The regular season has ended. The playoffs are set. Times are about to get very exciting for the Milwaukee Admirals. What better way to lead into the Admirals first home playoff game in nearly two-years than by having a big week of feature stories here on Roundtable? It should be a packed week and I’m hoping to drop features down each day of the week until we reach Friday when the Admirals open up the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs at home against the Grand Rapids Griffins.
~Fifteen~
The time in which the Admirals signed Matt White to a PTO contract was as grueling of a period in the Admirals season as their might have been. The roster was being stretched to the limit. The Nashville Predators were banged up. The Admirals affiliate in the ECHL was banged up. It meant seeking outside help and, amusingly, bringing in familiar faces like Vinny Saponari and Zach Budish. When that started to not go as well as perhaps the Admirals would have liked they then turned to the Los Angeles Kings ECHL affiliate the Manchester Monarchs. White came first and he was followed by Zac Larraza and Matt Leitner. All played their part. White just felt like he always was part of the Admirals from the moment he joined.
White had a terrific collegiate career at the University of Nebraska-Omaha where his efforts on and off the ice are worthy of noting. In his 2010-11 season he was named to the All-Academic Team for the NCAA’s Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). In total, he scored 99 points (47 goals, 52 assists) in 114 career games with Nebraska-Omaha. He went undrafted but the California native signed on as part of the Kings ECHL affiliate at the time, the Ontario Reign. He had a great debut season and followed that up with an attempt to play in Europe with Olimpija Ljubljana in Austria before returning to Ontario in the ECHL.
White was in the Kings’ ECHL camp for a total of 158 games scoring 139 points (60 goals, 79 assists) before the Admirals provided him his chance to make his AHL debut on 12/5/15 on the road against the Chicago Wolves. The very next night he scored a pair of goals and an assist, including the Teddy Bear Toss goal, in only his second career AHL game.
Ever since that grand intro to Milwaukee fans things have only continued to go well for White. His play is incredibly smooth and, in 54 games, he managed to produce 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists). That’s quite the bonus production for an Admirals team that couldn’t have had him on their radar come pre-season camp. Yet, his consistent play and solid work ethic earned him a contract that extended past this season and through to the 2016-17 season.
Thanks very much to Matt White on taking the time for this interview. Next up this week there will be three more features that will come in no particular order: Fifteen with Stefan Elliott, Scott Ford: Trading Sticks for Suits, and a 2015-16 Regular Season Retrospective.
It may not have been the greatest game but take a moment to give some #StickTaps for Aaron Irving who made his professional hockey debut last night and did it as a member of the Milwaukee Admirals. (Photo Credit: Todd Reicher)
Well, it finally happened. It took until the final game of the 2015-16 regular season but the Milwaukee Admirals were spanked last night. Their 7-1 loss on the road to the Rockford IceHogs was up there for one of the biggest losses of the season: 7-2 vs. Charlotte (10/16/15), 6-0 vs. Grand Rapids (11/27/15), and 6-2 vs. Rockford (12/18/15). Look at those dates and you will see that it took the Admirals 48 games since the last time they were thrashed that badly.
Can I go deep into what I saw in Rockford last night? Sure, but I don’t think there is much to be said that the scoreline doesn’t already scream into your eyeballs. It was rough. It was sloppy. Mistakes were made. And, frankly, Marek Mazanec was made to suffer and hung out to dry.
(Photo Credit: Greg Hamil)
I read a fair amount of comments after last night with concerns or disgust regarding the result. It was a good game. I’ll give you that. It also isn’t the grandest way to enter the playoffs. I will give you that, too. But keep in mind that this was an Admirals team fresh off of a franchise record tying thirteen-game winning streak. They also had a run of seven straight wins going right up until these final two games of the regular season. If these two losses were sprinkled in the mix of the final fifteen-games a little more so than just as the last two-games of the season I don’t feel the same level of frustration and worry would be there. From where I sit I’m not in any sort of a panic, worry, or concern. Especially after last night’s game. The IceHogs had something to play for last night. The Admirals didn’t. And I feel like that amplified the efforts of the IceHogs in that game. It’s not to say that the Admirals quit or didn’t try but never underestimate what playing with desperation and hunger does to even the smallest of teams. The Admirals were complacent on Friday night. The Admirals were complacent on Saturday night. Perhaps the best thing that could have happened to the Admirals leading into the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs was the stiff slap in the face they received last night.
Before the Admirals and IceHogs game even came to an end the Grand Rapid Griffins had lost on home ice to the Bakersfield Condors to set the Central Division side of the playoff bracket. The Admirals will be getting the Griffins in the first round. The Lake Erie Monsters will now get the IceHogs.
As far as things have gone this season I’ve been dreading the thought of playing the Griffins in the first round. They’ve out-battled and shutdown the Admirals at times this season. The Admirals record against the Griffins was 3-5-0-0. While that seems poor I hazard you from going into any form of hyperventilating because as rough as the Admirals last two games have felt, and as poor as that record against the Griffins looks, the Griffins have been all sorts of awful. In the Griffins last thirteen-games they have a record of 3-10-0-0 and have lost their last five-games straight heading into the playoffs. There is a part of me that feels this is the time to pounce on the Griffins. And having the 2-2-1 style playoff format so the Admirals get to open up and finish on home ice makes it all the better to think about.
~Schedule Update~
Following the decision out of Grand Rapids the Admirals first round schedule dropped. We were all made aware that the Admirals would be hosting games on the upcoming Friday and Saturday but this is what the full layout will be.
