Author: Daniel Lavender

Scouting November 4, 2016November 4, 2016

Wolves: Scouting the Enemy

I’m with you, Freddy. I don’t know why the Chicago Wolves are wearing Monster Energy Motocross jerseys this year either. Let’s all make like Jack Dougherty here and just avoid eye contact with them. Perhaps they’ll go away. (Photo Credit: Ross Dettman)

After a healthy road spell to start the season it is going to be nice to have hockey on home ice for the next five-games. The Milwaukee Admirals start this homestand with two contests this weekend: tonight with the Chicago Wolves and tomorrow night against last weekend’s enemy the Iowa Wild.

The focus is of course the Amtrak Rivals for tonight. The Wolves enter with a record of 4-4-0-0 (8 points, 0.500 points percentage). They have won their last two-games in regulation and let the offensive fireworks out: winning 7-3 at home over the Rockford IceHogs last Saturday and 4-2 at home against the Cleveland Monsters. That rout over the IceHogs specifically saw them rolling on the power-play with a 4/7 night with the man-advantage.

Who then was leading the charge during those games for the Wolves? A major component was defenseman Brad Hunt with 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) in those two-games. And, thankfully for the Admirals tonight, Hunt is currently topside with the St. Louis Blues while Robert Bortuzzo is on injured reserve. The other man leading the way for the Wolves last weekend, Ivan Barbashyov, is in the lineup. Barbashyov scored 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) in the Wolves wins over the IceHogs and Monsters.

I feel the biggest story of the Wolves start to the season has come on defense and between the pipes. In half the games they have played this season they have limited teams to 2 goals or less and have only conceded more than 3 goals in a game once. Now that Ville Husso has been assigned to the Missouri Mavericks (ECHL) the duo in net for the Wolves between Jordan Binnington and Pheonix Copley is now set in stone. They’ve since responded. The two goalies this season have a combined 2.41 goals against average and 0.924 save percentage. The Wolves have allowed 30.5 shots on goal per game this season but they are getting security from between the pipes – a story that wasn’t totally the case a season ago.

Leading the Wolves in scoring right now is Hunt with his 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) in 8 games. With him up with the Blues the active leader in scoring for the Wolves is Kenny Agostino who has 7 points (4 goals, 3 assists) in 8 games. His buddy that throws everyone in the media off due to the similar sounding last name, Andrew Agozzino, only has 2 points (0 goals, 2 assists) in 6 games so far with the Wolves.

The Admirals won 2-1 in the first tilt of the season back on 10/19/16 in Chicago. Hunt helped to setup the Wolves lone tally with a power-play goal for Agostino. Yet, his absence isn’t the lone missing component from that opening Amtrak Rivalry game as Austin Watson was the man who scored the game-winning power-play goal and he remains with the Nashville Predators.

So, both teams will have a slightly different make-up to them than in the first game. Everyone at this point is starting to gel better as a team. And the Admirals are in for the next two weeks looking to settle into the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena and start cementing an actual home ice advantage to the new surroundings. This chapter of the Amtrak Rivalry should be a fun one. Do note: puck drops at 7pm on Fridays, 6pm on Saturdays. That’s perhaps the biggest note for catching this weekend’s games.

UPDATE. The Wolves will have their top scorer and defenseman Hunt for tonight’s game. He was reassigned this morning following last night’s 6-2 loss for the Blues on the road against the Dallas Stars. He was a healthy scratch last night.

Expectations for tonight’s game? Will the Milwaukee Admirals be able to keep the good vibes from their 7-3 win in Rockford going? Are we in for the Matt White – Vladislav Kamenev – Frédérick Gaudreau show again? Also, do you have any UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena comments or questions?

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.

Chatterbox November 2, 2016November 2, 2016

Chatterbox, Vol. 146

On this rainy Wisconsin day, November Rain, I made the trip down to the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena to get a look at the Milwaukee Admirals coming off of their 7-3 win on the road over the Rockford IceHogs. Your long story short. Not too much.

Florek-Smith-Åberg
Liambas-Girard-Payerl
White-Kamenev-Gaudreau
Richard-Kirkland-Görtz

Murphy-Dougherty
Oligny-Granberg
Pardy-Carrier

Saros
Gunnarsson

There is one name absent from the lines and today’s practice, Jonathan Diaby. He was assigned from the Admirals to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL yesterday and will be set for action tonight. Diaby so far this season has suited up just once for the Admirals and acted as a seventh choice defenseman during the “food poisoning” situation that stirring all kinds of roster activity on the day. Last season at the ECHL level Diaby scored 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists) in 43 games with a plus/minus rating of +4 to go along with 51 penalty minutes.

