Oh, what could have been if that rally manifested further into the overtime period. (Photo Credit: Stephanie Moebius)
There is a lot to process from last night’s 4-3 overtime loss for the Milwaukee Admirals against the Grand Rapids Griffins. Weirdly, for all it is worth, I keep thinking there is far more great things to take away from it than there were bad things. Were the mistakes bad? Yes. Did they cost the Admirals the result? Yes. Here is the thing though, for all those mistakes, the Admirals still found something deep within themselves rally back against a team that can and has outplayed them much the same way that they ended up doing from the second period to the finish. The Admirals came all the way back from 3-0 to earn a point. They could have just as easily phoned it in from the errors in the first period or allowed for those errors to continually snowball but they didn’t. They fought back.
It’s a stinger to know that effectively all four goals scored by the Griffins last night were extremely avoidable. It is. Though I often think having performances such as last night, experiencing situations such as last night, have a long lasting payoff for a team and individuals moving forward. There is plenty to correct but there is also a lot to praise from the effort and response to errors made that caused the setbacks in the first place.
So, tough result to take. There are still some problem areas that the Admirals do happen to have but the flashes of dominance shown from late in the second period and the third period showed a real sign of the team’s true capacity to take a game over. It was a loss -but- a point was claimed before regulation could shut the door on the Admirals. Great fight back. They just need to learn from the mistakes that cost them from it being the type of game that it turned into.
After the game I caught up with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason. I also chatted with goaltender Marek Mazanec and forward Adam Payerl. Here were their post-game comments from last night’s overtime defeat.
Thoughts on all the chaos that yesterday’s game provided? Do you feel it would be wise for the Nashville Predators after a performance like last night to actually keep Mazanec down for a further stint to not only make sure that he is back in game shape but sharpened game shape?
How about this Alex Carrier kid, eh? (Photo Credit: Sara Stathas)
It was great. It was not so great. And then there were back and forth exchanges that spiked suspense for a chaotic finish. No, we’re not talking about the 2016 Election around these parts but the latest installment of the Amtrak Rivalry. It has had its moments in the past but this season it has been delivering intensity and nail-biting moments. Three games so far between the Milwaukee Admirals and Chicago Wolves. Three games decided by a single goal. One in regulation. One in a shootout. And now one in overtime.
The Admirals 5-4 overtime win today can probably be best summed up by two specific moments late in the game. In fact, it probably sums up the way the Admirals are starting the 2016-17 season on a microscopic level. (1) The Admirals allowed the Chicago Wolves to score a power-play goal with 4:07 remaining in regulation. They responded by scoring 25 seconds later. (2) The Admirals earn a power-play with 1:47 remaining in regulation only to take a penalty of their own, a poor one, with 38 seconds remaining of regulation. The penalty kill survives the four-on-three overtime kill, regroup at four-on-four, and score on the rush to earn a win in a game they could have lost on two separate occasions (3-2, and 4-3) after having held a 2-0 lead out of the blocks.
It’s early. It’s very -very- early still into the season. And I’m 100% convinced that the Admirals haven’t played close to their potential. Yet, here we are now 10 games into the season and the Admirals have a record of 7-2-0-1 (15 points, 0.750 points percentage). That’s startling. So, is this the Admirals team we will sit back and watch all season or will the speed and skill fully manifest offensively and defensively to push them into the stratosphere? It’s early. So we’re just going to have to wait and find out. Either way this start has become something special in its own right. The Admirals are on a four game winning streak and really only have the first game on this current run as a game you could say was stress free or made to look easy. The character of this year’s team is shining far brighter than any highlight reel goals we may have been anticipating. And that’s awesome to see this fast.
After today’s game I caught up with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason as well as Alex Carrier, Marek Mazanec, and Matt White to hear their comments on the wild win over the Amtrak Rivals. This is what they had to say.
Thoughts on the current form of the Milwaukee Admirals? Is the best still yet to come or will this year’s team be winning ugly like this all season long?
