With the Milwaukee Admirals 2-1 shootout win over the Rockford IceHogs last night their points streak hit nine-games and the winning streak was extended to eight-games. It’s really remarkable considering how the Admirals looked those first few games. Rather than have the start like last season, winning their first six-games, this group came out of the blocks struggling to so much as connect passes. Ever since, they’ve been able to get better game after game into what we’re all watching now. To think that the Admirals are currently one win away from achieving the highest of highs that they experienced last season, a nine-game winning streak from 1/3/15–1/23/15, is almost mind-blowing.

~Playing and Winning Defensively~

What I think impressed me the most about the Admirals win last night was their defense. It starts with yet another terrific performance in goal and then collectively from the defensemen and forwards. They stifled a solid group in the IceHogs who, prior to losing Wednesday night, had the longest points streak in the division at ten-games. It certainly wasn’t your prototypical Admirals/IceHogs clash of bodies and fists to faces but it still maintained a playoff-like atmosphere. The game was a chess match and the Admirals defense was solid enough to stalemate the IceHogs offense.

With this game falling where it was I had hoped that Marek Mazanec would be reintroduced to the Admirals net. His last time in game-action was about two-weeks ago and included traveling back and fourth with the Nashville Predators after being recalled whilst Carter Hutton spent time on injured reserve. That last game prior to his recall to me was his best performance as a member of the Admirals and there is some fear that such a lay off could have impacted his game. As this is a recap you’ll already know the great news that it didn’t happen. He was just as good as he was two weeks prior and made some huge saves late in the game to give the Admirals a shot at extending the points and winning streak. If that song sounds familiar it’s only because Juuse Saros has been playing that same tune lately as well. If there were perhaps one element that is the basis for everything good taking place during this stretch for the Admirals look no further than what’s happening in the net right now.

~No Goal~

Dare we begin to talk about the no goal call that would have given the Admirals the win in regulation? Let me start out by saying, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t mean too much now because the Admirals won anyways. Still, it irked me to see such a poorly botched call from officials that could have impacted the outcome of the game.

In real time I saw a goal light come on, Kirill Gotovets swiping a puck out of his own net, and then finally a whistle. Did the intent to blow this whistle begin around Kevin Fiala‘s shot on goal? The entire notion of “intent to blow the whistle” to me is a cop-out. Did the light come on? Yes. When did the whistle blow? After the goal light came on. There shouldn’t be some sort of interpretation rule disproves and disallows goals or goals that should be challengeable by the coaches.

The way I see it that was the officials way of not wanting the game to be decided on a questionable goal so it was waved off in a fashion where no replay or challenge could be performed. The only reason why it was questionable was that they weren’t in the right positions to call it a goal in the first place. It was a headache to watch -but- hopefully a headache that went away for most after the game saw the Admirals win anyways. …now imagine if the IceHogs get into the playoffs over the Admirals based on points percentage.

~Kevin Fiala Watch 2015-16 Continues~

In walking citizens of Nashville away from the ledge news, good news, Fiala did in fact return to the Admirals lineup last night. While the goal drought for him continues I wouldn’t be alarmed and especially not after the game that he had against the IceHogs. It felt like the first game this season where Fiala had some explosiveness in his game. He was doing plenty of creative things offensively and was battling hard on defense.

Perhaps the best thing of all, and it was something head coach Dean Evason made a point to look at me eye-to-eye when he said it during post-game interviews, Fiala did not take a penalty in that game. I think that’s the major stresser when it comes to Fiala right now is being able to stay as competitive and aggressive as he can be but doing it in a manner that avoids time spent in the penalty box or worse. Him managing to find the right balance to his game that will allow him to play a high tempo and aggressive game, offensively and defensively, I think is the biggest key for him moving forward. Last night’s game was a good first step but an even better response following time missed due to his suspension by the league and an injury. I’d love to see his on-ice response once he finally breaks the duck egg out of the goal scoring column.

~Freddy Time~

Speaking of delivering the goods, there is something pretty special happening right now with Frédérick Gaudreau that has been a lot of fun to kick back and watch develop. He hasn’t really been tasked with being Colton Sissons while the Admirals team captain is up in Nashville but I think he’s been tasked with being himself in Sissons’ role and flourishing. It’s one thing to play a tight and steady game on the lower-lines so that the bigger scorers can get their rest period on the bench. It’s another thing to go from that and then be part of that scoring nucleus. Gaudreau hasn’t looked out of place one bit and his style hasn’t really changed that much.

~Chatterbox~

FYI, there were no pre-game interviews conducted before last night’s game. That meant only doing post-game interviews. I was able to chat with Evason, Gaudreau, Mazanec, and also decided to round-up another member of the French Fries – defenseman Jimmy Oligny – as well for Chatterbox. Here is what they all had to say following the Admirals shootout victory over the IceHogs.

Comments on the comments? What do you think of the idea of video review and the coach’s challenge at the AHL level? Was last night’s game the best of the Admirals season because it showcased they’re able to play a different more defensive style and still find a way to win? Is there any concern thanks to last season that the Admirals, for all this winning-streak fun, are possibly a loss away from going back into a rut?

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If you were to tell me that the Milwaukee Admirals would get this hot -this fast- following such a poor start I’d have loved to see my face as you told me. I imagine my eyebrows shooting up so hard North that they’d have flown off. That’s the level of surprise I’m in right now. And don’t take that as a negative either. It’s not because I never thought this team had it in them. Far from it. I just wasn’t expecting them to rebound from their lackluster early performances in a fashion like this.

