Game Recaps

The Darling and Forsberg Show: Ads win 4-0

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(Photo credit to Scott Paulus)

The Admirals posted a 4-0 shutout over the San Antonio Rampage Friday night. It was a 34-save shutout from Scott Darling for his second shutout and fourth win of the season. The headline into this game, Filip Forsberg, also made a massive splash in his first return to game action in over a month. Forsberg scored two power-play goals en route to a highly successful night for the Ads as a group.

“[Filip Forsberg] is such a gifted goal scorer,” said Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason. “Obviously we’ve struggled a little bit to score some goals here. Certainly in our last two games. Our power-play was 0/9 in our last game. To have a goal scorer, a pure pure goal scorer, inserted into your lineup – an NHL goal scorer to boot – injects a lot of life into your group.”

Taylor Beck scored his sixth goal of the season to open this game up in the first period. Beck played off the near wall on a two-on-one opportunity with Simon Moser on the left wing and Rampage d-man John Lee between them. Beck maintained a shooting posture, stuttered a bit, and fired high glove against netminder Michael Houser for a silky smooth finish on the goal.

After a questionable hit from Mathieu Tousignant on Steve Pinizzotto, the two decided it best to have at one-another in the corner. It was somewhat more of a tussle than a fight. Some good punches thrown. Not sure if any exactly landed, but Pinizzotto skated off the victory of that exchange in my book.

San Antonio did manage to light the lamp – if only momentarily. The Rampage ransacked the net, running into Scott Darling in goal, and saw their goal –not only disallowed– but sent Eric Selleck to the box for goaltender interference.

The Ads capitalized off of the Selleck penalty with one heck of a goal by newbie Vinny Saponari. The twenty-three year old winger powered in from the left wing wall, held off a defender, and stickhandled his way toward goal and right past Houser in net.

“Great hands,” said Evason of Vinny Saponari. “He’s making plays, he’s scoring, but as importantly he’s not turning any pucks over. He’s getting pucks out on the wall. Making good decisions. Making good passes. Not only offensively but defensively to exit out of our zone. We’ve liked his entire game so far.”

Instantly off of that goal we were given an early fight of the season candidate. Scott Ford went toe-to-toe with the “goaltending interference” miscreant Selleck and the two hammered each other with some bombs. Give the win to Ford – and get ready for YouTube.

The Ads power-play, which struggled big time against Grand Rapids last weekend, was at it yet again to put an exclamation mark on the second period. This time it was Filip Forsberg who answered – marking his return to game action with a power-play goal. The Swede was stationed on the left wall primed to shoot during his shifts on the power-play. This goal was a solid wrist shot that would end Houser’s night in net and force Rob Madore into the game for the Rampage.

“It felt pretty good actually,” said Filip Forsberg on playing his first game since mid-November. “The first period was pretty tired. I was feeling like legs were pretty tired, but during the game I felt better and better. So it was a pretty good game.”

The Ads smacked in their third power-play goal of the night in the third period in similar fashion. Forsberg was laying in wait on the left wall. Austin Watson teed him up perfectly with a crafty toe-drag pass. BOOM, with a one-timer for Forsberg on a slap shot. It was 4-0 Admirals – and would stay 4-0 Admirals.

“Last time I was here we had a power-play goal and we just picked up where we ended,” said Forsberg. “First, [Salomaki] had a good feed and I put it in. Then a nice empty net pass by [Watson] – so that was pretty easy. Two pretty easy goals and nice play by the boys.”

How about a hand for Scott Darling in this game? As much as the spotlight can be shined on Forsberg, for good reason, Darling delivered yet another composed and no nonsense game in net. It seems, the more I watch Darling, his method is the “Keep It Simple, Stupid” approach. Either that or he makes plays in net just seem that calm. He doesn’t let the puck spill out very often. He’s great at stopping the run of play when it really needs to. And –when he does allow goals– he isn’t allowing bad ones. It takes a lot to fool him in net. Can’t say it enough: strength in depth. This organization has lots of big sized goalies that can play very good hockey. Darling is just becoming another example of that the more he gets the call to play.

