Author: Daniel Lavender

Chatterbox April 3, 2017April 4, 2017

Chatterbox, Vol. 196

Given how Saturday night’s game finished I was expecting the Milwaukee Admirals to play rather fired up on Sunday. That did happen but, blink blink, they went down 2-0 in a matter of moments in the first period. It could have become a “here we go again” moment but the Admirals didn’t just comeback over the course of the game. They came back in that period and proceeded to make a statement.

The Admirals 7-2 win was a solid performance from all levels of the team. I believe the offense needs no precise explanation other than the scoreline but lost in that is how well the defense played. The penalty kill was a perfect six-for-six and was confident enough to fetch a shorthanded goal. Outside of the two goals scored for the Stars, one of which was an Admirals error, the Stars had no real threatening chances to speak of once they had their 2-0 lead after seven-minutes of work. That’s a massive credit to the Admirals defense and that same aspect helps a great deal in the offense being able to contribute as it did.

Now, about that Pontus Åberg kid. What has been doing for a touch over a year now has been pretty special. It was March of last season when things really started to explode for him. Conveniently, the amount of games played from the start of March through to the end of the 2015-16 regular season and everything Åberg has done for the Admirals in the 2016-17 season comes out to the amount of a full AHL regular season. Since March of last season Åberg has scored 74 points (42 goals, 32 assists) in 76 AHL regular season games. That includes 20 power-play goals. He has been the Admirals most explosive player.

Åberg really has all of the tools to translate to the NHL right now. The only reason why he isn’t comes down to the amount of numbers currently playing up top for the Nashville Predators. They have plenty of names sitting out as healthy scratches right now. Yet, the time given to Åberg is being used very well and he has found an identity for himself. That fire he had at the end of last season has been burning all of this season. He said it himself after yesterday’s game that he is playing for a contract next season. It would be wise for the Predators to make sure he stays under their banner.

Another player who stepped up nicely last night was Vladislav Kamenev. Who knows if the second period would have opened up so much for the Admirals if Kamenev didn’t level things at 2-2 in the first period? What I appreciated so much of both Kamenev’s goals was his patience. The opening goal for the Admirals by Kamenev came during a delayed penalty and Kamenev waited to find a lane through traffic, hesitated on a slap shot, and then found a perfect placement for a wrister. The equalizer for him wasn’t traffic oriented so much but he stopped right at the top of the circle and must have been right in his wheelhouse. The wrister he produced was inch perfect to the far post. After that performance for himself he is now tied with Frédérick Gaudreau and Trevor Smith for the second most points on the Admirals.

Justin Kirkland made his return to game action yesterday after missing the Admirals last eight. There were a few nagging issues for him but him being back was a very welcome sight. I’m sure that return back on ice, which resulted in the Stars opening goal, was a harsh “welcome back” to game pace. That said, he seemed to settle back down and was the beneficiary of a highlight reel assist from Åberg.

I found the final goals of last night’s game to be amusing because, hey. the Stars head coach Derek Laxdal was angry about the Admirals in December running up the score with their top guys still on the ice. The Admirals did run the score up a bit at the end of that game but they did it with their perceived fourth line at even strength and on the power-play. That power-play had Mike Liambas setting up Justin Florek for his second goal of the night to see the Admirals power-play go three-of-three and complete a perfect night for Admirals special teams.

The contest did end on a sour note. Adam Payerl really had no need to clock Darren Dietz as he did. The game was in its final minute, the Admirals had the game soundly won, and Payerl was rightfully assessed a boarding major and a game misconduct. The AHL always reviews game misconducts for potentially further supplemental discipline. I wouldn’t be surprised if Payerl misses a game out of this coming weekend’s three-in-three.

After the game, I did get to speak with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason as well as Åberg, Florek, and Kirkland. There were the comments after the Admirals dominant win Sunday at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.

Comments on the comments? The Milwaukee Admirals are starting to get better as the season is ending. They will now get a good bit of rest time along with significantly reduced travel compared to those around them in the playoff picture. Is this current stretch for the Admirals what they need to really start a run before the playoffs start?

Be sure to keep updated with Admirals Roundtable through social media platform of your choice: follow along Twitter, like us on Facebook, get photo updates on Instagram, and listen along on SoundCloud.

Game Recaps April 2, 2017April 2, 2017

Tour de Force; Ads Throttle Texas 7-2

The Milwaukee Admirals won 7-2 against the Texas Stars at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena on Sunday evening.

The script was flipped to an extreme from one night to the next. The Admirals went down 2-0 and rattled of seven unanswered goals behind multi-goal nights for Vladislav Kamenev, Pontus Åberg, and Justin Florek. The win for the Admirals dropped their magic number down to one.