I suppose it wasn’t the most ordinary of practices. It’s not every day that the Admirals line up against a cow in net but today was that day. Udderly a-moo-sing puns aside, cheers to all for their contributions on the Twitters today, the occasion came from a Chick-fil-A commercial that the team filmed. I’m excited to see how the finished product comes out and, hopefully, the commercial makes its way to a YouTube nearest you when it does.

After the entertainment of “cow on ice” was finished I rounded up a few interviews. Today I chatted with Admirals assistant coach Scott Ford as well as Justin Kirkland, Frédérick Gaudreau, Adam Pardy, and Matt White. Here were the sounds from the Arena after today’s practice.

With the probability that a Harry Zolnierczyk returns to the Milwaukee Admirals in the near future who do you feel is the likely odd-man out when he does come back?

Feature, Numbers November 1, 2016

By The Numbers: Admirals in October

(Photo Credit: Shane Abbitt // Iowa Wild)

Welcome to the month of November. I know it is early but I feel it would be fun to already get some minor perspective into just how this year’s Milwaukee Admirals have been performing. We’re one month down into the season with seven games played. So, for fun, let’s gander at how the Admirals have looked under the Dean Evason Era in that opening month’s worth of games.

~Record~

2012-13: 7 GP, 3-4-0-0 (6 points, 0.429 points percentage)
2013-14: 6 GP, 4-0-2-0 (10 points, 0.714 points percentage)
2014-15: 7 GP, 6-1-0-0 (12 points, 0.800 points percentage)
2015-16: 7 GP, 2-4-1-0 (5 points, 0.357 points percentage)
2016-17: 7 GP, 4-2-0-1 (9 points, 0.643 points percentage)

~Goals Forced vs. Goals Allowed~
*tally for shootout win not included*

2012-13: -5 (17 GF, 22 GF)
2013-14: +2 (15 GF, 13 GA)
2014-15: +8 (23 GF, 15 GA)
2015-16: -12 (15 GF, 27 GA)
2016-17: +1 (18 GF, 17 GA)

~Shots On Goal Per Game vs. Shots On Goal Against Per Game~

2012-13: 27.9 shots on goal per game, 24.6 shots on goal against per game
2013-14: 26.2 shots on goal per game, 28.3 shots on goal against per game
2014-15: 27.4 shots on goal per game, 28.4 shots on goal against per game
2015-16: 33.0 shots on goal per game, 30.9 shots on goal against per game
2016-17: 30.1 shots on goal per game, 29.1 shots on goal against per game

~Special Teams~

2012-13: 18.2% PP (6/33), 90.0% PK (27/30)
2013-14: 11.1% PP (3/27), 83.3% PK (25/30)
2014-15: 23.1% PP (6/26), 86.7% PK (26/30)
2015-16: 16.7% PP (6/36), 71.9% PK (23/32)
2016-17: 8.8% PP (3/34), 82.9% PK (34/41)

~Penalty Minutes~

2012-13: 83 PIM (2 fighting majors, 11.6 PIM per game)
2013-14: 82 PIM (4 fighting majors, 13.7 PIM per game)
2014-15: 97 PIM (5 fighting majors, 13.9 PIM per game)
2015-16: 134 PIM (5 fighting majors, 19.1 PIM per game)
2016-17: 138 PIM (4 fighting majors, 19.7 per game)

There are a few areas that leap out to me and, hey, they’re as expected. This season’s penalty minute and power-play struggles are really bad. That said, as underwhelming as the offense has felt, look at how this year’s team is matching up against last year’s squad that ended up having a record of 48-23-3-2 (101 points, 0.664 points percentage) and won the Central Division. Things actually aren’t as bad as they seem. Much of the same personnel is back. Is this just a sign of learning from an early season lull before launching?

Feature October 31, 2016

Admiral of the Month: October

Happy Halloween, everyone. The Milwaukee Admirals seemed to provide a mix of tricks and treats along the way in the opening month of October. As much as that offensive fire power left everyone waiting on the edge of the seat I’m pretty sure the end response to the month finally had us all out of that seat. As sluggish or not all “there” as the Admirals may have felt in the first seven-games of the season they still end the month of October with a 4-2-0-1 (9 points, 0.643 points percentage) which is good for the best record in the Central Division.

The game last night in Rockford can certainly get a few names into the mix for the first entry for Admiral of the Month this season. He was a healthy scratch for the Admirals first three-games of the season but you can actually make a solid case that Matt White with his 6 points (4 goals, 2 assists) is the go-to guy for the forwards. He has only played four-games all season but matches Vladislav Kamenev‘s 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists) for the Admirals scoring lead at the moment.

