The year long odyssey of a world without the Milwaukee Admirals being a playoff hockey team is over. The Admirals took care of business last night with a 2-1 win over the San Antonio Rampage to complete a season sweep of the Rampage, extend their point streak to eight-games, and lock themselves up into a playoff spot.
This season marks the Admirals fifteenth season as members of the AHL. Their inaugural season in the league came and went without a playoff run. The Admirals then proceeded to go to the playoffs for twelve straight seasons. That streak ended last year and, at that time, so much chaos was taking place. The Admirals did more than just sputter to the finish line last season they crawled to it while on fire. So many things that could go wrong did go wrong and they finished in last place of their division for the first time since that inaugural 2001-02 season. To put it lightly, this season has been massively different and it all boils down to consistency of solid team play yielding results. A season removed from being last in their division the Admirals are out in front of their division with a legitimate chance of winning it. What a difference a year makes, eh?
At the moment the Admirals have been playing smart, defensive, well-rounded, and playoff style hockey for the better part of a month. The upcoming schedule will have them getting fairly out of a normal routine with a road trip to Manitoba followed by a journey to Charlotte all the way from Canada. If there were to be a nice test for the Admirals I’d say this upcoming jolt to the system over the next week could be it. This coming week could go a good ways in deciding if the Admirals could do more than just push for a divisional crown but even go as far to overstep the Ontario Reign for the best record in the Western Conference. The Admirals will need a solid finish to the season to leapfrog them. Any small bumps in the road could squash that. In fact, with the teams in the Central Division being who they are, it could hinder that bid for a divisional title. The games in Manitoba and Charlotte shouldn’t be taken lightly. They should be taken as these last few weeks of games have been: as playoff style games.
~Chatterbox~
After last night’s game I had the chance to speak with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason. I also spoke with: Jamie Devane, the man with the game-winning goal last night… A.J. White, who made his professional hockey debut with the Admirals last night… and Max Görtz who is always up for a fun and honest interview on the team. Here is what everyone had to say after last night’s win.
Comments from the comments? How excited are you to have playoff hockey back here in Milwaukee? What are some of the significant changes that you have noticed from last year’s team to this year’s team?
Let your voices be heard, Milwaukee! (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
If last night’s 4-1 win from the Milwaukee Admirals over the Grand Rapids Griffins wasn’t enough of a feel good “huzzah” type moment as you left the BMO Harris Bradley Center last night I’m going to try and guide you to what I felt was even bigger than the result itself. Because it’s not so much the win itself as much as it was the manner in which the Admirals earned the win that left me feeling giddy.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
One of the real strong character traits that the 2015-16 Admirals team has displayed throughout this season has been the exact same problem that overwhelmed them in 2014-15. During momentum shifts in games, or when the pressure builds up and an opponent starts getting more of the kind bounces going there way, this Admirals team stays within itself and sticks together. It hasn’t mattered who was in the lineup, who was called up, who was injured, or who was in net – the team shows up and competes hard. Last night’s game had a poor start. The Griffins had the better jump to their game and three power-play chances in the first period alone – including an extended five-on-three power-play. The Admirals battled through the first two penalty kills. The second penalty kill, in particular, was an igniter for the team to get the wave of pressure from the Griffins to stop dead. Frédérick Gaudreau and Félix Girard were at the end of their shifts when Gaudreau got a clearance and Girard raced down, won the puck, powered towards the front of the net, and earned a penalty against the Griffins to end the power-play. The abbreviated power-play that followed was nothing special but the full-length chance that came afterwards was.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
This is where the next big momentum shift came into the mix. Adam Payerl was called for a slashing minor. On the penalty kill Jimmy Oligny clocked Mitch Callahan along the boards in the low right wing. It was a big hit. It seemed harmless enough and clean. But the call was made immediately. Oligny was handed a boarding minor. The Griffins were down 1-0 but had an instant chance to equalize or even take the lead thanks to 1:09 worth of five-on-three power-play. Spoiler: that didn’t happen. The Admirals initial five-on-three penalty kill group was Cody Bass, Vladislav Kamenev, and Taylor Aronson. The two forwards were cruising to control the angles. Aronson was incredible to watch the amount of movement, laying down to negate passes across the crease to the back post, and racing back to his feet so he could set up shop on the opposite post to do it all over again. The first period ended with the Admirals having an attacking zone face-off on that penalty kill and they would finish the rest of Payerl and Oligny’s penalties at the start of the second period. The Admirals penalty kill went a perfect five-for-five last night. After having the poor first period where they made frequent trips to the box – there were no Griffins power-plays in the second period. The Griffins next power-play wouldn’t come until they were down 4-1 6:59 into the third period.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