“It was reversed,” said Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason of Sunday’s game relative of Saturday night. “Clearly they get the jump. It’s a funny game. The Hockey Gods, or whatever you want to call them, they put you in positions to see what you’re made of.”

Justin Kirkland marked his return to the Admirals lineup after missing the last eight games in a first shift he’d like to forget. The Admirals were defending around the net and Kirkland banked a puck off the endboards which saw the puck kick out right in front of the net for Mark McNeill. The former IceHogs forward scored with ease for his ninth goal of the season.

It would take the Stars only 2:23 of ice-time to make it a 2-0 first period lead.Matej Stransky worked off the right wing and whipped a shot near post that rolled up on Marek Mazanec into the top shelf near post and in for his twenty-fourth goal of the season.

The Admirals would respond not too long after going down by a pair of goals. 1:08 after the Stransky goal, on a delayed penalty, Vladislav Kamenev had a puck trickle back to him in the high slot and the Russian hesitated the slap shot and then wristed low past Maxime Lagacé to score his seventeenth goal of the season and make it a 2-1 game.

Kamenev would keep the first period surge going by making it 2-2 from his second goal in the space of 4:53 of hockey. Kirkland picked him out as the rush was on from neutral ice. Kamenev stopped on a dime at the top of the right wing face-off circle and snapped a hard wrister across the grain of Lagacé to beat him stick-side for his eighteenth goal of the season.

The second period started off with some Admirals history from Pontus Åberg. The Admirals had a power-play to work with and the Swede from his sweet spot on the left wing circle worked his magic once again to record his thirtieth goal of the season to get the Admirals out in front 3-2.

Åberg scoring his thirtieth goal makes him just the fourth Admirals in their AHL history to record thirty or more goals in a season. He joins the likes of Darren Haydar (2005-06), Rich Peverley (2006-07), and Chris Mueller (2011-12).

“I can just tell you that he is working his butt off,” said Evason of Åberg. “He has so much skill it is ridiculous. He can do things with the puck and skate, and he has put it all together now, but the biggest key is his work ethic. It’s fun to watch.”

The work rate of Åberg has been the real bright spot for him this season. And that didn’t stop after the power-play goal. Åberg flew down the right wing, stopped, and snapped off a backhand pass in-line to Kirkland who was all alone as he stepped in on goal for a tap in and his eighth goal of the season to extend the Admirals lead to 4-2.

“He is such a skilled guy,” said Kirkland of Åberg. “I know that when he has the puck he has eyes in the back of his head and you saw a little spin-o-rama pass. I could barely see it come through the guy’s legs and luckily it was right on my stick and went in.”

At the closing stage of the second period Trevor Murphy was assessed high sticking and unsportsmanlike conduct minors. This put the Admirals penalty kill to work until the horn sounded on the frame and that allowed for Åberg to continue his AHL MVP level highlight reel to continue. He had a two-on-one with Matt White to his left wing and Andrew Bodnarchuk defending. The Swede dangled through him and deposited with style for his thirty-first goal and fiftieth point of the season. The shorthanded goal was scored with seven-seconds remaining and the Admirals reversed yesterday’s script by tallying five unanswered goals after trailing by two.

“It’s a good achievement,” said Åberg. “I’ve just been trying to work as hard as I can every night. I’m playing for a new contract, too. And it’s a playoff push. This is now when you want to play good. It’s been going good lately”

There was of course an entire third period still to be played after all that happened in the first forty minutes of hockey. Justin Florek would add two goals to further the rout. He first deflected a Rick Pinkston shot and then scored on a power-play with the fourth line acting as the power-play group. The two goals for Florek pumped his season total to twelve goals.

After a two-on-one chance went begging Åberg spearheaded a breakaway shortly after and earned a penalty shot with the chance to record a hat trick with 6:41 remaining in regulation. His setup was very slow and his backhander was blockered aside by Lagacé to keep the score at 7-2.

The punishment of that game would end on the scoreboard at a 7-2 Admirals final. Yet, Adam Payerl finished the game with a boarding major and game misconduct after a hard hit to Darren Dietz. Thankfully Dietz was able to skate off under his own power but the Admirals alternate captain likely will face potential disciplinary measures for that late hit.

The Admirals could have clinched a spot in the 2017 AHL Calder Cup Playoffs tonight but needed some help to do it. That help did not come as the Cleveland Monsters earned a 4-0 shutout victory tonight on the road against the Iowa Wild. Those same two teams are back in action Tuesday night and the Admirals will be looking for some cooperation on the part of the Wild that night to help make the Admirals’ Celebrity Serve event that much more of a celebration.

Next on tap for the Admirals is a decent chunk off. They do not play again until Friday when they start a three-in-three weekend. The first two legs of the weekend will be at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena as the Cleveland Monsters come in on Friday and then the Rockford IceHogs on Saturday. They finish the three-in-three after making the long bus ride out to face the Iowa Wild at the Wells Fargo Arena.