There are other options, as well. I feel Matt Irwin did a terrific job all-round for the Admirals on the back end as part of the lead defensive line alongside Petter Granberg. Irwin played in the opening four-games of the season but has since been up with the Nashville Predators where he has logged a pair of games so far. Adam Payerl has been really good out of the gate and operates in all capacities the team can throw him into. And while the numbers aren’t there yet to show for it Pontus Åberg has been incredibly energetic and creative for the Admirals. His numbers will come in due time.

All that and it feels like there could only be one proper choice for the month of October: Juuse Saros. The Admirals 21-year old netminder from Finland has been terrific to start the season. The lone exception so far was his performance in the home opener when two of the three goals he allowed on the night dribbled past him. That said, he went 4-1-0-0 from five-starts with a 1.81 goals against average and 0.934 save percentage.

What’s most impressive to Saros’ work so far has been the effortlessness of his work in net. He looks smooth, confident, and -so- darn fast. The opening weekend on the road against the San Antonio Rampage very easily could have swayed a different way considering how tight the games were. But Saros stopped 51/53 shots on goal for a 0.962 save percentage in those two-games that ended by a 2-1 final score. That’s really better than terrific. That’s clutch.

It was by no true shock then that when all hell broke loose for the Nashville Predators due to a spell of food poisoning that he would not only go up on short notice, start on short notice against the current defending Stanley Cup champions the Pittsburgh Penguins, but do as well as he did in that game. It really wasn’t shocking at all. That’s who he is. He allowed a goal after a quick defensive breakdown allowed a two-on-naught breakaway. He wasn’t mentally put off by that taking place. The stage didn’t get to him. The moment did overwhelm him. He just carried right on to make 34 saves and only allow that one and only blunder by the team in front of him to get the better of him for his first career NHL win.

Nothing really does surprise me anymore when Saros does things right, straight forward, or even flashy. It’s more the “he didn’t notice that the puck was between his pads” moments such as the home opener when you have an eyebrow raise. That comes with the rarity of the moment, though. He’s been as good as last season, possibly even a touch better due to the experience last year provided, right from the opening puck drop on the 2016-17 season.

~Admiral of the Month Award~

October: Juuse Saros

Who do you feel was the top performer for the Milwaukee Admirals during the month of October? Was it Juuse Saros, Adam Payerl, Matt White, Vladislav Kamenev, Matt Irwin, or someone else?

Game Recaps October 30, 2016

The Offense Awakens; Ads Win 7-3

The Milwaukee Admirals won 7-3 on the road against the Rockford IceHogs Sunday evening at the BMO Harris Bank Center. After countless chances came and went in back-to-back outings against the Iowa Wild the Admirals lit up the IceHogs on the road. This was the second consecutive loss for the IceHogs in which they allowed seven goals. Meanwhile, the Admirals are just happy to have tallied more than three goals in a game for the first time all season in an effort that snaps a three game winless skid.

The Admirals opened up the scoring in the first period with a great link up between Vladislav Kamenev and Matt White. The two forwards worked onside at pace with Kamenev snapping a pass behind the IceHogs defense to get White breaking behind them down the left wing. White delivered a crafty backhander as he swooped across Lars Johansson to open up the five-hole and let loose to score his third goal of the season.

Following a holding penalty against Justin Florek the IceHogs answered back quickly with a power-play goal. After the IceHogs secured the in-zone face-off Erik Gustafsson passed over to his left where Mark McNeill hammered a one-timer from the point to beat Juuse Saros from long range to make it a 1-1 game from McNeill’s second goal of the season.

The first two goals were separated by 1:03 of ice time. The two teams topped that by trading goals in the space of just thirty-two seconds later in the first period. During four-on-four hockey the IceHogs took a brief 2-1 lead after Martin Lundberg secured his third goal of the season. Then, once the four-on-four and brief abbreviated Admirals power-play ended, Pontus Åberg finally saw his hard work pay off with his second goal of the season to make it 2-2.

Through the Admirals opening six-games of the season they failed to record more than two goals in a game. That trend was finally bucked and bucked hard. The Admirals would score four goals in the second period alone and got the offense started twenty-five seconds into the frame. The Kamenev and White connection synced up again and this time it was the Russian who lit up Johanssan and the goal lamp. A give and go between the two forwards left Kamenev alone in the slot to score his second goal of the season and give the Admirals a 3-2 lead.

Trevor Smith would add his second goal of the season through a very clever veteran play. After IceHogs netminder Johansson fended off Smith’s initial scoring chance the Admirals captain would stick with the puck and bank a shot off of Johansson and in to extend the Admirals lead to 4-2.