“I have to credit the team,” said Scott Darling on his second shutout of the season. “It’s just nice. Any win is a good win. Guys blocked shots. Kept most of the shots to the outside. Didn’t really have too many scoring chances. It was a team effort.”

Thoughts on tonight’s game? What did you make of Filip Forsberg’s game tonight? What are your impressions of Scott Darling through eight starts in net? Should Darling get more games or are the Ads sharing the net well?

Scouting

Rampage: Scouting the Enemy

Hello San Antonio! It’s been awhile. The Admirals faced the Rampage on the road earlier this season in a game that ended with a 4-3 shootout defeat for the Ads. That was over a month ago and just as the Rampage were under new management.

So, what have they been up to since that game?

San Antonio sits in the basement of the AHL’s West Division of the Western Conference with a record of 11-16-0-2 (24 pts). The team has played five more games than the Ads but have less wins and points. That may go down to the fact that, through 29 games, San Antonio have allowed 89 goals against 76 goals scored. If it weren’t for the penalty-minute happy affair between the Ads and Griffins last weekend – the Rampage might well have more than 100+ penalty minutes than the Ads.

It’s been tough sledding all season long for the Rampage who just so happen to play in one of the highest scoring divisions of the AHL. Ever since their first encounter with the Ads they played in sixteen games sporting a 5-10-0-1 record. Of the entire season that they’ve played in – there has only been one shutout and it was the Rampage on the receiving end of a 6-0 thrashing by the Texas Stars.

The Rampage’s top scorer is Vincent Trocheck. The rookie center leads the team with 11 goals and 22 points. That total puts Trocheck fifth amongst AHL rookies this season in scoring. While his numbers to start the season were consistent – he has tailed off in the month of December. In October, he has 5 goals and 4 assists. In November, 4 goals and 5 assists. Through eight games in December he has 2 goals and 2 assists – only tallying an assist in his last six games.

Another note on the Rampage’s struggles could go down to the revolving door in goal for the team. In twenty-nine games this season they have three goalies who have played eight-or-more games in net. Compare that to the Ads who only have one. The top man in net for the Rampage, as far as minutes and the numbers back up, has been Jacob Markstrom: 4-5-0-1 record, 2.46 GAA, and a 0.924 SV%. The major problem, Markstrom has lost his last four decisions. This has contributed to the likes of Rob Madore and Michael Houser playing games since Markstrom’s last start – last Tuesday – a 2-1 loss in Charlotte. No clue who gets the net for this game. And it is that level of uncertainty that can lead to a run like the one San Antonio is battling through.

As for the Ads, they’ll be looking to get the foul taste of Grand Rapids out of their mouth with this home game that kicks off the first of a three-in-three this weekend. The team, which along with the Portland Pirates have played an AHL lowest twenty-four games so far, enters Friday with a 12-7-4-1 record good enough for 29 points and third place in the Midwest Division. While their counterpart in tonight’s match up makes this looks fine – in the Ads last ten games they have gone 4-4-2-0. It’s been almost a week since the Ads played a game. In that time, much has taken place. Perhaps best summed up by Magnus Hellberg’s quick two-days of traveling between Milwaukee, Chicago, Nashville, and Milwaukee.

How Hellberg found out about his latest NHL call up:

Hellberg on the back-and-forth travel and time in Nashville:

Hellberg on maintaining focus against all the travel:

I also caught up yesterday morning with Joonas Rask. Despite an ugly weekend in Grand Rapids, perhaps the brightest spot of the two-games played against the Griffins came when Rask netted his first goal of the season… and first career fight for good measure.

Joonas Rask on his eventful time against Grand Rapids:

Rask on fighting:

Rask feeling less pressure after his first goal of the season:

Another major news story that developed fast in the midweek was the addition of Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg. The nineteen-year old Swede is returning back to game action after missing a month worth of hockey due to a concussion.

