Game Recaps February 6, 2015February 6, 2015

Welcome to the Kevin Fiala Show; Ads win 4-1

Kevin Fiala recorded North American pro goals one and two tonight as the Milwaukee Admirals moved into a first place tie for the Midwest Division. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)

The Admirals won 4-1 against the Rockford IceHogs Friday night to move into a first place tie in the Midwest Division. Kevin Fiala scored his first two professional goals on North American ice as Marek Mazanec earned his sixth consecutive win in net for the Admirals.

“It’s a huge game for us,” said Joe Piskula. “We were playing for first place and we knew it was going to be a battle. Both teams played well I thought. They’re fast, they played fast and sometimes that is going to work in their favor. Tonight we just got the job done.”

When the Admirals second power-play in the first period ended they were caught tired and flatfooted. Cody Bass, fresh out of the box, received a clearance from Klas Dahlbeck and was off to the races. Ian White was the last man back for the Ads but was gassed and allowed Bass to get inside position to whip his backhander in on goal. Marek Mazanec threw a blocker to the puck but it got through for Bass’ first goal of the season.

In the second period the Admirals equalized on Kevin Fiala’s first pro goal in North America. The native of Switzerland snuck behind the IceHogs defense and Mark Van Guilder hit him on a stretch pass that sent him in on goal all alone. Fiala pulled a backhander that flew over the glove of Michael Leighton and in, top shelf, for the goal. Jonathan Diaby was credited with the secondary assist on the marker to notch his first career point in pro hockey, as well.

Zach Budish’s fifth goal of the season came moments after Fiala’s tally to give the Admirals their first lead of the night. Joe Piskula made a great pass as he was smothered by Matt Carey and Ville Pokka that fell over to Budish breaking down the middle of the faceoff circles. The shot torched through Leighton to make it 2-1 after two period of play.

Fiala would tag the IceHogs again in the third period. Ian White’s point shot on the power-play deflected off of Fiala’s stick before ricocheting in front of Leighton. Fiala was quick enough and free enough in space to stab the puck into the open net to score his second of the night before the veteran netminder could react.

“His two goals are really his game right now,” said Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason. “He’s a little bit behind. The game is quick for him and today was a really heavy game. He’s not used to playing that. That’s why he’s here playing for us preparing him to play for the Nashville Predators.”

Rockford decided to pull Leighton for the extra attacker with 3:09 remaining. Fiala was fighting for his hat trick big but missed out – as did Mazanec on a goalie goal that was knifed down by a high stick in neutral ice. The tally would eventually fall to Viktor Stalberg on the empty netter for his fourth goal with the Admirals this season.

“I was sure it’s in,” smiled Marek Mazanec after the game as he described his empty net bid. “Because it was a perfect shot and when the guy hit it I was like no way. It’s so lucky, but we won the game and it’s another assist so it’s good.”

How about a shoutout to Mazanec’s overall night in net? His only goal allowed came on a bad break at the end of an Admiral penalty kill and from that point out he was lights out. He stopped twenty-three shots to pick up his sixth straight win for the Admirals. He also picked up his fourth assist of the season on the empty net tally.

Ramblings: Tonight’s scratches for the Admirals were Miikka Salomaki (upper body), Rich Clune (right leg), Jimmy Oligny (right knee), and Johan Alm (left wrist). All are expected to miss the weekend’s next two games. The Admirals and IceHogs are now tied for the Midwest Division lead at 58 points each but the tie-break sees the Admirals currently atop the division and third in conference.

Thoughts on tonight’s game? Is this a statement win for the Admirals? Will the first goals for Fiala take some weight off his shoulders? More of the same tomorrow?

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Scouting February 6, 2015

IceHogs: Scouting the Enemy

Michael Leighton has been dominant in net for the Rockford IceHogs. Having players such as Mark Van Guilder taking his vision away will be key. (Photo Credit: Rockford IceHogs // flickr)

Buckle up, folks. This is the Milwaukee Admirals last three-in-three of the season and it starts with two games against the Rockford IceHogs. If things fall into place correctly the Admirals could be in charge of the Midwest Division by supper time Sunday.

~The Showdown~

The IceHogs enter tonight’s game with a record of 26-14-4-2 (58 points). They hold a two point lead over the Admirals for the division lead and have played two games more than the Admirals have.