Nearing the final six-minutes to play in the second period the goals came in rapid succession. White would add his second of the game following a rebounded shot to make it a 5-2 Admirals lead to increase his season total to four goals in his fourth game of the season. The IceHogs would finally stop the scoring run by the Admirals with a shot by Spencer Abbott that deflected past Juuse Saros for his fourth goal of the season. Unfortunately for the IceHogs, similar to the first period, they appeared to switch off right after scoring. Kamenev scored his second goal of the night just forty-three seconds after Abbott’s goal to restore the Admirals three-goal lead and make it a 6-3 Admirals advantage by the end of the second period.

With 5:21 left in regulation the IceHogs brough Johansson to the bench to get an extra attacker on while trailing by three-goals. The Admirals would cap off the night with an empty netter from Mike Liambas to make it a 7-3 Admirals victory on the road in Rockford.

The Admirals weren’t without scoring chances against the Wild in the first two-legs of this three-in-three weekend. Especially in the home opener last night there were many rebound chances where players just weren’t there to claim a rebound or stir up another rebound opportunity. Tonight it all came good. The line of Kamenev, White, and Frédérick Gaudreau really had a fantastic night. And credit to Saros in net as he stopped 31/34 in net to give the Admirals a foundation to attack from.

I believe a safe assumption would be for a solid day off for the team tomorrow following a three day span of Iowa to Milwaukee to Rockford and back. The Admirals end the October slate today with a record of 4-2-0-1 (9 points, 0.643 points percentage). They currently have the best record in the Central Division.

Next up for the Admirals will be a healthy five-game homestand over the next two weeks. They’ll face-off against the Chicago Wolves and Iowa Wild this coming Friday and Saturday at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.

Ramblings: Since the Milwaukee Admirals played last night there were no roster moves made within the organization and the team featured the exact same lines as the first two games of the weekend’s three-in-three. That meant Jonathan Diaby was once again a healthy scratch. The goal for Mike Liambas tonight was his first in the AHL since 2/5/16 as a member of the Rockford IceHogs. Liambas only scored a single goal all last season from 44 games. Liambas’ last goal as a member of the Admirals came on 3/27/15.

Thoughts on tonight’s game? Did the Milwaukee Admirals offense finally put the pieces together? Should all forwards get restored back with the Admirals, like at the start of the season, how do you not keep Matt White in the lineup?

Chatterbox, Scouting October 30, 2016

Chatterbox, Vol. 145

What an incredible night last night was for the Milwaukee Admirals. Yes, I know. The elephant in the room here is the actual result, a 3-2 loss to the Iowa Wild (we’ll get to that), but last night went above and beyond who even won the game. The Admirals returning home to what was once known as the MECCA was a massive accomplishment. Last night was the culmination of more than a year of deliberation as to whether or not the team would have a future in Milwaukee and countless renovations once it was announced that the real work was set to begin. So much has has happened in the past year behind the scenes. So many emotions. And it all came together for the show in a venue that we were able to kick back and enjoy last night.

What I saw once gates opened at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena was something I think I’ll always remember of my time with the Admirals. I’ve never seen so many smiles from so many different people. This goes from Admirals front office staff, those of whom I consider colleagues in the media section, arena staff, and fans. The building was rocking long before anything had even been done. I think it just all melted together. The visuals of what the ol’ barn has become, the LED lighting, and even the sounds of the old school organ played by Dean Rosko of the Milwaukee Brewers. Everything felt big time for the occasion but the beauty is that it gets to be like this pretty much every single night now. The Admirals home has been unveiled. It all felt a bit like Christmas.

Now, in saying all of that, I’m not blind to the fact that there were some hiccups in the night. Not everything was pristine or some sort of a crisp production. But, in saying that, I am reminded of the interview I had with Milwaukee Admirals Owner/CEO Harris Turer this summer. A message of “patience” was brought up a few times and for good reason. Fans attending events in the building aren’t alone in these early day experiences. There are going to be some speed bumps along the way because there is a massive feeling out process for all involved. Parking yesterday for myself was an.. experience. But, that’s ok. We’re all learning and taking this in stride, right? The more acclimatized everyone gets with this change the more everyone gets to settle in. Once we’re all there? Jackpot.

That feeling out process isn’t of course limited to you and I. We now address the elephant in the room: the team. In fact, I’m thinking we could disperse this message out across the whole of the Nashville Predators organization as the start to this season hasn’t exactly looked as advertised a month ago for all involved.

Specifically with the Milwaukee Admirals I am seeing a team struggling to do too much too quickly. The Admirals didn’t have a regulation loss until this weekend but something about getting those two regulation losses to a team such as the Iowa Wild, who on paper and in the past three seasons is bad, stings a lot. The offensive chances are being created. The shots are wracking up. The Admirals outshot the Wild 75-49 in the two games. But the quality of those shots are questionable for the Admirals. For all the work much of those shots are coming from a good distance out. The Wild seem content to let the Admirals battling and cycle around the boards while cluttering up the middle of the ice. The Admirals can’t seem to solve passing through that clutter and creating better looks for shots anywhere other than from the perimeter. Their best chances have generally come on the rush this season, If their break into the offensive zone gets stunted or stalled, welp, they’re stuck cycling the boards again with only 3 goals to show from those 75 shots.