Ramblings: Prior to tonight’s game the Milwaukee Admirals released Stephen Perfetto from his PTO Contract. He is expected to rejoin the Alaska Aces in the ECHL. This evening’s line combinations were: Richard-Ribeiro-Gaudreau, White-Smith-Åberg, Kirkland-Kamenev-Payerl, Florek-Army-Liambas, Pardy-Carrier, Murphy-Granberg, Pinkston-Dougherty. This evening’s scratches were: Kelleher (healthy), O’Brien (lower-body injury), and Oligny (lower-body injury). With his start tonight Marek Mazanec tied Brain Finley for the most appearances by an Admirals goaltender in the AHL history of the team with 161 games. Tonight’s attendance was 7,505 and the Milwaukee Admirals donated $22,512.00 to the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in the process.

What were your thoughts on today’s game? Was this an appropriate response to how last night’s game ended? How good will it be that the Milwaukee Admirals finally get some solid rest this week before really motoring home to the finish line?

Chatterbox April 2, 2017

Chatterbox, Vol. 195

Oh, what could have been… (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)

I’m not sure you can define last night’s 5-2 loss for the Milwaukee Admirals to the Texas Stars on home ice as anything more than disappointing. The first period effort for the Admirals was outstanding. Everything away from that ended up becoming rattled, unorganized, discombobulated, and forgetful of defensive responsibility. In other words, the script of that first period turned and stayed turned for the rest of regulation.

What can be lost in all of our own disappointment of a match-up that seemed primed to get the Admirals a playoff berth this weekend is that the Stars exited the first intermission and layered together a very complete and effective game. The Stars looked caught in a spin-cycle at times in the first period. And it almost felt like it was their first game together as a team. The Admirals used that to their advantage to get a 2-0 lead in the first period but that was all the Stars allowed from that point forward. Their defense made passing and shooting tricky. And it created some counter attacks that led directly to goals – that was exactly how they made it a 2-2 game.

So, yes. That one stings a bit. And, it is no free pass, but around the AHL’s Central Division last night there were other wacky scores that played out. The Rockford IceHogs defeated the Grand Rapids Griffins 4-1 at the BMO Harris Bank Center. The Cleveland Monsters defeated the Chicago Wolves 5-2 at the Allstate Arena.

Unlike the aforementioned teams above the Admirals get a chance at redemption to the lowly team that banged them up last night. And I feel that’s the benefit to what the Admirals have ahead of them this afternoon. They know where they made mistakes. They -should- know how and why they made those mistakes. And they get to correct them instantly against the team they made them against and lost out to. The Stars are on the last of a three-in-three weekend. The Admirals do not play again until Friday after today’s game. They should play the game extremely hard today and suffocate the Stars with brute force and puck pressure. The less chasing the Admirals need to do – the better it will be for them.

After the game I caught up with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason. I also had the chance to speak with defensemen Petter Granberg and Trevor Murphy. Here were last night’s post-game interviews.

Comments on the comments? How will the Milwaukee Admirals respond to a performance such as last night? Do you feel there is a benefit to be gained being exposed now rather than in the playoffs? Will the Admirals manage to clinch a playoff spot today or will it end up happening will they sit this coming week?

Game Recaps April 1, 2017April 2, 2017

Falling Flat Fast; Ads Lose 5-2

The Milwaukee Admirals lost 5-2 against the Texas Stars at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena on Saturday night.

It looked like it could be so much more tonight for the Admirals. They had a scenario to clinch a playoff spot and had a 2-0 lead after the first period. The Stars would tear off five unanswered goals as the Admirals sputtered hard from the second period forward. They were generating some pressure but failed to find quality in the final third of the ice.

“We tried to make it 6-0 after it was 2-0,” said Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason. “And maybe some teams are good like that, pressing harder to score, we’re not. We’re a team that has to play right all the time or it ends up shooting us.”

Less than five minutes into the game Nick Ebert was called for cross-checking to put the Admirals on the game’s first power-play. That didn’t take too long as Pontus Åberg delivered from his sweet spot on the left wing circle to record his twenty-ninth goal of the season. The Swede’s shot stayed low and Trevor Smith held off the far post to make for plenty of room for the puck to carry on target uninterrupted and fly past Justin Peters.

The Admirals would extend their first period lead to 2-0 around ten minutes later. Anthony Richard used his fantastic skating ability to motor down the right wing with pace and the flick a backhander into the goal front area before he wrapped around the net. Trevor Murphy stepped out from the blueline to camp the crease and had a tap-in tally for his twelfth goal of the season.