Oh, hey! Look who is back. (Photo Credit: Stephanie Moebius)
This morning when I rolled into the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena I did so early enough that the skaters weren’t even on the ice yet. It’s because I left early to vote before morning skate to (1) get it out of the way and (2) do it in case there was a bit of a procession. There was. But I still made it rinkside before the first skater took to the ice. It was then to my shock that a goaltender wearing a highly visible yellow Nashville Predators mask with a catching glove on the wrong hand made his way to the ice. As it so happens there was a roster move officially made as I was kicked back.
This morning the Nashville Predators made a forward and goaltending swap that sees Pontus Åberg and Juuse Saros head up to the NHL while Kevin Fiala and Marek Mazanec make their way to the Milwaukee Admirals in the AHL.
Nashville, Tenn. (November 8, 2016) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced Tuesday that the club has recalled forward Pontus Aberg and goalie Juuse Saros from Milwaukee (AHL), and assigned forward Kevin Fiala and goalie Marek Mazanec to Milwaukee.
Aberg, 23 (9/23/93), leads the Admirals in points (9), goals (5) and shots on goal (28) this season, and has added four assists in nine games. In his last game on Saturday, Aberg tallied two goals and recorded an assist to extend his point streak to three games (10/30-11/5: 4g-3a). The Stockholm, Sweden, native played in two Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Predators last season.
Saros, 21 (4/19/95), is 6-1-0 with a 1.99 goals-against average and .929 save percentage in seven games with the Admirals this season. Recalled on an emergency basis to the Preds on Oct. 22, Saros started and earned the win in a 5-1 victory against Pittsburgh. He stopped 34 of the 35 shots he faced, allowing just one goal in 59:22 of ice time. It was Saros’ first career NHL victory and second NHL game.
Fiala has appeared in 10 games for the Predators this season, and earned his first career multi-goal game on Oct. 22 vs. Pittsburgh (2g-0a). Mazanec has played in two games for the Preds in 2016-17, starting one, and stopping 29 of 36 shots faced.
The Preds return to action tonight against the Ottawa Senators at 7:00 p.m. CT at Bridgestone Arena. The game will be televised on FOX Sports Tennessee, beginning with the Predators Live! pregame show at 6:30 p.m. The contest can also be heard on the Preds flagship radio station, 102.5 The Game.
It is a bit of a shake-up for the organization but one that makes sense. Åberg has been outstanding to start the season for the Admirals and has earned a look topside for the Predators. Meanwhile, the Predators would like to lean on Mazanec at some point to give some relief to Pekka Rinne but would rather he fine tune his sharpness in game action rather than daily practice. By doing that in Milwaukee it can bring Saros up and give him a look up with the NHL squad and get a further feeling out process as to the pace and responsibilities on and off the ice that come with being an NHL level talent.
It might not be the longest of moves for all parties involved here. The plan to get Mazanec playing time in net at the AHL level can be worked around the Predators and Admirals schedules easily enough: Predators tonight (home), Admirals tomorrow (home), Predators Thursday and Saturday (home), Admirals Saturday and next Tuesday (home), and then Predators next Tuesday (in Toronto).
If needed that overlap a week from now could see Saros and Mazanec flip after the Admirals play three games and Mazanec could join the Predators once again by their Ottawa game on Thursday. If he just needed the two starts, Wednesday and Saturday in Milwaukee, he could join the Predators in Toronto while Saros returns before the Admirals finish off the five-game homestand on Tuesday. That or we could all be in for a swerve and this is just life now and Mazanec is an Admiral while Saros is in the NHL backing up Rinne. The Predators have plenty of options. It’s just on them to chose how they want to play it.
At forward the Åberg move is an exciting one given just how well he has played to start the season for the Admirals. Åberg has produced 9 points (5 goals, 4 assists) in 9 games while playing strong enough defensively that he’s been comfortably double-shifted often this season. Fiala had a great Summer and Pre-Season Camp but, like the Predators in general to start this season, isn’t 100% what was expected. Limited ice time can only hinder progress so why not give him a jump-start with double the amount of ice time he is seeing in Nashville by playing him in Milwaukee? He will essentially plug right in where Åberg left off – same line and all.