The Admirals 5-3 win over the Chicago Wolves did a lot of things. The Admirals points streak is up to eight-games. The winning streak is up to seven-games. The Admirals snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Wolves that dated back almost a calendar year. You might remember that as the game when Rich Clune called the Amtrak Rivals a “soft hockey team” in his post-game interview on the ice. Since then? Not so soft. Case and point being that the Admirals beat Wolves netminder Jordan Binnington for the first time in his career. He had beaten the Admirals in all seven starts last season when he was an AHL rookie and on this year’s season opener. Oh, and for funsies, the Admirals snapped the Wolves points streak of nine-games by taking them down in regulation. So many positives. So much time. So let’s keep going!

~Splitting The Deck~

The Admirals current record is 9-4-1-0 (19 points). Their 0.679 points percentage now has them in third place of the Central Division and sixth place in the Western Conference. You can cut the Admirals season to this point in half by looking at what happened in October and what has happened since the calendar turned to November. In October the Admirals went 2-4-1-0 (5 points) in seven-games for a 0.357 points percentage. In November the Admirals have done nothing but win all seven-games they’ve played: 7-0-0-0 (14 points). What’s caused this turn-around is really a question that can have a multitude of answers depending on what area of the ice you’re looking at. The defense is playing much better which translates into offense. The offense is starting to get rewarded on the amount of shots they’re throwing to the net as the success rate of goals to shots on goals improves. It’s a mixed bag of improvements that gel together into this current run of form. Once again using the October and November split as an example you can get a small gauge as to some of the statistical trends taking major swings.

In October the Admirals: were outscored by opponents 27-15, outshot their opponents 231-216, went 6/36 (16.6%) on the power-play, went 23/32 (71.9%) on the penalty kill, and scored the game’s first goal two times.

In November the Admirals: have outscored by opponents 27-13, outshot their opponents 230-219, went 9/35 (25.7%) on the power-play, went 22/27 (81.5%) on the penalty kill, and scored the game’s first goal five times.

Those numbers are nice to see but I think the simplest answer to the turn-around is that this team is playing like a team. Those first few cringe-worthy games saw a lot of individualistic plays being done. While that hurts to see I found the biggest red flag being the inability to connect passes. It was simply awful and helped trigger many counter attacks or, worse, allowed for more sustained attacks that the Admirals had to weather through. That isn’t really happening anymore and I think it is part instruction and partly this team’s chemistry starting to really improve. The ability to learn from mistakes and get better is shining through but also there are a lot of players playing off of one-another that just wasn’t anywhere to be seen in October.

At the moment, it’s not about one player carrying the load or looking as if he has to be “the guy” to deliver the offense night in and night out. Right now it isn’t even about one line that needs to do all the work. Each line, offense and defense, is bringing it. The understanding of what needs to be done to have success is there and I think this team fights for just that.

~Juuse You See, I Say Juuse~

What can’t be lost in the current winning form of the Admirals is the foundation of it all which starts in net. You see those numbers up top where the Admirals almost perfectly flipped being outscored from October to being the ones outscoring their opponents in November? That’s what happens when there is a platform from which to launch offense from. That’s what happens when a defense gets better. But it’s also what happens when Juuse Saros just so happens to bail out his team when he’s tasked with doing so.

When looking back on last night’s game I feel the true standout moment came in the first period. The Wolves top line of Ty Rattie, Pat Cannone, and Danny Kristo were on the ice and the group put on a skill show that did everything but one thing: score. That shift felt like an eternity to watch as pass after pass connected, dekes were dangled, and shots poured to the net. Yet, nothing came of it. At the time of the shift shots on the scoreboard were quiet 2-2 for both teams. After the shift ended it was 9-2 Wolves. They had seven shots from one shift. All shots were high quality scoring opportunities. And, after everything ended, the score read 0-0.

When a moment such as that comes and goes it invokes a massive exhale. Not just for fans I suspect, either. Saros had all kinds of heat on him and shielded his team from getting burnt repeatedly. Should it have been the Wolves getting on the board early after a shift like that it could have been a different result on the night. Them bringing what was easily their best shift of the night and coming away without a goal did a lot for the landscape of the game.

~Howitzer Boy~

When looking at the Nashville Predators you’ll come across great performances for the likes of Miikka Salomäki, Austin Watson, and Colton Sissons happening recently. It has been a great sight to see and a showcase for the level of hard work, style of play, and consistent effort required to be in the NHL.

Now, when looking at the type of game that Viktor Arvidsson has last night you can’t help but feel his time will come. He was absolutely phenomenal. I could list as many superlatives for his game and I don’t know if it would do it justice. He was playing at 110% speed shift after shift after shift. Then Stevie Moses picked up an unfortunate upper-body injury that sat him out for the rest of the game. Guess what that meant? Double-up shifts for Arvidsson. Did his performance drop by doing that? No. All the hours I hear that he spends in the gym working, time committed to be a pro, and all-around ability for both sides of the puck shined in his effort last night. His motor was running at enough revolutions to red-line and kill mine around the first period. He carried on like that, and more, until the game was decided.