Forsberg’s plan: Treat this weekend with serious purpose, get any and all rust off, and hope that his performance and fitness levels through the Ads three-in-three this weekend are enough to propel him back to his native Sweden for Chirstmas – and the 2014 IIHF World Juniors. It sounds like the opportunity is there for Forsberg to represent Team Sweden at home for the tournament provided he displays quality on the ice without any injury setback. In just four games with the Ads, Forsberg produced 1 goal and 4 assists in his first stint in the AHL. That included a game against these very same San Antonio Rampage where he scored an assist, fired four shots on goal, and failed to convert in the shootout.

Should Forsberg play on the same line as last time he would be on the ice with Simon Moser on the opposite wing and anchored by Colton Sissons down the middle. Moser has missed the team’s last three games due to an upper body injury but did return to full-contact practice with the team yesterday after not having made the trip with the Ads to Grand Rapids. I will provide an update on his condition closer to game time on Twitterland.

UPDATE: Goaltending match-up tonight will be Scott Darling against Michael Houser.

UPDATE: Pre-game skate, Moser is on the ice – while Budish, Cehlin, and Liambas are absent. Liambas was hurt in the midweek – not sure if it relates to some of the big hits he took in Grand Rapids.

UPDATE: Moser in. Budish, Cehlin, Liambas, and Roussel out.

Thoughts on tonight’s game? With yet another lengthy gap between games – will it hurt or help the team in game one of this three-in-three? How is your outlook on the weekend series between San Antonio, Rockford, and Chicago?

News

Forsberg: Ready, Set, Go

After being sidelined for a month due to a concussion, Filip Forsberg is set and ready for game action beginning tomorrow night when the Admirals play host to the San Antonio Rampage.

“It’s been a tough couple of weeks,” said forward Filip Forsberg after this morning’s practice at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. “Been sitting out. Just trying to get back as quick as possible and get ready to play again.”

Forsberg’s season started in Nashville. He played in eleven games scoring one goal and four assists prior to being reassigned to Milwaukee. In a four game span with the Ads, he scored one goal and five assists – also firing eighteen shots on goal. As far as the initial script went, getting Forsberg more ice time and reigniting his offense while playing with the Ads, all went according to plan. He came back to the Predators for a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on 11/15. He took eleven shifts, played nearly ten-minutes of ice time, but didn’t even put up a shot on goal in that game. Then came the injury news that would later be revealed to be a concussion that sidelined him for a month.

When asked, Forsberg didn’t want to go into any specifics of his concussion or any symptoms he was experiencing during the past few weeks. Considering how vast and complex concussions and concussion symptoms are – the fact he returned to full-contact practice for the first time yesterday in Nashville, and then today in Milwaukee, tells me we’re not talking Sidney Crosby or David Perron levels of bad symptoms. For a nineteen year old dealing with any sort of a concussion though – it’s worth the biggest of precautions to even allow him to get back to full-contact practice. He’s cleared that hurdle. Now comes the joys of returning to the ice for game action.

“I’ve been out for a couple of weeks and it is going to be great to playing,” said Forsberg. “The last time I was [in Milwaukee] that was kind of the last game I was playing. It’s gonna be good to be back with the boys and get some more ice time. It’s going to be fun.”

You could clearly see just how happy he was to say he’s back playing. Truthfully, he was fighting off a smile during that quote. As far as who he plays with, tomorrow night, remains to be seen.

“I was playing with Moser and Sissons last time and that worked out well,” said Forsberg of potential linemates for this weekend. “I’ve been here for awhile. Obviously it’s up to the coaches to pair me up with good guys and I’m not really worried. There’s a lot of really good guys here.”

Forsberg’s return might also have come just in time for the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championships, as well. This year they will be held in Forsberg’s native Sweden and will be played from December 26th to January 5th. When asked if he expects to join Team Sweden for World Juniors his response was, “I don’t know.” To me, I think Forsberg’s chance to play in Juniors has plenty of crucial factors attached to it. A lot of which can be answered by his own fitness and performance in this weekend’s three-in-three with the Admirals.

Thoughts on how Forsberg will play this weekend? What kind of impact can the Ads expect? With Forsberg on the roster, who gets scratched in his place for this weekend’s game?