That brings us to the next huge element to last night’s game which was the third period. The Admirals had a 2-0 lead reduced to a goal after Andy Miele‘s rocket wrister stuck a puck into the netting. As far as the scoring momentum goes. As far as the season history goes. The Griffins should have been the ones feeling confident that they could enter the third period, level the score at 2-2, and take the game to the Admirals as they have throughout this season. The Admirals opted to blitz the Griffins with a goal inside of thirty-seconds of the third period from Stefan Elliott. That level of deflation from the Griffins, combined with a skilled piece of pressure defense by Pontus Åberg to generate an awful turnover from Martin Frk to give Max Reinhart a breakaway and his team leading twentieth goal of the season only 1:12 of ice time following Elliott’s goal, was curtains.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
This is the last and possibly most impressive part to last night’s game: the finish. The Admirals had those opening two-goals out of the gate for the third period, sure, but they shut the door on the Griffins. It’s around this point when the Admirals defense, and Juuse Saros in net, came to the forefront. The Grffins outshot the Admirals 10-9 in the final frame, and 29-28 in the contest, but the Admirals kept them quiet and only allowed one slick piece of speed and skill to get the better of them. Saros made twenty-eight saves, looked very composed once again, didn’t allow poor rebounds, made smart decisions to freeze the puck and get a defensive zone face-off for Girard or Bass to deal with, and made one of the more highly important games of the Admirals season to date look like it was easier than I’m sure it really was. That’s a credit to him and the defense playing in front of him. I refer you to all take a good look at that photo of Saros even more closely. That was the Admirals doing to the Griffins as the Griffins usually did to the Admirals. Clear out the net, force low quality scoring chances from deep in the zone, and allow the goaltender to make the save.
The Admirals are playing playoff hockey right now. Simple as that. They’ve not been doing anything flashy or put themselves into a track meet type of contest. They’ve been sound defensively which has allowed for better chances at the other end of the rink and the offense is finding ways to generate goals from many different contributors. This is what I was seeing out of the Admirals in that game last night which left me feeling all sorts of giddy on the way out of the building. It was played like a playoff game. The Griffins are as solid of a team as you’ll find in the AHL’s Western Conference. The Admirals came out in the third period and took it to them offensively and defensively. I’d consider that your playoff test run and a successful one at that. I cannot wait for playoff hockey to begin.
~Chatterbox~
After the game I had the chance to speak with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason as well as Aronson and Åberg. Here is what they had to say following last night’s win over the Griffins.
Comments on the comments? It hasn’t been clinched yet, but, let’s think 2016 AHL Calder Cup Playoffs for a moment. Who do you feel are the main threats coming out of the Western Conference that could give the Milwaukee Admirals troubles in the playoffs? Would there be a certain team that you wouldn’t want to face in the opening round or would there be one you think would be better to face right away?
First things first, this edition of Chatterbox will be your “Jack of all trades” to recap last night and prep you for this afternoon’s contest on the road against the Chicago Wolves.
In the recap department, the Admirals 6-2 win over the Charlotte Checkers was a real feel good performance for the team. I say that because it could have well gone drastically different. After such a one-sided first period where the Admirals generated three power-play chances, out-shot the Checkers 14-5, and had numerous other shots aimed for damage get blocked – they still ended the period scoreless. Worse, the Checkers came out of the first intermission and scored in the opening minute of the second period. That could have been a punch in the gut or a “it’s going to be one of those games” sort of moments. But, thankfully, it wasn’t.
I think a big credit should be given to the Admirals for sticking to the program and doing what they did in the first period until they got the breakthrough that they needed to open the floodgates. The Admirals weren’t doing anything wrong. The Checkers defensively were just doing an incredible job selling the body, blocking shots, and allowing for good sight-lines for John Muse to make relaxed saves in net. The pressure was mounting, it was forcing the Checkers to get sloppy in their own zone detail wise as well as to take some bad penalties, and the Admirals first goal of the night seemed to finally lessen some of the stress levels to their game. If not that first goal – the power-play goal that followed it 2:43 of ice-time after it certainly did. From there the momentum that was brewing was finally unleashed and it lead to a quick goal out of the second intermission and a fourth successive goal not too far after that. The following damage that was done was just a welcome sight to see the team operate so strongly in attack at even strength.
~Chatterbox~
After last night’s game I had the chance to speak with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason as well as Matt White, Max Görtz, Eric Nystrom, and Kevin Fiala. I also was able to speak with the President of the Admirals Jon Greenberg prior to the game and he was very kind to speak at great length about the move to the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. This was all the chatter from around the rink yesterday.