Another thing that I love about Arvidsson’s style of play is how it really sets the table for the rest of the group. It’s part of the identity that I felt the Admirals took a dent from last season when they lost Salomäki’s relentless play. When you have one player working that hard it raises the bar for everyone to be earning their ice time by matching that level of effort. When a group gets on the same page and starts collectively firing on the sorts of cylinders Arvidsson or a Salomäki is it breeds success. It almost becomes an infectious competitive attitude where shift after shift needs to be at that high a level. If there was ever a better case for leading by example without being vocal about it – it was Arvidsson’s game last night. Ending a shift by non-verbally saying “follow that” and watching the entire team match it. To use another superlative. It was just incredible to watch.

~Mr. Reliable~

I would sometimes casually throw out that a Watson type of guy was Mr. Reliable these last few seasons. He isn’t the flashiest player on the ice but finds himself up there in scoring while being a well-rounded player. I think it is still early to give any sort of awards out but consider a front runner for Mr. Reliable to Max Reinhart.

For those in need of reminding, Reinhart was acquired by the Predators from the Calgary Flames organization in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft. I assumed at the time this was meant to strengthen the center position and make for even stronger in-house competition down the middle. While that might not be happening on the NHL end of the spectrum I do think his ability his lending itself well to the AHL.

During the poor start to the season Reinhart, like most, wasn’t scoring but, unlike most, wasn’t shooting himself in the foot. During this current seven-game winning streak a lot of his work is starting to really show: 7 points (5 goals, 2 assists), 1 shorthanded goal, 1 game-winning goal, and has averaged 3.3 shots on goal per game. He might not stand out on the ice hustling at the speed of light like an Arvidsson but I’m hoping his work isn’t getting lost among the name talent on the Admirals because he’s been doing great.

~Freddy~

Another player who could use a spotlight is Frédérick Gaudreau. It’s not fun thinking back to how last season ended but one of the more bright spots was the play of Gaudreau as the season grinded to the finish line. It’s been great to see that wasn’t a blip on the radar because he’s carried that into this season and then some.

Gaudreau was someone last season I would describe as a fringe player. He was either a healthy scratch or playing his trade with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL. In total, he produced 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) in 43 games for the Admirals and 7 points (5 goals, 2 assists) in 14 games for the Cyclones last season. Jump ahead to this season where Gaudreau is being utilized as the Admirals first choice center on the power-play. This season he has 9 points (3 goals, 6 assists) in 13 games with the Admirals. All of his goals have been scored on the power-play. Only howitzer boy himself, Arvidsson, has more on the Admirals power-play with 4 power-play goals. Gaudreau has been a really welcome sight to see for the Admirals and is yet another versatile threat that can be used down the middle, on the wing, on the power-play, or on the penalty kill.

~DANGER Eric Robinson DANGER~

The circumstances that have allowed for Eric Robinson‘s inclusion into the Admirals lineup this season is slightly unfortunate. First you have the team violation against Moses that allowed for Robinson to play against the Iowa Wild (11/5/15). Then Kevin Fiala was suspended by the AHL which meant Robinson would fill in for both games of the Charlotte road trip (11/13/15 – 11/14/15). And last night he was back in due to Fiala being sidelined due to an injury he sustained against the Lake Erie Monsters.

That’s all doom and gloom, sure, but with those circumstances is an opportunity for Robinson to show he has a case to stay in a talent packed Admirals forwards group. All he’s done in every game that he’s played in the AHL this season is score: 4 points (3 goals, 1 assist). This comes after scoring 8 points (4 goals, 4 assists) in six-games for the Cincinnati Cyclones in the ECHL. His scoring touch is translating at the AHL level.

~Injuries~

I made mention of an upper-body injury to Mr. Moses that removed him from the rest of last night’s game. Sadly, he wasn’t the only Admirals player to exit stage left due to an injury. Johan Alm was crumpled up in a collision with Jacob Doty at the end-boards of the Admirals defensive zone during the first period. He didn’t return for the rest of the game due a lower-body injury.

After my follow-up questions after the game, I suspect that the Admirals will be looking for reinforcements from Cincinnati either today or tomorrow with Joe Pendenza and Garrett Noonan your likely candidates. It could be that Fiala suits back up and plays Friday night but the safe option is to have the numbers there in case he isn’t able to go. If that’s the case? Both kiddos from the state of Massachusetts  should get recalled to the Admirals.

~Chatterbox~

Prior to last night’s game I once again was able to do a pre-game interview with Admirals head coach Dean Evason. If you didn’t listen to that ahead of the game you can hear it right here. As always, I did speak with Evason once again in the post-game interview scrum (hi Dave). I then spoke with Arvidsson, Saros, Gaudreau, and Robinson.

Comments on the comments? Is this current run by the Admirals a small flash in the pan type of run or a sign of their performance level that can be sustained for the length of this season? Are the Admirals a different team when Fiala isn’t in the lineup?

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The Milwaukee Admirals are on a four-game winning streak. How nice is that to say after the first few games felt very icky and cringe inducing to watch? The reality is that this is a young group that probably needed to get through a stretch like that in order to grow and really find its identity. When I say identity I’m also talking about that on an individual basis. This group now knows one-another very well and chemistry is starting to really form on the ice.

~Important Start~

What impressed me the most about the Admirals 6-3 win today was their start. You might only remember the goals which sprung a 3-0 first period lead but think about those first few minutes of the game. Juuse Saros was tested in a big way from a partial breakaway, a full-on breakaway, and a racing counter attack that finished with a clean shot from the right wing. All of those came early while it was a scoreless game. If so much as one of those shots gets past Saros it could be a completely different game recap. Instead, Saros bailed out his defensemen getting caught out with turnovers on their attacking blueline and provided a platform to unload from. That’s precisely what they did after weathering a quick storm in the first period. The result was three goals scored at even strength by the likes of Pontus Åberg, Trevor Murphy, and Taylor Aronson. The Admirals ability to recover off an early lull and tilt the ice gave them a first period lead that they would never let go of.