News

Filip Forsberg Incoming

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(Photo credit to Scott Paulus)

The Admirals might be getting a boost for this weekend’s three-in-three in the form of Filip Forsberg. The young Swede, who has been sidelined for over a month, returned to full-contact practice this afternoon for the first time since being injured with a concussion. This is a move that will look to shake off the rust on Forsberg and slowly get him into full-game speed while playing quality minutes as a member of the Ads.

This won’t be Forsberg’s first rodeo with the Ads. Earlier this season he was sent down in an effort to provide him more ice-time and give him different looks on the ice. How did he do? Phenomenally well. As an Admiral he scored a goal and five assists in four games. He might not be entering in the same shape as he was then – having missed the last month. Still, that’s the sort of quality that will be on the ice this weekend.

No word as of yet if the team will make a subsequent move of a forward down to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL. The team only just recalled Joshua Shalla yesterday from the Cyclones. If there is a move to be made. They may have made that one a day too quick.

Update: It sounds like Filip Forsberg will be taking part in the upcoming 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship – which is being hosted in his native Sweden this year. For those wondering – World Juniors lasts from December 26th to January 5th. My guess is he returns to Nashville after the tournament – provided he performs well.

Thoughts on what Forsberg could bring to the Ads this weekend? Will he be rusty or rested? What line should he play on?

Feature

Bitetto: Laughing and Learning
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Photo Credit: Scott Paulus

One of the better stories this season has been the evolution of Ads defenseman Anthony Bitetto. Through twenty-four games this season he has eight goals and six assists which ties him for third best on the team in points with center Austin Watson. As the league stands today, Bitetto is among the top twenty defenseman across the entire AHL in scoring. To think that exactly this time last year he wasn’t even playing in Milwaukee.

Bitetto began his first full professional season with the Admirals last year. He suited up for five games, only registered one shot on goal, and had nine penalty minutes to his name. On 11/12/12, the Ads decided to send him down to the Cincinnati Cyclones in favor of current Admirals teammate and linemate Charles Roussel. Bitetto would go on to play twenty-three games as a member of the Cyclones where he would produce one goal, two assists, and registered sixteen penalty minutes. It wasn’t until 1/7/13 when Bitetto received his call back up to the Ads.

Anthony Bitetto on his time in Cincinnati last season:

When he did return to Milwaukee his game greatly picked up. Upon his return in January, he picked up his first AHL point (an assist) two games after his recall and tallied two more assists to close out the month. February, eight more games – two more assists. Then came a fairly rough month of March for Bitetto where he was a -6 skater through eight contests. The silver lining to that month came by the way of his first AHL goal – scored on the power-play.

Bitetto on his power-play success this season – where he has scored five of his eight goals:

While the rest of his season might have tailed off from that moment – where this story really seems to pick up is in the offseason. Bitetto was asked by the team to trim down in body weight. When he showed up to camp this pre-season – he exceeded expectations by how good of shape he was in.

Mike Liambas, Bitetto’s teammate in both Milwaukee and Cincinnati, shared his thoughts on Anthony’s progress:

From pre-season practice right into the start of this season the change of Bitetto’s game is incredibly evident. His skating ability looks vastly improved. He looks and plays the game far faster than he did last season. And, the icing on the cake, his offensive results speak for themself.

Dean Evason on Bitetto’s progress:

Bitetto about improving his game this season:

What also adds to the rate of development for Bitetto are fellow defenseman Scott Ford, Joe Piskula, and Bryan Rodney – all veteran hockey minds of the defensive core. With Ford, there is a leader to learn from and a gritty defensive nature to understudy. With Piskula, there is a two-way game from the defense to the blue line that can really translate well into his game. With Rodney, Bitetto can also hone in on the offensive side of the puck from a defenseman that makes sharp passes and goal-scoring opportunities while quarterbacking power-plays. The examples are all there for him to learn from.

Bitetto on learning from veterans (while Joe Piskula definitely does not troll on the answer to such a question):

In that last clip you get a taste of something I hear a lot whilst doing player interviews – Anthony Bitetto laughing. There are plenty of great personalities on this Admirals hockey team. Few seem to always be as upbeat and jokey as the New York native.