In the second period the Stars would get on the board in rapid succession to level the contest. During the Admirals third power-play opportunity Denis Gurianov scored five-hole on Marek Mazanec off of a shorthanded breakaway to notch his tenth goal of the season. That was followed 1:30 later by a two-on-one break that saw Ethan Werek backhand across to his left wing where Brandon DeFazio buried his twenty-first goal of the season past the stick-side of Mazanec to make it a 2-2 game.

“We gave them two goals,” said Evason. “That’s what we’ve talked about all year. We’ve got to stop shooting ourselves, and we haven’t as of late, we definitely shot ourselves in the foot here tonight.”

The third period would see the Stars comeback be completed by them claiming their first lead of the night. A quick up by Werek sent Ebert down the right wing with pace and his slap shot rocketed past Mazanec to the near post for his ninth goal of the season to make it 3-2 Stars.

With 1:24 remaining in regulation Mazanec made his way to the bench for the extra attacker to get on the ice. The Admirals would earn an in-zone face-off four seconds later and the team would use their timeout. Trevor Smith would win the face-off so decisively that it cleared all the way back to the empty net. The goal would be credited to Travis Morin for his twenty-first of the season. The Stars would then add a second empty netter which came from DeFazio for his second tally of the game and twenty-second of the season. The Stars would win 5-2 with five unanswered goals.

Perhaps April Fool’s Day was just the theme for the AHL this evening. The Grand Rapids Griffins were roughed up 4-1 by the Rockford IceHogs and the Chicago Wolves were bested by the Cleveland Monsters by a 5-2 final scoreline. I suppose it was just that sort of night.

These two teams will be right back in action tomorrow at 3:00 PM CDT at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. The Admirals will then have a good chunk of time to rest up ahead of a three-in-three weekend. They will face the Cleveland Monsters at home on Friday, the Rockford IceHogs on Saturday to complete the four-game homestand, and then finish off the weekend on the road with a Sunday clash against the Iowa Wild.

Ramblings: Since the Milwaukee Admirals last played on Wednesday there have been no roster moves made by the organization. Tonight’s line combinations include: White-Smith-Åberg, Richard-Ribeiro-Gaudreau, Payerl-Kamenev-Kelleher, Florek-Army-Liambas, Pardy-Carrier, O’Brien-Granberg, Murphy-Dougherty. Tonight’s scratches were: Kirkland (undisclosed injury), Oligny (lower-body injury), Perfetto (healthy), and Pinkston (healthy).

What were your thoughts of tonight’s game? What is it with these Milwaukee Admirals and the second period lately? What was wrong with the passing after the first period for the Admirals? Can they quick rally back tomorrow to get points tomorrow against these Texas Stars?

Scouting April 1, 2017

Stars: Scouting the Enemy

(Photo Credit: Andy Nietupski // Texas Stars)

Happy April, everyone! It has been ages since the Milwaukee Admirals and Texas Stars last played. Yet, when they did, boy did an explosion take place and it is one that could have repercussions this weekend if the words and memory of a certain head coach hold strong.

The Admirals first two games against the Stars ended in wins but were entirely different games. Marek Mazanec was a rock for the Admirals as they earned a 4-3 win in the first meeting of the season. The following night things became ugly in the best of ways. The Admirals won 9-1 in Texas and it prompted Stars head coach Derek Laxdal to say the following after the game.

“There will be probably history next game because guys aren’t going to forget you’re down 8-1 and they’re putting their first power-play unit on the ice. Guys don’t forget that. Guys are upset. They’re getting shown up in their own building. So, there’s going to be a little bit of emotions there. Guys are stepping up for teammates. That’s good to see. At the end of the day it wasn’t a good night for us. Last night we played pretty well in the third period and had a chance to get some points and we didn’t. Tonight they were the better team.”

If “history” is going to be a thing that these guys are still clinging on to after more than three months of work? I’d keep my head up on the ice tonight and my eyes wide open if I’m sitting back inside the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.

The Stars are on a three-in-three weekend. They lost 3-1 on the road last night to the Rockford IceHogs. They had the game’s opening goal coming from a penalty shot in the first period but that was that. Their record moved down to 30-33-1-4 (65 points, 0.478 points percentage). They have lost their last two games and only have won three of their last eleven games.

As always happens to be the case – I adore getting to match up with the Stars because it affords us here on Admirals Roundtable the chance to have a chat with Stephen Meserve of 100 Degree Hockey. There aren’t nearly enough beat writers or bloggers around the AHL landscape but he’s certainly top of the top, I’d say. He was once again kind enough to give us insight on the Stars’ season to date and much more in a Q&A.

~Q&A with Stephen Meserve~

Admirals Roundtable: The Texas Stars are not having the best of seasons out in the Pacific Division. What has been the story this season?

