The Admirals All Star duo of Magnus Hellberg and Brendan Leipsic had a blast as the Western Conference won 14-12 tonight in Utica. (Photo Credit: Milwaukee Admirals Instagram // Lindsay A. Mogle)
Tonight was a record setting AHL All Star Classic. The Western Conference took down the Eastern Conference by a final score of 14-12. It is the most goals that have ever been scored in an AHL All Star contest and saw four players score hat tricks: Charles Hudon, Mark McNeill, Shane Prince, and the Milwaukee Admirals own Brendan Leipsic.
With the hat trick tonight, Leipsic became the first ever Admiral to score a hat trick in an AHL All Star Classic. He scored a goal in each period and was set up by a former teammate of his with the Portland Winterhawks on all three goals that he scored.
Magnus Hellberg entered into the game in the second period. In his last appearance with the Admirals he allowed a goal on the first shot he faced. That didn’t happen in the AHL All Star Classic though. He stopped the first shot he faced and then proceeded to allow four goals in 4:46 of ice time. In total, Hellberg stopped 12/18 shots on goal. Thanks to the ridiculous performance by Richard Bachman in the third period, where he stopped 18/22 shots on goal, Hellberg secured the win in the game as the West maintained their lead from the second period to the end.
Have fun watching the AHL All Star Classic? Better than theNHL’s? How did our boys look?
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Patrick Cehlin joined the Milwaukee Admirals in 2012-13. He is now being loaned to Leksands IF of the SHL for the rest of his season. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
There are two roster moves to mention ahead of tonight’s 2015 AHL All Star Classic. The first move is one that should have been expected. The Nashville Predators have recalled Marek Mazanec to the NHL. The second one is a little bit more unexpected. Patrick Cehlin will be joining Leksands IF of the Swedish Hockey League on loan for the rest of this season.
Cehlin is currently in the last year of his entry-level contract. This move back to his native Sweden should signal an end to his playing career within the organization. He took to Twitter this afternoon to say the following, “Just wanna take a quick minute to thank everyone from @mkeadmirals for the past 2,5 years. Many good memories and friends that I will keep for the rest off my life!”
During his time with the Admirals Cehlin battle through concussions as well as the scary situation this past off-season where he had a blood clot that developed following hip surgery. It delayed his 2014-15 season and, once he started, only played 4 games and didn’t score a point. He was reassigned to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL where he played 9 games, scored 4 points (3 goals, 1 assist), had a plus/minus rating of -4, and 6 penalty minutes. He would then suffer another injury that would see him return to Milwaukee to rehab it before getting set up with a loan move with Leksands IF of the SHL.
In Cehlin’s career with the Admirals he played in 112 games and scored 56 points (15 goals, 41 assists).
Mazanec’s second call up on the season comes after being shipped back to Milwaukee during the NHL All Star break. There was some speculation then if that meant a Magnus Hellberg call up could happen after his AHL All Star duties were done. Then he was pulled from Wednesday night’s 3-2 shootout win against the Utica Comets faster than you can read this sentence. Mazanec entered in relief and stopped every shot he faced and held serve in the shootout to win that game. He then got the start Friday night and stopped 25/28 shots on goal in the Admirals 4-3 win over the Iowa Wild.
Good news for Predators fans, alongside the Mazanec recall news was the follow up news that Pekka Rinne resumed skating today. He suffered a lower-body injury against the Vancouver Canucks earlier this month. Still not sure what the time table would be on Rinne’s returning ETA but my guess is that he’s a week or so away. That’s my guess. Your’s is probably as good as mine.
Probably just a matter of time before we should see Rob Madore back into the fold here in Milwaukee. I’m sure that news will come soon enough.
Thoughts on today’s news? What have you thought of Cehlin’s time in the organization? Did Nashville call up the right goaltender?
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Things like the Skills Competition are all about fun. That is exactly the sort of show that got put together tonight in Utica. The Eastern Conference squad got the 15-11 win over the Western Conference at the end of the day but it was great entertainment. Magnus Hellberg looked good in net. And Brendan Leipsic had a make-shift junior hockey reunion.
The first event with an Admiral involved was the Sher-Wood Puck Control Relay. Leipsic acted as the closer for the Western Conference’s second race. By the time it came for him to finish off the Eastern Conference’s Chris Wideman – he already had a good enough gap to secure the win. It was a smooth skate for Leipsic.