This all adds a wrinkle to the games ahead for both the Predators and Admirals. Something ever so slightly different for Nashville. Something ever so slightly different for Milwaukee. The biggest difference being that the goaltending swap rotates the starters in Milwaukee. When Mazanec does take the net tomorrow morning it will be the first time since the 2013-14 season that the Admirals will have had four different goalies log a start in a season.
~Chatterbox~
To preview tomorrow’s second school day game for the Admirals I had a chat with President Jon Greenberg this morning. I then spoke with Admirals head coach Dean Evason, the two newly reassigned players from Nashville, and the “gem” himself – defenseman Trevor Murphy. Here were today’s interviews from the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.
Thoughts on today’s roster moves? How long do you think this goaltending situation will play out? Could this be the first of a few occasions in which Saros and Mazanec rotate in the organization this season? How long do you feel Fiala will remain with the Admirals?
Pontus Åberg has been a point per game player for the Milwaukee Admirals so far this season. Will that continue when the Admirals face the Amtrak Rivals Wednesday morning? (Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch)
This morning I ventured in to catch the Milwaukee Admirals practice at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena to get a look at the team after yesterday’s off-day. The next game for the Admirals will be at 10:30 AM CST for the second ever school day game for the organization. They will be matching up against the Chicago Wolves who they have narrowly beaten twice this season – once on the road (2-1) and once at home (3-2, SO).
What you’ve seen out of the Admirals for awhile now, roster-wise, is pretty much what you’ll see for at least the next little bit I suspect. Once again the Admirals line combinations looked exactly as they have been for the past two weeks. It’s made all the more solidified by the fact that (1) there aren’t even players to healthy scratch in camp and (2) the team has been earning a good chunk of points with this lineup.
That all looked familiar enough so, for a bit of fun and insight, I decided to try and test out the Admirals new Ice Box seating area between the two benches and on the glass. When I heard the concept I loved the idea of it but wasn’t sure how obstructed the view might be with curved glass and then the benches jumbled up on the side panels. Honestly, it was really a cool spot. It’s a fish bowl but one that surrounds you with the full playing environment. I’d imagine that would be a blast to experience during a game.
After practice wrapped up I gather up interviews with the players that today weren’t just chosen by fans but had some of the questions actually asked by fans. In the past, I’ve always enjoyed throwing it out on Twitter to check who you would like to hear from but I wanted to expand on that even more by getting your questions as well. It was a lot of fun doing that today and I encourage following up with suggestions and your own questions for the coaches or players more often. For a first crack at it today? Not too shabby.
As a preface to the interviews: I might want to have a re-think about wearing the Finland World Cup of Hockey pullover when they are the minority of the Euro contingent this season. Dougherty states that his WHL pal and roommate Justin Kirkland had his secondary assist, therefore first career pro point, changed on the scoresheet. To this point the AHL still lists Kirkland as the secondary assist – so – oops. Then there were a pair of interview bombs during Oligny’s interview which included your first proper Kam-eo of one Vladislav Kamenev and then his roomie from last season Trevor Murphy. Here are today’s fan requested interviews:
I should be due back for practice tomorrow and will likely speak with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason as prep for Wednesday morning’s school day game. Have any players in particular you would like to hear from or have questions for them? Do comment down below. Note. Kamenev’s English is still not what I’d call interview friendly yet – but he’s slowly getting there. Until he’s comfortable to do it I’d prefer to not put someone with a language barrier problem on the spot as I relate to the social anxiety of the situation a bit too much.
