Wolves win in Milwaukee shoot out

The Chicago Wolves won a shootout in the Bradley Center Friday. It was only the seventh win this season for a visiting squad at the Bradley Center, out of 25 games so far. The Wolves win was also the third shoot out win for the visitors at the Bradley Center. There have been only five shoot outs at the BC this season.

The rare visitor win, the second win of the three Wolves visits so far this season, was the culmination of two goalies holding the two teams scoreless for fifty minutes. A third period Milwaukee Admiral goal by Andreas Thuresson at 10:05 broke the scoreless game open. It was followed by goals by Spencer Machacek and Jeff Hamilton of the Wolves. With three minutes and ten seconds remaining, the Wolves were looking toward a regulation win, if they could hold on. However, a hooking call on Machacek with two minutes and six seconds remaining gave Milwaukee the advantage.

On the power play and with only 53 seconds on the clock Jed Ortmeyer was able to find the way past Ondrej Pavelec to tie the game. In the overtime, the goalies again held the two teams scoreless. Pavelec's win included stopping 23 shots on goal, while MacIntyre was credited with 29 saves. Mac's performance is even more remarkable given he was able to fend off the only 5:3 power play of the game early in the third period. Cody Franson of the MAds was credited with two points. Thuresson was credited with five shots on goal.

Going past regulation evens the field for any team that visits Milwaukee. It might be that the MAds run out of gas after 60 minutes. But whatever the case, home and away, the team doesn't do as well once you get past the hour mark.

Wolves take down MAds 2-1; Hogs need better special teams, lose 4-1

The Chicago Wolves defeated the division leading Milwaukee Admirals 2-1 Saturday night at the Allstate Arena. In a low-scoring game marked by tripping, hooking, holding and slashing penalties, there was plenty of action in the sin bin and power plays on the ice. But the only goal outside of equal strength was a short handed goal, by Matt Anderson, to start the scoring at 12:56 of the first period.

Anderson, who received two points in the night, was also involved in the second and final Wolves goal, in the second period at 12:04. The MAds answered that, staying within one goal, just 19 seconds later.

Eleven power play opportunities were wasted by the two teams as it became a defensive battle won by Ondrej Pavelec, stopping 23 shots on goal, compared to Drew MacIntyre, who lost, stopping 27 shots on goal.

At the Wells Fargo Arena, the Iowa Chops chewed up the Rockford IceHogs 4-1. The power play continues to haunt the Hogs, who now rank 22nd in the American Hockey League. The team is making just 15.6 percent of power plays. It's penalty kill is 28th in the league, at 79.3 percent. Corey Crawford was the one left to defend the net, stopping 24 shots on goal. He also defended unsuccessfully against a 5:3 power play late in the second period.

The Chops, ninth in the league on the power play, took two power plays goals out of six opportunities during a decisive second period. The Hogs are giving up more than 4.8 power play opportunities per game currently. Or, on average, they are giving up .79 goals due to lack of discipline each game. That's a broad statement of the problem. It would be impossible to totally rid a team of penalties. Still, here is a look at the league stats for this issue. After we net out the gains from power play goals, the Hogs are near the bottom of the league. They are losing .25 goals on average per game due to the combination of failed power plays, failed penalty kills and time in the box.

They need to turn this around to be competitive in the post-season.

(The table is reprinted here: http://www.chitowndailynews.org/chicago_hockey_blog/Wolves_go_down_63_Hogs_downed_41,22288)

Wolves go down 6-3; Hogs Power PP fails in 4-1 loss

A disciplined Grand Rapids Griffins defeated the Chicago Wolves 6-3 Friday at the Van Andel Arena. With just two power play opportunities and those held scoreless, the Wolves were unable to stop the Griffins from rolling over them.

Darren Haydar, a former captain of the Wolves now with the Griffins, had three assists in the game. He was matched by Griffin Justin Abdelkader. Evan McGrath got an unusual short handed/ empty net goal to end the game. Jordan LaVallee had two goals and six shots on goal for the evening. Chad Denny had the first goal of the game, less than two minutes into play. But it was the last lead for the Wolves that night as the Griffins powered past the Wolves, outscoring them and out shooting them too.