What can be said though, of all three organizations in the system, is that the talent and personnel is already in place to right the ship. I find that all three teams struggling right now isn’t the worst of things. It might feel it now but you’d far rather get the ugly kinks straightened out now rather than form late and run out of time to fix them. The players are good. The coaching staffs are smart. Sometimes you really do have to learn how to win before you can actually just win. The Admirals opening weekend against the San Antonio Rampage weren’t exactly pretty games but the two wins that came from it were almost down to character more than flash or skill. Last season’s Admirals squad, much of whom are still here this season, could win in a variety of different game styles and had a knack to adapt from period to period. That attribute hasn’t shown yet but it also doesn’t mean that it is gone. Patience and trusting the process, as an outsider, is really the best medicine I think this Doctor can prescribe to fans right now. Relax. These players and coaches will get past this lull in due time.

~Chatterbox~

After last night’s game I had the chance to speak with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason. I also spoke with Adam Payerl, Juuse Saros, and Matt White. Here were their comments following last night’s home opener.

~IceHogs: Scouting the Enemy~

The reason this bad boy is getting slapped on the end of Chatterbox today is, well, we played this exact same game a week ago. I went rather in-depth on the who and what of the Rockford IceHogs before last Saturday’s game. You can find that edition of Scouting the Enemy here. The only thing I hadn’t anticipated when that was being written was just how many Predators players would catch food poisoning in Detroit.

When the Admirals played in Rockford last weekend they were without a good chunk of their team. And while the 3-2 shootout loss was -a loss- it was also an impressive all around game by the team. Mark Visentin played brilliantly in net and, like last night, the Admirals came back from a 2-0 deficit to level things at 2-2. The game stayed there through to a shootout but it was a very hard earned point. The Admirals have bodies in the lineup tonight that weren’t out there a week ago and it could mean even better things are ahead.

Since the last time we met the IceHogs have played three-games. The IceHogs followed up that win over the Admirals with two more at home ice over the Cleveland Monsters (5-2) and Chicago Wolves (3-2). Much like the Admirals the IceHogs are completing a three-in-three weekend today that started with a home-and-home. Unlike the Admirals the IceHogs clunker took place yesterday instead of Friday. The IceHogs were clobbered 7-3 by the Wolves last night and the Wolves went 4/7 on the power-play. Woof.

Both teams clearly want to settle down and get a much better result. Both locked up into a grinder of a contest last weekend. This game is setting up to allow some daylight for the one that rights the ship the earliest.

Thoughts on last night’s game? What changes do you feel need to be made for the Milwaukee Admirals to ignite their offense? Has the loss of Matt Irwin hurt the Admirals defense against the Iowa Wild these last two games?

Game Recaps October 29, 2016October 30, 2016

Admirals Drop Home Opener to Iowa, 3-2

The Milwaukee Admirals lost 3-2 against the Iowa Wild Saturday night at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. It was a historic night for the Admirals organization but it unfortunately was met with another regulation defeat to the Wild.

“What we have here and what we’ve been given we would like to reward,” said Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason after the game. “I’d like to think that our group did reward Harris [Turer] and the organization with the effort. We just didn’t get the result.”

It didn’t take the Wild long to display similar feats of offensive strength that was on show last night. Colton Beck unleashed a rocket of a wrister from the right wing circle that went against the grain of Juuse Saros and beat him high blocker side off a post and in to give the Wild a 1-0 lead 3:14 into the game. The Wild would hold that lead despite being outshot 12-4 in the opening period by the Admirals.

The Wild would claim a 2-0 lead just twenty-seven seconds into the second period. Alex Tuch measured a pass to the tape of a center lane racing Jordan Schroeder. The shot got to the tape of Schroeder but the shot attempt wasn’t clean and fooled Juuse Saros enough to get past him. The goal for Schroeder was his fourth scored this season and third scored against the Admirals in twenty-four hours.

Matt White would start to bring some momentum to the side of the Admirals with a great individual effort to score his second goal of the season. White raced into the attacking zone with pace and rifled a wrister past Steve Michalek. The Wild goaltender was unusually far from his crease when the shot by White was taken and it beat him top shelf to make it a 2-1 contest.

