The Milwaukee Admirals take game one in their AHL division final series against the Texas Stars.
The Milwaukee Admirals take game one in their AHL division final series against the Texas Stars.
The Milwaukee Admirals welcomed the Texas Stars for game one of the Central Division finals of the AHL playoffs tonight. The Stars swept the Rockford IceHogs in their semifinal matchup while the Admirals needed five games to defeat the Manitoba Moose. Tonight Matt Murray took his place in net for the Stars while Yaroslav Askarov got the start once again for the Admirals.
The Stars got an early opportunity on the power play at 4:01 as Adam Wilsby headed to the penalty box for a delay of game call. The effective Admirals penalty kill handled the two minutes well, and the teams returned to full strength. Just a few minutes later, Rhett Gardner added to his postseason goal count with a score from the circle at 6:30.
The goal gave Texas offensive momentum, but the Admirals were able to regroup and push back midway through the period. At 15:59 defenseman Will Butcher committed a hooking infraction giving Milwaukee their first chance on the man advantage. Kiefer Sherwood found Luke Evangelista in the high slot, and Evangelista scored at 16:24. The teams headed into the locker rooms with a tie score and Milwaukee with the shots on goal advantage 16-11 after the first twenty minutes.
Both teams were forced to kill off penalties in the first half of the second period. Milwaukee's Marc Del Gaizo spent two minutes in the box at 4:22 for tripping, and then at 6:53 Matej Blumel served his time in the Stars sin bin for a roughing penalty. Neither team could capitalize on the man advantage. The Admirals had a scare with just five minutes left as Kiefer Sherwood needed medical attention after a collision on the ice, but Sherwood was able to return to play a few minutes later. The teams headed into the second intermission with the score remaining 1-1.
The Stars found themselves in penalty trouble early in the final period. Ryan Shea headed to the box for tripping at 3:03 and Rhett Gardner joined him just :15 seconds later for a slash giving the Admirals a 5 on 3. At 4:35 Joakim Kemell scored Milwaukee's go ahead goal with assists from Luke Evangelista and Jordan Gross.
The penalty kill was again able to fend off the Stars power play at 7:50 as Anthony Angello headed to the box for a trip. The Admirals dominated offensive chances in the third. With 1:35 left in the game, Murray headed to the bench and the Stars brought on the extra attacker. Milwaukee kept their composure through the final minute and won the first game of the series 2-1.
Milwaukee will host game two tomorrow night at 6:00 pm CST.
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