Evason on Bitetto’s personality:

Bitetto on having fun:

With still well over half the season to play, it is exciting to see where and how far Bitetto’s season can take him. The tools are all there. His ability and willingness to learn from those around him and apply them quickly to his game is fantastic. His goal is to continually improve and see this team reach the playoffs for a twelfth-consecutive season. If Bitetto continues to improve – I imagine the team would accomplish just that.

What are your thoughts on Anthony Bitetto this season?

News

There and Back Again: A Goaltending Story by Magnus Hellberg

Emergency call up done and dusted? I’m at the Bradley Center about to chat with some players and coaches so I will follow up and update this the moment I get confirmation. By all accounts of what I have heard around Admirals camp this sounds like he might already be back in town.

UPDATE: He has officially been reassigned to Milwaukee. Should be all set for practice tomorrow and game action this weekend.

News

Hellberg Recalled to Nashville

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Well this has been an active news day. The Nashville Predators have just announced that Magnus Hellberg will be recalled to Nashville under emergency conditions.

As you can see from the Preds Twitter feed, the reason for this emergency call up comes due to an illness for Marek Mazanec. Considering how good the last week was for Carter Hutton, earning third star of the week honors, I really don’t expect game action for Hellberg this go-round.

I will say though that, for a guy battling confidence, this could be a welcome change of pace for Hellberg. It’s his second ever NHL call up. Even if it is in an emergency back up capacity I think it should give him a boost to get a call from the Predators – who play tonight against the Blackhawks. If Mazanec is out sick long enough, Mags could be taking a trip with the Predators down to Florida for their game in Tampa Bay on Thursday before flying back to Milwaukee for game action with the Ads.

This will be a story to watch the next day or so. I suppose it really depends on how much chicken noodle soup Mazanec packs away before getting cleared.

Thoughts on what this call up could mean for this weekend’s games? Will it just be a quick move for tonight’s game? Can this move, as brief as it might be, actually benefit Hellberg?

News

Shalla Returning to Milwaukee

Well this didn’t take too long. After being sent down to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL just a little over a week ago – Joshua Shalla has been recalled to the Ads.

 

There was never any counter move made when he was initially sent down. So I’m pretty doubtful there will be one made with his recall this afternoon.

With his move down to Cincinnati Shalla missed out on the Ads three-in-three last week and played in three games for the Cyclones. In those three games Shalla produced one goal off of eight shots with a +2 plus/minus. With the Ads so far he has suited up for sixteen games and has two goals and two assists with a -8 plus/minus.

I wasn’t all that sure with his move down last week if this would be a long or short term move. Today we get the answer. Perhaps this was all a matter to get him better looks on the ice while getting more playing minutes than he was earning on the lower forward lines with the Ads.

What do you make of this move? Considering the Cyclones have a game tonight, shouldn’t Shalla have stayed in Cincinnati for at least one more game?

News

Dead Air Questionnaire: Who Has Impressed So Far?

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(Photo credit to Scott Paulus)

While we sit and wait for the next Ads game I thought I would pose a question to all of you: who has impressed you the most so far this season?

For me, it is a three horse race between Anthony Bitetto, Colton Sissons, and Miikka Salomaki.

Bitetto came into camp in incredible shape and has established himself as one of the best defenseman on the team. He plays in all facets of the game but, without question, has shined the brightest on the power-play this season: five of his eight goals score this season have been on the man-advantage. He has been such an important player when it comes to the Ads transition game this year. At times he is a one-man break out play. It’s been so impressive to see his development from last season to this season. I think he’s only getting better.

Sissons leads the team in goals, ten, and points scored, eighteen, and is only a rookie nearing his twenty-fifth game of professional hockey. His skating ability and vision to find soft spots on the ice to create offense has been very impressive to see. Just as equally impressive – he doesn’t really look overwhelmed out on the ice. As good as he has been on offense his defense has looked just as stable. He never looks lost on the backcheck, he blocks shots, and has done very well to stay out of the box – only posting two penalty-minutes this season. I feel like he walked in from the WHL to the AHL without missing a beat – perhaps even doing better.