As far as christening the ice with a fight it just had to be Mike Liambas for the Admirals, didn’t it? The Admirals scrapper matched up with the Wild’s Kurtis Gabriel and Liambas quickly dropped him with a right hook to the helmet. Before Gabriel could get up off one knee and keep going the officials jumped in and called it right there. That’s a 10-8 round for Liambas in your fight cards.

Following a high sticking minor against Mike Weber the Admirals were able to level things up at 2-2 with a power-play goal. A fast cycle worked back to the net front presence of Justin Florek. His initial jam play was kicked aside by Michalek but into the path of Adam Payerl to score from the rebound for his second goal of the season.

The second period ended with the Wild regaining their lead. A loss in defensive zone coverage allowed Sam Anas to break free for a shot on Saros. The Anas shot was blockered off by Saros lost sight of the puck completely and froze. Adam Gilmour managed to find the puck loose between the pads of Saros and poked it through for his second goal of the season to give the Wild a 3-2 lead.

With 1:54 of regulation remaining the Admirals brought Saros off to bring the extra attacker on. The Admirals nearly capitalized right away with a jam play in front of Michalek but the puck was finally ushered into the left wing pocket and away from danger. That would be the last solid piece of attacking pressure from the Admirals as they dropped the home opener to the Wild by a final score of 3-2.

“We just did a quick count and maybe there is five scoring chances against us in the entire game,” said Evason. “Clearly we’ll watch and go over it but boy we played good. It’s unfortunate we didn’t get the end result for Harris and for everybody that has worked so hard on this but it’s a long year. It’s just the first game here.”

This is two regulation defeats for the Admirals in two days against the Iowa Wild. The Admirals went 6-1-1-0 against the Wild all last season. The Ads complete the three-in-three weekend tomorrow with a 4pm contest on the road against the Rockford IceHogs.

Ramblings: Since the Milwaukee Admirals played last night there were no roster changes made throughout the organization. The same couldn’t be said of the Iowa Wild who saw Tyler Graovac recalled by the Minnesota Wild while Teemu Pulkkinen was assigned to Iowa after clearing waivers from Minnesota. Pulkkinen was not available for tonight’s game. This was the Milwaukee Admirals first game in the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena in twenty-nine years. The last Admirals game in the building was 4/25/87 in a 7-4 playoff win over the Lake Golden Eagles back when it was still known as the MECCA. Tonight’s home opening attendance was 6,458.

Thoughts on tonight’s game? Are the Milwaukee Admirals offensive struggles starting to become a glaring problem? What did you think of the home opener of the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena and how would you describe your experience?

Scouting October 29, 2016

The Return Home: Scouting the Building

I know, I know. It’s not “Scouting the Enemy” and the reason for that is simply because the Milwaukee Admirals are facing exactly who the did last night in tonight’s home opener, the Iowa Wild. I’d say yesterday’s scout and game recap should do you nicely as a game preview. What I’m more interested here though is to do a bit of an FYI or PSA in regards to tonight’s home opener at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.

There are still many fan questions that I see in regards to this move, tonight’s event, and how things are all going to work as far as getting there and what to do once you are in the building. If the Admirals’ Facebook Live video tour of the building yesterday didn’t quite answer those enough for you, check it out anyways because it is great, than allow me to fill in some blanks.

Parking for the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena presents a new obstacle for fans and even someone such as myself in the media. It won’t be as simple as parking in the Bradley Center parking structure anymore. You can still park there but I’d be willing to bet they jack up the prices this season especially on head-to-head nights when it is Bucks vs. Admirals in the battle for West State Street supremacy.

That said, this is a rather big city we all live in and an ever growing one at that. Parking structures exist in nearby locations. There is a parking lot located across from the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena itself. There is an Isaacs parking lot located near the Hyatt Regency off of 4th Street which features 800 parking spaces. And there are multiple surface lots located within a few blocks of the building. The parking is there. It’s all down to choosing a location that suits you and whether or not you mind a walk that could possibly save you in the pocket as well.

What I find will be most important with the parking is to make sure you’re dedicating enough time to get your parking space and arrive to the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena accordingly. With construction the way it is downtown, and 4th Street being down, it adds a layer of circling around and looking for places to park just that extra bit more time consuming. I’m sure that the construction for that new Bucks Arena will change up every once and awhile to add a new wrinkle to driving around that area by the BMO Harris Bradley Center, as well. So, just note that for your commute into games this season.

The next fun thing to add is specifically a reminder of how Saturday games now work. All Saturday home games at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena will start at 6pm which means that the gates are open at 5pm. The reasoning for the advanced start time is a matter of fan and city convenience. Admirals fans will have an early crack at parking on a night such as tonight when the Admirals go head-to-head with the Bucks across the street. That also means that Admirals fans will funnel out of the city sooner than Bucks fans so there isn’t a mass of sports fans all trying to hit the freeway at exactly the same time. Earlier start time? Construction? Trying to find new places to park? Plan accordingly. Plan to get to the gate early.