Referee Shaun Davis only called hooking and holding calls Friday, but five were called on the Wolves, just two on the Griffins. The Griffins used their five to take two goals. Daniel Larsson received the win with 25 saves. Ondrej Pavelec received the loss with 34 saves.

The lack of a creditable power play hurt the Rockford IceHogs again on Friday as they lost to the Milwaukee Admirals 4-1. The IceHogs went 0 for 8 on the power play before a MAds team that seemed to delight in abusing their foes, knowing there wouldn't be a response on the scoreboard.

Despite a 5:3 advantage near the end of the first period and a substantial lead for the Hogs in shots on goal for the first two periods, enough to last the entire game, Rockford only snuck one past MAds goalie Drew MacIntyre. The Admirals on the other hand were able to use two of their four power plays to score. Mike Santorelli, Cody Franson and Ryan Maki were all credited with a goal and an assist for the MAds. Cal O'Reilly was credited with two assists. Danny Groulx, for the Hogs, was held pointless on six shots on goal.

MacIntyre's win was due to 26 shots on goal. Antti Niemi received the loss, he stopped 18 shots on goal.

MAds Kelsey Wilson gets Gordie Howe Hat Trick

A disappointing loss to the Milwaukee Admirals by the Chicago Wolves at the Bradley Center Friday. The Wolves, after struggling to take the lead from a 2-0 deficit, could not hold on, losing two goals and the game in the final five minutes of play when Kelsey Wilson scored twice in 37 seconds.

Ondrej Pavelec was called for unsportsmanlike conduct as a result of the final goal. Pavelec's defense was penetrated repeatedly during the game. It seems like a problem that has continued all season with Pavelec finally responding to it in a physical manner. But you need to wonder if this was the fault of the opposition or the opportunity they used to win?

In other words, it is the job of the defense to deny the opposition position between them and the goal. Yet, that is what Brian Sipotz, in particular, is allowing in game after game. Sipotz is listed as 6'7” and 248 pounds. His hometown is listed as South Bend but he's playing with a Swedish passport on that ice. It is a wonder to me that his +/- is +5. That demonstrates to me how limited this statistic is for measuring the quality of blueliners.

Milwaukee is in command of the conference at the moment. They have 62 points, which is 12 points and a game in hand over the second place team, the Rockford IceHogs. For every team in the North and the West, this team has a target on it. Last night, the Wolves almost succeeded in doing what few teams have been able to do, beat them at home. That's only happened five times this season. On a side note, Milwaukee is in a bit of a slump at home, having lost three of the last five games played at the Bradley Center.

Milwaukee led the scoring with two goals in the first five minutes of the game. At the end of one period it was two goals on ten shots for Milwaukee. In the second frame, Sipotz was penalized with a high sticking resulting in a Milwaukee power play. Joey Crabb, just down from Atlanta, picked up a loose puck and broke away to score a shortie. After Chicago received a power play late in the period, it evened the score on a goal from Spencer Machacek.

Entering the final period of play, Chicago created a lead on a Brett Sterling goal, then extended it on a Jordan LaValee score, making the game 4-2 Chicago with about six minutes remaining. One of the reasons Sipotz has that high +/- that I discussed earlier, is that he is on the ice for the offensive successes. That happened in the third period, where he is credited with two assists. For the night he only had a +1. He was on the ice for what happened next.

Milwaukee went on the power play at 15:11, the result of a tripping called on Riley Holzapfel. Kelsey Wilson used the advantage to score. Here's the tale of the sudden reversal from the Milwaukee Admirals game summary:

Thirty-seven seconds is all it took for Wilson to add two goals to his assist and first period fight, and it sure did come at a good time. At 15:28 of the third period, the Admirals were on the power-play when Cody Franson fired a rocket slap shot from the point and Wilson was there to tip it in and tie the score at four apiece.

My note here: Kelsey was wide open. No defense. Just him and Pavelec.

The game-winner for Wilson came off a rebound shortly after his first marker of the evening. It was Ryan Maki who drove the puck in down the right-wing side and fired a shot that bounced hard off of Chicago goalie Ondrej Pavelec’s legpad, and came right out to Wilson who fired it in for the go-ahead goal of the game

.


Same thing again.