Friday, Apr. 22 vs. Grand Rapids: 7:00 pm CST
Saturday, Apr. 23 vs. Grand Rapids: 7:00 pm CST
Tuesday, Apr. 26 @ Grand Rapids: 6:00 pm CST
*Wednesday, Apr. 27 @ Grand Rapids: 6:00 pm CST
*Saturday, Apr. 30 vs. Grand Rapids: 7:00 pm CST (*if necessary)
I’m a much bigger fan of the 2-2-1 best-of-five format as opposed to what the norm has been in recent memory of a 2-3 format. It makes things more balanced and makes having home ice advantage feel more like actually having home ice advantage. Not sure what I mean by that? Well, the Lake Erie Monsters are the second seed of the Central Division playoff bracket and will be getting the IceHogs. Needing three-wins to clinch the series everyone in the 2-3 format generally picks the three-games at the back end of the format so the series ends on home ice. The IceHogs will be getting the first two games of that series in Rockford. So, if that team and building is rocking as much as it was last night and the Monsters have to win all three-games that they have at home ice that home ice advantage doesn’t mean all that much does it? I’m not sure why certain locations get specific treatment to differentiate the rest of the playoffs but, if I did, I’m sure there would be a Californian AHL teams joke in there somewhere.
~Chatterbox~
After the conclusion of last night’s game I waited up to catch Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason as well as the man who made his professional playing debut Aaron Irving. With most of the Admirals gearing up to get right back to the bus and back to Milwaukee ASAP that’s really all I wanted to grab. Who could blame them for wanting to put that game far behind them? That all said. Here is what Evason and Irving had to say following the contest.
Comments on the comments? How will the Milwaukee Admirals fair against the Grand Rapids Griffins in the opening round of the playoffs?
The Milwaukee Admirals lost 7-1 on the road against the Rockford IceHogs Saturday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
As far as the last two games of the regular season are concerned they aren’t exactly how the Admirals would have preferred to enter the playoffs. After getting punished for mistakes last night at home the Admirals were roughed up on the road by a team that simply played with far more desperation from the opening puck drop. The Admirals didn’t have anything to play for. The IceHogs, looking to punch themselves in as third seed of the Central Division, did. The game essentially played out to that script.
Before this game even came to a close the Grand Rapids Griffins lost 3-2 at home to the Bakersfield Condors. That result meant the Griffins finished fourth in the Central Division and have been punched in as the Admirals opening round opponent in the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs.
Aaron Irving was making his professional playing debut tonight as a member of the Admirals. It didn’t take him more than two shifts to get a rude introduction to life at the AHL level. Vinnie Hinostroza dangled the 20-year old defenseman nearly out of his skates, sent him darting the wrong way, cut inside, and snapped a low shot that flew underneath the pads of Marek Mazanec for his seventeenth goal of the season.
Following a dazzling series of passes from the IceHogs, that nearly set up a goal, Ryan Hartman slightly bumped into Mazanec in the net. The two jousted slightly with their sticks before Hartman skated off. Jimmy Oligny must not have appreciated what he saw and proceeded to drop his gloves and give Hartman a one-punch slug. The result of the melee was a slashing minor and fighting major to Oligny with a slashing minor, unsportsmanlike conduct minor, and a ten-minute misconduct.
As momentum can tend to go from exchanges such as this you would have hoped for the Admirals sluggish start to have swayed for the better following Oligny’s quick scrap. Instead the IceHogs scored twenty-four seconds after the fact to take a 2-0 lead through another swooping play off the left wing that saw Jonathan Carlsson shake left, go right, and caught Mazanec cheating too far to the near post and went against the grain for his second goal of the season.
With penalties off of the Oligny and Hartman situation trickling Pontus Åberg was slapped with a slashing minor on a relatively harmless play through the neutral zone. This gave the IceHogs a five-on-three power-play that saw them work right to left on the point, from Dennis Rasmussen to Ville Pokka, and get a net front tip by Mark McNeill for his twenty-fourth goal of the season to make it a 3-0 IceHogs lead in the first period.
In the second period a pair of former teammates paired up for a scrap. Mike Liambas and Oligny started grappling behind the net and that turned into a series of punches with a take down by Liambas. By earning his second fighting major of the contest Oligny was given a game misconduct and given the boot.
Before the second period could come to a close the IceHogs were able to smack in a fourth goal. Tyler Motte dragged a puck in towards the net which popped off Mazanec’s pads and fell perfectly in-line with the oncoming rush of Chris DeSousa to tap in the rebound for his seventh goal of the season.
The start of the third period was complete and utter shambles for the Admirals defense. The IceHogs scored twice in the matter of ten-seconds to push their lead up to 6-0. First game a net front deflection tally for Hartman for his fifteenth goal of the season. Then a winding drive from center to left by McNeill to beat Mazanec for his second goal of the game and twenty-fifth scored on the season.
There was a slight smudge of silver on an otherwise brown colored lining tonight. Max Görtz was able to pop in his eighteenth goal of the season to deny Mac Carruth the shutout bid in an all IceHogs contest. Trevor Murphy was able to provide the dish wing-to-wing and Görtz’s debut regular season to North America ends with him finishing second only to Kevin Fiala on the Admirals individual scoring list.
With 6:10 remaining, and tempers for the Admirals boiling over, Fiala started to engage in some cross-checks in front of the Admirals crease and a scrum quickly broke out as well as a scrap between Adam Payerl and Tanner Kero. Payerl hammered Kero with several shots before the referees came in to save the 23-year old of the IceHogs from more punishment.
As penalties mounted and mounted late in the game the IceHogs cashed in on their second five-on-three power-play chance of the night. Hinostroza was able to push in a rebounder off of a Pokka shot that Mazanec shrugged aside to his right. Hinostroza was right there for the quick follow-up, his second goal of the night, and eighteenth of the season.
The Admirals regular season officially ends on a touch of a sour note but they come away with a record of 48-23-3-2 (101 points). Their 0.664 points percentage is the third best in the Admirals AHL history behind the 2005-06 team (0.675) and 2008-09 team (0.669). Their winning of the Central Division was the Admirals first divisional title since the 2010-11 season.
Ramblings: Since the Milwaukee Admirals played last night there were no official roster moves made. Janne Juvonen has joined the team recently from the Lahti Pelicans of Liiga (Finland) but has yet to sign an entry level contract for the Nashville Predators or amateur try-out contract (ATO) as a member of the Admirals. Juvonen was a seventh round draft choice of the Nashville Predators in the 2013 NHL Draft. Tonight’s line combinations were: Reinhart-Gaudreau-Åberg, Fiala-Kamenev-Payerl, White-Girard-Görtz, AJ-Pendenza-Devane, Oligny-Irving, Näkyvä-Dougherty, Murphy-Elliott. Tonight’s scratches were: Patrick Mullen (rest day), Cody Hodgson (upper-body), Taylor Aronson (personal reasons), Anthony Richard (lower-body), Corey Potter (rest day), and Johan Alm (lower-body). The Admirals opted tonight to rest two of their veteran defensemen as a way to allow Jack Dougherty and Aaron Irving to log some ice time. For Irving tonight was his professional playing debut.