~The Admirals Brightest Line~

I think the next bright spot is when you start to see a line that isn’t really getting changed around often. That to me is a great signal that the coaching staff sees a line paring that understands how everyone is playing, feed off each other, and are playing successfully on both ends of the ice. That one line that really doesn’t feel like it should be going anywhere for awhile features Åberg on the left wing, Vladislav Kamenev down the middle, and newly signed to a standard player contract Adam Payerl on the right wing. That line has been paired up these last two games with a combined 8 points (3 goals, 5 assists) between the three. Kamenev is such a smooth player who looks really confident and controls the puck well. Payerl can bring a slightly harder edge to the ice but actually mirrors his centerman in ability pretty closely. And I think right now this might be the best Åberg has looked in an Admirals uniform. Around this time last season, specifically dialing it to November 11th on the calendar, he had a quick start: 5 points (4 goals, 1 assist) in seven games of work. This season Åberg has 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists) in ten games. He’s producing the points while limiting the mistakes that were very prevalent in his game a season ago. That’s progress and I think his skill level is really what makes this line combination as explosive as it has been, is, and will continue to be.

~Fiala: The Lightning Rod of Lake Erie’s Hate~

I suppose now is the time to hit upon that rough stuff that took place. Yeah, the headline player involved here is Kevin Fiala but I have to believe any player that is seen running through a goaltender would incite negative attention. In fairness to Fiala, the replay that was shown of the incident in which he collided with Joonas Korpisalo appeared as if he was given the ejector seat treatment after a stiff crosscheck propelled him into the Monsters netminder. In the speed of the moment all you view of the situation is Fiala bumping into Korpisalo, Korpisalo selling like death, and a lot less thinking and a whole lot more “why I outta” happens. This seemed to then stick with Fiala like a lightning rod and, in some ways, I actually think he likes playing up to that. There is nothing wrong with having a competitive edge and playing aggressive while chirping away. I think Miikka Salomäki‘s playing style alone when he was a rookie with the Admirals got under the opposition’s skin. The problem is really all between Fiala’s ears after this situation takes place. Yes, the wrong call might have been made by him getting a charging minor instead of Lake Erie being assessed a crosscheck but don’t lose your composure to tack on yet another minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct after the fact. That first minor for charging? Admirals not only killed it off but Frédérick Gaudreau and Max Reinhart contributed with a fantastically worked shorthanded goal. That second part to the double minor? The one that Fiala received while losing his composure? That turned into a power-play goal for Sonny Milano. That never needed to happen.

The Fiala vortex unfortunately doesn’t end there as he picked up a game misconduct for an unsportsmanlike penalty with nineteen-seconds remaining in regulation. Still the target of the Monsters frustrations, Brett Gallant saw Fiala – measured his scope to snipe – checked Fiala in the head – and then was left to do battle with Cody Bass. This is where this storyline should be over. But it isn’t. As Fiala is being escorted away from the fracas he proceeded to flip off the entire Lake Erie Monsters bench and get himself a game misconduct for an unsportsmanlike penalty. Now, I get the built up frustrations, emotions, anger, and confusion of the matter all connecting back to the incident with Korpisalo getting hit – but there is just no reason for him to do that in any way shape or form. My best defense for him in this situation is that, for all that transpired leading up to it, he was a 19-year old kid who had no other idea how to show his anger at a team that was looking to get after him following an incident that he doesn’t think he’s responsible for. The reality is that if he skates to the bench and sits down for nineteen seconds I think the scoreboard would have spoke bigger volumes that his middle digit did. It’s now something that the AHL will be taking a closer inspection of:

Rule 23.2: A player incurring a game misconduct penalty shall incur an automatic fine of one hundred dollars ($100) and the case shall be reported to the President who shall have full power to impose such further penalties by way of suspension or fine on the penalized player, goalkeeper or any other player involved in the altercation.

Any game misconduct penalty for which a player has been assessed an automatic suspension or supplementary discipline in the form of game suspension(s) by the President shall not be taken into account when calculating the total number of offenses under this subsection.

The automatic suspensions incurred under this subsection in respect to League games shall have no effect with respect to violations during Playoff games. A member club requesting review of an automatic suspension of a player may use the services of the player during the President’s investigation of the incident. If the request for review is upheld, no
further action shall be taken against the player. If the request is denied, the player shall be suspended for the number of games that the player participated in during the President’s investigation, in addition to the number of games specified for the original suspension.

If a review is requested by a Club, it must be initiated within twenty-four (24) hours following the completion of the game in which it occurred. This does not apply to infractions addressed under Rule 28.

So, that’s fun. The biggest piece of evidence in this matter will probably come from the on-ice officials who saw the incident take place as I suspect this flipping of the Fiala bird was picked up by any cameras present at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. We’ll just have to kick back and see what transpires but I’m thinking a little heart-to-heart to Fiala from any number of people on the team, coaches or players alike, is good medicine here. Competitor? Absolutely and it makes him such a driven player. He just needs to use better judgement and learn to channel those emotions a better way than that is all.