The way the schedule works out, the IceHogs only have tonight and tomorrow’s tilt against the Admirals this weekend before playing in Milwaukee next Friday. They’ll be more than familiar with us as the games storm ahead. Meanwhile, the Admirals have the Rochester Americans on Sunday and a road game against the Chicago Wolves on Wednesday before squaring back up against Rockford.

~Head to Head~

This season’s head-to-head currently favors the Admirals through eight previous games: 5-3-0-0. Only one of those games went past regulation and that happened the last time they met – a 1-0 shutout win for the Admirals in Rockford. That game also took place in a similar scenario as we see this weekend with a home-and-home battle. In fact, this will be the third time this season that it’s happened. The Admirals split the first set Nov. 14-15 and swept the IceHogs Jan. 8-9.

As far as scoring goes, the Admirals have managed to outscore the IceHogs 17-15 head-to-head. The power-play numbers head-to-head are: 8.6% (3/35) Admirals, 12.0% (3/25) IceHogs. The top scorers for each team head-to-head: Taylor Aronson, 7 points (1 goal, 6 assists)… T.J. Brennan, 6 points (4 goals, 2 assists) and Phillip Danault, 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists).

~UFC on Ice~

With seeing the same team so often as this you might expect some fisticuffs to break out at some point this weekend. So far this season we’ve had -inhale- Triston Grant vs. Joakim Nordström, Anthony Bitetto vs. Ryan Hartman, Mike Liambas vs. Garret Ross, Rich Clune vs. Cody Bass, Colton Sissons vs. Klas Dahlbeck, Garrett Noonan vs. Stephen Johns, Jonathan Diaby vs. Brandon Mashinter, Clune vs. Brennan, Félix Girard vs. Danault, Diaby vs. Bass, and -exhale- Ian White vs. Hartman.

I almost didn’t realize how often we’ve really gone to blows against Rockford this season. So, yeah, I think we’ll be in for a scrap or three this weekend.

~Notable Absentees Tonight~

Rockford will be short a few bodies tonight. Remember Adam Clendening? He was traded by the Chicago Blackhawks in a like-for-like trade with the Vancouver Canucks for Gustav Forsling. The Swedish defenseman remains with Linköping of the SHL and probably won’t join the IceHogs until next season. That mean an ECHL move needed to be made and the man called up from the Indy Fuel was Dillon Fournier.

The IceHogs will also be without the flashy Finn Teuvo Teräväinen who remains up with the Blackhawks. He had scored 23 points (6 goals, 17 assists) for the IceHogs prior to his move up. He has since scored 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) in the NHL.

Another player who we won’t have to worry about for both games this weekend is Mashinter. Why you ask? Because he was suspended by the AHL for two games after an elbowing incident against the Wolves. He wasn’t called for elbowing or a game misconduct during the game but you can watch and judge for yourself on the Wolves video highlights from that tilt.

~Between the Pipes~

What will be plenty of fun to watch in these two games is the goaltending. Both the Admirals and IceHogs have their tag teams in order. You have Magnus Hellberg and Marek Mazanec, aka Demolition. For the IceHogs they will have Scott Darling and Michael Leighton, aka the Legion of Doom.

Both netminders in Rockford have been putting in solid campaigns this year. Darling has a record of 11-7-2-0, 2.18 goals against average, 0.929 save percentage, and 2 shutouts. The veteran Leighton has had more games in net this season and, per the Chicago Sun Times, has been a calming force for the young team. He has a 12-7-4-2 record, 2.01 goals against average, 0.931 save percentage, and 4 shutouts this season.

Leighton has had the better numbers this season against the Admirals. He has 2 wins from 5 appearances with a 1.14 goals against average, 0.955 save percentage, and a shutout. In addition, his month of January was sensational: 4-0-2-0 record in 7 games with a 1.05 goals against average, 0.969 save percentage, and 2 shutouts.

Darling has actually been beaten up a bit by his former team in the 4 games he’s played this season: 1-3-0-0 record, 11 goals allowed, 3.10 goals against average, 0.904 save percentage. His January was also pretty solid but the results went against him: 2-3-0-0 record in 5 games, 2.22 goals against average, 0.928 save percentage, and 2 shutouts.

