs they’ve made a roster move. The team announced this afternoon that they have recalled right-winger Vinny Saponari from the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.

Saponari currently leads the Cyclones with ten assists and is second on the team in points with eleven scored in fourteen games. The 23-year old Georgia native was drafted in the fourth round of the 2008 NHL Draft by the Atlanta Thrashers. He made his professional hockey debut last season as a member of the St. John’s IceCaps where he scored a goal and an assist in seven AHL games.

There was no counter move made to this from the team. No players are known, at least not yet, to be heading to Cincinnati. The two key injuries on the Admirals team right now consist of Mike Liambas and Patrick Cehlin. Dean Evason stated that he expects Liambas to return during this road trip (possibly Wednesday in Rockford – probably Saturday or Sunday in Charlotte). Meanwhile, Cehlin has been out of the Ads lineup since a road game against the Iowa Wild on 11/3. In that game he scored a goal and an assist but went down with an unknown injury that has kept him out ever since.

The Ads have held a familiar roster and lineup ever since those two injuries took place. It has featured Scott Valentine in the Liambas role and Charles Roussel filling in for Valentine on defense. With Liambas potentially coming back and Saponari turning up today, one wonders where the move will come with the team and what exactly the status is on Cehlin. Either way, Saponari should be getting another crack at the AHL and, as far as offense goes, he might add a little extra spice on the back end of the Admirals forward line.

Thoughts on the move? Is this a short-term move for Rockford or possibly a long-term move? Who do you see potentially being sent down to Cincinnati? Does Valentine move back to defense or should he remain a forward? How would the return of Liambas impact the team?

News

Doctor Who?

Yesterday I received the keys to this ship from Ryan Miller. I’m sure I join everyone in an immense “thanks” to Ryan who has been the heart and soul of the Roundtable for a long time. In the time I’ve known him he has been nothing short of brilliant. He is a hockey enthusiast with a love of the Ads and its team history. I’m sad that he won’t be around to as many games as he was in the past but I do know he’s off on a great adventure as “the dad” and will no doubt be fantastic at it. Get that kid into hockey, Ryan! Start early!

It being yet another off day I wanted to take the time to introduce myself and let you all ask questions about me, my thoughts on the team, its players, whatever you fancy. So, let’s get a dialogue going. Who is this Daniel Lavender (@Doctor_Lavender) character anyways?

IMG_0148I am a Sconnie sports fan who just so happens to have family here in Wisconsin and in England. My dad was born and raised across the pond. My mum over here in the States. Long story short, I have a world of different perspectives and tastes for things thanks to my experiences traveling to England. Things like: Cornish pasties, a love of football (the other one), Formula 1, MotoGP, a Vanilla Flake cone, different music, and more Cornish pasties. Why nicknamed the Doctor? Well, because I’m the Doctor… clearly. If it’s English it gets my stamp of approval… unless we’re talking Manchester City.

For those who might think I sound familiar it is because, last season, I was a public relations intern with the Milwaukee Admirals. I was just coming off of my graduation from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, English major, and it was a dream opportunity for me to get into the sports field. I learned so much from the team’s front office group, had the chance to really study this team up close, and get into its history as I worked with the team’s 35th Anniversary campaign. I loved every bit of that experience. When offered the chance to stick around through Admirals Roundtable… I couldn’t possibly say no. Everyone involved in the organization is first class and treats one another like family. Hard to imagine a more fun work environment than this one.

From here, I say the floor is all your’s to ask any questions you might happen to have. I will take any and all questions, either in the comment section or over on Twitter (@AdsRoundtable), bring them up to this post, and answer them. Allons-y Admirals Roundtable!

Q&A: Open Thread

Kurtis: Who would win in a goalie fight between Hellberg and Pekka?
DL: Well, I get the feeling it wouldn’t be like DiPietro/Johnson. Two 6’5″ players going at it in full goaltending gear… it would probably be like Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant on ice!

Mike: Do you have a favorite Admirals player?
DL: I try my best to avoid favoritism, but I would say my favorite players to sweep through Milwaukee have been Darren Haydar and Juuso Puustinen. Both had such a calm and smooth playing style on the ice. They were always fun to watch on the ice.

Game Recaps

Ads Comeback and Win in Shootout, 3-2

112213-CHI-photo

(Photo credit to Scott Paulus)

The Admirals won 3-2 in a shootout over the Chicago Wolves Friday night. The Ads overcame a two-goal deficit to win in the shootout thanks to regulation goals by Kevin Henderson and Simon Moser. In the shootout, Mathieu Tousignant and Austin Watson scored the goals that set the stage for a glove save by Magnus Hellberg on Keith Aucoin to wrap up the comeback victory.

“If someone could tell me how we won that hockey game,” joked a very pleased Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason. “Because, for two periods, we thought we were outcompeted. Such a credit to our group. They just keep going.”