~MAKE SOME NOISE~

Let’s get away from the bad and talk about something I thought was immensely positive: the crowd today. When I saw there were two AM games for the Admirals in this year’s schedule I wasn’t sure if there was a typo or not. How many people are really turning out of work for this on a weekday? What amount of schools would schedule field trips for a hockey game this early into a school year? Well, between Iowa last Thursday and Milwaukee today, a combined 24,475 fans watched two games of AHL hockey during the middle of the week with opening puck drop taking place at 10:30 AM. That is so unbelievably awesome to see.

What also puts a smile on my face is how many first time watchers of a hockey game there probably were in attendance this afternoon. In total, there were 11,047 students in attendance at today’s game. That has the potential to spawn plenty of, not only Milwaukee Admirals fans, but brand new hockey fans and potentially even players. I obviously wouldn’t be doing what I do if I didn’t love this sport and part of why I love it is just how exciting and non-stop the action is. Kids’ attention spans aren’t the longest in the known universe so I think a sport like hockey lends itself well to such an audience. The game itself is rather easy to pick up while you watch it. And I think by the time the game ended fans of the sport were created. That to me goes above and beyond what could have ever happened on the ice. That’s very special. And I applaud the Admirals effort and coordination to see to it that this game took place. It was a complete success and I expect this to happen once again for the 2016-17 season.

~Chatterbox~

Prior to the game I actually did a pre-game interview with Milwaukee Admirals President Jon Greenberg. We discussed the school day game before it happened, the process in which it was developed, and touched upon the potential move to the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. After the dust settled on the inaugural school day game I spoke with Admirals head coach Dean Evason as well as a group of players: Payerl, Saros, Åberg, and Gaudreau. Here is what they had to say after the game:

Comments on the comments? Dare I ask for your follow up comments on what Kevin Fiala’s game and post-whistle activities were like? Do you feel as if the Admirals have finally been groomed into playing like a team as opposed to the opening few games in October?

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I left last night’s game with a really numb feeling as it relates to the overall performance of the Milwaukee Admirals. The third period was unbelievable. The Admirals were rallying while down 3-2 and responded by earning three trips to the power-play which probably helped in the 18-4 shots on goal margin that they produced all while gunning for that equalizer.

That’s probably where the numb feeling seeps in. That equalizing goal never happened. All that outstanding work late went for naught because the game concluded at the end of regulation with the Moose winning 3-2. Yes, there were some problem areas within the game – most of which concluded in the goals the Moose score – but I’m left feeling as though there were more positives than there were negatives. The Admirals did everything right late but couldn’t find the breakthrough. That’s a credit to the Moose and a tip of the cap on their defense on making scoring chances difficult to come by and the ones that found Connor Hellebuyck easy to deal with.

A big problem that needs to be answered though is the way the Admirals can’t get out in front. The Admirals have now played six-games and have only led for 21:14 of ice time. The entirety of that lead came from the Admirals 4-2 loss at home to the Rockford IceHogs. Stevie Moses scored five-minutes into the first period and, on the flip side of the second period, they conceded before surrendering the lead all-together less than three minutes after that. It’s not really been until these last few games when their backs are up against the wall when they’re switching their brains off, playing more instinctive, more desperate, and firing shots to the net. The first three games: 76 shots on goal – outshot by their opponents 34- 28 in the third period. The last three games: 113 shots on goal – outshooting their opponents 40-21. The same urgency seen from the Admirals to salvage a result needs to be shown early on. You’re only going to win so many games when you pull the goalie and bring out the extra attacker.

After tonight’s game I spoke with Admirals head coach Dean Evason. I also spoke with captain Colton Sissons and winger Viktor Arvidsson to hear their reactions to the loss to the Manitoba Moose. Here is what they had to say.

Continue reading “Chatterbox, Vol. 89” →

Where, oh where do we even begin? The Milwaukee Admirals managed to perform yet another third period comeback that resulted in a win. First it was with the Iowa Wild in a 3-2 overtime finish. This time it was the Texas Stars and it went all the way to a 4-3 shootout. On both occasions the Admirals scored with the net empty and the extra attacker on to equalize late. And in only the Admirals first five games of this season they have already matched last season’s total for wins when trailing when entering the third period.

Do yourself a favor and re-read that first paragraph over again, please. Because those are a lot of positives considering the Admirals were in doom and gloom mode with only the one win from four games. It could have just as easily been one win out of five while dropping three home games as well. But it didn’t happen. And the reason why it didn’t happen is another ping on the pulse monitor of the Admirals for this season. As is the offense going head-to-head with an “on paper” more high powered offensive machine and outshooting them 47-28 on the night.

It would be easy to point back on the Admirals comeback win against Iowa and then saying, “but they still didn’t win or look better against Rockford the next game.” The reality is that Iowa game was a real turning point for the Admirals starting to play more like a team and less like individuals. They lost the Rockford game, true, but they still looked way better that the first two games. In fact, the Admirals had the game tied 2-2 and went on to lose off an awkward puck that kicked up off Vladislav Kamenev‘s stick, off Ryan Hartman‘s knee, into the neutral zone, and sent Marko Dano off to the races. That game could have just as easily spilled into overtime and, at the very least, the Ads are looking at earning a point minimum. Last night the Admirals had another bad bounce with the goal for Julius Honka that made it 3-1 in the third period but they proceeded to push and push the Stars into three power-play chances that lead to two power-play goals that sent the game into overtime. The off switch was never hit and the Admirals motor was easily in its best working order this season. This was essentially the same team that put up 41 shots on goal in the first two games and last night that was the amount of saves John Muse had to make to survive the Admirals offense. That’s an incredible turn-around and one that I really hope sets the tone for the team from here on out.