In the Milwaukee camp, both Hellberg and Mazanec have split the 8 games against Rockford this season and have looked great. Mazanec has 3 wins, 1.75 goals against average, 0.938 save percentage, and a 27-save shutout to his name over the IceHogs this season – that shutout happened the last time we met. Hellberg has a 2-2-0-0 record against the IceHogs this season with a 2.02 goals against average and 0.924 save percentage.

Expectations for tonight and tomorrow’s games against the Rockford IceHogs? Is it an advantage for the IceHogs to focus in on the Admirals for their next three games? Will the Admirals be in first place of the Midwest Division before Sunday’s final of the three-in-three weekend?

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News February 5, 2015

Rob Madore Returning to Cincinnati

Rob Madore has customized Milwaukee Admirals goaltending gear and a mask. Sadly, it’s really not seen much time in the AHL this season. (Photo Credit: Cincinnati Cyclones // Facebook)

Pekka Rinne is expected to start in net tonight for the Nashville Predators when they take on the Anaheim Ducks. That meant sending Marek Mazanec back down yesterday and, as you’d expect, today’s roster move. Rob Madore has been reassigned to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.

Madore has served as Magnus Hellberg‘s back up for 6 games this season but has yet to log any minutes in net. This season for the Cyclones Madore has played 20 games, holds a record of 8-8-0-3, a 2.71 goals against average, 0.900 save percentage, and has a pair of shutouts.

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News February 5, 2015

Diaby and Aronson Stepping Up

The forward group of the Milwaukee Admirals has been talked about plenty this season and for good reason. We currently have a talent pool, courtesy of the Nashville Predators, that’s about as deep as I can remember. Viktor Arvidsson, Brendan Leipsic, Pontus Åberg, and Kevin Fiala were all brought on this season. The play of Arvidsson and Leipsic is actually pretty reminiscent of last year’s rookies Colton Sissons and Miikka Salomäki – who remain bright spots on the team in their sophomore seasons.

With all that talk being such a focus I feel it would be a good time to switch things back a little bit and point at our defensemen this season. There have been some pretty great turn-around performances out of the defense that, while not as flashy on the highlight reel, deserve the same level of appreciation – specifically two players.

~The Replacement~

When you think about how the Admirals defense looked at the start of the season it felt as if Johan Alm was going to be a massive piece to the team’s puzzle. He was one of the last two players to be cut ahead of the Predators regular season and paired with the man he was sent back to Milwaukee with, Joe Piskula. It’s sad to think that, after Tuesday’s game, Alm has now missed 23 games due to injury. It has been almost two months to the day since he last played.

With the absence of Alm the man who ended up stepping up into his role alongside Piskula would be none other than 20-year old Jonathan Diaby. While you might think the age difference between the two isn’t too harsh it was the professional playing experience that set Alm apart. The Swede had played 135 games in the Swedish Hockey League with Skelleftå and Frölunda. Diaby? He was fresh out of his time with the Victoriaville Tigres of the QMJHL. How has the native of Quebec fared since stepping into the top defensive line? Better with each and every game.

There could be some fun to be had poking at Diaby’s current offensive numbers delivered from the blue line. He has zero points, none, ziltch, goose egg, doughnut. The only other Admiral without a point of offense this season? Patrick Cehlin who had played 4 games with the team after a lengthy recovery period from hip surgery and a blood clot. While Cehlin would be sent to Cincinnati before being given the return to sender label – Diaby has played 32 games without a point of offense in the AHL this season. Even Marek Mazanec (3 assists) and Magnus Hellberg (2 assists) have lucked into a point somewhere along the way.

At the first few games of the season I felt Diaby looked really uncoordinated on the ice. He didn’t look comfortable and would make some down-right confusing decisions on the ice. In his third game of the season he slowly skated to the bench as a Chicago Wolves odd man rush was coming right back into his face which turned into a goal. He was benched for two games. Ever since he has slowly built himself into a very reliable shutdown defenseman and occasional on-ice enforcer. Sound familiar? It does to me. Sounds like a guy we had by the name of Joonas Järvinen – a no nonsense, in your face, physically imposing defenseman.