~Scouting the Enemy~
Before even making Amtrak Rivalry shrapnel jokes I feel like it’s worth looking at the Admirals themselves. The Admirals record now stands at 39-20-3-1 (82 points). That is more points than the Admirals hauled in all of last season and there are still twelve-games remaining in the schedule. With the Rockford IceHogs going on a bit of a cold stretch as of late it has the Admirals 0.641 points percentage up into second place of the Central Division and third place in the Western Conference standings. Those division leading Grand Rapids Griffins though? They’re still rolling on a now thirteen-game winning streak.
The Chicago Wolves enter today’s game with a record of 28-28-5-3 (64 points). Their 0.500 points percentage has them seated sixth in the Central Division and twelfth in the Western Conference standings.
In the Wolves last ten-games they’ve been on a run of 4-3-2-1 (11 points). As their overall points percentage suggests – that’s nothing too special. Allow me to counter that by directing you to what the Wolves have accomplished in their last two games as they beat the IceHogs 4-1 in Chicago and then 4-3 in overtime last night in Rockford. Needless to say that is impressive – especially given the IceHogs were still the aggressors. The man in the spotlight there to bail the Wolves out was Jordan Binnington who started both games and stopped 66/70 shots on goal for a 0.943 save percentage in those contests.
It’s in saying exactly that where you get a sense for where this game might possibly be won or dictated all within the opening period of today’s game. The Wolves, like the Admirals, are at the end of a three-in-three weekend. The Wolves, unlike the Admirals, were the ones playing high stress defensive minded hockey and did so while also having to bus back and forth between games. It doesn’t sound like much but it takes a toll. The Admirals are fresh off of a game that was a freeing experience to the one Friday night was. The offense exploded. And the Wolves might be dreading the snowball effect that they could have felt they dodged last night finally rolling them over – finding them again today wearing an Admirals uniform instead.
The start of this afternoon’s game should provide a lot of answers as to: (1) Are the Admirals still in goal frenzy mode? (2) Are the Wolves going to be able to match the work-rate of the Admirals? I don’t feel as if the Wolves provide anywhere near the level of defensive quality that the Admirals just battled through with the Checkers blocking so many shots. If anything, it may have opened the team’s eyes as to how to better manage their offensive zone time and generate offense by way of cycling to open up areas of the ice due to defensive misalignment or draw penalties and attack on the power-play. The Wolves are 3-5-1-1 against the Admirals this season. What do they have left in the gas tank to do what the Checkers couldn’t last night?
Comments on the comments from last night? What impressed you the most in rehards to the improvements made by the Milwaukee Admirals from Friday to Saturday’s game against the Charlotte Checkers? Will the Admirals offense of last night be packing the same level of heat today in Chicago at the end of this three-in-three weekend?
As always, I really like to let games such as last night digest for myself before spitting out a take on the game. The Milwaukee Admirals lost 2-1 in a shootout to the Charlotte Checkers. It was a game that they led until 5:10 remaining but a 1-0 lead isn’t something I would consider all that comfortable. The Checkers force overtime, they had the best chance of the overtime period, and the Admirals heavy hitters in the shootout weren’t able to get a breakthrough. If any of the Admirals go-to guys in the shootout deliver that game was yet another shootout win. It didn’t happen. The Checkers won in the fourth round of the shootout and the Admirals left a point on the table.
The simple question I asked myself on the drive home last night was this: was that a bad game by the Admirals?
Again, this is why I digest these games before generally writing Chatterbox because, if asked right after that game, I probably say the Checkers just won that game more than the Admirals lost the game. Was it bad? No. I felt the Admirals had yet another great effort in net by Marek Mazanec. Players such as Pontus Åberg, Kevin Fiala, and Gabriel Bourque played with a great spark. John Muse just matched the performance down at the opposite end of the rink last night. There were rarely second or third chance opportunities off of either goaltender last night and that’s a credit to Mazanec and Muse handling rebounds and freezes so well.
If there were any area of concern attached to the Admirals performance last night it’s the offense. The scoreline through regulation sort of says enough but it also isn’t actually something all that new for the Admirals to have the offense struggling. In the Admirals last ten-games they have gone 5-4-0-1. In their last six-games they have traded wins and losses. Those last ten-games the Admirals have posted 30 shots on goal through three periods of regulation just three times. The forwards are being tied up and the defensemen have been the ones delivering lots of shots to the net which goaltenders are dealing with – with ease. A bit more has to be done from a creative standpoint for the Admirals than to simply take those wide perimeter level shots.
Was it a bad game by the Admirals? No. The Admirals are still going through a bit of a lull, taking a step forward – step back – forward – then back, but the Admirals are still better than eleven other teams in the Western Conference. The Admirals now have 80 points on the season. The Admirals had 81 points all of last season. The Admirals lull this season isn’t too bad in perspective. All they really need is what they get today in the form of a chance to deliver a better, out and out, sixty minutes of hockey.