After a scoreless first period the Wolves managed to strike for two goals in the second period after two poor plays in the Ads defensive zone.

The opening goal by the Wolves was scored by Cody Beach after a relentless shift by Chicago. The Wolves came in waves with that shift but finally scored from a rebound. The shot by Sergey Andronov was stopped from a left-pad save by Magnus Hellberg but spilled out to Beach. The forward, ghosting behind the Admirals defense at the mouth of goal, was quick to strike for his first goal of the season.

The follow up effort by the Wolves came two minutes later after a communications breakdown between Hellberg and his defensemen. Hellberg played the puck behind his net, left it there as if a defensemen was going to swoop in, and no Admiral did so. Instead Tyler Shattock flew in, collected the free puck, and passed it out from behind the net to Pat Cannone. A flustered Hellberg might not have even seen that puck after leaving it behind his net. It was 2-0 to the Wolves.

Capitalizing on a Wolves mistake lead to the Admirals surge back into this game. A bad turnover by the Wolves, spearheaded by Mathieu Tousignant, lead to a mini-break for Kevin Henderson. The winger powered to goal and showed some soft hands with a silky smooth backhanded finish to beat Jake Allen in net. It was Henderson’s first goal since the last season’s finale in the playoffs on May 5th in Texas. The goal by the Admirals also broke a scoreless drought of 128:50.

“It feels great,” said Kevin Henderson about scoring his first goal of the season. “To get that goal. To help the team get in the right direction to get back against Chicago was huge. Hopefully there is more to come.”

As the second period horn sounded to signal the end of the period some of the chippiness you can expect from a rivalry game came through. Anthony Bitetto and Keith Aucoin got into it a little bit and both received minors for roughing that would carry over into the next period. With the team looking for a boost, the coaching staff turned to veteran leader and team captain Scott Ford during the second intermission.

“To be honest with you, after the second period, we [the coaches] didn’t even go in the room,” said Evason. “We just told Scott Ford that it’s their team and we see what happens. [The team] figured it out. Whatever was said between the second and third was all them.”

So, with four-on-four hockey to start the third period, there was space for the speedsters to shine. The Ads cashed in just twenty-eight seconds before the teams were about see Bitetto and Aucoin return to the ice. Much like the opening goal for the Wolves the Admirals equalizer came from a blast from the point and scored from the rebound. Bryan Rodney was the man whose rocket shot pounded off the end boards, twisting Allen in net, and causing a loose puck to spill over to Simon Moser. Allen had no chance to recover after committing to the shot by Rodney and Moser scored his fourth goal of the season.

This game then went buzzed through overtime and needed a shootout to decide it. The Ads decided to shoot first. Goals in the shootout were scored by Tousignant and Austin Watson. The shootout goal for Watson held the game in the balance for the Ads as Aucoin skated out for the Wolves crucial shootout attempt. Hellberg made a glove save and the Ads skated off with a big come from behind victory over their Amtrak Rivals.

Thoughts on tonight’s game? How good does this win feel after those previous two losses? Do you think this game can send the team off on their upcoming lengthy road trip in the right direction?

Numbers

By The Numbers: Hellberg

Hellberg-Numbers

(Photo credit to Scott Paulus)

There was so much to be excited about with Magnus Hellberg coming into this year. His rookie season was finished off with brilliant results that helped the Admirals reach the playoffs for the eleventh-straight season. For his efforts, he took part in the Nashville Predators pre-season camp. Sadly for Hellberg he was injured on the first day. He started off his season in Milwaukee and started in net for three games. Then came the Pekka Rinne injury and a call up to the NHL where Hellberg saw 12:12 of ice time in a relief role. He was next swapped by Nashville with the undefeated performer in net for the Admirals, Marek Mazanec, and instantly thrown back into the fire with games on the road with the explosive Texas Stars and pesky San Antonio Rampage.

It seems as if, ever since, he hasn’t played with the consistency and execution he displayed at the end of last year. Have teams figured him out? Is there a nagging injury? Is he a slow starter? Is there a little bit of a mental let down knowing he was in Nashville and then his replacement Mazanec has been, well, Mazanec? To me, it is very difficult to pin it on the roster switch with Mazanec but that is just one of many speculations you could dish out on the matter. Me, I’m a nerd who enjoys looking at statistical breakdowns in cases such as this to find differences or similarities. Let’s take a look at the numbers on Hellberg this year to last year – specifically this year’s first nine starts (which means, you guessed it, all of them to this point) versus last season’s first nine starts.