Then it was Hellberg’s turn and his first challenge was the Rapid Fire segment. Firing pucks from both sides of the net were Chris Bourque and Brendan Shinnimin. They each fired five pucks on net, Hellberg slipped a bit when going to his right, fell back to his left and made a great glove save, and -in total- only allowed two goals from ten shots. You can watch that highlight here.
Leipsic also was involved in Rapid Fire as a shooter. He paired with Bobby Sanguinetti to throw pucks past Connor Hellebuyck. Leipsic scored on two out of his five shots.
It’s worth giving a shoutout to a non-Admiral. Colin Miller of the Manchester Monarchs won both the Fastest Skater and Hardest Shot challenges tonight. The 22-year old defenseman set an AHL record by pounding a 105.5 mph slap shot in for the Hardest Shot challenge.
Hellberg’s next time out was probably the most difficult challenge of them all. The Pass & Shoot challenge is effectively a goalie having to stop a three-on-naught breakaway. The fact that more goals didn’t go in for this challenge was a bit sad. Everyone outside of the group that Hellberg faced went a bit pass happy and ran out of room before getting a shot off. Helberg only stopped one of three chances in this event.
The Breakaway Relay finished off the night and had both Admirals involved. Hellberg again was the first goalie to start the event for the West and nearly shut the door on all six shooters he faced. The Swede has always excelled in shootouts. It took a crafty shot by Tim Kennedy to put one past him. As for Leipsic, he skated in straight and went with a late forehand to whirling backhander that was pushed off by Jean-François Bérubé.
Leipsic might not be too thrilled about his shootout miss but that probably takes a backseat to the little Portland Winterhawks reunion he found himself in. Former teammates of his in juniors were all smiles as they celebrated their time at the AHL All Star Skills Competition tonight. That group consisted of Derrick Pouliot, Matt Dumba, and Ty Rattie.
Enjoy the AHL Skills Competition tonight? Was it more entertaining that the NHL’s? Do you feel like tomorrow’s game will be any better or worse than today’s NHL All Star Game?
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Brendan Leipsic likes to Patrick Kane his mouthguard. It must be an All Star thing. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
Tonight is the 2015 AHL All Star Skills Competition that will feature Milwaukee Admirals Magnus Hellberg and Brendan Leipsic. Unlike the NHL format of two team captains and a fantasy draft the AHL is simply a matter of Eastern Conference versus Western Conference. So, sadly, we will not get to have Brian Elliott and Vladimir Tarasenko type moment between Hellberg and Leipsic.
For those that do not know when and where to watch, the entire broadcast availability and schedule can be found right here. In Wisconsin tonight’s Skills Competition and tomorrow’s All Star Classic will be broadcasted on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel. The Skills Competition starts at 7pm tonight and the game itself starts at 6pm tomorrow night.
The players and events for tonight’s Skills Competition have all been wired together. Here is what to look out for.
Event 1 – Sher-Wood Puck Control Relay
EAST
WEST
Race #1
Shane Prince (BNG)
Ty Rattie (CHI)
Alexander Khokhlachev (PRO)
Brad Hunt (OKC)
Matt Taormina (WOR)
Charles Hudon (HAM)
Winning team earns one goal
Race #2
Joe Whitney (ALB)
Connor Brown (TOR)
Tim Kennedy (HER)
Stefan Elliott (LE)
Chris Wideman (BNG)
Brendan Leipsic (MIL)
Winning team earns one goal
Race #3
Aaron Ness (BRI)
Phil Varone (RCH)
Winning player earns one goal for team
Race #4
Jonathan Marchessault (SYR)
Cal O’Reilly (UTI)
Winning player earns one goal for team
Event 2 – CCM Fastest Skater
EAST
sec.
WEST
sec.