~Chatterbox~
After last night’s game I had the chance to speak with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason as well as forwards Pontus Åberg and Eric Nystrom. This is what they had to say after the game.
Comments on the comments? What are you looking for the Admirals offense to get done tonight that didn’t go right last night? What changes must be made overnight?
These times they are a changing. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
Perhaps the weather today in Southeastern Wisconsin is fitting because it has been an absolute whirlwind of a day for the Milwaukee Admirals organization. The team will be moving across the street starting next season after being approved to a ten-year lease to make the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena their new home. That makes these final six home games of the Admirals regular season all the more special because it serves as a countdown to the final games of Admirals hockey at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
This news comes with multiple angles of interest and questions. It is hitting some negatively and others joyously. Some understand the landscape of the move quite well and others are clutching at thin air making remarks that are bitter and false regarding the situation. What I’m sure so many seem to have their finger pointed at is that shiny attention seeking missile of a term: the new Bucks arena. So, let’s address that first.
The Milwaukee Bucks were tasked with creating a new playing arena by the NBA under the threat that the team would be moved out of the city. For many of us in the hockey community some might say, “who cares,” and others might see the major benefits that such a new arena could bring to downtown Milwaukee. The biggest point on this issue in connection to the Admirals though is that the Bucks were the ones under the threat of relocation. They had to look after themselves and, throughout all of these new arena talks and plans, that’s the gist being given off by the Bucks organization and it’s not that hard to understand why. Whether the Bucks did or didn’t get the new arena this fact remained certain. The BMO Harris Bradley Center had a future demolition date attached to it and there was no escaping that. The Admirals needed to follow suit and start looking after themselves. As talks weren’t being had between the two organizations it forced the Admirals hand to plunge into their options and pursue the one that befitted themselves and their fans the absolute best. That option wasn’t that far away. That option was across the street and connected at the hip of where the Admirals front office is located. That option was the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.
What the Admirals are getting in the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena is a home. I fear many people are looking at the headlines of today’s news without taking in the news underneath the venue change which is that you’ve just been guaranteed Admirals hockey for the next ten-years. In an age where professional hockey teams in the AHL or ECHL either move away, change leagues, change affiliations with parent clubs, or simply no longer exist – the Admirals appear to be a permanent anchor at the minor professional hockey league level and that is by no means something that should be forgotten or taken lightly. The Peoria Rivermen, gone. The Oklahoma City Barons, gone. So many organizations come and go yet the Admirals stay right here, functioning at a high level, in Milwaukee. The Calgary Flames have switched AHL affiliates three times in the last three years. The Admirals have been partnered with the Nashville Predators ever since the Predators came into existence. There is a model of consistency that is pretty much unheard of at this level of hockey with the Admirals and, thanks to today’s news, that model of consistency will continue.
For those looking at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena as a step backwards I encourage you to have a pause. The Admirals are leaving a pro level building that was made in 1988 and entering a pro level building made in 1950. In that respect you might view things as a step backward. If you were comparing that shiny new Bucks arena versus the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena you might be thinking it as a step backwards. Now, let me explain to you why you are wrong.
The moment the Milwaukee Admirals 2016-17 season begins they will be the premier professional sports organization playing games at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. The Admirals front office will no longer have their hands tied in knots waiting to see what the Bucks need to get done first. This is the Admirals building and it will be every part the home they could have wanted moving out of the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
Another area that screams improvement will come by way of cost. I can’t imagine most fans of the Admirals are going to want to be paying NHL level premiums at a new Bucks arena versus the beauty that awaits them as far as ticket packages will be concerned at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. The Admirals are not making this move entirely just to put a roof over their head. They’re making this move to also be able to provide their fan base with an entertainment experience that leaves you feeling as if you received more than the ticket price stated. The Admirals have long provided a bang for your buck experience and that same feeling of appreciation in fans wallets will be felt in kind starting next season.
One more item that I’m unsure of just how many people are unaware of was the restrictiveness of the Admirals ability to make money on game-days at BMO Harris Bradley Center. The Admirals make zero money on concessions. They only just in recent years started making a percentage of merchandise revenue from their own merchandise that gets sold at the building. Where does the rest of your money for Admirals merchandise purchased at the BMO Harris Bradley Center go? For the lack of a better example let me just say it rhymes with the situation: sucks. When the Admirals 2016-17 season arrives it arrives with a team enjoying one of it’s best business years in memory and en route to finally start making revenue through game-day sales made at the arena that they play in. This wasn’t going to happen with further years in the BMO Harris Bradley Center. This certainly wouldn’t be a point that changed at the negotiating table for the new Bucks arena. Financially, the Admirals are about to experience something totally different than these last several years and those rewards will have a trickle down effect to the fans – big time.