What is your reaction to this mess of a game? Are these last two games blips on the radar or a cause for concern? Does the idea of playing against the Grand Rapids Griffins in the first round concern you at all?
The 2015-16 regular season ends today for the Milwaukee Admirals. Don’t let last night’s result skew things. This season has been nothing short of special.
This time a year ago the Admirals were set for an early off-season. The string of twelve consecutive playoff appearances ended with a last place finish in the Midwest Division and a record of 33-28-8-7 (81 points, 0.533 points percentage). Now, the Admirals are Central Division champions with the second best record in the Western Conference standing at 48-22-3-2 (101 points, 0.673 points percentage).
The Admirals loss last night, combined with the Ontario Reign winning on the road against the San Diego Gulls, means that the Western Conference crown has been handed to last year’s Calder Cup champions who played a lesser schedule against questionably lesser opponents. The regular season was about achieving the best points percentage. And now that portion is over. What’s there to play for today now that the Western Conference title isn’t to be had? Simple: today’s game. Because no one, and I mean no one, wants to head into the playoffs on a sour note.
~Oink Oink~
The Rockford IceHogs enter tonight’s game after having won in 4-0 shutout fashion on home ice against the Grand Rapids Griffins. The two teams entered last night’s game tied for third place in the Central Division with the Griffins owning the tiebreaker over the IceHogs. By taking down the Griffins last night the IceHogs elevated themselves away from a potential first round match-up against the Admirals. That is, unless, the following happens tonight.
The IceHogs have a record of 39-22-10-4 (92 points, 0.613 points percentage). The Griffins have a record of 44-29-1-1 (90 points, 0.600 points percentage). If the Admirals defeat the IceHogs in regulation tonight and the Griffins, who are hosting the Bakersfield Condors, win in any fashion what so ever then the Admirals first round opponent would be the IceHogs. Both the Griffins and IceHogs would have a 0.605 points percentage and the Griffins, just as they did heading into last night’s showdown, would own the tiebreak.
So, the fun of today’s game is a mixture of the one-ice product in Rockford and what is happening in Grand Rapids. Who will the Admirals be hosting next weekend for the first round of the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs? We will find out tonight.
For what it’s worth: the Admirals record against the IceHogs this season, entering tonight’s finale, is 6-4-1-0 with five-games that went past regulation… the Admirals record against the Griffins is 3-5-0-0 with all games ending in regulation and the Admirals getting held to one-goal or less four times.
~Who What Now?~
The IceHogs have three players coming into tonight’s game with 40+ points: Vinnie Hinostroza, 48 points (16 goals, 32 assists)… Mark McNeill, 46 points (23 goals, 23 assists)… Ville Pokka, 43 points (10 goals, 33 assists). They’re followed closely by Tanner Kero who has averaged 0.64 points per game this season: 38 points (20 goals, 18 assists) in 59 games.
According to Elite Prospects right now the IceHogs have a merry band of goaltenders. Out of all of them though the one to really put your sights on is Mac Carruth who has stepped up in place of Michael Leighton who is currently stationed with the Chicago Blackhawks as a certified practice goalie for their playoff run. Carruth has played in 16 games with the IceHogs this season. Since 3/20/16 he has made 10 appearances and has a 1.97 goals against average, 0.939 save percentage, and 2 shutouts.
Expectations for tonight’s game? Should certain players be getting the night off for the Milwaukee Admirals or would it be better to keep the throttle down en route to the playoffs next weekend?
At the conclusion of last night’s game the Milwaukee Admirals and BMO Harris Bradley Center had a special video to share the memories the two have had over the past twenty-eight years together. It was the final regular season game for the Admirals at the Bradley Center. The team watched just as we fans watched. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
It happened. The Milwaukee Admirals finally looked pretty human for a change in last night’s 5-2 loss to the Bakersfield Condors. There were mistakes across the board and, unlike most games in recent memory, those were all badly punished. The result was the Admirals losing in regulation for the first time in over a month to snap a franchise record tying thirteen-game point streak as well as what was a seven-game winning streak.
Perhaps this loss was all just over due but, in the grand scheme of the regular season, it was a blip. I wouldn’t really even classify the game as one of the worst efforts the Admirals have had this season – because it just wasn’t. It was just as you’ll hear Juuse Saros say in more adult language than I feel free to write for a PG reading audience. It happens.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
The very first goal allowed by the Admirals last night kind of set the tone, really. A puck miserably wobbled towards the net. It wasn’t a shot. It was a really bad pass that missed sticks and kept going. Saros was forced to play it and play it he did – right to Dillon Simpson. I remember my talks with Magnus Hellberg, or even Marek Mazanec for that matter, in which a big difference from the European game to the North American game as a goalie is where you place your rebounds. That was simply what took place with Saros. He didn’t give much thought on where that puck was going to be smacked away to as long as it wasn’t where he was. That not only went to Simpson’s tape but Saros was then caught in a bit of a scramble given the situation. Simpson aimed low glove and caught Saros out of sorts in the panicked frenzy over a simple mistake.
Mistakes happened a lot last night. Simple as that. The go-ahead goal for the Condors came during a sloppy change from the Admirals in which three different wingers from three different lines all ended up on the ice and left a wide open Philip McRae bash in a rebound. The Condors third goal? Sloppy play that allowed for a quick three-on-two with no forwards back to help defend. The fourth goal as another odd-man rush. And the fifth goal was a power-play goal from the Condors fourth crack at the Admirals penalty kill. See foot. Shoot foot.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
All that being said. It wasn’t an all-around awful game from the Admirals. There was still a lot to like. For as bad as the scoreline looks it may have been worse if not for another strong effort in net by Saros to keep the Admirals within arm’s length to the Condors throughout the second half of the contest. Pontus Åberg, once again, is on fire and playing his most confident hockey that I believe I’ve watched of him since he joined the Admirals last season. Åberg has scored 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) over his last twenty-games which includes 5 power-play goals, 3 game-winning goals, and has been held without a point only four-games in that span. The proven line-combination of Kevin Fiala, Vladislav Kamenev, and Adam Payerl once again had a good night as they combined for 10 of the Admirals 35 shots on goal in the game. They simply just weren’t able to get rewarded for their efforts.