Stephen Meserve: I mean… yeah. The story has been mixed. Goaltending has been quite abhorrent. The Stars pinned their hopes to the combination of Maxime Lagacé and Philippe Desrosiers. As of today, Desrosiers is playing the ECHL outside the organization and Lagacé has just one start since the trade for Justin Peters in late February. The goaltending hasn’t been helped by a porous defense and the worst penalty kill in the league. Additionally, Texas has a bad tendency to cough up leads. They led 3-0 in Cleveland a few weeks ago only to lose 6-3, for example. They did nearly the same thing against Stockton last weekend. Put it all together and you have a middling season, just the second time ever that Texas will miss the playoffs.

AR: It always amuses me how similar AHL teams can be to their parent NHL clubs. Would it be fair to say that Dallas organization in general is having a down year? If so, how do things change for the better?

SM: Ha, if I knew the answer to this question, I would be working in hockey ops. Dallas and Texas are so very similar: poor goaltending combined with poor defense and no PK to speak of. Systemic changes are probably necessary and it is going to be a tough sell for anyone to make it back behind the benches next season in either city.

AR: The last time these two teams played was 12/17/16 when the Admirals won 9-1 in Texas. Stars head coach Laxdal said, for those who had forgotten, there will be “history” after that game. Are we in for some bad blood?

SM: I don’t know if there’s enough blood left in the thing to send any blood toward this beef. Texas has been playing some pretty demoralized hockey as of late. They aren’t brawlers and I think the 9-1 game was an exception to their normal game. That being said, the Stars did set a franchise record for penalty minutes this season against Tucson. They may very well be up for a fight since they’ve got nothing to lose. I’d rather not, since games with the Ads are usually quite entertaining due to the defensive styles of both teams. Wait, scratch that. Texas hasn’t played that style this season so maybe that isn’t a safeguard. We’ll have to see who starts.

AR: I feel a mandatory Travis Morin mention should come about here. For as rough or up-and-down as things can be he always seems to be a model of consistency, doesn’t he?

SM: Morin will be the only player to wear #23 for the Stars. I’ll help lead the pitchfork brigade if anyone else does. He intends to retire with the Stars, and I think his consistency proves that he deserves that chance.

AR: The Stars added a very familiar face to us Admirals people at the NHL Trade Deadline: former Rockford IceHogs forward Mark McNeill. How has he settled into a new setting? I had the feeling getting away from the tyranny of Ted Dent would do him a world of good.

SM: He’s gotten 8 points (2 goals, 6 assists in 14 games, immediately jumping into the top 6. He’s been good, but not great. I think getting into whatever this team turns into next season will give him a true chance at a fresh start. He’s gotten good minutes and been a PP contributor.

AR: Peters and Lagacé have split time this season in net. Yet, numbers-wise, things look painful. Is that a sign of the defense or has goaltending struggled in addition to the defense?

SM: See above… Yes, it’s been an all-around issue. Defense has done the goaltending no favors. The goaltending hasn’t held up its end of the bargain either. What you ended up getting was a defense that would let players walk in and a goalie that couldn’t make the big save when you needed it. Then, the team would get down by 2 or so and have to step it up to get back in it. This led to aggressiveness, which either tied the game or earned more penalties and goals against. If Texas did tie it or even go ahead, they’d lose steam by the third from all that aggressive play and give up a late goal to tie/lose. That about sums it up.

AR: The schedule sort of works against the Stars this weekend. The Stars Rockford ahead of the Saturday and Sunday games in Milwaukee. How will the Stars be handling the three-in-three?

SM: It is, oddly, the Stars’ first three-in-three of the season. It comes at the worst possible time… if the Stars were making a playoff push. However, they could be eliminated by Sunday, so that is something. I asked about this after the last game and Matej Stransky noted that they’ll just be keeping themselves energized, well fed and well-rested.

Cheers to Stephen Meserve of 100 Degree Hockey for taking the time to get us all up to speed on the Texas Stars. You can read more from him at his website and do give him a follow on Twitter (@100DegreeHockey).

What are your expectations for this weekend’s games against the Texas Stars? Will the Stars be out for blood after how the previous game between the two played out? If so, would it be smart for the Milwaukee Admirals to focus less on post-whistle activity and simply focus on “more of the same please” such as that 9-1 win in Texas?

Chatterbox March 31, 2017March 31, 2017

Chatterbox, Vol. 194

This morning I ventured on in for morning practice at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. The Milwaukee Admirals will be starting the first of a four-game homestand tomorrow night. The Texas Stars will be their opponent this weekend and it will be the first time since a 9-1 victory in Texas back on 12/17/16 that the two teams last saw one another.

White-Smith-Åberg
Richard-Ribeiro-Gaudreau
(Kelleher) Kirkland-Kamenev-Payerl
Florek-(Perfetto-Army)-Liambas

Pardy-Carrier (Pinkston)
O’Brien-Granberg
Murphy-Dougherty

Mazanec
Gunnarsson

These were the line combinations rolling out for the Admirals today. Everyone except for Jimmy Oligny participated. He remains out due to injury and will likely be unavailable for the weekend. He was joined on the bench as a spectator this morning by Cody Bass who is here in Milwaukee continuing his rehab from knee surgery.