The UW-Panther Arena is slated to see $6.4 million worth of upgrades during the duration of the Admirals ten-year lease. These upgrades will go above and beyond the team looking to get a pro level locker room installed. The fan experience will be a major point of focus in the years to come. Improved kitchens, concessions, concourse, and lobbies are all on the start of a list that is sure to grow as time moves forward now that this partnership between the Admirals and the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena is a reality. Suggestions from fans to the front office over time, through personal experiences in these first few years back, may have a direct impact on some of the millions of dollars worth of upgrades due to come. This isn’t just a new home address being made for the Admirals it is a big community involved effort to see a 66-year old historical building become more of a home to our hockey team in Milwaukee ever has before.
The BMO Harris Bradley Center seats up to 17,845 in hockey mode. The current average attendance for the Admirals this season is 5,749 through 32-games. That is down just ever so slightly from where the team ended on last season with 5,809 but, hey, these next few (and final) games at the building are sure to boost that attendance figure. With that sort of an average, for many fans or readers suggesting there aren’t enough seats at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, I suggest you have a rethink about the scale and size of the arena you sit in the next time you attend an Admirals game. The BMO Harris Bradley Center has serve the team so very well but it was build with NHL hockey in mind not AHL hockey. What you’ll be getting at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena is the exact same experience with a lowered ceiling to create a more intimate and loud setting. Say what you want but that sounds an awful lot like something I want to be every bit that part of. This isn’t a step backwards. It is exactly as the Admirals are calling this move: a step forward.
~Chatterbox~
I had the opportunity to attend this afternoon’s press conference in-person to get to take in everything live. For those unable to have done so you can watch that press conference right here:
After the press conference I had the opportunity to speak with Milwaukee Admirals Owner/CEO Harris Turer as well as play-by-play broadcaster Aaron Sims. Then, as a pleasant surprise, the French Fries were all in attendance to join in the big news for the Admirals. Here is what everyone had to say from the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.
What are your general thoughts to today’s major news? When was the last time you attended any sort of an event at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena and will this news cause you to attend an event prior to the Milwaukee Admirals arrival later this fall?
I would have to rate last night’s first period as one of the more entertaining periods of hockey I’ve watched all season. That doesn’t mean it was the best or most sound hockey played this season. Quite the opposite actually for both teams. It was a car crash. It was a multi-car pileup of a period of hockey. Oddly, that frantic period would pretty much be the entire three period game condensed into itself in the opening twenty-minutes. The person who saw the following two periods of hockey being defensively structured was clearly just being sarcastic or a smart-bottom.
What mattered the most from all of last night’s game was the timeout taken by the Milwaukee Admirals. After conceding a pair of poor goals due to mental lapses in their own zone the team burned their timeout 4:04 into the game. If the scoreline of 2-0 that early against the Iowa Wild wasn’t a wake up call – the timeout and a less than upset head coach Dean Evason probably us going to get your attention. And it did.
It took the Admirals forty-seconds from the timeout to notch their first goal thanks to some gritty net front work by Max Görtz. That started a chain effect of overwhelming speed and precision by the Admirals that had the Wild turned inside out. Adam Payerl blew past veteran defenseman Maxime Fortunus to score a shorthanded goal that tied things up. Cody Bass whipped a shot in front the far left wing wall to provide the Admirals with a lead after having trailed by two-goals. And, just for good measure, the teenagers connected on a home run pass, Vladislav Kamenev to Kevin Fiala, that pushed the game to its eventual 4-2 final.
(Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch)
I don’t often like saying things such as I’m about to but, off of last night, it’s just true. The Admirals started last night’s game not taking the Wild seriously. They were caught out with a little extra flair in the skill and passing department and didn’t generate the opening shifts to dictate dominance like they should have. Often these last few seasons, for as bad as their record suggests, the Wild still battle the Admirals extremely hard and hard enough to steal valuable points away that could impact playoff standing. That same Wild team turned up with a simplistic approach of North-South last night and generated two poor turnovers because of it that led to goals. The Admirals bench calling for a timeout that early in a game, at that scoreline in a game, to a team ranked second from the bottom in the entire AHL, was a slap in the face to the players and rightfully so. It had to be done. And, thankfully, it had the desired effect. To that I point your attention away from the events that followed the timeout and more directly at the second and third periods. It was precise, clean, simple, and effective hockey that kept the Wild in-check. The second period wasn’t the greatest, being outshot 10-3, but the finish was done in a way that spoke more about what to expect from the Admirals when they play today more than anything. They had a lead and they shut the door. Today, they want to repeat just that.
~Chatterbox~
After the game I had the chance to speak with Evason as well as Payerl, Görtz, and Bass. This is what they had to say following last night’s win.