The game, as you can imagine, isn’t without its faults. I think the Admirals simply need to look at their work in the neutral zone as their biggest weakness right now as a team. Passes are at their worst. Players are skating into one-another. And all the mistakes get gobbled up and turned into offense the other way. If the Admirals penalty kill can go from the way it did on opening night to looking as smooth as it did last night – this neutral zone // disaster zone area of the ice can also get cleaned up. The more effective the Admirals can be at moving the puck through neutral the less counter attack hockey they’ll need to worry about defending.

Kamenev’s night was also a real impressive one and was so all from it’s sheer simplicity. He was just about always in the right place at the right time. And that is not a coincidence. Much like how I’ve been impressed by the early work of Félix Girard and Frédérick Gaudreau, what makes Kamenev’s game work so well right now is that he’s not going out when it’s his shift to do anything over the top or to deke through two players at a pop. Rather, he goes about his business, grinds hard on the boards, gets to the front of the net, and takes whatever the defense gives him. The result is 5 points (4 goals, 1 assist) in five games. The moniker “keep it simple, stupid” has never looked so good.

After the game I spoke with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason. I also was able to chat with Marek Mazanec, Colton Sissons, and Anthony Bitetto to hear their reactions on the game. Here is what they had to say:

Added Point. I very much love Evason’s response to last night’s attendance. While the crowd wasn’t actually 200 people – it was actually 2058 – Evason’s approach is dead on. Plus, he’s also right. The fans that still showed up despite the schedule change were the diehards. They were still loud. Even better, the ones that didn’t pack up and leave when the Stars made it 3-1 were treated to a comeback win. Diehard fandom pays off and that’s probably why the noise of the crowd when the Admirals equalizes and won were still paid off with a salute to the crowd by the team despite the size of the crowd.

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How do I put this. The home opener was a horror show to watch the Milwaukee Admirals play. Last night’s return to home ice after a 3-2 overtime winning comeback against the Iowa Wild? It wasn’t honestly that bad. The biggest problem of course comes with the following headline: Rockford IceHogs win 4-2.

If you were to dissect last night’s game I’m sure there would be a lot more errors to be found but I actually take the game as a positive step for the Admirals. I don’t take the result as a positive. No one wants to lose. But the game itself showed some good signs of life out of the Admirals in more ways than simply scoring goals.

In the second period I felt as if the checking and gritty style of play the Admirals were imposing on the IceHogs was very good. Especially when thinking about last season – the Admirals tend to be the ones getting battered around more than the other way around. While the scoreline of the second period read 2-0 Rockford make no mistakes that it was still a strong showing of a dimension the Admirals don’t typically display anywhere near as much as they should. Beat the other team up on the boards and make them actually have to work for puck control.

When Kevin Fiala was lit up by a boarding major penalty by Chris DeSousa there were also immediate signs by the Admirals of not letting their teammates be bossed around. The main picture tells enough of the story. I also found the spat that took place a minute after the DeSousa boarding major between Félix Girard and Pierre-Cédric Labrie, which was spoken in 100% unadulterated bonkers angry French by the way, to have also been yet another sign by the Admirals that they are willing to push back if the opponent is going to push.

That game-winning goal scored by Marko Dano did have eerily similar feelings of how things were at the end of last season. It was such a bizarre and flukey play that broke down around Vladislav Kamenev and led to a breakaway. Juuse Saros made the dazzling breakaway save but the puck was still on the doorstep awaiting to be put away. Also like last year’s struggles was the idea of this odd goal being scored only a minute after the Admirals broke through with a power-play goal to equalize at 2-2. All that work, that momentum, the crowd getting back into it, gone in a flash off a wacky play. It’s easy to just call it unfortunate but it happened -so often- late last season that it is almost worth considering bringing a witch doctor in to bless the ice or something.

Final thoughts? This Admirals team is slowly starting to get pointed in the right direction and I feel the best thing that is about to happen is the schedule finally providing multiple games. Practice is good and everything but as Admirals head coach Dean Evason said after the game last night:

“Playing hockey games is good,” smiled Evason. “You can practice your systems, you can practice everything, your pace, all that kind of stuff – but you’re not doing it for real. It looks great in practice because we’re really pushing the pace, or we’re tight with our system, but we’re not playing anybody. So there is no question you can play hockey games, you get into a groove, you get your lines going, you can roll everything, and your systems you can teach with film. We’re looking forward to playing more games for sure.”

Frequent games. Better rythme. Sharpening up details. And getting consistency out of the group individual by individual. I believe this is a really solid team that will and should go through poor stretches like this here and there with such a young team. Once things start to gel at game speed, and those more skilled forwards start strutting their stuff, things will be on the up-and-up.

Not only was I able to chat with Evason after the game but I also managed to talk to Anthony Bitetto, assistant coach Scott Ford, and Cody Bass. Here is what they had to say after last night’s game.

Also, for those who missed it, I also interviewed Evason and Bitetto prior to the start of last night’s game on uploaded those interviews to SoundCloud as well. The upload process on there is so quick that I feel I might try to do more pre-game interviews this season as a result. Thoughts? Yes? OK.

Comments on the comments by the coaches and players? Any more reflections you have on last night’s game? Do you think that a string of games is really the best medicine for the Admirals to get going at the moment?