Heat #1
Austin Madaisky (SPR)
Andrew Miller (OKC)
Heat #2
Colin Miller (MCH)
Emile Poirier (ADK)
Heat #3
Vladislav Namestnikov (SYR)
Ryan Murphy (CHA)
Individual with fastest time earns one goal for team
Fastest team average time earns one goal
Event 3 – AHL Live Rapid Fire
EAST
WEST
Saves
Goals
Heat #1
Chris Bourque (HFD)
Magnus Hellberg (MIL)
Brendan Shinnimin (POR)
Heat #2
J.F. Berube (MCH)
Mark McNeill (RFD)
Teemu Pulkkinen (GR)
Heat #3
Tom Kostopoulos (WBS)
Richard Bachman (OKC)
Derrick Pouliot (WBS)
Heat #4
Philipp Grubauer (HER)
Drew Shore (ADK)
Maxime Fortunus (TEX)
Heat #5
Chris Wagner (NOR)
Jacob Markstrom (UTI)
Jordan Weal (MCH)
Heat #6
Connor Hellebuyck (STJ)
Brendan Leipsic (MIL)
Bobby Sanguinetti (UTI)
Team with the most total saves earns one goal
Event 4 – CCM Hardest Shot
EAST
mph
WEST
mph
Connor Carrick (HER)
Alex Petrovic (SA)
Brandon Manning (LV)
Matt Dumba (IA)
Austin Madaisky (SPR)
Brad Hunt (OKC)
Colin Miller (MCH)
T.J. Brennan (RFD)
Team with the higher average speed earns one goal
Player with hardest shot earns one goal for team
Event 5 – Turning Stone Resort Casino Accuracy Shooting
EAST
hits
att
WEST
hits
att
Paul Thompson (ALB)
Stefan Elliott (LE)
Shane Prince (BNG)
Emile Porier (ADK)
Tom Kostopoulos (WBS)
Mark McNeill (RFD)
Chris Bourque (HFD)
Maxime Fortunus (TEX)
Player with most hits in fewest attempts earns one goal for team
Team with most total hits in fewest attempts earns one goal
Event 6 – Turning Stone Resort Casino Pass and Score
EAST
WEST
goals
saves
Heat #1
Chris Wideman (BNG)
Magnus Hellberg (MIL)
Brendan Shinnimin (POR)
Alexander Khokhlachev (PRO)
Heat #2
J.F. Berube (MCH)
Connor Brown (TOR)
Charles Hudon (HAM)
T.J. Brennan (RFD)
Heat #3
Paul Thompson (ALB)
Richard Bachman (OKC)
Joe Whitney (ALB)
Derrick Pouliot (WBS)
Heat #4
Philipp Grubauer (HER)
Teemu Pulkkinen (GR)
Ty Rattie (CHI)
Matt Dumba (IA)
Heat #5
Jonathan Marchessault (SYR)
Jacob Markstrom (UTI)
Vladislav Namestnikov (SYR)
Matt Taormina (WOR)
Heat #6
Connor Hellebuyck (STJ)
Phil Varone (RCH)
Cal O’Reilly (UTI)
Bobby Sanguinetti (UTI)
Each individual goal scored counts toward overall team score
Event 7 – Panasonic Breakaway Relay
EAST
goal
save
WEST
goal
save
Round #1
Chris Wagner (NOR)
Andrew Miller (OKC)
Aaron Ness (BRI)
Brendan Leipsic (MIL)
Shane Prince (BNG)
Ryan Murphy (CHA)
Connor Carrick (HER)
Alex Petrovic (SA)
Jordan Weal (MCH)
Drew Shore (ADK)
Tim Kennedy (HER)
Emile Poirier (ADK)
vs. Magnus Hellberg (MIL)
vs. J.F. Berube (MCH)
Round #2
Brendan Shinnimin (POR)
Connor Brown (TOR)
Derrick Pouliot (WBS)
Brad Hunt (OKC)
Joe Whitney (ALB)
Charles Hudon (HAM)
Brandon Manning (LV)
Mark McNeill (RFD)
A. Khokhlachev (PRO)
Maxime Fortunus (TEX)
Chris Bourque (HFD)
Bobby Sanguinetti (UTI)
vs. Richard Bachman (OKC)
vs. Philipp Grubauer (HER)
Round #3
Paul Thompson (ALB)
Teemu Pulkkinen (GR)
Chris Wideman (BNG)
T.J. Brennan (RFD)
Matt Taormina (WOR)
Matt Dumba (IA)
J. Marchessault (SYR)
Ty Rattie (CHI)
V. Namestnikov (SYR)
Phil Varone (RCH)
Tom Kostopoulos (WBS)
Cal O’Reilly (UTI)
vs. Jacob Markstrom (UTI)
vs. Connor Hellebuyck (STJ)
Each individual goal scored counts toward the overall team score
Going to be seeing Hellberg early and often in these competitions. The Rapid Fire segment is really the one last season that showcased goaltending more than any other event. With the big Swede first tendy to work for the West it might allow him a bit of an advantage to just let the instincts take over.