Magnus Hellberg’s First Nine Starts in 2012-13

10-21-12, @ HOU: W, 17 saves, 4 goals allowed, 0.810 SV%

10-31-12, vs. CHA: W, 27 saves, 4 goals allowed, 0.871 SV%

11-9-12, vs. CHI: ND (pulled), 13 saves, 3 goals allowed, 0.812 SV%

11-24-12, @ CHI: W, 30 saves, 3 goals allowed, 0.909 SV% – 5-6 in shootout saves

12-9-12, @ CHA: W, 26 saves, 2 goals allowed, 0.929 SV%

12-11-12, @ CHA: L, 30 saves, 3 goals allowed, 0.909 SV%

12-15-12, @ PEO: L, 34 saves, 2 goals allowed, 0.944 SV%

12-19-12, vs. RFD: L (pulled), 11 saves, 3 goals allowed, 0.786 SV%

12-29-12, @ RFD: L, 36 saves, 3 goals allowed, 0.923 SV%

Magnus Hellberg’s First Nine Starts in 2013-14

10-11-13, @ ABB: L, 28 saves, 3 goals allowed, 0.903 SV%

10-12-13, @ ABB: W, 26 saves, 1 goal allowed, 0.963 SV% – 4-4 in shootout saves

10-19-13, vs. CHI: L, 19 saves, 3 goals allowed, 0.864 SV%

11-8-13, @ TEX: L (pulled), 33 saves, 6 goals allowed, 0.846 SV%

11-10-13, @ SA: L, 43 saves, 2 goals allowed, 0.956 SV% – 4-5 in shootout saves

11-13-13, vs. GR: W, 28 saves, 1 goal allowed, 0.966 SV%

11-15-13, vs. CHI: L, 22 saves, 3 goals allowed, 0.880 SV%

11-19-13, vs. ABB: L, 33 saves, 4 goals allowed, 0.892 SV%

11-20-13, @ GR: L (pulled), 35 saves, 4 goals allowed, 0.897 SV %

The Sum

2012-13 Season
4-4-0-0 record, 224 saves, 27 goals allowed, 0.892 SV%
Goal Support in Games Started: 30

2013-14 Season
2-2-3-1 record, 267 saves, 27 goals allowed, 0.908 SV%
Goal Support in Games Started: 20

The way I see it by the numbers Hellberg is simply facing more this year with far less offensive production in front of him. He’s actually doing better than he was his rookie season as far as saves and save percentage is concerned. It’s only the win column where things don’t match up and the goal support the Admirals provide when he starts. So, is this a slow start for Hellberg? Actually not. He’s provided the Admirals a much needed stopper in goal. Just like any goalie though there are only so many shots that can get poured in before an offense breaks through. That’s happening at the same rate, 27 goals allowed through nine starts, as last season with a better save percentage.

Long story short (too late), the Admirals offense and defense need to step up their games to relieve some of the pressure being forced upon their netminder. It’s a dangerous game to play the way the Ads have this season. As a whole they have been outshot by their opponents 386-349 this season and it’s what both sides do with those shots that make the big dent. The Ads are seventeenth in the AHL in goals scored. They faced the top two teams in the AHL in goals scored on back-to-back nights this week and were outshot 80-56 in those games. That’s asking for trouble. For the Ads to see an improvement from their recent run of games all that’s required is to relieve stress on their own net by putting some shots on goal at the other end. To boot, the Ads need to sharpen up their finishing rate because 44 goals scored from 349 shots just isn’t good enough to hang with teams such as the Heat or Griffins.

Scouting

Wolves: Scouting the Enemy

The Ads have had a rough week in terms of match ups. In back-to-back days they faced the two best teams in the Western Conference with the Abbotsford Heat and Grand Rapids Griffins. The first game resulted in an overtime loss where the Ads held a two goal lead heading into the third period. After last night’s game in Grand Rapids… it is hard to do anything other than look ahead to Friday night’s meeting with the Chicago Wolves.

The Wolves enter Friday night’s game with a record of 9-6-0-1 good for 19 points. They sit just a point behind the Admirals in the Midwest division and continue to produce similar numbers to the Ads. Let me show you what I mean.

GP: 16 (equal)
Record: 8-4-3-1 (Ads), 9-6-0-1 (Wolves)
Points: 20 (Ads), 19 (Wolves)
GF: 44 (Ads), 43 (Wolves)
GA: 46 (Ads), 43 (Wolves)
PIM: 220 (Ads), 221 (Wolves)
Top Scorer: Colton Sissons (7 G, 6A, 13 pts), Corey Locke (5 G, 8 A, 13 pts)

Silly how things work out sometimes but, on paper, these two reflect a lot of one-another.

So far this season the Amtrak Rivalry sits with the Wolves up two wins in two meetings in Milwaukee. The first game finished 3-2 in OT. The second game finished 4-3. The Ads, coming off of their last two games with top teams in the AHL, are going to be facing yet another hot team in the Wolves Friday night. The Wolves will be walking into the Bradley Center on a five-game winning streak – the last of which was a 4-3 victory over the Griffins.