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The Milwaukee Admirals have opened up the regular season with two regulation losses while being outshot 71-41, outscored 12-3, while only technically scoring a single goal. So… where do we begin?

The finger pointing could go in enough places that Goro from Mortal Kombat wouldn’t be able to point to them all – nor would the Goddess Durga for that matter. Offense. Defense. If you’re angry enough you might even be wagging a finger between the pipes and questioning if some of this damage could have been less if not for some clutch saves. The bigger named scoring talent looks lost and confused. And, in general, the ability to connect passes to one another has seen better days in a lower tier pick-up hockey game. To put it simply, there is a whole lot of wrong that is on display and it isn’t entirely something we should be expecting to go away instantly.

What’s perhaps most troubling to me is the Admirals lack of detail in their play to start the season. The coaching staff with Dean Evason at the helm preaches sound fundamental hockey. “Play the right way. Do the right things.” To see such sloppy passing, players thinking they can take on and beat two or three defenders all by themselves with skill, or blow defensive assignments in transition is something that was rare to see… until late last season under Evason’s watch.

The single most glaring element of this team right now is the non-existent offense. Which is bizarre to think you could use such a term knowing the skill level in that department is so high. There are two first round draft picks, three second round draft picks, and last season’s top goal scorer in the KHL in the forward group alone. Yet, flashy abilities aside, the basics are what is getting screwed up. When a team is trying to build a head of steam to race from defense to offense but can’t pass up the ice cleanly it presents an opportunity to be counter attacked – and counter attacked with the opposition coming down your throat in numbers. The Chicago Wolves had 37 shots posted against Juuse Saros. The Charlotte Checkers had 34 shots on goal against Marek Mazanec. The goaltenders need a breather and the offense can’t connect passes to get these men a break. The inability to sustain attacking hockey means cycling around on defense. Getting grinded out on defense leads to sluggish minor penalty mistakes. And, would you look at that, the Admirals are trailing on the scoreboard as easy as you like.

I suppose what I’m getting at here is that the transition game of “defensive assignment first and then attack” is the specific problem plaguing the offense. That same inability to go from defense to offense is also what’s making the penalty kill such a nightmare at the moment. Pucks are going to the net and, if they’re not in off the shot, they’re still right there on the doorstep. Collecting, clearing, and getting out of the defensive zone isn’t happening anywhere near enough as it should be and it’s lead to a penalty kill unit that has allowed six power-play goals in two games from eleven chances.

When you get away from what’s beneath the surface to the more out in the open stuff that’s when you get a little more angry. Kevin Fiala just about sounded like a lock to make the Nashville Predators opening day roster heading into the pre-season camp. He gets cut, joins the Admirals, and has proceeded to look like a ghost of the player that delivered last season’s most thrilling moment. He looks slow. He looks uninterested. And he looks every bit the reason why he was sent to Milwaukee. The sooner he stops feeling sorry for himself the sooner the Admirals get a high powered winger that can spearhead an offense. An igniter if you will. Someone to set the table and make every other forward have to follow that shift up with work ethic that is up to par with what Fiala can muster up. Until that moment manifests itself the best forwards on the ice right now are the ones doing a lot of the simple things right. Vladislav Kamenev has looked very composed in each of the Admirals first two games and it’s leading to scoring chances. Pontus Åberg was the most lively and aggressive forwards on the ice against Checkers and probably deserved a goal for his work rate. Frédérick Gaudreau and Félix Girard both looked smart on and off the puck and their battle level on offense was great to see considering they are meant to be the fourth line.

All that said and the word “finishing” isn’t to be seen because the Admirals haven’t really had a proper finish. Kamenev’s shorthanded goal was really all there was and that will probably go down as the softest goal Jordan Binnington will allow all season. Miikka Salomäki and Taylor Aronson have Jake Chelios and Trevor Carrick respectively to thank for their goals against the Checkers. Drew MacIntyre stopped both Salomäki and Aronson cold. Oddly, for the first time in a good while, the Admirals received some of those favorable puck bounces they’re always banging on about. Remember the hopes for all of those last season? They finally turned up tonight. And they still lost 7-2.

So many kinks to iron out and so little time before taking to the ice once again. Speaking of iron, if iron sharpens iron I must say on a positive note I am very glad that this spell is happening instantly to start the season. Why? Because with so much youth and so much season still to play there is a lot of time to learn how to do things -quoting Evason- the right way. Adversity is an essential part of any team or individual learning process that I feel the best have to learn how to endure and overcome. Why not face it right away as to combat it when it turns its ugly head later in the season? The results are bad. There is no denying that. The benefits of being able to get over this hump and earn period-to-period, start-to-finish, back-to-back style results is the difference between the teams that make the playoffs and the ones who watch them instead.

After the game I had the chance to catch up with Evason, Mazanec, and team captain Colton Sissons. Here is what they had to say following the rough result at the home opener.

Comments on the comments? What are you initial impressions of this year’s team and its struggles? What concerns you the most about the Admirals through two games? What improvements do you think are needed to get on the winning track?

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Welcome to the Media Day Extravaganza Edition of the Chatterbox. That’s right, today the Milwaukee Admirals were under the media spotlight of local news stations – and the usual suspects that cover the team game-by-game. This morning I attended practice at the BMO Harris Bradley Center and then rounded up as many players as I could for interviews. Before getting straight to the interviews. Let’s do a quick run down of practice.