As far as the line combinations go, it must be said, flexibility is very much in play. The Admirals very well could keep Tyler Kelleher in the lineup as a way to make sure Justin Kirkland returns at 100%. That said, if Kirkland is back, it is a nice boost as that line with himself, Vladislav Kamenev, and Adam Payerl was really good together.

The same can be said of the fourth line which could mix and match Stephen Perfetto and Derek Army at center this weekend. In fact, though not practiced today, if the Admirals really wanted to they could keep Kelleher on the third line and work in Kirkland as the fourth line center if needed.

There are lots of options for the Admirals to tinker around with. And that can continue to grow with junior and college seasons coming to an end. We’ve yet to see a proper ATO signing by the Admirals just yet. Kelleher was signed through to the 2017-18 season on an AHL Contract. Should results pan out there is the chance Yakov Trenin or Samuel Girard could be heading to the Admirals in the very near future from their respective QMJHL teams.

After practice wrapped up I was able to chat with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason. I then spoke with yesterday’s award winners. The Admirals’ IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year, Jack Dougherty. Admirals Roundtable’s Admiral of the Month for March, Pontus Åberg. These were today’s interviews.

Comments from the comments? What are you anticipating for this weekend’s games against the Texas Stars? How good is it that the Milwaukee Admirals really get to settle in on home ice right now as the playoff crunch starts to hit hard? Is this team still capable of stealing the Central Division title?

News March 30, 2017

Jack Dougherty Named Admirals Man of the Year

At the end of the AHL season all teams in the league select their finalist for the AHL’s Yanick Dupre Memorial Award. The Milwaukee Admirals choice for their Man of the Year is first-year pro defenseman Jack Dougherty.

Press Release via Milwaukee Admirals:

Milwaukee, WI–The Milwaukee Admirals are proud to announce that Jack Dougherty has been named the team’s winner of the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year award for his outstanding contributions to the Milwaukee community during the 2016-17 season.

Dougherty was instrumental in the success of the Admirals reading program “Reading: The Ultimate Power Play,” as he went to six Milwaukee Public Schools that participated in the program to read to the kids in their classrooms and encourage them to achieve their reading goals. In addition, he made other school visits to talk with kids about the importance doing your best in school and how his education helps him as a professional athlete.

Jack, a native of Cottage Grove, MN served as a celebrity waiter for Prevent Blindness of Wisconsin’s annual fundraiser that raises money to help prevent blindness and other severe eye problems in kids. He was one of five players who auctioned off their services for a charity auction to go and cook dinner at the house of the winner, an item that netted $6,000.

Jack also went to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin to visit sick kids during the season and helped to distribute Shamrock Shakes to kids at the local Ronald McDonald House on St. Patrick’s Day. He also donated money to help buy presents for underprivileged kids at Christmas time.

Dougherty is now one of 30 finalists for the AHL’s 2016-17 Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, honoring the overall IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year. The league award is named after the former Hershey Bears forward and AHL All-Star who died in 1997 following a 16-month battle with leukemia. The winner of the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award will be announced by the American Hockey League at a later date.

Feature March 30, 2017

Admiral of the Month: March

Yes, the calendar still reads March but the Milwaukee Admirals slate of games for the month came to an end last night with a 3-2 victory on the road over the Grand Rapids Griffins. The Admirals went 8-4-0-1 in March and saw several key contributors along the way.

This is an immensely hard choice this time around. The scoring race between Pontus Åberg and Frédérick Gaudreau has been staggering to sit back and watch them in their “anything you can do I can do better” contest develop. Yet, behind their high octane efforts, the level of play by Trevor Smith and Marek Mazanec deserve serious recognition for how well both have played. Let’s review all four players.

Åberg scored 14 points (11 goals, 3 assists) in 13 games during the month of March. I would say the only reason you have not seen the 23-year old Swede more in the NHL this season is because of how thick the glass ceiling has been for the organization’s topside forward depth. If Craig Smith continued at a snail’s pace for scoring there is a good chance that Åberg could have been brought up and given a chance to capture in the NHL what he so firmly has in the AHL. This has been his best season as a pro. Not only is his scoring touch evident but his all around game. His defensive work rate is just as skillful as his offense and he has been very reliable in all situations. This past month was as good of a run as he has ever had and he is a pair of goals shy of becoming the fourth ever Admiral in the AHL era of the team to hit 30 goals in a season. He even still has the time to pass Wade Megan and become the first Admiral since Danny Lecours in 1982-83 to win a league goal scoring title. When you are looking to do something that was last done ten-years before you were born – that’s a thing.