What can be a factor in this game is that last game for the Wolves. Not so much that they beat a team that dominated the Ads last night. It’s that the last game the Wolves played was last Saturday. That’s a long layoff period for a team to go through. The pro: rest. The con: rust. It’s going to be telling right out of the opening puck drop to see which hits the Wolves more, rest or rust. They’ll either be flying or making mistakes against an Ads team primed to strike back after two rough games.

Who has the edge in this game? Will the Ads bounce back Friday night? How will the long break between games impact the Wolves? Will Magnus Hellberg have a positive response to getting pulled from net in Grand Rapids? Should he even be in net for this one or could Scott Darling see another start?

Game Recaps

Drubbing: Griffins shutout Ads, 5-0

The Admirals were routed and shutout 5-0 by the Grand Rapids Griffins Wednesday night. The Griffins came flying out of the gate from the opening puck drop. They held the Ads without a shot through the opening fourteen minutes and, from period two on, popped in five goals en route to the win.

“[The Griffins] played a fast game,” said Milwaukee Admirals assistant coach Stan Drulia after the game on Sports Radio 1250 WSSP. “We couldn’t get our legs under us – especially in that first period. I thought, once we got through that first period and weathered the storm, we’d respond a little better. Just looking at things we made a lot of tired plays. I didn’t think the guys had their minds in it. Physically seemed to do some decent things but there was lots of fatigue out there it looked like.”

Coming into this game there was some roster movement going down on the Griffins end of things. They added veterans Patrick Eaves and Jordin Tootoo and that meant, due to the roster minimum, others on the team needed to sit out of the lineup. The Griffins sat out defensemen Brennan Evans and team captain Jeff Hoggan. Tootoo played 100 games as a member of the Milwaukee Admirals from 2004-06 with 23 goals, 26 assists, and 399 PIM’s.

The opening period started with a quick scrap between Mathieu Tousignant and Mitch Callahan. It didn’t sound like this lasted very long. It picked up quick after some chippiness from Tousignant and ended with a fast take down for Callahan.

Major talking point of this first period was the disparity in shots. Good news? The Griffins didn’t cash in on their fast start. However, they outshot the Ads 14-4 in the opening frame and held the Ads without a shot until there was 6:08 remaining in the period. That first shot on goal by the Admirals came on a power-play off the stick of Anthony Bitetto.

After dominating the first twenty-minutes, the Griffins continued to attack and finally were rewarded with a goal on their seventh shot. Riley Sheahan scored on the power-play after collecting a rebound just inside the bottom left circle. His follow up shot beat Hellberg between the shoulder and post to make it 1-0.

Scary moment for the Ads when veteran Mark Van Guilder was hit hard in front of the Griffins team bench by Tootoo. Van Guilder stayed down in pain for awhile and the crowd was dead silent. MVG managed to get up on his own power and sat behind the Ads bench rather than straight to the locker room. He did make a return to the game following the hit.

Just as the Ads started putting in some shots and earning a power-play, the Griffins tagged them with a shorthanded goal. Mitch Callahan poked in a loose puck that Hellberg had trapped between his legs. Hellberg may have been hoping for a whistle but it never came. That’s the fifth shorthanded goal the Ads have conceded this season.

The Griffins started the third period on an abbreviated power-play. There were fifty-one seconds remaining on a penalty to Joonas Jarvinen for roughing and Cory Emmerton scored with two-seconds remaining on the man-advantage. The shot somehow squeaked through Hellberg’s five-hole for yet another Griffins’ special teams goal.

A fight broke out minutes after the Griffins third goal. This go-round it was former-teammates and good friends Scott Ford and Triston Grant slugging it out. Grant seemed a little bit surprised by this fight but the two did have it out. This was a veteran move on the part of the skipper Ford. He was looking to inject some type of energy into a deflated Admirals team. In my opinion, it may have come a period or maybe even two periods short.

Magnus Hellberg’s night ended after the Griffins scored their fourth of the night. This time a bullet from Sheahan was deflected by Callahan for his second of the night. Out goes Hellberg and stepping into the inferno was Scott Darling for the rest of the game. Hellberg’s line tonight: 35 saves on 39 shots. He is now 2-7-1-1 in net this season.

Just for good measure the Griffins scored against Scott Darling to make it 5-0. This was a very odd goal as the puck seemed to skipped up in the air and roll off the back of Darling and in. Another case of, this really just isn’t our night tonight.

Not a lot of positives to take from this game right now. My hope is to see an appropriate response come Friday night against the Chicago Wolves. I think a lot can be gained from losses such as the last two that the Ads have endured. The team simply has to learn and adjust.

Thoughts on this game? What happened tonight? What could have been done differently to slow down the Griffins? Do you think the Ads can rebound by Friday?