It would have been a blast to see Leipsic involved in the Fastest Skater event. No matter, he should be a lot of fun to watch in all the events he has been listed in. I’ll especially be looking forward to his efforts in the breakaway relay.
Excited to have two Admirals involved in this year’s AHL All Star festivities? How do you think they’ll fair? Who will win the Skills Competition tonight?
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This is Rich Clune. Milwaukee likes Rich Clune. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
From November 29th to January 2nd the Admirals managed to win only three out of fifteen games. They haven’t lost since. It is now officially a franchise record nine game winning streak for the Admirals. The previous high was an eight game winning streak in 1989 during the IHL era of the franchise.
For those who were not in attendance last night, which would be ashamed, you missed just another classic night in the life of Rich Clune. He dropped the gloves with the Wild’s captain Stephane Veilleux and got the 11,562 in attendance absolutely bazonkers. If that wasn’t enough he showed he can be savvy with his Hockey IQ just as well as toss bombs with his fists. He skated to a soft spot in the Wild defense and Austin Watson tagged him perfectly with a pass for a goal after creating the turnover. Plus, his presence on the right wing allowed Watson to tee up the game-winning goal on a two-on-one.
After the game former-Roundtable maestro Ryan Miller had the chance to do the post-game on ice interview with him. Clune belted out the chorus of Brett Eldredge’s “Beat of the Music” before signing off shouting, “Milwaukee, turn down for what!”
I’m not sure I’ve seen a character anything like Clune since he joined the Admirals. Yet his addition, on and off the ice, has been a massive boost to this team. He plays the game ferociously but doesn’t get himself burned while doing it. And his nature off the ice keeps things light. He could have had a bitter attitude about being sent to the Admirals after his time in the NHL but he just hasn’t been. If anything, he seems to have found his role on the team and embraced it.
With it being a concert night I wanted to do the post-game interview with head coach Dean Evason, grab one player, and get out of the locker room area before the noise levels got rocking. I just so happened to do that because, thankfully, Austin Watson was about to head out for the concert. Here is what the two had to say after the 4-3 win against the Wild last night.
The Iowa Wild have had the Milwaukee Admirals number this season. Viktor Arvidsson has had the Wild’s number. The Swede got the Ads over the top tonight. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
The Admirals won 4-3 against the Iowa Wild Friday night. It is now a franchise record nine game winning streak for the Admirals who saw fireworks delivered by Rich Clune tonight. The forward had a fight and a goal in front of a rowdy crowd on Country Music Night.
“We just look forward,” said Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason. “To be honest with you we didn’t like our game tonight. Last [game] we said we did some good things but not so good things, some good and some bad. Tonight we had a little more bad than good again. The break will be good for us.”
It only took Viktor Arvidsson fifty-two seconds to damage the Wild as he has done so often this season. The Swede received a pass before entering neutral ice from Anthony Bitetto, swopped across the Admirals logo, and then deked Matt Dumba out of his skates to break in on goal from the left wing. Arvidsson went backhand to forehand and beat Johan Gustafsson glove side for his fifteenth goal of the season and sixth scored against Iowa.
The Wild pulled right back in the third minute of the game with a sloppy goal. After a wrap-around attempt caused a loose puck to fall in front of Marek Mazanec the crowd of players kept chipping away at the loose puck for what felt like an eternity. There was no whistle until the puck finally crossed the line. Tyler Graovac was credited with the final touch for his fourteenth goal of the season. The Admirals bench was not happy at all that the officials allowed play to continue.
To end the first period the Admirals earned the game’s first power-play. It overlapped into the second period and the Ads managed to cash in. Kevin Fiala and Bitetto were passing to each other wing-to-wing before the Switzerland native fed to Colton Sissons in front of the net. Gustafsson opened the wickets just enough for Sissons to score five hole for his twelfth goal of the season. The primary assist went to Fiala for his first career pro point in North America.
Then came the fisticuffs. After an explosive hit by Jimmy Oligny and Mike Liambas to Brett Bulmer, Rich Clune dropped the gloves with Wild captain Stephane Veilleux. Clune had that fight from start to finish. Liambas would pair off with Kurtis Gabriel shortly after in the second period. Liambas had the start and Gabriel had the finish.