Last season, Gaudreau burst on the scene with the Admirals by playing his way into the AHL All Star Classic and then earning an NHL Contract from the Predators. What he is doing this season, and specifically right now, is special. Gaudreau is so polished defensively and it is his offensive game that has been needing the boost to make him an NHL caliber name. It’s the reverse of what you normally see as far as prospects go. The evolution of Gaudreau has been amazing. Gaudreau recorded 13 points (8 goals, 5 assists) in 13 games during March. To give you some perspective, Gaudreau’s first pro season of 2014-15 saw him record 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) in 43 games – the entire AHL season. You will rarely see someone work harder than Gaudreau – either in practice or during a game. He is now putting together all aspects of his game at a high rate of skill and success.

While those two were off scoring goals like bonkers the Admirals captain, Smith, was playing a huge role. As this team transitions towards playoff style “defense-first” hockey Smith’s play has stood out. I’ve heard countless times of his leadership skills but they are really evident on the ice at this point in the season. His work rate has been phenomenal and his contributions on face-offs and special teams has been huge. You can’t get a much better example of that than last night’s game. Smith’s goal scoring rate dropped off from where it had been in the earlier stages of the season but he ended a goal scoring drought for himself this month which had spanned twenty-three consecutive games without a goal. Perhaps that would feel more noticeable if he wasn’t creating so many for others. In March Smith recorded 14 points (1 goal, 13 assists) in 13 games.

Many might view this as a lost season for Mazanec. He looked set to be the Predators back-up this season. That didn’t happen. He arrived to the AHL. And you never would have known that he was hurt by the situation. All he has done is work hard, learn, and grow. This might be a really important season for Mazanec’s growth as a goaltender. He will become 26-years old this Summer and is looking to play his way into a new contract elsewhere that could afford him NHL opportunities. This month, when the pressure starts to ratchet up, Mazanec has responded in a large way. Mazanec played in all but two games for the Admirals this month. He went 8-2-0-1 with a 0.924 save percentage. As the Admirals gear up for playoff style hockey and a “defense-first” approach the growing pains comeback to Mazanec to bail his team out. He has. And he has often and often -so- well.

This is as tough of a decision as I have needed to make for this Admirals Roundtable monthly award. All four richly deserve the distinction for how well they played. But, there should be only one to claim it. If I think more and more of it I can’t help but settle on the Swede. This has been the month where all I see of Åberg is an NHL player playing in the AHL. Your Admiral of the Month for his contributions in March, Pontus Åberg.

~Admiral of the Month Award~

October: Juuse Saros
November: Alex Carrier
December: Harry Zolnierczyk
January: Marek Mazanec
February: Frédérick Gaudreau
March: Pontus Åberg

Who do you feel was the top performer for the Milwaukee Admirals during the month of March? Was it Åberg, Gaudreau, Smith, Mazanec, or someone else? Tell me who your Admiral of the Month was in the comment section below.

Game Recaps March 29, 2017March 29, 2017

Weathering the Storm; Ads Win 3-2

The Milwaukee Admirals won 3-2 on the road against the Grand Rapids Griffins at the Van Andel Arena on Wednesday night.

It was another playoff style atmosphere between these two teams tonight. This go around the Admirals come up with the gritty defensive effort with the likes of Trevor Smith, Tyler Kelleher, and Marek Mazanec all shining in Grand Rapids. The Admirals now have forty wins on the season and their magic number to clinch a playoff berth is down to five.

Tyler Kelleher marked his return to the lineup by notching a primary assist for his first career pro point and the first of two goals for the Admirals scored in the opening period. Kelleher swooped around the net with pace and passed out from the left wing side for Vladislav Kamenev to tag the puck first-time and score his sixteenth goal of the season.

After Kamenev scored he was tabbed for interference on the following face-off. This set the stage for another youngster to get his pro scoring off the mark. Fillip Hronek hammered a slap shot from the left point and it flew through traffic for his first career pro point and goal coming on the formidable Griffins power-play.

The first period ended with some controversy. The Admirals had a power-play following a bench minor against the Griffins and some scrambling in front of the net turned into a goal. Nathan Paetsch had the puck in front of Jared Coreau and was about to clear it deep. As he looked up he took a stick in the face from Trevor Smith who was battling in front of the net with Brian Lashoff. It was unintentional but Paetsch went down instantly, left the puck in the slot, and Frédérick Gaudreau hopped at the opportunity. He quickly dangled forehand-backhand-forehand to wrap-around the left pad of Coreau to score his twenty-fourth goal of the season.

Martin Frk’s incredible ability to shoot a puck showed up out of the gate in the second period. The Czech forward skated himself loose from left wing to slot and had a narrow gap to shoot. His wrister wired into the roof past the glove of Mazanec for Frk’s twenty-seventh goal of the season.