The WHL Connection was felt last night as the roommates Justin Kirkland and Jack Dougherty were able to score some firsts together. Kirkland’s first career pro point was a secondary assist on Dougherty’s first career pro goal. The two played against each other last season as members of the Kelowna Rockets and Portland Winterhawks in juniors. (Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch)
In Chatterbox prior to yesterday’s game I probably overused the word “character” to describe how the Milwaukee Admirals have been achieving success despite less than desirable play to open up the season. I feel as if I could go that route once again except the play last night was pretty darn good from the Admirals. The second period of last night’s 5-3 win was pretty dominant from the Iowa Wild up until a Pontus Åberg goal put the Admirals back into a lead that they’d never relinquish.
Other than the second period, where the Admirals were outshot 15-8 and had the ice tilted against them, the game was really solid. I can’t express enough how impressed I was watching the Admirals play so defensively in the third period, practically playing keep away, and how little that same Wild team that posted 15 shots in the period prior managed to take advantage of a defensively minded Admirals group. The Wild only registered 5 shots on goal in the third period. And that’s with an Admirals team that was comfortable enough cycling the puck around in their attacking zone not really doing much of anything else. They worked that cycle into a penalty and, BOOM, they get a power-play goal. How about that? The Admirals power-play, which was trending near 8% prior to the weekend, has gone 50% this weekend at a 4/8 clip between Friday and Saturday.
Patience might really be the word needed for the Admirals start to the season. Just as I started to wonder if some of the younger prospects within the Admirals ranks could start gripping the sticks a little tighter awaiting their offensive abilities to shine – they do. Max Görtz did so well a season ago but didn’t score a goal until Friday. Alex Carrier, Jack Dougherty, Justin Kirkland, and Anthony Richard are all first year pros that came with great junior playing careers prior to this season. Most of names, sorry Richard but your time will come, scored their first goals or points last night. The ability and talent is there. It just takes games such as, say, last weekend in Rockford to ignite a real burst within the group. This five game homestand is the longest the Admirals have all season and that too has an impact on the team being able to settle in, learn, and grow. It simply takes time.
The Admirals ended last season with their first 100 point season since the 80-game regular season era of the AHL in 2010-11. This season the Admirals have claimed 13 points in their first 9 games of the season. It took last year’s group 11 games to accomplish that. So, despite the slower offensive start, this year’s group is grinding out the wins and building for more. That’s an exciting prospect to think about knowing we’ve really not seen all players yet at their maximum. It’ll come. And, for now, this is pretty good.
~The Ol’ Arena~
In -settling into the new venue land- I do want to touch on my experience from last night. I didn’t quite get the opportunity to roam much the first two home games but I made a point last night to do a lap or two around the concourse to see what it is like in game ops mode. I read some comments that said it was narrower and congested. I knew the first part of that was true, it is a smaller concourse than the BMO Harris Bradley Center, but the lone area where a small bite point was felt in the congestion area was around the new Pro Shop and a concession area right outside of it.. and even then it was easy enough to zip through. The new Pro Shop looks fantastic and there are a ton of different Admirals items that I don’t recall seeing across the street. The concessions seemed full in the times I jogged about and I did give a go at “The Coop” and enjoyed their cheese curds. I’d honestly love to hear more feedback from people as to what they do think of the concessions, better – the same – or lesser than the Bradley Center? It’s busy enough so I’m hopeful there is a good reason for that beyond people are just hungry.
My parking experience isn’t quite the same as fans, being media, but even on my end it is a slow building process to get used to. Lots and lots of “new” being experienced or re-learning areas that I’ve not parked or driven around in a bit to get where I need to be. It’s a change but it’ll get way better the more used to it I get. I’d hope the same can be said on the fan side of things, as well. There’s plenty of parking options. The cheaper option just isn’t the old Bradley Center parking structure is all. Some walking is to be expected -but- some walking can save some money as well. It’s all a process. From the fan end to those folks working the microphones that cut out the last two nights… it will all be a challenge at first. But, hey, we learn and improve, right? The team on the ice adapts to situations on a near shift to shift basis. I’m looking to settle into the new barn in much the same way.