After the Admirals killed off a power-play to start the third period they found the back of the net. After creating a turnover in front of the net Austin Watson delivered a perfect set up to the back door of Gustafsson that gave Clune more than enough net to smack home his fourth goal of the season.
“He’s been great,” said Austin Watson of Clune. “He’s outspoken, as you guys know, and he just works hard. He goes out there and you know you’re going to get a hard working guy every night. That’s a good feeling as teammates.”
Then came a flurry from the Wild to equalize the game after falling down to a two goal deficit. Graovac had a pass that went to Gabriel whose whiffed shot hit off a skate and right to Zack Mitchell on the left wing side of the net to score his eleventh goal of the season.
When Triston Grant was called for interference, Matt Dumba’s slap shot from the center point rifled past Mazanec high blocker side to level the game off a power-play goal at 3-3 on the rookie defenseman’s fifth goal of the season. The goal snapped the Admirals penalty kill run of twenty-two straight kills.
With 6:37 remaining in the third period Watson scored his sixteenth goal of the season to restore the Admirals lead. He skated in off the left wing on a mini two-on-one with Clune out on his opposite wing. After Stu Bickel went down and out, Watson turned and fired a wrist shot on goal and managed to find a hole in Gustafsson to make it 4-3.
Wave upon wave of pressure came on Mazanec in net in the closing minutes of the game. Bitetto was called for a high stick and the Wild had plenty of in-tight chances to score in the final seconds but the Admirals killed off the penalty and survived the push with the Wild net emptied. The winning streak has hit a franchise record nine games.
“We’re finding ways to win,” said Watson. “Tonight, and last game, we didn’t do a lot of the right things but we found a way to win. The games before then we were just playing the game properly. Getting pucks in at lines and taking care of our own end and it is translating into offense for us.”
Ramblings: Yesterday the Admirals assigned four players to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL: Joe Pendenza, Zach Budish, Frederick Gaudreau, and Garrett Noonan. Tonight’s scratches for the Admirals were Pontus Aberg (healthy) and Johan Alm (upper body).
Thoughts on tonight’s game? How great of an addition has Rich Clune been for the Admirals since joining?
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Viktor Stalberg’s Milwaukee Admirals debut happened against the Iowa Wild in Milwaukee earlier this season. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
Tonight could well see some Milwaukee Admirals history be made. The Ads are currently on an eight game winning streak which matched a franchise record set in the IHL era of the team in March of 1989.
There is only one thing needed to be done to pull it off: defeat the worst team in the AHL. Problem? The Iowa Wild have gone 4-2-0-0 against the Admirals this season. In fact, they have nearly won one-third of their games this season against the Ads. They’ve won twice past regulation, an overtime game and shootout, as well as winning twice in their previous two trips to Milwaukee.
The Wild have a record of 15-24-1-1 (32 points) on the season. They are an even 5-5-0-0 in their previous 10 games and enter after being shutout 1-0 by the Rockford IceHogs. There is only one team in the AHL that has allowed more goals this season than the Wild. The St. John’s IceCaps have allowed 135 goals this season and the Wild have allowed 133 goals. The goal scoring differential for the Wild is a staggering -37.
Jordan Schroeder is the top scorer in this head-to-head match up. He has scored 7 points (2 goals, 5 assists) in 5 games against the Admirals this season. He’s third on the team with an overall haul of 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) for the Wild this season. The top scorer for the Wild is Michael Keränen who has 28 points (6 goals, 22 assists). Their leading goal scorer is Tyler Graovac who has 13 goals in 38 games.
Still like Jonathon Blum? No? Great! He has 17 points (5 goals, 12 assists) in 31 games for the Wild this season while putting up a painful plus/minus rating of -11. Out of those 5 goals he has scored 4 have been scored on the power-play for Iowa.
Currently the Wild have John Curry and Johan Gustafsson as their goaltending tandem. Technically, Josh Harding is on the roster but has only played 2 games this season for Iowa as he continues to handle his battle with multiple sclerosis. Gustafsson has a record of 7-15-1-0 in net this season with a rough 3.36 goals against average and 0.898 save percentage. Curry has a 8-8-0-1 record this season with a 2.62 goals against average and 0.922 save percentage.
On the season Gustafsson has appeared against the Admirals in 5 games and has 3 wins despite posting a 3.18 goals against average and 0.893 save percentage. Curry has appeared twice against the Ads, picked up a single win, but has a stunning 0.57 goals against average and 0.980 save percentage. He’s also had a strong month of January that has seen him win 3/5 decisions, recording a 2.02 goals against average and 0.936 save percentage, and a 41-save effort last time out in a losing effort against the IceHogs.