Diaby is still learning the pro game and, in part, his stat line speaks to that. He is the only current active Admiral who doesn’t have a positive plus/minus rating and the lone man with a negative is the one he replaced who is currently out with injury. He’s trending upward in my book. I’d expect that number to change for the better. Regardless, his season has to be quite the education. He’s playing alongside Piskula and matching up most nights against the upper-end forward lines of the opposition. This year should be a great foundation for him to build off of.

~Earning A Spot~

I want to come clean and admit that when this season started, and Taylor Aronson was on the roster, I had serious doubts about how he would do. In his first two seasons of pro hockey he was split between the AHL and ECHL but more often then not found himself with the Cincinnati Cyclones. Last season he never even made it to Milwaukee. His entire season was spent at the ECHL to push his career numbers to 143 games at that level as opposed to the 26 games he had played in the AHL prior to this season.

How much of last season, spending an entire season at one-level, with the same team, same coaches, and one focus the true factor in Aronson’s turn-around? It may have gone under my radar last season but this year I think it has proved to be the best thing to have happened for him. In 2013-14 he played 65 games for the Cyclones in the ECHL and scored 38 points (6 goals, 32 assists) while having a plus/minus rating of +28. In addition to that he was part of the Cyclones tremendous Kelly Cup run where he had 7 assists and was a +6 en route to defeat for Cincinnati in the final.

Aronson showed up to Admirals camp this season in his best shape and with his mind firmly focused on maintaining an AHL role. His advantage that other defensive competition didn’t have? He was the only right handed shot. While it’s a plus to have that left-right parody on the blue line I don’t think that’s matter much as far as Aronson earning his spot this season. He has played like he has belonged from game one.

This season Aronson has scored 24 points (3 goals, 21 assists) in 41 games. He is tied with Austin Watson for third on the Admirals in scoring and is the highest scoring defenseman by a goal over Anthony Bitetto. Aronson’s points per game in the ECHL last season was 0.58. In the AHL this season it’s 0.59. The work he put in last season in Cincinnati has translated into AHL success in Milwaukee this season.

What have you thought about the Milwaukee Admirals defensemen this season? Who has been the best d-man? Have Diaby and Aronson impressed you this season?

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News February 4, 2015February 4, 2015

Mazanec Reassigned to Milwaukee

Welcome back Maz! (Photo via avalanche.nhl.com by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Nashville Predators have reassigned goaltender Marek Mazenec to the Milwaukee Admirals this afternoon. The move comes at the perfect time as Milwaukee faces its final three games in three nights stretch of the season this weekend.

The news comes of the heels of goaltender Pekka Rinne proclaiming himself fit and ready for Thursday’s Predators game against Anaheim. Yesterday Rinne told reporters that he felt better and expected to be back this week. Originally he had been expected to be out three to five weeks with a sprained knee after injuring it against Vancouver on January 13. The Vezina and Hart trophy candidate gave up his first ever NHL All-Star game selection in process.

During his latest two-part stint in the Music City, Mazenec added two more NHL appearances to his budding resume, stopping 43 of 47 shots, allowing two goals in a 3-0 loss in his latest appearance on January 30 against Colorado, and a no decision in relief duty during a 5-2 loss to Detroit on January 17. The 23-year-old now has 27 games of NHL experience on his resume.

After a tough November and December, where he recorded just three wins, Mazenec has been a perfect five-for-five with Milwaukee in January, including a 27-save overtime shutout of Rockford.

The Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic native currently sports a 13-8-3 record in 25 games with Milwaukee this season. He has a 2.41 goals against average and .909 save percentage. Tandem partner Magnus Hellberg is statistically the best goaltender in the AHL, with a 12-5-3 record, to go along with a league best 1.80 GAA and .932 save percentage in 23 games.

If Tuesday night’s game against Toronto was indeed Carter Hutton‘s last appearance for Nashville for a while, he sure left quite the memory. The former Rockford IceHog made the save of the year last night preserving 4-3 win over the Maple Leafs.

So Roundtable . . . Are you excited to have Hellberg and Mazenec back in the net for Milwaukee? Will the two goaltenders continue to split games, or will coach Dean Evason pick one horse to ride for the stretch run based on play?

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Chatterbox February 4, 2015

The Chatterbox, Vol. 63

I don’t know about you guys, but last night’s 3-2 shootout loss for the Admirals was a really messy game to watch from start to finish. There’s been a few clunkers this season here and there but there was something really odd about watching them score twice in a period they were being outplayed in and then come out flat in the third period.