“He’s a good presence on the power play in front of the net. I made the decision this morning that he was going to play on the power play in front of the net, and low and behold, he makes something happen when he’s doing that,” said Admirals head coach Lane Lambert.

Undoubtedly a star of the game performance by Wilson who notched a Gordie Howe Hat Trick with his first goal. Just amazing. Wilson notched two goals and an assist for the night with a fighting major. He only was credited with two shots on goal for the night, so he was 100 percent in shooting. Wow. Just Wow!

Cody Franson had a goal and two assists for the MAds, while Ryan Maki had a goal and an assist. Drew MacIntyre's win counted 29 saves.

Pavelec notched 30 saves on the night and an unusual minor penalty for a goal tender. Jeff Hamilton and Sipotz had two assists. Joey Crabb notched five shots on goal.

All-Star Break breakdown

I'm anxious to hear from Kris Grey her observations on the Milwaukee Admirals v. Rockford IceHogs game last night. This was a game in a sold out MetroCentre. Just reading the brief description of the game that I prepared, you can see that these two teams were well matched; and, Milwaukee won.

Going into the All-Star Break, I can think of no better way to wake the Hogs up than to lose to the team that is going to block access to the Conference games in the post season. They have to figure out the MAds. They'll have lots of opportunities to do that in the coming two and half months.

One thing that must change: the pathetic Hogs penalty kill. There are two answers to this, one is to get better on the ice. The other is to become a more disciplined team. You take fewer penalties, you then aren't as worried about not being able to stop what's coming at you.

Milwaukee is among the best in the league in both penalty kill and power play. Although Drew MacIntyre is an older player, in terms of the American Hockey League, he can guide them to a Calder Cup win, especially if this team continues to play as they are now. Good power play, good penalty kill and good net defense. It's a killer. Once again the MAds are threatening to go to the finals with an excellent team.

If I had money to bet on this situation, I'd have to say the Admirals are favored to go to the Conference from the West Division.

Now, over in Chicago, Ondrej Pavelec is back in net. That's good news. I think by now it is obvious to everyone that I'm not a fan of Robert Gherson, preferring Brent Krahn and Dan Turple. But Krahn is out on injury and is also not a property of the Atlanta Thrashers. Turple looks better than Gherson but isn't getting it together.

The situation in goal for the Wolves is tough, the defense is inexperienced. There is hope, with Chad Denny and others, but defense is like a good stew, it takes time to mature. I'm thinking next season these guys will be where they need to be, which is to say, they'll be ready to move up to Atlanta when there is an injury. Then Chicago will have a good defense.

Unlike in previous years, the Wolves are responding to poor defense with some discipline in net. At this point, I'd be happy with the team making the cut for the playoffs. Better discipline is just not going to be enough to carry this team along.

Bad night for Hogs, Wolves

The Milwaukee Admirals scored just 12 seconds into the game against the Rockford IceHogs on Saturday night at the MetroCentre. Following the initial goal, the Hogs came back with 4:01 remaining in the period to tie the game: Rob Klinkhammer scoring off a pass. But the Admirals put bookends on the period with a goal with just 40 seconds remaining.

A second period goal by Dan Bertram tied the game. However the final period didn't go the way the Hogs hoped, with two goals unanswered by the MAds. The final score was 4-2 in favor of the Admirals.

Niklas Hjalmarsson was credited with two assists on the night for the Hogs. Ryan Jones and Mike Santorelli had a goal and an assist each for the Admirals.

The final game for the two teams prior to the All-Star Break, the Hogs gave up just two power plays to the Admirals. The Admirals gave up four power plays. Corey Crawford stopped 31 shots on goal for the Hogs, and Drew MacIntyre 31 shots for the Admirals. Shots on goal: 35 for Milwaukee and 33 for the Hogs. This was a test of two equals and Milwaukee came out on top in a packed house in Rockford.

In Toronto, the Marlies beat the Wolves 3-1 at the Ricoh Coliseum. Chicago scored first on a power play, 2:30 into the game. However, from that point on, the only thing in the net was off a Marlies stick. It was another disappointing night for Chicago shooting, as they only put 22 shots on the Toronto goal. Ondrej Pavelec, returning to his first night in goal since an injury sidelined him, stopped 33 Marlies shots and six power play opportunities.