So, the Admirals lost last night. It was sort of rough but I say that’s almost more down to how feel good these last few weeks worth of games game been. Even with bad starts the Admirals found ways to correct areas of concern, compete, and get points (mainly wins). That just didn’t happen last night.
The Admirals record is now 48-22-3-2 (101 points, 0.673 points percentage). They won’t become the first Admirals team in AHL history to win 50 games in a season. With the Ontario Reign winning 4-2 on the road against the San Diego Gulls last night the Admirals lost out on winning a Western Conference title. If you asked me I don’t think that winning the Western Conference title would have meant much more than a banner which you’d look at as a participant trophy. The real goal is the Calder Cup trophy. That’s what banner you want raised. And it would be a fun occasion to see a Western Conference Finals in which the Admirals show the Reign exactly why winning that distinction doesn’t matter.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
The focus shifts to the here and now for the Admirals. It’s good to have a game shortly following a less than upbeat performance where the team has the chance to immediately correct the faults from the night before, eh? As far as the playoff implications go. The Rockford IceHogs defeated the Grand Rapids Griffins last night 4-0 in Rockford to break out of the third place tie and move into a prime position to earn one point tonight to claim the third seed as their own. Should the IceHogs lose in regulation, and the Griffins beat the Condors in Grand Rapids tonight in any fashion, the IceHogs become the Admirals first round opponent in the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs. If they stay as is right about now? It will be the Griffins. The Admirals cannot play tonight’s game as a means to dictate who they play in the first round. That more or less fell on the results of last night and what the Griffins do now. Having watched the Admirals get roughed up 3-5-0-0 against the Griffins this season I was pulling for the IceHogs as an opening round opponent. Yet, if you want to win it all, you’re always going to have to beat a solid team. That first round opponent doesn’t matter. All that matters for the Admirals is today.
~Adieu Bradley Center~
If you weren’t one of the 11,827 fans in attendance last night you would have missed seeing a tremendous video package that paid tribute to the Admirals time at the Bradley Center. Fortunately for you that video is available to watch online.
~Chatterbox~
After last night’s game I had the chance to speak with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason as well as Saros, Åberg, and Payerl. I also joined a pre-game media scrum in which Admirals Owner/CEO Harris Turer spoke about the final regular season game in BMO Harris Bradley Center. This is what everyone had to say last night:
~Other Notes~
Both the Nashville Predators and Cincinnati Cyclones opened up their 2016 Playoffs with wins on the road last night. The Predators were able to defeat the Anaheim Ducks 3-2. During that game Viktor Arvidsson, Cody Bass, Anthony Bitetto, and Miikka Salomäki made their debuts in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Cyclones also won by a 3-2 scoreline playing on the road against the Fort Wayne Komets. Jonathan Diaby and Garrett Noonan both featured in the contest with the latter notching a primary assist on the power-play for the Cyclones opening goal.
Comments on the comments? Who would you actually rather see in a first round playoff match-up against the Milwaukee Admirals: Grand Rapids or Rockford?
The Milwaukee Admirals lost 5-2 against the Bakersfield Condors Friday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
In the final regular season game for the Admirals at the Bradley Center the team saw their franchise record tying thirteen-game point streak come to an end. The loss also snaps a winning streak that lasted seven-games. The Admirals 2015-16 regular season finale is tomorrow night on the road against the Rockford IceHogs.
“It’s a shame that we didn’t play better because they were excited,” commented Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason after the game in response to the fans at tonight’s game. “It was early. It was loud. It’s what our fans are. Unfortunately we didn’t deliver on it.”
A first period power-play goal provided the Admirals with an early lead. Zach Boychuk was called for a high-sticking minor which provided a platform for Pontus Åberg to deliver the goods once again. On the second face-off to the power-play Frédérick Gaudreau broke his stick, raced to the bench to get a new twig, and the Admirals were able to maintain zone control with the puck cycling down the right wing to Gaudreau. The play resulted in an eventual pass from Vladislav Kamenev in the right wing over to Åberg on the left wing where he took the pass first-time to beat Laurent Brossoit for his team leading twenty-fifth goal of the season.
The Condors would level the scoreline in the first period. Juuse Saros was attempting to push aside a puck that trickled in on him and his flicking of the puck went out to Dillon Simpson. After cradling the puck up Simpson maintained a shooting position while edging to the left wing before snapping a low wrister that beat Saros to the glove-side for his fourth goal of the season.
It wouldn’t take long into the second period for the Condors to rally back and earn their first lead of the game. Inside of three-minute of the frame the Condors caught the Admirals in a sloppy change that saw three different wingers from three different lines out defending a counter attack. Saros was able to fend off an initial chance but no one was on hand to prevent Philip McRae from scoring an easy tap-in for his ninth goal of the season that made it a 2-1 Condors lead.
Before you knew it the Condors raced down on an odd-man rush to tag Saros once again. The Condors had a three-on-two break that stayed along the right wing and slot with McRae dropping a puck off for Josh Currie who smacked a hard shot that surprised Saros to the glove-side to make it a 3-1 Condors advantage. The goal for Currie was his ninth of the season.
“Crazy game there,” said Juuse Saros. “Of course not a nice game for me neither but [expletive] happens.”
In the final minute of the second period the Admirals managed to unleash Max Reinhart on a breakaway to get the game back within a one-goal deficit. Reinhart had a breakaway earlier in the period as he came out of the penalty box. He was hauled down on the play before he could get a shot away and no call was made on that shorthanded breakaway opportunity. He did on the second crack which was all set up superbly by Jamie Devane at the Admirals blueline to send Reinhart free from a pack of players around the Admirals center ice logo. From there, Reinhart held and whipped a backhanded shot that beat Brossoit near-post glove-side for his twenty-third goal of the season.