Salomaki has four more assists than anyone on the team with a team-leading twelve assists. What I’ve enjoyed the most about his game so far this season has been his relentless work rate and willingness to scrap it out in the dirty areas of the ice. For such a shy and quiet kid off the ice, it is amazing just how often his game gets underneath the skin of the opposition. When there is a scrum on the ice, time and time again is seems like #20 is in the middle of it. It’s not a rookie playing out of control. It’s the opposite. It’s a rookie playing the game exactly right – and right in everyone’s face.

Who has impressed you the most so far this season and why?

Game Recaps

Rough Night; Ads shutout 5-0 in Grand Rapids

The Admirals lost badly in Grand Rapids Saturday night. The Griffins shutout the Ads 5-0 in large credit to a four-point night for Cory Emmerton. As bad as that scoreline sounds this game could have been a completely different story if the Ads capitalized on their power-play, which went 0-9. If you ask me, the Ads really can’t get out of the state of Michigan fast enough.

This game started off with a taste of last night’s game in mind. Mike Liambas dropped the gloves with ex-Admiral Jordin Tootoo. It’ll be great to get the video highlights of this one. Sounded like it ended in a draw, but –as fighting goes– these two would match up nicely. The fight took place less than thirty-seconds into the game.

The Griffins response off the fight was swift. The defending Calder Cup champs popped in two-goals on three shots in the opening 5:22 of the first period. The first goal came from Cory Emmerton who snapped a shot into the top shelf past Ads starting goalie Magnus Hellberg. The second goal came just 2:24 later when Calle Jarnkrok beat the glove of Hellberg to make it a fast 2-0 Griffins lead.

Round II between Liambas and Tootoo took place 10:28 after their opening fight. This one sounded a bit more lively than the first tussle. A few good blows were landed for both and ended with a Liambas take down.

In the second period the Griffins were able to score two more goals to make it 4-0. Landon Ferraro deflected a low wrist shot from the point by Alexey Marchenko for the third goal of the game. Next came a shorthanded effort by Emmerton for his second goal of the game. The shorthanded rush started with Landon Ferraro who fed the puck over to Emmerton who beat Hellberg to push the gap between the two sides miles beyond reach. This was the sixth shorthanded goal allowed by the Admirals this season.

After Mark Van Guilder went to the box, the Ads had their best opportunity to score a goal on a shorthanded breakaway. The man on the shorthanded attack was Kevin Henderson who went for a backhanded effort. The shot was denied by Tom McCollum and it may have been the biggest save of the thirty-one he posted in his shutout performance.

Moments right after the chance for Henderson, the Ads were lucky to avoid yet another Griffins goal thanks in part to a quick whistle. Pulkkinen managed to poke the puck past Hellberg but the referees had already blown play dead. Despite the lamp being lit, the goal horn blasting, and fans going bananers the goal was waved off nearly as fast as the puck crossed the line. Perhaps a bit of a mercy whistle on the officials part.

For good measure, the Griffins added a power-play goal late in the third period to make it a 5-0 final score. The goal went to Pulkkinen and an assist went to Cory Emmerton – giving him a four-point night (two goals, two assists).

The game finished off with a fight between Joonas Jarvinen and Brennan Evans. The fight was a slow one. They do match up like heavy weights compared to Liambas versus Tootoo. While this game was a rough one for the Ads – the team showing its grit throughout these two games in Grand Rapids said a lot about their physical playing attitude. The last time they came into Grand Rapids, ahead of these two games, was a 5-0 loss where the Ads were skated circles around. The tempo was set in yesterday’s tilt with three fights. Tonight, there were another three fights. They might not have shown up tonight offensively but the Ads are in no way a team to be walked over. Despite a rough set with the Griffins – at least there is some major fight shown by everyone on the team.

Thoughts on tonight’s game? Thoughts on these two games in Grand Rapids? What is it about playing the Griffins that brings out the worst in the Ads? Is this a let down performance by Magnus Hellberg or more-so the team in front of him? What happened to the Admirals power-play that looked back in stride during the games at home against the Barons?