Wolves television analyst Billy Gardner did not call the Saturday game. His father, who still lives in Southern Ontario, is seriously ill. Gardner seized the opportunity to spend time with him. Gardner was replaced by Dan Turple, Tyson Marsh and Gene Ubriaco.

Western Division matchup tonight: MetroCentre

A key showdown tonight in the West Division is the game between the Rockford IceHogs and the Milwaukee Admirals. The Hogs are 2-1-1 in the series, while the Admirals are 2-2. The out of regulation loss for the Hogs was a shootout.

The Ads have been hot all season, cleaning up the West, challenging to stand atop the entire league in the standings. However, the Hogs have not been an easy team for them to figure out, as shown by the record above. As the fans and the teams enter the back stretch of the season, there will be five more contests between these two teams by mid-April. My prediction is that these will be the final two teams standing in the West Division, and the winner probably in the North Conference as well.

Corey Crawford is riding the tiger at the moment. He'll have a bit of a rest due to the American Hockey League All-Star break. So, put him in against vet goalie Drew MacIntyre. Let's see some blood on the ice as the Hogs face a Milwaukee team that has embraced a style of play that is very disciplined, only 748 penalty minutes this season so far. Placing it 24th among the 29 AHL teams. Yowza!

Wolves take MAds 5-3

The Chicago Wolves defeated the Milwaukee Admirals 5-3 at the Bradley Center last night. Joe Motzko and Colin Stuart, who had five shots on goal each, led the offence. Junior Lessard had two goals for the Wolves. Blue liner Chad Denny scored an unassisted goal in the first period. Motzko had a goal on a late power play. Grant Stevenson scored an empty net goal for the Wolves.

Ondre Pavelec stopped 18 shots on goal for the win.

For Milwaukee, d-man Alexander Sulzer had four shots on goal and an assist. Nick Spaling scored a power play goal. Geoff Peters and Josh Gratton also scored goals. Vet goalie Drew MacIntyre stopped 28 shots on goal for the loss.

Talking Trash

The blog has had some of its best times at the MetroCentre and following the Rockford IceHogs. The only thing better than a series championship series with the Hogs versus the Wolves would be a conference championship. And that could have happened this year.

For the Wolves, this is really a blessing. No disrespect to the players, but the Wolves were cruising from about March 1st to the end of the season. A series against the Milwaukee Admirals and a series against the Rockford IceHogs is just what this team needs to get ready for a final showdown for the Calder Cup.

Not that I wouldn’t love to see the IceHogs go on to the Calder too.

There are people out there, and I’m thinking of you Bob Howard, who don’t seem to be giving the West Division a chance in the Calder Cup race. Syracuse, Portland and Providence is the mantra. No one said it was going to be easy to win the Calder. But for every great goalie and team in the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Division, there has been one in the West.

I truly thought the promising career of Pekka Rinne was finished when he was mugged while home over the summer in Oulu, Finland. He looked so shaky on his return last season. Nashville seemed to give up on him, relegating him to the AHL for the rest of his career.

I don’t think that is true any longer. I’ve seen the Nashville goalies up close, and Rinne should be able to take their spot next season, if there is fairness in the heavens. Though John Anderson will tell you that there is no fairness, especially in the heaven dominated by hockey.

Rinne kept the MAds in the series against Chicago far longer than the rest of the team deserved. His play was top form.

Now, in round two, the Wolves face Corey Crawford. As I mentioned in the blog before, I was blessed to have tickets the night Corey played at the United Center against the Anaheim Ducks. He shut them down. In the three games so far, no one can doubt his ability to stop pucks.

This is a tougher series than against the MAds too, because the IceHogs are simply a better team then the MAds. They have been all season. Either the Hogs or the Wolves should be able to handle the Crunch or the Marlies and move on to the finals.

Will the next series be easy for either team? Of course not. Even 4-1 series wins, at this level, are hard-played white knuckle contests. The small-ice Hogs are a physical team and would match up well against the Crunch, while pitting Toronto against Chicago would be an exciting big city battle of two places with original six teams that have disappointed their fans recently.