It took the Griffins 1:37 of the second period to score. It would take the Admirals just two second further to start the third period and regain their lead. Kelleher made a fantastic wing-to-wing pass to find a wide open Adam Payerl down the left wing who ripped a shot above the blocker of Coreau for his sixteenth goal of the season to make it a 3-2 Admirals lead.

From that point forward the Griffins were really barreling down on the Admirals. The Griffins went empty net and extra attacker with 1:45 remaining and a minute later would have a power-play after a Gaudreau hooking minor. The Admirals saw great work in the face-off circle by their captain Smith to work themselves out of trouble and earn the win tonight in Grand Rapids.

You can tip your cap once again to Mazanec. The Admirals really leaned on him as they defended wave upon wave of attacks in the end of the contest. The Admirals were outshot 35-19 and gave the league’s best power-play seven chances to do damage. Mazanec stood on his head for the team tonight.

This was the final road game of the regular season for the Admirals in Grand Rapids. They will next see the Griffins in the 2016-17 regular season finale at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. The Admirals are now 5-5-1-0 this season against the Griffins with three wins coming on the road.

What’s next on tap for the Admirals is a four-game homestand which begins Saturday and Sunday against the Texas Stars. Those contests start at 6:00 PM CDT and 3:00 PM CDT respectively.

Ramblings: Since the Milwaukee Admirals last played on Sunday there were no roster moves made within the organization. Tonight’s line combinations were: Richard-Ribeiro-Gaudreau, White-Smith-Aberg, Payerl-Kamenev-Kelleher, Florek-Perfetto-Liambas, Pardy-Carrier, O’Brien-Granberg, Murphy-Dougherty. Tonight’s scratches were: Army (healthy), Kirkland (undisclosed injury), Oligny (lower-body injury), and Pinkston (healthy). Adam Pardy made his return to game action after having missed the previous twenty-nine games due to a compound fracture of his left arm.

What is your reaction to tonight’s game? Despite all of the penalties taken by the Milwaukee Admirals how do you rate this performance? How good of a game did Tyler Kelleher have?

Scouting March 29, 2017

Griffins: Scouting the Enemy

Yesterday we covered a fair bit on expectations for tonight’s match-up in Chatterbox. To be blunt about it this game should be viewed as a playoff game for the sake of the road ahead. The Milwaukee Admirals are making their last trip into the formidable Van Andel Arena for the 2016-17 regular season. They still see the Grand Rapids Griffins on the regular season finale at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. Yet, this could well still be either an opening round or second round playoff match-up.

It is crucial to start making tight games like Sunday’s defeat become a victory. The lessons being offered up by way of experience is great. The ability to cement experience and spring-load off of what was learned is the next step. And that is what tonight’s game is going to showcase.

The Griffins are still the Central Division leaders with a record of 43-18-1-4 (91 points, 0.689 points percentage). With their 3-2 win over the Admirals on Sunday they became the first Central Division team this season to clinch a playoff spot. They have won their last three games and are 8-2-0-0 in their last ten games played on home ice.

Against the Admirals this season the Griffins have gone 6-4-0-0. The Admirals hold a 4-5-1-0 mark in the head-to-head. Specifically at the Van Andel Arena the Admirals hold a 2-3-0-0. They had won consecutively in Grand Rapids until running into a 6-2 wood chipper of a loss back on 2/25/17.

What is perhaps most intriguing to me about what the Griffins can do tonight is change-up their lineup now that they have clinched a playoff spot. They do have a good amount of wiggle room over the Chicago Wolves (0.647) for the top of the Central Division lead. That could mean seeing players such as Patrick McCarron or Givani Smith making their pro debuts either tonight or in the very near future.

On the Admirals end of things it appears that Adam Pardy will be making his return to game action tonight. The veteran defenseman has missed the last 29 games following a compound fracture of his left arm. He steps in where he left off alongside his defensive linemate Alex Carrier.

Also, based on yesterday, it would feel that Jimmy Oligny and Justin Kirkland are still on the comeback trail from injury. That opens the door for Stephen Perfetto and Tyler Kelleher to step into a high intensity game.

This game will mark the end of the Admirals’ March slate. They have gone 7-4-0-1 during the busy run towards April. Pontus Åberg has been spectacular to watch during this month and has produced 14 points (11 goals, 3 assists) from 12 games. The Swede has three multi-goal games during that span. If Åberg pulls of a repeat of his efforts on Sunday he will become the fourth ever Admiral to score 30 goals in an AHL season: Darren Haydar in 2005-06 (35 goals), Rich Peverley in 2006-07 (30 goals), and Chris Mueller in 2011-12 (32 goals).

What are your expectations for tonight’s game? Now that fatigue isn’t a factor for either team what sort of game will develop: defensively grinding or a more open North-South speed game?

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