Lastly, and this is an event I’ve kept myself in the dark from, I imagine that tonight specifically will feature an outstanding pre-game ceremony that you won’t want to miss. This is the Milwaukee Admirals return to a building that they once called home and last played in on 1987 when it was called the MECCA. I haven’t poked around for details as to what we’re all in for but trust me. Even player introductions this season are going to be a brand spanking new event to kick back and enjoy. For a night as big as tonight? Again, plan to get there early – but also plan to take your seat and possibly settle in once pre-game skate takes place around 5:30pm. This should be a highly special night for all in attendance.

I do hope everyone has an amazing time making this UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena what it now is and what it will be: our home. I feel like all the renovations that I’ve watched get completed have been amazing to see. It’s an old building but the beauty of what the Admirals have been doing is finding that balance between new technologies and retro feel. Best of all? It’s simply the Admirals home building. The BMO Harris Bradley Center was terrific and served the organization well for 28 seasons. Yet, it more or less was the Milwaukee Bucks building and say-so. This building we set foot in tonight really has the look and feeling of the home of the Milwaukee Admirals. This will be a special night. This will be a special season. But the renovations will be on-going and this home will get better with every experience fans get inside of it. Let’s all start with Game #1 and move forward.

Any further questions related to tonight’s home opener at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena? Do you have any comments or concerns connected to tonight? Do leave a comment down below or through social media – and I will answer them as swiftly as I possibly can.

Game Recaps October 28, 2016October 29, 2016

Admirals Fall Hard In Iowa, 6-1

The Milwaukee Admirals lost 6-1 on the road against the Iowa Wild Friday night at the Wells Fargo Arena. This was the Admirals first regulation loss of the season and their first regulation loss in Iowa under the Iowa Wild banner. The Admirals entered tonight’s game with a 10-0-2-1 record against the Iowa Wild at the Wells Fargo Arena. The Admirals last regulation loss in Iowa came back on 2/28/09 in a 2-1 defeat to the then Iowa Chops.

Despite a surging start for the Admirals offensively it was the Wild getting on the board first. The Wild were able to utilize a counter attack that saw Mario Lucia zip down the left wing and dish a spin-o-rama pass to the center lane drive of Tyler Graovac who kept his shot along the ice to beat Jonas Gunnarsson five-hole for his second tally of the season. The Wild would enter the locker room after the first period ended up 1-0 while being outshot by the Admirals 14-5.

In the second period, following a slashing call against Alex Carrier, the Wild made it a 2-0 game through a power-play goal from Jordan Schroeder. Christoph Bertschy was able to move in from the right wing and tee up Schroeder in the slot before Adam Pardy could close him down. The quick release shot by Schroeder beat Gunnarsson near-post glove-side for his second goal of the season.

The Wild would add a second goal in the sandwich stanza to extend their lead to 3-0. A long range shot from the point by defenseman Gustav Olofsson deflected right in front of the Admirals netminder Gunnarsson by Colton Beck. The deflected shot trickled through the Swedish goaltender and the Wild’s Beck was credited with his first goal of the season.

The third period is where this game went into overdrive for the Wild. Schroeder was left all alone in front of the net for a one-timer feed from behind Gunnarsson’s net by Zach Palmquist to record his second goal of the game. The Wild were then put on a five-on-three power-play for 1:17 of ice time after a hooking call against Trevor Murphy and tripping call against Trevor Smith. The Wild cashed in from both sides of the two-man advantage: first from rebounder by Graovac for his second of the night and then a deflection off the leg of Bertschy to get his second goal of the season. It was 6-0 Wild before the halfway point in the third period.

By game’s end it seemed a moral victory for the Admirals was to -at the very least- break up Steven Michalek’s shutout bid. The Admirals were able to do that and did so shorthanded. Adam Payerl worked behind the net and swung out towards the left wing side of the net to get a pass out to an unmarked Adam Pardy down the slot. Pardy’s shot snuck past the blocker of Michalek to see Pardy record a shorthanded goal in his Admirals debut and his first AHL goal scored since 3/19/13 as a member of the Rochester Americans.

The final scoreline of 6-1 is tough to take. I’d imagine it’s even tougher to take for Gunnarsson who was making his North American pro and Admirals debut tonight. He stopped 25/31 shots on goal tonight and was left really exposed on a number of the goals allowed in tonight’s game. His opposite number in net for the Wild, Michalek, made thirty-six saves in tonight’s game and lost the shutout with 3:11 remaining in regulation.