Zenon Konopka’s reputation is preceding him to the Midwest. We could start the trash talk now, but let’s see if the Crunch has more staying power than Al, the ice monkey, and his political run for mayor. Let’s see them defeat the Marlies first.

By the way, Al is the best thing about Syracuse. It is one of the few places in the AHL I’ve visited where none of the home fans approached us, where I felt the stadium deserved a bull dozer and the city to be forcibly repatriated to either the Iroquois or, if they wouldn’t take them, Great Britain.

Preds recall Rinne

The Nashville Predators have recalled Pekka Rinne from the Milwaukee Admirals Sunday. The Predators list three goalies on their line-up, Dan Ellis, Chris Mason and Rinne. The loss of Rinne for any games is likely to hurt the Milwaukee Admirals, as they are currently in fifth place in the West Division, with just three points between them and the sixth-place Peoria Rivermen.

Both teams have a substantial lead on the fourth-place North Division team, the Hamilton Bulldogs and one would be able to move to the North Division for the playoffs if the season ended today.

Predators Coach Barry Trotz was quoted on the Admirals Crew discussion board as saying, “our decision now is to keep three goaltenders here.” Since losing Rinne, the MAds have been 1-1.

Rivermen hurt by 2-1 loss Sunday v Wolves

The Chicago Wolves defeated the Peoria Rivermen 2-1, Sunday, in a contest at the Carver Arena. It was the first time the two American Hockey League West Division foes had met since December 19th and marked the seventh game this season between the two teams.

The Rivermen, in sixth place in the West Division, were dealt a blow, today, when the St. Louis Blues assigned goalie Chris Beckford-Tseu to the Alaska Aces of the ECHL. The hopes of the team now rest with a rookie, up from the University of Maine, Ben Bishop and also Marek Schwarz.

Bishop had a 13-18 record with the Black Bears this season, with a 92.3 save percentage, which was the third best in a season for the team. His 819 season saves were fifth in Maine’s history.

Schwarz has a save percentage of 89.5, and a record of 12-11-2.

The two teams meet three more times in the next month. The Rivermen have edged the Quad City Flames for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, probably a North Division spot due to weakness in that division. Although the Rivermen lead the fourth place North Division Hamilton Bulldogs by three points with a game in hand, two surging teams are ahead of the Rivermen.

The Milwaukee Admirals, with a 7-3 record in the last ten games, have 75 points, or a three point lead, with the Rivermen having a game in hand. While the Houston Aeros, technically in fifth place, have a one-point lead and three games in hand over the Rivermen. The Aeros are also 7-3 in their last ten games.

The Rivermen play the Admirals twice in the next week, the Aeros three games in the next three weeks.

Crombeen gets hat trick, Rinne gets a shut out

B J Crombeen got a hat trick and an assist in a 7-3 drubbing of the Lake Erie Monsters by the Iowa Stars in Iowa action tonight. Meanwhile, in Milwaukee, the Hamilton Bulldogs were shut out by Pekka Rinne and the Milwaukee Admirals, 3-0.

The red-hot MAds are now 7-3 in their last ten games. They lead the Houston Aeros by two points, but the Aeros have 4 games in hand on the Admirals. The Aeros are also 7-3 in their last 10 contests.

The Quad City Flames, meanwhile, are flaming out of the competition for the final playoff spots in the West Division, trailing the Peoria Rivermen by five points with a game in hand.

Bradley Center to be renamed?

The naming rights for the Bradley Center are for sale, according to a report by Don Walker for the Journal Sentinel. "The Bradley Center, first opened in October 1988, was a $90 million gift from Jane Bradley Pettit in honor of her father, Harry Lynde Bradley," the report says. The ice rink that the Milwaukee Admirals play on is called the Jane Bradley Pettit Memorial Ice Rink.

The story quotes a member of the Bradley Center Board as estimating building a new facility would cost $350 million. The building is also home to the Milwaukee Bucks and the Marquette University Golden Eagles. Naming rights could generate $2 million annually.

IHL v AHL quality

When an American Hockey League team lands in town, there is often an argument about the quality of the product. That is especially true when the AHL replaces a team from say the United Hockey League, now the International Hockey League, or the ECHL.