The start to the game was really good. Despite the first period ending scoreless I feel the Admirals did what they’ve been doing for the last month. They were tight and well structured defensively and allowed their defense to translate to offensive chances the other way. The result may not have impacted the scoreboard but they outshot the Lake Erie Monsters 13-10 and definitely outchanced them on high quality looks.

Where the game goes wrong is really from the second period to the conclusion. Sure, they scored twice in the second period but before they earned that first power-play they were lifeless and being outshot 8-1 in the period. You would think that generating those goals against the run of play would power through to the next period as far as momentum is concerned but the Monsters instantly snapped that by scoring a shorthanded goal – the second allowed by the Admirals all season. Then came a power-play tally to tie things up. And overtime ended with a penalty kill before a shootout decided things.

Not one of the best all around efforts of the season for the Admirals. Truth be told, I think it is actually a really good thing for the team. They still earned a point from a game and had enough positives to remain upbeat. There were negatives that need to be corrected and that will become a point of emphasis heading into the weekend three-in-three that starts with two blockbusters against the Midwest Division leading Rockford IceHogs. Motivation should be high. Kinks will be fixed. And the focus should be sharp for Friday night.

As for that “no goal” call that was made in overtime. I was able to sneak peek into the penalty box from my vantage point on press row to see what the referees were looking at. They were only focusing in on the over the top bird’s eye view camera. I saw finger pointing and some rewinds. From that look I don’t think you could even see the puck – which is black – as is our team’s shorts and partially our socks. In other words it was obscured from sight and I feel as if the no goal call was made because they had no legitimate sight of it. That is, unless they watched the replay shown on the jumbotron moments after the no goal call was made on the ice. That puck was so far across the goal line you could fit three of Rob Madore‘s rubber duckies between it and that goal line. Slight justice in the end then for the Monsters taking the shootout. As for them having that power-play late in overtime in the first place – that’s a whole different story that I’ll let our head coach talk about.

After the game I had the chance to speak with Dean Evason, Magnus Hellberg, Triston Grant, and Viktor Arvidsson. Here is what they all had to say following Tuesday night’s game.

Continue reading “The Chatterbox, Vol. 63” →

Game Recaps February 3, 2015February 4, 2015

Monsters Comeback to Haunt Admirals Again

The Admirals lost 3-2 in a shootout against the Lake Erie Monsters Tuesday night. The Monsters came back from a 2-0 deficit for the second time against the Admirals this season.

“We were happy with the way we played,” said Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason. “We played hard. We played right. They wanted it as bad as we did.”

In the pre-game skate Mike Liambas and Daniel Maggio had a chat at center ice. I’m going to assume it wasn’t about the weather or tonight’s attendance. The first chance they shared the ice in the first period they dropped the gloves. That bout lasted a good while. The officials really let them go. All in all, I would score that even in the fight card. Maggio had the start and Liambas had the take-down finish.

The second period was cruising along with the Monsters enjoying the better part of attacking hockey. After the Admirals first power-play things did start to even out. Then came the breakthrough courtesy of Triston Grant’s fifth goal of the season. Taylor Aronson managed to skate all the way up to the lower left faceoff circle and throw a low shot on Calvin Pickard. The puck kicked off the pads and right to Grant who popped in the rebound.

It only took the Admirals 3:25 of ice time before capitalizing again. This time it was Colton Sissons who was in the right place at the right time. Karl Stollery fell over in the left wing pocket and gifted the puck right to Sissons who passed over to Viktor Arvidsson. The puck seemed to knuckle up on the Swede but bounced to Sissons with Pickard reading the play wrong big time. Sissons was free in space to the left wing circle and had a wide open net to lay a wrister off on for his fifteenth goal of the season.

Lake Erie got on the board in the third period with a shorthanded goal. Ben Street and Colin Smith were off to the races with only Taylor Aronson between them. Street passed up to Smith in neutral ice before getting the puck right back once Aronson clamped down towards Smith. The pass hit Street clean and he tagged Magnus Hellberg for his third goal of the season. It ended a shutout streak for Hellberg of 137:19 over the last three games.