These two teams lock horns once again tomorrow night. Depending on what bus you’re in tonight it is either a long bus ride from Des Moines to Milwaukee or a cruise. There will be plenty to dissect for the Admirals ahead of the rematch and the hope would be for the home opening crowd at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena to provide an extra spark.

Ramblings: Since the Milwaukee Admirals played last Saturday the organization has made numerous moves. Trevor Smith, Frédérick Gaudreau, and Juuse Saros were reassigned to the Milwaukee Admirals while the likes of Austin Watson and Harry Zolnierczyk remain topside. The Admirals released Shawn O’Donnell and Dov Grumet-Morris from their PTO Contracts. The Nashville Predators then recalled defenseman Matt Irwin to join them for their on-going West Coast road trip. The Admirals then made a trade that saw them acquire Adam Pardy from the Springfield Falcons in exchange for Eric Robinson, Teddy Doherty, and Brandon Whitney. The Admirals then assigned defenseman Jaynen Rissling to the Cincinnati Cyclones where goaltender Mark Visentin was also recalled earlier in the week. Tonight’s only scratch for the Admirals was a healthy scratch for defenseman Jonathan Diaby.

Thoughts on tonight’s game? Was this a loss of composure for the Milwaukee Admirals? Where is the Admirals pace and skill offensively? Is there concern that Jonas Gunnarsson’s North American transition will be this shaky all season and, if so, is Mark Visentin the answer rather than playing Juuse Saros for every single game this season?

Scouting October 28, 2016

Wild: Scouting the Enemy

(Photo Credit: Reese Strickland // USA TODAY Sports)

This is due to be a massive weekend for the Milwaukee Admirals. Yes, the home opener at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena is tomorrow but it is sandwiched by road games tonight and on Sunday. At the very least tonight and tomorrow’s games will have the exact same opponent in the Iowa Wild.

In recent memory the Wild have been a bit of a push over since shifting operations to Iowa after being the Houston Aeros. Since the 2013-14 season the best result the Iowa Wild have managed was that first season in which they were the third worst team in the AHL. The past two seasons they have had the worst record in the league. In their three-seasons in Iowa the team has a record of 74-126-14-14 (176 points, 0.386 points percentage).

As rough as the Wild always seem to be league-wide something about playing the Admirals that seems to bring out the best in the lowly Wild squads of the past. In 26 games over the last three-seasons the Wild have gone 9-13-2-2 (22 points, 0.423 points percentage). I get it. That doesn’t look all that great. It isn’t even a 0.500 record. But it is statistically better than how they handle the rest of the AHL. It’s been a near anomaly to the Admirals.

So, what of the Wild here in 2016-17? They have played two more games than the Admirals to this point and hold a record of 2-4-0-0 (4 points, 0.333 points percentage). Tonight’s game against the Admirals will complete a season opening seven-game homestand for the Wild.

What the Wild have done in the off-season is actually something I find smart if only the prospect pool from the Minnesota Wild was stronger than it is. They have added some high quality veterans to their group. It started last season with Maxime Fortunus who remains with the organization. They have now built on that by adding Jeff Hoggan from the Grand Rapids Griffins and Pat Cannone of the Chicago Wolves. In AHL experience alone those three combine for 1,816 games. The Admirals current roster, comprised of 21 players, clocks in at combined 2,387 games of AHL experience.

It’s a shame then that stagnant player development, poor scouting, and and weak drafting has left the Wild’s AHL affiliate out in the cold for years – including this season. The Wild’s two most exciting and interesting prospects to keep an eye on this season will be Alex Tuch and Gustav Olofsson. Tuch was drafted in the first round, eighteenth overall by the Wild in the 2014 NHL Draft. He is making the leap from Boston College to the AHL this season and has 3 assists in the opening 6 games. Olofsson was a second round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft and made his AHL debut back in the 2013-14 season. I wasn’t really until last season when he stamped down a full pro season: 17 points (2 goals, 15 assists) in 52 games with 12 penalty minus and a plus/minus rating of -11. Last season he also played his first two-games in the NHL.

In net the Wild have a tandem that features Steve Michalek and Alex Stalock. Michalek has made a pair starts and been pulled in once while also having a relief appearance in one of Stalock’s five starts. It sounds as poor as it is -but- you can also thank a pair of games that exploded out of control: 8-3 loss to the Charlotte Checkers on 10/21/16 and 7-3 loss to the Cleveland Monsters on 10/25/16. The latter of those defeats? Yep, it was the Wild’s last game played. Expect them to want to not have a lull to that scale to end their homestand.

Thoughts on how the Milwaukee Admirals should handle the Iowa Wild this season? Will the Wild once again be the Admirals pests? If the Wild have been struggling defensively are these next two games finally a chance for the Admirals offense to surge?

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