~Chatterbox~
After last night’s game I spoke with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason. I also caught up with the defensemen that claimed their first career pro goals last night, Carrier and Dougherty. This is what everyone had to say following last night’s 5-3 win over the Iowa Wild.
Thoughts from last night? Is this year’s Milwaukee Admirals group better suited to use their skill defensively rather than be a flashy offensive unit? How impressed are you with first year pro defensemen Alex Carrier and Jack Dougherty?
Mike Liambas was as happy as we all were last night when Juuse Saros closed the door on Brett Sterling to secure the 3-2 shootout victory for the Milwaukee Admirals over the Chicago Wolves. (Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch)
The Milwaukee Admirals currently have the best record in the Central Division and the second best record in the Western Conference. It doesn’t exactly feel right saying or reading that though, does it? I feel as if all the flash, speed, and skill that was expected of this year’s team has still yet to really turn up and stick around. That’s what makes wins such as last night’s 3-2 shootout win over the Chicago Wolves all the more impressive and important. The character of the Admirals is getting them through a lull and getting them through it will still hauling in points.
The biggest problem areas for the Admirals right now is staying out of the penalty box and doing something when the opposition is in it. The Admirals have taken 60 minor penalties in the opening 8 games of the season. Last year’s group took 41 minor penalties in the team’s opening 8 games of the season. The Admirals record this season through 8 games is 5-2-0-1 (11 points, 0.688 points percentage). The Admirals record through 8 games last season was 3-4-1-0 (7 points, 0.438 points percentage. …something about that doesn’t feel right.
All these constant penalties, as great as that Admirals penalty kill has been this season, add up. They come at a cost. The ebb and flow of the game gets stopped dead in its tracks and breaks the rhythm for the forwards getting shift after shift of work in. The penalty killers do feature some great forwards but those forwards are getting sapped by high pressure defensive situations while other contributors are sitting cold on the bench until the PK completes before they can get their next shift. Lines start to get jumbled up. And before you know it the Admirals find themselves right back where they started on the penalty kill.
It is an issue. One that needs to be resolved quickly. Regardless of how well the Admirals penalty kill is. Constant penalty killing begs for games such as last night when the team is forced to come from behind. That isn’t what the team should be. So, it is very fortunate that the group has been able to lean on its high character players to find ways to win in less than ideal circumstance games. The opening two games on the road against the San Antonio Rampage were character wins. The win in Chicago was a character win. Being able to come back from down 2-0 on the road against the Rockford IceHogs when the Nashville Predators food poisoning situation took place and the Milwaukee Admirals briefly became the Milwaukee Cyclones – was a display of the high level of character the team has to so much as earn a point out of that situation.
The talent of this year’s Admirals roster is outstanding. It is. What makes it more impressive is to see them getting grunt work done such as last night. The offense seems limited to scoring on the rush. The power-play, while netting two last night, really has looked disjointed and confused to start the season. Things have been sloppy. The hope is that they’ll be learned from and corrected. If it all comes together paired with the ability to dig deep and find results when it still isn’t going the greatest? This group might find itself in a better position than it did a season ago.
A true test to get that all figured out comes in the form of a bit of revenge for last weekend. The Iowa Wild enter the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena tonight where they won 3-2 against the Admirals in the home opener. The night prior to that they blasted the Admirals 6-1 in Iowa. That all came before the Wild were able to place noted Admiral Killer Teemu Pulkkinen to their AHL lineup. As a member of the Grand Rapids Griffins the “Holy Slapper” Pulkkinen recorded 15 points (10 goals, 5 assists) in 15 games against the Admirals. Again, that damage is now part of the Iowa Wild lineup. Stopping him now becomes a major point of emphasis.
There was plenty that didn’t go right in the two games last weekend against the Wild. They’re essentially the same things that have been nagging the Admirals to start the season. With more game time and experience the errors bugging the Admirals should start getting minimized. What better way to start than by correcting the two blips on the radar last weekend when the Wild gave the Admirals their only two defeats in regulation this season?