Comments on the comments? Is there any concern that the Admirals once again have another slow start today or was last night’s game a solid reminder of being prepared to play smart once the puck drops?
How different would last night’s game had been if Michael Leighton didn’t make the stop on Kevin Fiala’s penalty shot? (Photo Credit: Todd Reicher)
When I made the trek down to Rockford for the first time yesterday things started by me discovering that the quickest route there was to go North… to go South. That essentially set the tone for the proceedings that followed because the Milwaukee Admirals 5-2 defeat to the Rockford IceHogs was a head spinner that all seemingly boiled down to the opening ten-minutes of the second period.
The Admirals had a 1-0 lead through the first period thanks to Vladislav Kamenev echoing the glory days of the Russian space program by unleashing a rocket on the power-play. Inside of the opening thirty-seconds of the second period an Adam Payerl shot was awkwardly dealt with in net by Michael Leighton and his left-side defenseman Viktor Svedberg palmed the puck in the crease to award the Admirals with a penalty shot.
Kevin Fiala was the man pegged with doing the honors. You couldn’t have asked for a better candidate to have been on the ice for the Admirals. Fiala has been tasked with opening for the Admirals in the shootout all but once from the team’s seven shootouts this season. The only man to start ahead of Fiala in the shootout was Stevie Moses, who missed, and was followed by Fiala who scored. Fiala is 5/7 in the shootout this season. Him being given the penalty shot should have nearly been automatic.
That’s where things all went downhill for the Admirals and just never really recovered. Fiala was stopped by Leighton with a blocker save from Fiala’s crafty shootout attempt move, the one he has used all season to perfection, and the IceHogs gained serious momentum off of that moment in the game and proceeded to run the Admirals for three-goals in the space of 4:49 of the second period. By the third period the run for the IceHogs would continue and they’d have four unanswered goals.
What you have from last night’s game is simply a bad taste in your mouth knowing how differently that game could have played out had Fiala scored on the penalty shot to give the Admirals a lightning fast 2-0 lead to start the second period. That didn’t happen. Credit must be given to Leighton for his denial on the penalty shot attempt by Fiala. It was a big moment in the game and really whoever came up trumps on that penalty shot was due to give their team a massive boost. It went the way of the IceHogs. The Admirals couldn’t get their game stabilized or comfortable after that.
Going into last night’s game the eyes were set on an Admirals regulation with to put them into sole possession of first place of the Central Division. After losing? They actually stand in third place behind the Grand Rapids Griffins. It’s crunch time for everyone this time of the season and I feel as if the Admirals enduring a game such as last night before getting some days to process it will be a good thing for them. The Admirals have a three-in-three weekend on the horizon and that’s plenty of points up for grabs to account for the two that went begging last night in Rockford. First, the Iowa Wild at home on Friday. Second, the Chicago Wolves in Rosemont on Saturday. Third, the Wild once again but this time in Iowa to finish the weekend off. Those are favorable teams for the Admirals to get ground back. Against the Wild and Wolves this season the Admirals are 11-3-1-0. …weights and balances… weights and balances…
~Chatterbox~
After last night’s game I did get a chance to catch up with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason as well as Frédérick Gaudreau to get their take on the game. I was joined by Mario Tirabassi, who also joined in the trip down to Rockford, to ask them both questions. Here is what they had to say:
Comments on the comments? Gaudreau stated that it was “just one of those game” for the Admirals. Would you be willing to write it off due to Leighton’s effort in net or did the Admirals get lost in their own heads a bit after the penalty shot?
Who is the top goal scorer for the Milwaukee Admirals this season? If you guessed Pontus Åberg you’d be correct. (Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch)
You might assume that there are only so many talking points when you see a 1-0 overtime scoreline. And you might be right. But here it goes.
The Milwaukee Admirals once again didn’t have the greatest of starts. Frankly, it wasn’t to say that the Chicago Wolves were by far better than them. They weren’t head and shoulders above them. They weren’t even as hot out of the gate as they were when they matched up in Chicago last weekend. If the Wolves had that high energy of a start as they did then last night the result could have been flipped on its head with a finish coming in regulation on the Wolves side. But, it didn’t.
When I walked down for post-game interviews after last night’s game it almost didn’t dawn on me until the coaches or players were chatting away that Juuse Saros earned a shutout. My defense for that comes with two key pieces of evidence: (1) last night’s game took two hours and thirty-six minutes to complete. For a game with not many reasons to take delays or breaks in action – there were plenty and it was draining on the mind to sit through as a goalless game was played. (2) Most of what Saros did so well actually came in that opening period – the rest of the game the Admirals outshot the Wolves 30-12 in the last 41:29 of ice time. The Admirals outshot the Wolves 21-6 in the third period alone. It’s the first time since 2/21/14 vs. Abbotsford that the Admirals post a 20 shot period. The last time they posted a 21 shot period came on 12/6/13 vs. Oklahoma City. The Admirals third period shooting output was actually more than they had produced in three of other games played this season: 10/10/15 @ Chicago… 11/28/15 vs. Rockford… and 1/5/16 vs. Lake Erie. Saros nearly became the equivalent of a cardboard cutout just chilling out in net for the final period of regulation.