Another odd-man rush for the Condors came in the middle stages of the third period and, once more, Saros was beaten low glove. Currie’s second goal of the night came while maintaining good puck control whilst dealing with the pressure of Patrick Mullen. As Mullen yielded some space Currie slid off to the left wing, bettered his shooting angle, and ripped in his tenth goal of the season to make it a 4-2 Condors lead.
After a delay of game penalty against Mullen the Condors tacked on a power-play goal to take a 5-2 advantage. A slap shot by Brad Hunt was deflected in front of Saros by Matthew Ford that banked into the roof of the net for Ford’s team leading twenty-seventh goal of the season.
“We were very complacent tonight,” said Evason. “It’s the first time in a long time that we expected to do well as opposed to going out and working for our result. We’ll address it, clearly. We did and we will again in the morning. We certainly can’t have that complacency at this point. You just hope that it’s the one game and we go forward.”
The loss in net for Saros was his first in over a month’s time. He had entered the game having won his last eight straight starts. Tonight he stopped 28/33 shots on goal in the loss.
Ramblings: Since the Milwaukee Admirals last played on Tuesday night there have been no roster moves made throughout the organization. Tonight’s line combinations were: Reinhart-Gaudreau-Åberg, Fiala-Kamenev-Payerl, White-Girard-Görtz, AJ-Pendenza-Devane, Oligny-Potter, Näkyvä-Elliott, Murphy-Mullen. Tonight’s scratches were: Jack Dougherty (healthy), Cody Hodgson (upper-body), Taylor Aronson (personal reasons), Anthony Richard (lower-body), Aaron Irving (healthy), and Johan Alm (lower-body). The attendance of tonight’s game was 11,827. The Rockford IceHogs defeated the Grand Rapids Griffins 4-0 tonight in Rockford to take sole possession of third place of the Central Division. The two teams entered the night tied for third place with the Griffins holding the tiebreaker over the IceHogs.
What are your reactions to tonight’s game? Was this loss just a long time coming? Can you tip your cap to the Condors or were those defensive lapses of the Admirals in the second period a real back breaker?
Tonight is a slight ending of an era. The Milwaukee Admirals are playing their final regular season game at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. There will still be playoff hockey and, hopefully, many more home games to come. Yet, this is the regular season finale of the Admirals home for the last 28 seasons of hockey. If there were ever a night where you can really let those feelings bleed out it should be tonight. The playoffs are emotional enough as it is without the reminder that the building that the Pettits placed downtown with pro hockey in mind isn’t going to be around much longer.
~Bradley Center By The Numbers~
So, what of the Admirals and the Bradley Center itself? There are many facts, figures, and notes that are worth having as you enter the building for the last regular season game.
The Admirals record at the Bradley Center is 634-357-17-32-73 from 1,112 games. Their playoff record is 48-49 from 97 playoff games. As of the Admirals last home game the total attendance at the Bradley Center is 7,784,884. The first ever Admirals game took place on October 2, 1988 with the Admirals losing a 5-4 exhibition contest against Team Canada. The first official regular season game happened on Friday, October 7, 1988 against the Salt Lake Golden Eagles which ended with a 6-5 Admirals win under the watch of head coach Rick Ley.
Who were the Admirals individual leaders at the Bradley Center? Games Played: Mike McNeill, 442 (1992-98)… Points: Tony Hrkac, 320 (1994-97, 2003-05)… Goals: Gino Cavallini, 139 (1993-96)… Penalty Minutes: Ken Sabourin, 1233 (1993-98).
~Playoff House Keeping~
Before getting further into tonight’s game specifically let’s address the developments of last night in the AHL. The Lake Erie Monsters beat the Charlotte Checkers by a final score of 3-1. By doing that the Monsters elevated themselves in such a way that they cannot possibly fall to fourth place to become the Admirals opening round playoff opponent. This means it all comes down to the Grand Rapids Griffins and Rockford IceHogs who are currently tied for third place in the Central Division and actually play against each other tonight.
As a result, the Admirals were able to announce dates for the first two games of their opening round:
Lake Erie’s win tonight means the Ads first round playoff opponent has been narrowed to Grand Rapids or Rockford where there will be a 2-2-1 playoff format. The Admirals will host the first two games and the possible fifth game with the opening two games taking place next Friday and Saturday at 7pm.
~The Last Dance Partner~
As far as being titled the final regular season opponent for the Admirals at the Bradley Center goes there is something odd about it being someone such as the Bakersfield Condors. They aren’t a storied rival. They aren’t even a potential playoff opponent. Instead, they’re really just an irritated passenger kicking your backseat crying out for, “are we there yet, while waiting for their regular season’s curtain to drop.
The Condors enter tonight’s game with a record of 29-28-7-2 (67 points). Their 0.508 points percentage has them in fifth place of the Pacific Division and tenth place of the Western Conference standings. They have been eliminated from playoff contention as the last two remaining teams competing for the eighth and final playoff spot from the Western Conference comes down to the San Jose Barracuda (0.538) and Charlotte Checkers (0.533) in that flex spot of fourth in the Pacific Division.
As the Condors swoop into Milwaukee they do so on a slight high note having beaten the Stockton Heat on home ice by an electric 6-3 final scoreline. That being said, the Condors have been crawling to the finish line of the 2015-16 season in agony. They have 6 wins from their last 21 games. All that’s left in their regular season are a pair of road games against the Admirals and Griffins. So, it doesn’t get much better for them.
~Who What Now?~
The Condors leading scorer is Matthew Ford who has collected 49 points (26 goals, 23 assists) from 62 games.
Right behind Ford on the team’s scoring list for this season is actually someone no longer with their team, Andrew Miller. If you remember the Condors and Checkers actually got involved in something of an AHL trade that saw Miller get loaned for the rest of the season to the Checkers with noted fan of Admirals Roundtable Zach Boychuk loaned from the Checkers to the Condors for the rest of the season. This move has been a bit of a bust for both as neither has found the same level of form with their new clubs. Boychuk has accumulated 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) in 14 games with the Condors and Miller has 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists) in 10 games.