Moses-Sissons-Salomäki
Fiala-Reinhart-Payerl
Bass-Kamenev-Åberg (Gaudreau)
(Devane) Pendenza-Girard-Görtz

Allen-Näkyvä
Noonan-Oligny
Alm-Aronson
Diaby-Murphy

Mazanec
Saros

These are how the lines looked at practice. And, first things first, today’s practice was the longest practice in the Dean Evason era of this team – clocking in comfortably at over two hours with a halftime inbetween. Whether or not they’ll in fact be used on the road Saturday night against the Chicago Wolves is uncertain. My guess is that they either will be or should be pretty darn close.

Steve Moses, Cody Bass, and Jamie Devane were all on the ice this morning. It was also the first time in training camp that I noticed Johan Alm on the ice, as well. I’m pretty impressed with what I saw out of the line combinations. It’s also entertaining that effectively last year’s third line is now the fourth line due to the amount of talent at forward right now.

~Captains~

Evason always likes to have the players vote for their captains. This season’s turn out saw Colton Sissons named this year’s team captain with Conor Allen and the aforementioned Bass as the alternates.

It was incredible when Sissons was named an alternate last season at the age of 20-years old with only one year of professional playing experience to his name. Jump ahead a year and into the present and he is now the captain. It says a ton about the way he conducts himself on and off the ice that he is so well respected by everyone at such a young age. Not having a list of all the captains in front of me in team history – I’d have to assume him to be the youngest ever captain in the history of the Admirals at 21-years old.

~Chatterbox~

Once practice wrapped up and the played cooled down it was time for Media Day. Players were all set to take this season’s headshots and all were available for interviews. I grabbed as many as I could and, as a result, have a Chatterbox record of nine interviews.

Also, after finally having enough with WordPress’ media player for audio files giving you folks -and me- headaches, I have started up a SoundCloud profile for Admirals Roundtable. I will now be uploading Chatterbox as a block of full-interviews in a playlist. Here goes the trial run and let me know if you feel this is an upgrade.

~ECHL~

Another small note to end on is that the Cincinnati Cyclones played a pre-season game last night and came away with a 6-1 thrashing of the Wheeling Nailers. Eric Robinson had a nice first impression for the Cyclones by scoring 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists). In addition, Jaynen Rissling scored a goal – Mikko Vainonen had an assist – and former member of the Admirals, and last year’s Man of the Year, Zach Budish scored a goal. With how stacked the Nashville Predators are, how loaded the Admirals are, I do feel fans in Cincinnati are in for an exciting turn-around season. I expect good things out of the Cyclones in the ECHL this season.

Comments on the comments? What are your expectations for this season? Can the Admirals youth hit the ground running and remain hot for the length of an entire season? Will this season see a return to playoff hockey? What, if anything, concerns you about the Admirals this season?

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You can only practice for so long before that itch to get into game situations drives you a bit crazy. Last night was finally the Milwaukee Admirals chance to take the ice and test themselves. That opening couple of seconds might have come as a slight surprise. Thankfully the entire game that followed was a different story.

What impressed me the most about the Admirals 5-2 win over the Rockford IceHogs was the puck movement and puck pressure. Defending smart. Winning pucks. And then countering with pace and precision.

The team defense was solid and hounding the IceHogs the entire game. For a team that played the night before and pelted the Chicago Wolves with numerous shots on goal – the Admirals didn’t allow them to play an open ended game. The Admirals took away a lot of time and space which made for a relatively comfortable night in net for Juuse Saros.

Once the defense won back pucks the movement in transition by the Admirals from defending to attacking was a joy to watch. It was an area last season that was such a struggle as opponents would clog the neutral zone and win puck battles on the dump and chase. Last night’s work through neutral ice was composed, passes connected, and entering the offensive zone -and then holding it- was good. The passing felt incredibly precise for the Admirals first exhibition game of the season when you’d expect certain players to have timing wrong or still understanding the dynamics of new teammates. It either simply wasn’t there tonight or didn’t show in this game.

Another highlight for me was the defensive pairing of Conor Allen and Kristian Näkyvä. The two defensemen mirror one-another in terms of skill set and they seem to have a natural chemistry as a result. When figuring in Peter Laviolette‘s system, where defensemen jump up in attack, it’s important to not get burnt on a counter attack. Allen and Näkyvä didn’t fall into that trap where some other defensemen did on the night – which led to some odd-man breaks. The paring covered ice well enough to trek back defensively and both gauged the distance of “how far up ice is too far when helping out in the offensive zone” really good.

All in all, I was impressed by much of what I saw from the Admirals. They played a very smart game and there were lots of good individual performances to speak of. With how loaded the roster is it’s going to be an interesting next week to see just who stays and who goes as far as PTO contracts and the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL are concerned. For example, what does the addition of Steve Moses mean for guys like David Moss and Adam Payerl? Even players who went through Cincinnati last season like Joe Pendenza, Frédérick Gaudreau, Jaynen Rissling, Jonathan Diaby, and Garrett Noonan are all on that cusp of starting their seasons in the ECHL depending on how things play out. For the coaching staff I imagine this to be a wonderful problem to have. For the players this is a battle for roster spots. I have to believe that mentality factors into a performance like the Admirals had against the IceHogs.

After the game, I spoke with head coach Dean Evason. I also was able to chat with Saros and Gaudreau. Here is what they had to say after defeating the IceHogs at the MSOE Kern Center.

Continue reading “The Chatterbox, Vol. 84” →