Where Saros was at his best was straight from the opening puck drop until the horn sounded to signal the end of the first period. He was great and sharp to everything being thrown his way. The lone bullet that he dodged, and for that matter the Admirals in that entire game, was an André Benoît shot that ripped past Saros’ on the glove side and spanked off the far post and off into the right wing corner. That’s as close as the Wolves really got all night to a goal and it came in a first period where they outworked and outshot the Admirals 10-9.
Thanks to the rock solid effort by Saros in the opening twenty-minutes the Admirals were able to weather a storm and get momentum built offensively. That all starts with Saros as the foundation in net and a little spark from a Cody Bass brawl that had the 8,409 in attendance making some noise. That’s when the game changed for the Admirals. And there was only so much that Pheonix Copley was going to be able to fend off before the Admirals put a puck past him. It took until overtime before the Admirals did just that with Pontus Åberg -but- job done.
When you ready yourselves for what’s in-store this afternoon in Chicago there should be a question mark floating around immediately. Last weekend the Admirals stormed the first game in Milwaukee and the follow up saw a hot start by the Wolves but a defensively paced slow crawl that they came out on top of. Last night was the slow crawl – by far and away slower of a crawl than last weekend’s game that ended 2-1. So what does that mean for this afternoon? Is the rink going to open up for a track meet where the law of averages that took a day off last night comes back to allow for a goal fest that balances out the weekend or is it simply more of the same? It makes me wonder.
~Chatterbox~
After last night’s game I had the chance to speak with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason as well as Saros, Åberg, and the recently acquired Corey Potter. This is what they had to say following the 1-0 overtime victory.
Comments on the comments? How do you feel today’s game in Chicago is going to play out? Would it be safe to assume the Wolves will look to simply perform within their defensive bubble once again?
As always, I like to sit back and digest a game before really making serious judgement on it. When reflecting on the Milwaukee Admirals 4-1 win over the Chicago Wolves last night I can’t help but coming back to the term “a complete game” because it really a complete sixty-minutes of hockey for the Admirals. It’s been a long time coming, too.
If you were to look at the scoreboard through two period you might be left with the impression that the game was tight. The Admirals had a 2-0 lead cut in half after an amazing goal scored by Zach O’Brien and it was just a one-goal lead entering the last period of regulation.
What probably stands out to me, more than anything last night, was the Admirals third period performance. They had the 2-1 lead but wanted to secure a result and succeeded. The Admirals came out of the second intermission with a serious purpose to finish that game off. Their speed and pressure in attack forced an ugly turnover in front of their own net to make it a 3-1 Admirals lead. The Admirals then took advantage on the power-play, an area that was struggling not too long ago, and polished off the game.
All around, that was a terrific performance for the Admirals who really needed a wire-to-wire effort such as that to get Wednesday night’s loss to the Rockford IceHogs out of their system. Instead of dragging around whimpering over recent games the Admirals find themselves back in a first place tie for the Central Division lead because the IceHogs lost 5-4 on the road against the Lake Erie Monsters last night. Funny how as bad as the last few games have felt or been for the Admirals things just have a way of balancing themselves out accordingly.
What has made this Admirals season a rather special one has been this team’s ability to limit the woeful stretches and get results on a consistent basis regardless of who is in or out of the lineup. The Wolves are a team currently being mauled by injuries up top and on their own roster. They haven’t been able to find firm ground to propel from all season long. To think that there are still six Amtrak Rivalry games left from the remaining twenty-three games of the Admirals 2015-16 season should be a huge area of importance for the team moving forward. They have a wounded team ripe for the picking and a maximum of 12 points at stake from those contests alone. For all we know, now, these clashes between the Admirals and Wolves could be the difference between the Admirals winning or losing the Central Division – perhaps even seeing them clear the Ontario Reign and having the best record in the Western Conference come season’s end.
These last few games of the Amtrak Rivalry are not all going to feature as squeaky clean of a performance like last night showed. It would be silly to even expect tonight’s game in Chicago to run as smoothly. But, the Admirals are already 5-1-0-0 against the Wolves this season. The Admirals have won five-straight games over the Wolves and could claim the Amtrak Trophy for the first time since the 2012-13 season with wins over the Amtrak Rivals tonight and next Saturday. There is this sort of “feel good” well that the Admirals can go back to time and time again at the end of this season. That well lends its water source from the tears of disappointment coming out of the Chicago Wolves camp right now.