In net the Condors have been given a boost thanks to the Oilers season being over. Laurent Brossoit was reassigned to the AHL after the completion of the NHL season. The 23-year old has done supremely well for himself this season and saw that rewarded with a two-year contract extension in late-February.
Brossoit’s season to date includes 29 games at the AHL level with the Condors where he has posted a 16-9-3-2 record with a 2.70 goals against average, 0.919 save percentage, and 3 shutouts. At the NHL level this season for the Oilers he hasn’t tasted that same level of success: 5 games played, 0-4-1 record, 3.60 goals against average, and a 0.873 save percentage.
~The Reinhart Family Reunion~
One thing that should be plenty of fun to watch tonight is how often there will be a brother against brother match-up on the ice. Max Reinhart will be going up against his younger brother Griffin Reinhart who plays as a defensemen in the Edmonton Oilers system. Griffin was a fourth overall draft selection of the New York Islanders at the 2012 NHL Draft but was traded to the Oilers for draft picks. He has split his debut season to the Oilers organization between the NHL and AHL in 2015-16: Oilers (NHL), 29 games, 1 point (0 goals, 1 assist), 20 penalty minutes, and a plus/minus rating of -6. Condors (AHL), 28 games, 10 points (2 goals, 8 assists), 16 penalty minutes, and a plus/minus rating of +2.
This will be the first time the two brothers have played against each other as professional hockey players. They did play junior hockey against one another eight times with Max and Griffin both playing in the WHL. Their first head-to-head in juniors came back on 10/19/10. Max that first season produced a 5 point night (3 goals, 2 assists) against Griffin on 1/12/11. They then both scored in the same game against one-another on 1/18/11. Then the two played against each other in the opening round of the 2012 WHL Playoffs where Griffin’s Edmonton Oil Kings swept Max’s Kootenay Ice. On 3/28/12 of that playoff series Sam Reinhart suited up for the Ice alongside Max playing against Griffin. Quite the hockey family, eh Paul Reinhart?
~About Yesterday~
I did get the chance to attend practice yesterday morning to get a further look at the Admirals ahead of this weekend’s games – I will be attending both tonight’s home game and the season finale on the road in Rockford. As far as how the line combinations looked it wasn’t anything new as far as the Admirals last game was concerned:
It’s worth noting that those (located here) were not your go-to options during line drills. That meant A.J. White was favored to the likes of Anthony Richard who is currently nursing a lower-body injury at the moment. The two young guns on defense, Jack Dougherty and Aaron Irving, both paired together with Irving operating on the left-side and Dougherty to his stronger right-side. I get the impression both wouldn’t be tabbed to play seeing the main defensive nucleus is there just as it was when the Admirals defeated the Chicago Wolves 3-1 on Tuesday.
Other bits and bobs to discuss: Taylor Aronson has yet to rejoin the Admirals since the team cited personal reasons for his absence. Cody Hodgson, who has been out for the Admirals last 19-games, is also not with the team at the moment as he is seeing treatment for back spasms which have plagued him this season. Johan Alm, who has missed the Admirals last 22 games since injuring his right knee, is with the team but purely on-hand in a supporting role as he slowly rehabs his way back to full-fitness.
Expectations for tonight’s game? Do you feel like the Admirals should shake up the defense to allow for the newbies to log some ice time or would you prefer the Admirals main core of players keep motoring on en route to the playoffs?
(Photo Credit: Andre Ringuette // HHOF-IIHF Images)
I’m not sure why this process took as long as it did but the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has suspended Vladislav Kamenev for two-games in relation to his unsportsmanlike conduct major in the Gold Medal Game of the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championships. The suspension for the current center of the Milwaukee Admirals will be served during the 2017 IIHF World Championships.
ZURICH – Russian forward Vladislav Kamenev has been suspended for two games due to unsportsmanlike conduct during the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship.
During the gold medal game between Russia and Finland after Finland had scored a 3-2 goal with 3:09 left in regulation time, team captain Kamenev was sent to the game officials in order to dispute a non-call. The referee instructed him to go back to the bench and when the referee skated away, the player followed him to continue his complaints and was given a 10-minute misconduct penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.
When the referee ordered him to enter the penalty box, Kamenev hesitated to do so, again arguing with the referee. Then while entering the penalty box he crashed his stick so forcefully against the door jamb of the penalty box that the stick broke. After he had entered the penalty box he also slammed the broken stick downwards, injuring an off-ice official standing beside him who was trying to close the door of the penalty box. He then kicked the rest of his stick out of the penalty box onto the ice.
The referee assessed a 20-minute game misconduct penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct according to IIHF Rule 168.
The off-ice official suffered an open cut leaving a scar on his left hand and a hematoma that lasted about three weeks.
At the formal session conducted in Zurich, Kamenev, who currently plays for the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, was represented by the counsel of the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia, who argued that it was appropriate and customary for a team captain to discuss the non-call with the referee and the only way to talk to him was to follow him, therefore the 10-minute penalty was not warranted and provoked the regrettable behaviour.
However, according to IIHF Rule 28 vi, the player, even being the captain of the team, was not allowed to come off the players’ bench and discuss with the referee about how he was conducting the game unless requested to do so by an on-ice official. According to the rule the player shall get a warning and with a second incident a 10-minute misconduct penalty no matter whether profane language or gestures were used as the referee reported and the player denied. The penalty is justified in any case by IIHF Rule 116 iii.4.
Also the second penalty after the incident at the penalty box was correct and justified by IIHF Rule 116 iii.5. A second misconduct penalty becomes an automatic 20-minute game misconduct penalty according to IIHF Rule 107 ii.
The Deciding Panel of the IIHF Disciplinary Board is of the opinion that the game misconduct penalty is not adequate enough to sanction the agitated behaviour of the player as the aggressive behaviour he unmistakably expressed made his actions a more serious case that showed a flagrant disregard of the rules.