Expectations for tonight’s game? Can the Admirals set a franchise record for a winning streak tonight? Who is Brett Eldredge and will his fans know what is happening on the ice before the concert?
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Despite only winning every single game he has played in this season – Zach Budish will also join the Cyclones of the ECHL. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
I had pondered how Zach Budish remained up with the Milwaukee Admirals when talking about the recent reassignment of Joe Pendenza, Frédérick Gaudreau, and Garrett Noonan. Apologies for the oversight -but- it turns out he is also part of that same group making their way to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.
Budish has only played in 13 games with the Admirals this season. Ironically the team has won all games that he has played. He has 7 points (4 goals, 3 assists) in the AHL this season. The better part of his 2014-15 campaign has been with the Cyclones of the ECHL where he has 21 points (7 goals, 14 assists) in 23 games.
With Budish now on the move the Admirals have 13 total forwards in their ranks. Mike Liambas was a scratch last night so it kind of becomes a matter of picking your spots as to when you want to rotate him in and for who.
Would you prefer to see Budish stay? How would you work Liambas in and out of the forward group and is there room for another bruiser like him with this current lineup?
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Frédérick Gaudreau will join Joe Pendenza and Garrett Noonan en route to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL today. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
There were plenty of bodies in Admirals camp the day I attended practice on Tuesday. So much so there was an extra forward line plus an added forward and defenseman. Today the Admirals have cleared some of that up by reassigning Joe Pendenza, Frédérick Gaudreau, and Garrett Noonan to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.
This move was sure to come when Kevin Fiala and Viktor Stålberg rolled into town. It’s the second stint down for Pendenza who has only played in one game for the Cyclones this season. It’s the first reassignment for Gaudreau who has been a healthy scratch for thirteen of the Admirals forty games played this season. As for Mr. Noonan, it is his second stint with the Cyclones. Similar to Pendenza, Noonan only logged one game before getting brought right back up.
I find it interesting to see that Pendenza and Gaudreau have been given the reassignment today over the likes of Zach Budish.It would appear the Minnesota native’s recent play has kept him around the AHL for a little bit. Though, for how the forward lines operate, Budish effectively is competing with Rich Clune, Triston Grant, and Mike Liambas for playing time at the moment.
Last night’s injury update on Johan Alm shed some light as to his current recovery. He is back to skating after missing the last nineteen games due to an “upper body” injury. There is no projected time table for Alm’s return, but the fact that he is back on the ice skating is a step in the right direction. Jonathan Diaby has really filled his role alongside Joe Piskula since Alm left the lineup and it has pushed Noonan on the outside looking in for minutes.
Thoughts on the roster moves? Correct choices? Surprised or not surprised that Budish is sticking around?
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Last night was the first of many pro games in the North American playing career of Kevin Fiala. Now all he needs to do is learn how to tape his stick. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
With last night’s 3-2 shootout victory over the Utica Comets the Milwaukee Admirals matched a franchise record by winning eight straight games. The only other time they managed to achieve an eight game winning streak was in the IHL days in March, 1989.
Kevin Fiala might have been the big watch coming into the game but the man who stole the show for me was Marek Mazanec. After Magnus Hellberg allowed two goals from five shots the Admirals needed to make the change. Hellberg looked to be scrambling a bit and, while he could have possibly fought through the kinks, needed to get pulled when he did. Mazanec came in and slammed the door. He stopped all twenty-one shots he faced in regulation and overtime. He also stopped three of five in the shootout.
Mazanec was only just reassigned to the Admirals yesterday. As you’ll hear him say down below, his off-ice day was busy enough without even getting involved in last night’s game. He woke up at 4am in Montreal, got a 7am flight, waited for a delay, made it to Milwaukee, took a quick nap, got to the rink, and it’s game time. I’m sure the team prepared him as much as they could in that short window but my guess is he just allowed his instincts to carry him through the game against the Comets. He made some spectacular saves and his entry into the game allowed the Admirals the foundation they needed to get back to their game en route to the comeback win,
After the game I spoke with Dean Evason, Marek Mazanec, Kevin Fiala, Magnus Hellberg, and Brendan Leipsic. Here is what they all had to say after the Ads eighth successive win.
Admirals Roundtable 