Fun Fact. The Milwaukee Admirals current record through 53 games played is 33-17-3-0. Last night’s win matched the amount of wins the Admirals had all of last season: 33-28-8-7.
~Chatterbox~
For those that missed it, prior to yesterday’s game I spoke with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason to hear his reaction to the Nashville Predators signing Anthony Bitetto to a new two-year contract. You can listen to that right here.
After the game I spoke with Evason again but I did have company – lots of it. Dave Boehler, Mario Tirabassi, and myself were joined by several UW-Milwaukee students via Jessie Garcia of TMJ4. Plenty hopped in for a question so you’ll be hearing some different voices chirping along. The players that were interviewed include Max Reinhart, Frédérick Gaudreau, and Colton Sissons. This is what everyone had to say following last night’s victory:
Comments on the comments? Do you get the impression that the Admirals getting to face the Wolves so often at the end of the season sets the stage nicely for a solid finish the way the Amtrak Rivals are struggling this year? Will tonight’s game be even more ill-tempered than how the third period played out last night?
What’s that old expression? When the going gets tough, the tough get going? Well I suppose some of that manifested itself for the Milwaukee Admirals in last night’s 6-4 loss to the Rockford IceHogs but they were casualties to another expression: too little, too late.
From the opening puck drop to the end of the first period the IceHogs had the Admirals number. They were tearing the Admirals apart in transitional play and the first two goals scored were perfect examples of the speed in which they counter attacked. The Admirals were left scrambling and, by the time Mark McNeill added a third, the damage was done.
Last night was the first game all season that the Admirals pulled a starting goaltender from net. That’s 51 games of hockey played where the starter was a rock and saw the game through. When looking back to last season when Marek Mazanec and Magnus Hellberg split the work load they had been pulled from a start four times through the Admirals opening 51 games. It’s been amazing what the two goaltenders have been able to accomplish this season and, with that, makes last night all the more rough to see.
Juuse Saros allowed three-goals on nine-shots in 13:09 of work. The first two IceHogs goals that were scored I would say Saros was given little to no chance to make a save. The initial goal for Ryan Haggerty was a brilliant individual effort. He beat Stefan Elliott with pace down the left wing, slashed through the goal mouth, and patiently out-waited Saros to get an opening on the net to score. Saros did all that he could do – Haggerty just delivered in spectacular fashion. The second goal was a defensive breakdown that effectively forced a two-on-one to occur with Saros needing to protect both posts. Saros guarded against the near post for Ville Pokka – who then passed across to the back post for Tanner Kero who had a trailing Pontus Åberg in defensive recovery mode chasing after him.
Was last night’s bad start to blame on Saros? No. Was Saros to blame for becoming the first Admirals goaltender to be pulled from a start this season? No. His defense was.
The way the Admirals defended to start last night’s game was a scramble. The IceHogs were able to play a confident opening twenty-minutes because the Admirals were getting burnt trying to do too much on both ends of the ice. The over-commitment by the Admirals exposed Saros badly and left head coach Dean Evason with the only two choices a coach has in a scenario when the team needs a wake up call: take a timeout or pull the goaltender. As far as eye-openers go, I’d say pulling a starting goaltender for the first time all season long would be enough to wake up the team – especially when they know the fault for that rests on their shoulders.
The response for the Admirals from the second period to the finish line wasn’t too bad. If you go from just that they won the last two periods 4-3. The problem all comes down to that start though and having that sort of a barrier laid down early for the IceHogs allows them to comfortably sit back and do what they were already doing well: counter attacking hockey, speed in transition, defense to offense.
It was a bad game for the Admirals but with bad games comes plenty of examples of things that need to be corrected or addressed moving forward. Perhaps the best news of all of this is that the Admirals aren’t going to get a chance to stew over last night’s outing for too long. They practice today before logging a two-in-two // home-and-home against the Chicago Wolves. The opportunity to immediately right the ship is there for the Admirals. The less time spent wondering “how are we going to do that” by instead actually getting on the ice to deliver quality play – the better.
~Chatterbox~
During the second intermission in last night’s game I had the opportunity to speak with Nashville Predators General Manager David Poile about the Predators season, his thoughts on the Admirals, and the looming NHL Trade Deadline that is on Monday. After the game I chatted with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason as well as Cody Hodgson, Cody Bass, and Juuse Saros.
Comments on the comments? Are there any concerns, knowing how last year crumbled around this point in the season, that history might be repeating itself? What’s the cure to the Milwaukee Admirals current woes? Would two wins in two days over the Chicago Wolves suddenly make all these recent games something of a distant memory?
Admirals Roundtable 