The Milwaukee Admirals kicked off their postseason with a dominant win over the Manitoba Moose in Game 1 of their Central Division semifinal series.
The Milwaukee Admirals kicked off their postseason with a dominant win over the Manitoba Moose in Game 1 of their Central Division semifinal series.
Tonight the Milwaukee Admirals kicked off their postseason taking on the Manitoba Moose in a Central Division semifinal matchup. The Admirals finished the season in second place in the Central and the Moose in third, and both teams had an extended time off between the end of the regular season and tonight's contest.
The Admirals added a plethora of players back to their roster after the Nashville Predators were eliminated from the NHL postseason. Tommy Novak, Luke Evangelista, Kiefer Sherwood, Spencer Stastney, Phil Tomasino, Mark Jankowski, Michael McCarron, Zach Sanford, and Juuso Pärssinen returned to Milwaukee to join other players like Egor Afanasyev, John Leonard, Kevin Gravel, and Roland McKeown who also saw time in the NHL this season.
Tonight in net Yaroslav Askarov started his first AHL postseason game, while Evan Cormier made his AHL playoff debut for Manitoba. Joakim Kemell was out of the lineup tonight for the Admirals serving a one game suspension.
Game Recap
The Milwaukee Admirals showed they were ready to compete early as defenseman Mark Del Gaizo got the Ads on the board at 1:35. Zach Sanford chipped in a power play goal at 7:24, and Jimmy Huntington scored less than two minutes later. Arvid Holm, who was with the Winnipeg Jets until the Jets were eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights, came in to relieve Cormier after the first three scores, and the opening period ended with Milwaukee up 3-0.
The Moose scored first in the second period on a breakaway chance at 3:19 by Jansen Harkins, Manitoba's regular season goal leader. The temperature of the game rose exponentially in the second, and a series of penalties eventually resulted in the second power play goal of the game for the Ads at 5:55 compliments of Jordan Gross. Just two minutes later, Austin Rueschhoff chipped in another score, and Gross got his second of the period off a rush chance at 10:03 to give the Admirals a 6-1 lead.
A shot from the red line by Daniel Torgersson caught Askarov unawares, and the period ended with a score of 6-2. The final period was punctuated by offensive pressure by Manitoba who recorded 18 shots on goal, but both goaltenders kept the puck out of their respective nets. After sixty minutes of play, the Admirals skated away with the first win of the series.
Game Notes
1. The Admirals came hungry. With a longer break between the regular season and postseason, it was hard to predict how each team would come out early and play. It was obvious the Admirals were ready to go as soon as their skates hit the ice. The early lead in the first was too tough a hill for Manitoba to climb out of.
2. Everyone wanted in on the action. Jordan Gross scored 2 goals and an assist in the second period while Marc Del Gaizo recorded a goal and assist in the first. Egor Afanasyev and Luke Evangelista each added two assists, and eight other players chipped in points. This was a complete game from a deep Admirals roster.
3. This series will be spicy. Frustration boiled over with several scrums during this game - at one point the Admirals penalty box was packed tighter than a can of sardines. Expect the temperature to be more than lukewarm when these team face off again on Sunday at 2:00 pm CST in Manitoba for game two.
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