As captain of the team he should have acted in an exemplary manner. Neither his youth nor the alleged lack of experience nor the importance of the game can count as mitigating factors. The IIHF World Junior Championship is one of the most important international competitions. Therefore players taking part must meet the demands of such a competition and it can be expected that the players are adequately educated and able to deal with such situations.
The Panel rejects the player’s counsel’s contention that the actions were provoked by the referee’s unjustifiable actions. In the contrary, the incident was caused by the refusal of the player to listen to the referee’s decisions and the lack of respect toward the referee.
Smashing the broken stick furiously downward, injuring an off-ice official due to significantly negligently action and then kicking the broken stick out of the box onto the ice must be judged as a highly inconsiderate, uncontrolled and reckless action showing a degree of lack of sportsmanship and self-control that cannot be tolerated.
Therefore Kamenev has been suspended for his actions for two games. The suspension will be served during the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship as outlined in the IIHF Disciplinary Code 10.5.2.
The decision may be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport within 21 days.
That press release paints about as rough of a picture of the incident as it can against Kamenev. To plunge more into the “how did it escalate up to that point” of the matter you have to run back to when the infraction took place on 1/5/16. My summary of that game, and the incident, read like this:
What becomes so sad about Kamenev’s time in the 2016 World Juniors is how it ended, literally. After being able to thwart Team USA in the semi-finals the Russians squared off against the host country Finland in the goal medal game. Kamenev scored a howitzer of a one-timed slap shot on the power-play to put Russia out in front 1-0 in the first period. From there, Finland was all-over Russia and poured on pressure upon pressure with the Finns looking certain to crack Russia’s defense. It wasn’t a matter of it it only felt like a matter of when. The game was tied 2-2 until a power-play goal from Mikko Rantanen with 2:09 remaining in regulation appeared to give Finland a certain win. That’s when things went ugly.
After the power-play goal for Finland was scored to give them a 3-2 lead with 2:09 remaining in the game it was apparent that Kamenev was very unhappy with the referees in regards to something. Was it the amount of power-plays going the way to Finland? Was it something that occurred to him that wasn’t called as he was penalty killing? We might not know unless someone speaks out about it but whatever was said between Kamenev and the officials led to him being slapped with a misconduct penalty. Enraged by getting a misconduct, Kamenev skated over to the penalty box and broke his stick at the door in disgust. As he entered the box he was attempting to throw what was left of his stick at the ground. When he was winding up to spike it a penalty box judge was stepping up from behind him and Kamenev’s stick smacked his clipboard out of his hands. It looked bad. It was bad. But the real damage was already done the moment Kamenev shattered his stick at the penalty box door. His misconduct penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct was accompanied by a game misconduct and he was ejected from the game.
It clearly was a wrongful act. No defending that. But I still relate to the human element of the matter in which a 19-year old, under a massive microscope, let the emotions of the moment overwhelm himself. It cost himself a chance to finish what could be the biggest game of his career to this point off and did end up having Team Russia lose the Gold Medal to the host nation Finland in overtime. There are many human elements to this one mistake of judgement made by Kamenev. The press release from the IIHF makes him out to be a savage hot head who left the bench to throw a temper tantrum. Kamenev was on the ice working the penalty kill when Finland scored to take a late lead after which he was clearly upset about a call made on the ice. He then was slapped with a misconduct for disputing the call. That sent an already bitter moment into a rage. It doesn’t make it right but it also doesn’t make the IIHF’s portrayal of him accurate, either.
The Milwaukee Admirals 3-1 win over the Chicago Wolves last night was another performance in a train of resilient efforts. Once again, it wasn’t the prettiest of games played by the Admirals to start the contest but they managed to refine and adapt to what the game is giving them before taking control.
So much of this now franchise record tying thirteen-game point streak can be said, game by game, with that last sentence in mind. It’s with that where I say individually the games haven’t impressed me too much but the ability to do it again, and again, and again – is nothing short of phenomenal. Nothing seems to really throw this Admirals team off at the moment. And what a time to be creating that characteristic.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
There are only two-games remaining in the Admirals regular season. They have the Bakersfield Condors at home on Friday night and then get to play their currently prospective first round opponent in the playoffs, the Rockford IceHogs, on the road Saturday night. The Admirals right now have a record of 48-21-3-2 (101 points) for a 0.682 points percentage. It’s the first time since the 2010-11 season that the Admirals have eclipsed 100 points in a regular season campaign. That same season was also the last time the Admirals had earned a divisional title. With one more victory the Admirals will match their AHL franchise record for wins in a season with 49 wins which took place during the 2005-06 and 2008-09 seasons. Both of those seasons were played in an 80 game schedule as opposed to today’s 76 game schedule. What you’re watching this Admirals team do right now is cement itself as the best Admirals team, on points percentage, in the AHL history of the franchise.
~Hunting the Reign’s Reign~
I’ve spoken before about what’s left for the Admirals to play for. Quite honestly there isn’t anything there but the desperate hope that the Ontario Reign slip up in their final two games of the season where they’ll play the San Diego Gulls on the road in both contests. Thanks to points percentage, and the eight-games lesser schedule for the Reign, any loss or failed point can make a dent on their points percentage.
If the Reign lose both of their last two games in regulation they drop to a 0.669 points percentage. An overtime or shootout loss and a regulation loss moves them to 0.676 points percentage. A win and a loss, or consecutive overtime or shootout defeats, would see them move to a 0.684 points percentage. A win and any form of a loss past regulation moves them to 0.691 points percentage. Two wins vaults them to a 0.699 points percentage.
The best the Admirals can achieve, by winning out their regular season and becoming the first Admirals team in their AHL history to secure 50 wins in a regular season, is a 0.691 points percentage. Should the Admirals and Reign tie on points percentage the tiebreaker rules are as follows:
Between two teams:
a) percentage of games won (excluding shootout wins)
b) points in season series between teams
c) goal differential
d) goals scored in season series between teams
e) intra-conference points percentage
Consider that very first tiebreaker a death blow because the Reign’s 43 wins this season have all come in regulation while the Admirals now currently stand at 41 games. For both two have been tied at 0.691 points percentage would mean the Admirals sitting at 43 ROW from a higher games played total. Even if the Reign won that one game needed to get to that equal playing field 0.691 mark in overtime or a shootout their 43 ROW from their eight-games lesser schedule makes that percentage of games won excluding shootout wins a dagger.