Reed Schreck has a piece in the Rockford Register Star about one player and his journey back to Rockford, now in the uniform of the Milwaukee Admirals, Kevin Ulanski. And, he makes some points about the many AHL players who are called up to the NHL to play with the parent team. Ulanski talks to Schreck about his perceptions about the quality of play between the IHL and the AHL.

Schreck also answers a question that would have taken some research: who is on the Chicago Blackhawks that could move back to the Rockford IceHogs after Clear Day? The Blackhawks, he says, have five players, four can return to the IceHogs: Corey Crawford, Dustin Byfuglien, Cam Barker, Jordan Hendry and Dave Bolland.

Icehogs shut down Mads 2-0

It was a quiet game, until the third period when four players were sent to the showers at the same time. The Rockford IceHogs, with Wade Flaherty in net, and Michael Brodeur backing, shut down the Milwaukee Admirals 2-0 at the Rockford MetroCentre today. Rockford put 22 shots on Pekka Rinne for the win, while the MAds only summed up 17 shots on goal for the game.

Matt Ellison and Nolan Yonkman for Milwaukee and Ryan Stokes and Kris Versteeg for Rockford were given fighting majors with just four and half minutes remaining in the game. Alex Henry was given a double minor in the same altercation.

The Quad City Flames beat up the visiting Grand Rapids Griffins 6-1 at the iWireless Center in Moline and the Houston Aeros shutout the Rochester Americans 4-0 at the War Memorial.

The Griffins are pretty much out of the hunt, now, for the final spot in the North Division, trailing even the last place West Division team for the fourth opening. The North Division fourth place team, the Syracuse Crunch, have 60 points in 59 contests while now three West Division teams are tied at 65 points, one has two games in hand over the Crunch, making it nearly impossible for the Crunch to take the last spot in their division.

The West Division race for the final playoff spot has the Quad City Flames, the Milwaukee Admirals and the Houston Aeros all tied at 65 points, meaning one of them will probably advance to play in the North Division playoffs. Each team has 59 games played, except the Aeros, who have two games in hand. In fourth place of the division is the Peoria Rivermen with 66 pointsd in 58 games. This is the tightest race in the American Hockey League currently.

Milwaukee comes back from three goal deficit to win in OT

The Milwaukee Admirals took the oxygen out of the Wells Fargo Arena Saturday night with a 5-4 OT win over the Iowa Stars. Starting down 4-1 in the third period, the MAds scored three times in a space of seven minutes to force the game into overtime. The final goal came with just 51 seconds remaining on the regulation clock.

Dov Grumet-Morris received the win, stopping 19 shots in his debut as an Admiral. The Admirals are now 5-0-1 in their last six games and hold fifth place. They trail the fourth-place Peoria Rivermen by one point in the West Division. The Rivermen have a game in hand over the MAds. The Houston Aeros and the Quad City Flames both trail the Admirals by two points in the standings. Houston has two games in hand over the Admirals.

The fifth-place team in the West Division would currently receive a playoff spot in the North Division. Currently the North Division Syracuse Crunch have 60 points, where as every team in the West Division, with the exception of the Iowa Stars, has at least 63 points. The fifth place West Division team, the MAds have 5 points and a game in hand over the Syracuse Crunch.

Blue pillow cases, just like kids

The blue pillow cases that the Milwaukee Admirals wore in a throwback night earlier this season were butt ugly. That's nothing new for the MAds, who seem content with upending fashion on a regular basis. Blogger Teebz puts words to this latest ugliness saying, "charities have benefitted, but I don't know if my eyes ever will."

IceHogs break 8 game losing streak with 3-2 win over MAds

The Rockford IceHogs snapped their eight game losing streak with a 3-2 win over the Milwaukee Admirals Friday night at the Bradley Center. Troy Brouwer, the team’s leading scorer, returned to the line-up for the first time since an injury in February. He put four shots on goal, scoring a goal. Also back was blue liner Jerrramie Domish who was +1 for the night.

Jack Skille was credited with two points in the win and Wade Flaherty stopped 20 shots on goal. Pekka Rinne, the losing goalie, was credited with 24 shots blocked. Rockford went 2:6 on the power play. Although Rockford had a 5:3 power play in the second period, it wasn’t able to convert it until the first penalty had expired.