In the interview department last night I spoke with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason as well as Pontus Åberg and Juuse Saros. Here were their comments from last night’s shootout victory at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.
Expectations for tonight’s game? Are the penalty woes going to be a common theme this season or are the Admirals being caught out for overaggressive play? How will the Pulkkinen factor play into tonight’s game and can the Wild be a thorn in the side of the Admirals once again? Should the Admirals attempt to get Jonas Gunnarsson back in net or would he be better served kicking back until, oh I don’t know, the end of November’s two-game weekend?
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.
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?
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 Enemyhere. 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?
Adam Pardy will wear the #6 for the Milwaukee Admirals this season. (Photo Credit: Daniel Lavender)
To avoid getting swept away by all this flooding rain here in Southeastern Wisconsin today I trekked down to the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena to get a look at practice. At last night’s Milwaukee Admirals season ticket holder event the latest edition, Adam Pardy, was on-hand but today the team put together a comprehensive run of drills that show just how the team should look this weekend.
The noticeable absentee at practice this morning was defenseman Jaynen Rissling. He appears to have been assigned by the Admirals to the Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) but there is nothing official about that as of yet.
Looking at how the defense stacks up now that Pardy is here it looks as though the Admirals are elevating Jimmy Oligny to the top pairing with Petter Granberg while stationing the veteran Pardy alongside Alex Carrier. The pairing of Trevor Murphy and Jack Dougherty remains untouched. Jonathan Diaby did take part in a few line rushes as a right-side option to Pardy but was mainly left to work in certain set piece drills.
Now that the forward depth is a bit thinned out the group is looking pretty cemented until the likes of Harry Zolnierczyk and/or Austin Watson return. As it is it means Justin Kirkland claiming a center role with Frédérick Gaudreau bouncing out to the wing. Matt White, who sat out the Admirals opening three games as a healthy scratch, will be the opposite winger to Gaudreau with Vladislav Kamenev centering the line. All lines seem to gel really well and have a lot to like when you consider each lines skill sets. It will be interesting to watch how they work out at game speed this weekend during the three-in-three: in Iowa on Friday night, at home against Iowa Saturday night, and in Rockford late Sunday afternoon.
After practice I wanted to hear from Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason about Monday’s trade. I also wanted to hear from the man himself, Pardy, of what his reaction to the trade was and what he knew of the organization. Plus, little fan fair was really made of the pro debut of Kirkland a week ago because it took place in Cincinnati followed by his AHL debut last Saturday which happened on the road. So, I finally chatted with him on how the debuts went. Here were the conversations post-practice from today:
If Anthony Bitetto’s injury means having Matt Irwin gone for a significant amount of time how do you view the current look of the Milwaukee Admirals defense?
It’s beginning to look a lot like home. (Photo Credit: Daniel Lavender)
This morning I had the opportunity to get a look at the Milwaukee Admirals practicing on the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena ice. Simply put, it has me extremely excited to see and hear what that place is going to be like come the home opener this Saturday.
Before going anywhere into just how practice looked it is worth mentioning there was a roster move that took place by the time I arrived at the new barn. The Nashville Predators recalled defenseman Matt Irwin from the Admirals ahead of their upcoming California road trip.
That of course means a shake up of the Admirals defense is in order. Funnily enough though the team hardly ran man 2-D drills in today’s practice so there aren’t exactly defensive pairings as of yet. The forwards group did see a twist as far as line combinations are concerned.
All three names that were returned to the Admirals from the Predators yesterday were on-hand for today’s practice. Trevor Smith went right back in to his familiar line with Pontus Åberg and Justin Florek. Frédérick Gaudreau on the other hand shifted out of being center and out on the wing of Vladislav Kamenev who also saw the inclusion of Matt White enter the fray. Meanwhile Juuse Saros returned and did typical Saros-like things.
I had the chance to speak with all three who played in Nashville that are back here in Milwaukee about the wild weekend they had. I also caught up with Admirals head coach Dean Evason. Here is what they all had to say following practice today at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.
Admirals Roundtable 