That means what you should be pulling for is 0.684, 0.676, or 0.669 points percentage. In short, start rooting for the Gulls if you want to see this year’s Admirals team taking home the best record in the Western Conference. The Reign are great but the Gulls aren’t slouches either. The Gulls’ 0.621 points percentage is better than that of the Grand Rapids Griffins right now. All they need to do is thwart the team with the best road record in the Western Conference is all.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
For all that I just said. For all the numbers crunching and repeated use of the term points percentage. Here’s the catch that I feel it is worth stating. The Admirals don’t gain anything by beating out the Reign as the team with the best record in the Western Conference at the end of the regular season. They aren’t battling against the Reign to get the right to play against the lowly eighth seed of the Western Conference come season’s end. No matter what happens the Admirals will still be playing their first round of the playoffs against the fourth seed of the Central Division. It would simply be a nice bonus or something to put on a banner when the Admirals move over into the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.
As you’ll hear head coach Dean Evason state it’s really not about looking too far ahead as much as it is simply tomorrow for the Admirals. Simply put: if having the best record in the Western Conference at season’s end happens it happens. If it doesn’t, the team’s focus hasn’t changed because they’re all set firmly on the next day and opponent in front of them. To me, I’d much prefer to have the Admirals sights set on the here and now rather than pretentious scoreboard watching while playing games of “what if?” Instead this team is doing what the Nashville Predators are wanting them to do which is being groomed for playoff caliber hockey at the professional level. Focus on the here and now. That’s what’s important. If that gets taken care of other little treats, such as divisional titles, fall into place. The main goal is the 2016 Calder Cup. That isn’t where the eyes are now though. The Admirals have today off and are looking to the Condors for Friday night’s game. One item at a time. One day at a time. The results are speaking for themselves with this philosophy.
~Chatterbox~
After last night’s game I not only had the chance to catch up with Mr. Evason but I also chatted with Max Reinhart, Frédérick Gaudreau, and Max Görtz. It’s worth noting that two cameos were made during Gaudreau’s interview. Pontus Åberg gave a walk by so I name dropped him as a result and then Vladislav Kamenev made his Chatterbox debut by silently dropping an interview bomb. Poor Gaudreau.
Comments from the comments? What are your impressions of this point streak by the Admirals? Any concerns from you that the Admirals might be peaking before the playoffs or are they getting hot at the right time?
The Milwaukee Admirals won 3-1 against the Chicago Wolves Tuesday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
The Admirals point streak has now reached thirteen games which ties a franchise record that was set during the 1992-93 season. During this run the Admirals have a record of 11-0-0-2 and have won their last seven games straight. This closes out the Amtrak Rivalry this season in which the Admirals claimed the Amtrak Trophy by holding a 9-3-0-0 record over the Wolves.
“We’ve been resilient,” commented Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason in regards to the team’s current run. “Some nights we haven’t had our best and we’ve played a lot of tough games to play where teams are playing really loose and really hard. And we’ve been challenged. That’s good. We’ve been able to find ways, different ways, to win hockey games and clearly that’s a good sign.”
It wouldn’t be until the second period for this game to see the opening goal. Pontus Åberg picked up a puck in neutral ice and proceeded to carve from center to the right wing on zone entry where he hit Max Reinhart clean with a beauty of a saucer pass to give his closest competitor for the team lead in goals another tally. Reinhart’s goal was his twenty-second of the season which sets a career high for him in the AHL. His previous career best came as a member of the Abbotsford Heat in the 2013-14 season when he scored twenty-one goals.
“It’s good to get career highs,” said Max Reinhart. “It’s obviously a good season for me goal scoring-wise but that’s not something I’m looking forward to. One of my goals in the season is to help teams win and that’s what we’re doing right now.”
Following two quick penalties the Admirals were forced to endure a five-on-three penalty kill of 1:51 in length. After a quick cycle in front of Juuse Saros the Wolves were able to go from Ivan Barbashyov in the low right wing to a tap in from Danny Kristo in the slot that slid underneath the Admirals netminder. The goal for Kristo was his twenty-third scored this season.
With 4:32 remaining in regulation Jordan Schmaltz was called for tripping to give the Admirals their fifth chance on the power-play where they had yet to make a dent. All that went down was Kevin Fiala feeding Trevor Murphy at the top of the blueline where the Ads defenseman unleashed a howitzer of a slap shot that beat Jordan Binnington glove-side for his eleventh goal of the season.
“Obviously [Trevor Murphy] shoots the puck as well as anybody,” said Evason. “You score goals from the top like that on a goalie in pro hockey the puck is moving. That puck was moving.”
The Wolves went empty net and extra attacker with 1:54 remaining in regulation and burned their timeout with 47.6 seconds remaining. As time was expiring Patrick Mullen was able to launch a shot from the Admirals own blueline to score into the empty net for his third goal of the season.
Saros was once again up to his now usual tricks. He stopped 28/29 shots on goal to record his twenty-ninth win of the season. He has won his last eight starts consecutively.
Ramblings: Since the Milwaukee Admirals last played a massive amount of roster activity took place. The Nashville Predators assigned Marek Mazanec, Corey Potter, and Anthony Richard to the Admirals. The Admirals then reassigned Brandon Whitney to the Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) and signed defenseman Aaron Irving to an amateur try-out contract. Also in the news is the notable absence of defenseman Taylor Aronson who has left the team for the time being due to personal reasons. Tonight’s line combinations were: Reinhart-Gaudreau-Åberg, Fiala-Kamenev-Payerl, White-Girard-Görtz. AJ-Pendenza-Devane, Oligny-Potter, Näkyvä-Elliott, Murphy-Mullen. Tonight’s scratches were: Jack Dougherty (healthy), Cody Hodgson (upper-body), Anthony Richard (lower-body), Aaron Irving (healthy), and Johan Alm (lower-body).
Thoughts on tonight’s game? How impressive were the Admirals in finishing this game tonight?
Admirals Roundtable 