After a Zach Budish tripping call the Monsters were able to equalize with a power-play goal. Smith, who set up their first goal, repeated the feat on the second tally as he raced into the zone off the right wing before nailing a perfect pass to Paul Carey on the backdoor of Hellberg. It’s Carey’s twelfth goal of the season and his fourth scored against the Admirals in five games.

In overtime, the Admirals were in complete desperation mode with a power-play in three-on-three that gave an extra attacker to the Monsters. Hellberg made crazy stop after crazy stop including a play that needed to be reviewed before determining that it wasn’t an overtime game-winning goal.

After surviving on the penalty kill in overtime the Admirals ended up taking their chances in the shootout. Every skater missed their shootout attempt until the last man in the third round, Joey Hishon, beat Hellberg off a slow backhander that flicked up and over the Swede and into the back of the net to seal the Monsters’ comeback after trailing 2-0.

“I don’t think we should have even gone to overtime in the first place,” said Magnus Hellberg. “I thought we played really well. We dropped the 2-0 lead in the third and that shouldn’t happen.”

When the Admirals played in Lake Erie on December 18 they lost a 2-0 lead and allowed four straight goals to the Monsters. Tonight they lost their 2-0 in the third period through a pair of special teams plays. It might not be the best setup game for the Admirals with the Rockford IceHogs coming in this weekend. Devil’s advocate, perhaps this was just the sort of game the Ads needed before such a showdown.

“Coach liked how way we played,” said Triston Grant. “We played good before Saturday as well in Grand Rapids so I think we’re just playing the right way. Sometimes you find, when you’re making mistakes, it ends up in the back of your net. I think we have to tweak a couple of things and get ready for a big weekend.”

Ramblings: Tonight’s scratches for the Admirals were all due to injury: Miikka Salomaki (upper body), Rich Clune (lower body), Jimmy Oligny (lower body), and Johan Alm (upper body). The loss tonight was the first experienced for the Milwaukee Admirals when Zach Budish was in the lineup. The team had won all fourteen games he factored into prior to tonight.

Thoughts on tonight’s performance? What happened in the third period? Does the finish to this game worry you for the Admirals upcoming weekend three-in-three?

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News February 3, 2015February 3, 2015

Arvidsson Named CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month

This might probably mean a wee-bit more than our friendly award dished up here on Roundtable. Viktor Arvidsson has just been named the CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month for January.

Press Release via AHL:

Arvidsson, the CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month, scored six goals and added seven assists for 13 points in 12 games in January, helping the Admirals to a 10-2-0-0 record.

Arvidsson notched the game-winning goal and added an assist to help Milwaukee to a 4-1 win over Hamilton on Jan. 3, and tallied a pair of goals in a 5-0 win over Charlotte on Jan. 10. He assisted on the winning goal in the final minute of regulation on Jan. 16 at Utica, and his two-goal effort on Jan. 17 at Adirondack included scoring the winner in overtime. Arvidsson ran his point-scoring streak to six games (5g, 3a) with a goal in a 4-3 win vs. Iowa on Jan. 23, and closed out the month with an assist in Milwaukee’s 4-0 win at Grand Rapids on Jan. 31.

A fourth-round pick by Nashville in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Arvidsson ranks fourth among AHL rookies with 30 points (15 goals, 15 assists) in 43 games for Milwaukee this season. The 21-year-old Arvidsson played the last two seasons with his hometown Skelleftea AIK in the Swedish Hockey League, helping them to back-to-back league championships.

In recognition of his achievement, Arvidsson will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Admirals home game.

Always great to see the Admirals get a weekly or monthly honor from the AHL. For how well Arvidsson played in January it shouldn’t be a surprise that he got at least the rookie honors. Nick Cousins of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms ended up with the CCM/AHL Player of the Month by scoring 17 points (7 goals, 10 assists). Meanwhile, Rockford IceHogs’ Michael Leighton was tabbed as the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month.

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Scouting February 3, 2015

Monsters: Scouting the Enemy

If the month of February could be anything close to as good as January then we should all be in for a treat. This week the Admirals have a chance to leap into first place in the Midwest Division with games set against the Rockford IceHogs on Friday and Saturday. Before they can think about that there is another divisional foe to handle tonight at home.