The Admirals, in fifth place in the West Division of the American Hockey League, remain in the hunt for the playoffs. Currently they would play in the North Division playoffs as the fourth place Syracuse Crunch trail them in points, 58 to 65. The race for the final playoff spot in the West, likely to actually be played against the North Division, is tight, with five points separating the fourth and seventh place teams.

The IceHogs are currently trailing the Chicago Wolves by eight points and the Wolves also have four games in hand. The third place San Antonio Rampage are making a move on second place, they trail the IceHogs by two points and have two points in hand.

The IceHogs and the Admirals play again Sunday and again on Wednesday at the Rockford MetroCentre.

Germyn hat trick for 26th BD

Carson Germyn celebrated his birthday with a hat trick in a game Friday against the Peoria Rivermen. The 6-2 win was the most goals scored in a game this season by the Quad City Flames. Marc Nesseler of QC Online said a sign held by fans Mike and Trisha Hunter and Jeni Chisholm wishing Germyn a happy birthday helped get Germyn going.

“Now I’ve got to find out what he needs for motivation for Sunday,” Coach Ryan McGill told Nesseler.

The Flames trail the Milwaukee Admirals by two points with 63 points in sixth place. At the moment, all of the West Division teams, except for the Iowa Stars, could advance to one of five playoff spots, four in the West Division, and one in the North Division as the Syracuse Crunch have fewer points than the fifth, sixth and seventh place West Division teams. Although the Milwaukee Admirals would currently hold that playoff spot, the Flames have been playing somewhat better with 12 points in the last ten games, versus 11 points for Milwaukee.

4-0 loss ends 4 game streak; MAds Henry gets 4 pts.

Ondrej Pavelec was shelled out of the net and the Milwaukee Admirals recorded a shutout against the Chicago Wolves, 4-0 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont Wednesday. The loss ended a four game winning streak by the Wolves.

Pekka Rinne stopped 22 shots in the blanking and four different Admirals scored on a Chicago team that didn’t seem to be aware of the game. First, Andreas Thuresson out skated Scott Lehman in the first period and placed a beautiful shot past Pavelec. In the second period Janne Niskala faked Pavelec down, then wrapped around the net to score. Finally, Kelsey Wilson and Josh Langfeld settled two more goals into the Chicago twine in a period of a little over two minutes of the final frame.

Captain Alex Henry recorded points on each of the Milwaukee goals. The fourth goal caused Chicago to pull Pavelec in favor of Robert Gherson. Gherson stopped all 12 shots he faced.

It was the second shutout of the Wolves by the Admirals this season. In October the Admirals recorded a 1-0 overtime win over the Wolves. It was also the first win in Chicago by the Admirals this season.

Milwaukee 1 1 2 -- 4
Chicago 0 0 0 -- 0

First Period---1, Milwaukee, Thuresson 3 (Henry, Guerriero), 9:41. Penalties---Desbiens, Chicago (hooking), 2:38; Niskala, Milwaukee (holding), 5:18; Santorelli, Milwaukee (hooking), 13:24; Pihlstrom, Milwaukee (high sticking), 19:31.

Second Period---2, Milwaukee, Niskala 10 (Santorelli, Henry), 4:37. Penalties---Wilson, Milwaukee (diving), 3:50; Pilar, Chicago (tripping), 3:50; Langfeld, Milwaukee (hooking), 4:48; Maki, Milwaukee (fighting), 8:57; Oystrick, Chicago (fighting), 8:57; Painchaud, Chicago (tripping), 15:40; Langfeld, Milwaukee (tripping), 18:13.

Third Period---3, Milwaukee, Wilson 4 (Henry, Thuresson), 2:50; 4, Milwaukee, Langfeld 11 (Guerriero, Henry), 4:57. Penalties---Lehman, Chicago (hooking), 10:08; Deveaux, Chicago (hooking), 19:53.

Shots on goal---Milwaukee: 14-13-18--45. Chicago: 6-12-4--22. Power plays---Milwaukee: 0-4. Chicago: 0-5. Goalies---Milwaukee, Rinne (22-22). Chicago, Pavelec (29-33) replaced by Gherson (12-12) at 44:52. A---5,327. Referee---Kyle Rehman. Linesmen---Bryan Pancich and Chris Allman.