The Lake Erie Monsters enter tonight’s game with a record of 19-16-4-3 (45 points) and are currently in last place of the Midwest Division. They have earned points from their last five games – including three wins from their last four games.

Against the Admirals this season the Monsters are 2-1-0-1. The top scorers for both teams in the head-to-head are Pontus Åberg for the Admirals with 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists) and Paul Carey for the Monsters with 7 points (3 goals, 4 assists).

An interesting thing about how these two teams match up is their power-play and how much better it performs away from home ice. The Admirals overall power-play percentage is 16.2% while the Monsters comes in at 15.6%. At home, both power-plays drop tremendously: Admirals, 9.5%, Monsters 9.9%. That means keeping an eye out for the Monsters’ road power-play tonight which has a 20.5% success rate.

The leading scorer for the Monsters this season is defenseman Maxim Noreau with 30 points (8 goals, 22 assists). It is currently the 27-year old’s fifth career season in the AHL. He spent the past three seasons playing professionally with HC Ambrì-Piotta in Switzerland.

Tonight the Monsters will have quality selection for who they want out in net as both Calvin Pickard and Sami Aittokallio are available. Regardless of which goalie gets the start a huge point of emphasis should be to get to the net and take their vision away.

Both netminders have done well against the Admirals in the past, statistically. Pickard has played against the Admirals eight times and won five with a 2.35 GAA and 0.906 SV%. Meanwhile, Aittokallio has won two out of three games against the Admirals in his career with a 1.37 GAA, 0.953 save percentage, shutout, and goalie fight.

As far as the injury bug goes for the Admirals we should know more about the what’s what closer to pre-game skate tonight. Miikka Salomäki has missed the last two games due to an upper body injury. Rich Clune injured his right leg on Friday night’s home game and didn’t play the next night. The lone guarantee should be that Jimmy Oligny shouldn’t be in the lineup after his lower-body injury on Saturday night triggering the call-up of Garrett Noonan from the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL late Sunday night.

Expectations for tonight’s game? More of the same from what the Admirals produced on the road in Grand Rapids? Against the Lake Erie Monsters would you like to see Rob Madore get the start or rather keep Magnus Hellberg rolling en route to the weekend showdown with the IceHogs?

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Feature February 2, 2015

Admiral of the Month: January

In December it was a struggle to choose the top performing Admiral in the month almost due to the lack of performances. You absolutely can’t say that about January. The team went 10-2-0-0 on the month and there are so many players worthy of the nod. My choice? Actually, my choice was a quite simple one. The Admiral for the Month of January was Viktor Arvidsson.

In January the Swede erupted offensively by producing 13 points (6 goals, 7 assists) in twelve games. He had a scoring streak of six games on the back-end of the Admirals franchise record nine game winning streak.

To put his January performance into perspective think of this. In November he scored 7 points (2 goals, 5 assists) in twelve games. The next month he tallied even less with 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists) in twelve games. He averaged more than a point per game in January. And, for all the winning that occurred, half of his goals scored in January were game-winners.

Arvidsson had his share of highlight reel goals in the past month but take a moment to appreciate his all around game as well. When you think about the times Pontus Åberg has been listed as a healthy scratch for doing too many individualistic plays on the puck, looking to make YouTube magic all over again, it isn’t something that has plagued his fellow countryman. Arvidsson makes the dazzling plays but he’s smart enough on and off the puck to make chances like that a little less high-effort. Play the right way? Do the right things? Arvidsson has been applying the Dean Evason philosophy and has been doing it at a high rate of speed.

Other Admirals who had a great January: Brendan Leipsic, 10 assists (AHL All Star hat trick)… Anthony Bitetto, 11 points (1 goal, 10 assists)… Colton Sissons, 8 points (6 goals, 2 assists)… Austin Watson, 7 points (4 goals, 3 assists)… Magnus Hellberg, 6-2-0-0 record (1.80 goals against average, 0.933 save percentage, 2 shutouts)… Marek Mazanec, 5-0-0-0 record (1.22 goals against average, 0.947 save percentage, 1 shutout).

~Admiral of the Month Award~

October: Brendan Leipsic
November: Magnus Hellberg
December: Marek Mazanec
January: Viktor Arvidsson

Who was your pick for the top performing Admiral in the month of January? Please write a comment down below as to who and why.

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