Admirals Fall to Grand Rapids 2-1
Published on December 13, 2006 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Milwaukee Admirals News Release
Milwaukee, WI-Coming off a solid performance during the team's longest road trip in franchise history, the Milwaukee Admirals fell just short of beating the Grand Rapids Griffins in their homecoming game at the Bradley Center. The 2-1 loss in a shootout ends their win streak, at seven games in-a-row including the playoffs, against the Griffins.
Unlike the previous meeting, an 8-1 victory by the Admirals, Wednesday night's game went into the record books as a goalie duel. The match-up featured Ads' goaltender Karl Goehring and Griffins' Jimmy Howard.
Grand Rapids found their way onto the scoreboard first when Josh Langfeld used Admirals defenseman Alex Henry as screen and sent a pristine shot into the top corner of Goehring's glove side at 13:54 of the first period.
While the Ad's offense struggled to find the back of the net, the Admirals defense did everything they could to prevent the Griffins from running away with the game in the second period. Captained by Sheldon Brookbank, they only allowed only four shots during the second session with one of those being turned aside by Goehring with diving stick save.
Trailing by only one goal, Milwaukee stepped onto the ice for the third period to the theme from "Rocky" hoping for a Rocky Balboa come from behind victory. While the finish failed to achieve the Hollywood ending it wasn't short of Hollywood theatrics.
In an intermission interview, Rich Peverley explained to the crowd that if the Admirals wanted to win they would have to, "Make sure we stay at the net." Two minutes in, Peverley took his advice a little too seriously. Crashing to the net between two Griffins, Peverley found the back of the net...literally. Peverley buried himself, without the puck, deep into the back of the net-pinning it to the boards and stopping play.
With 7:19 left in the game, Brookbank put himself into a two-way tie for team lead in goals when he ripped a power play one-timer at Howard's stick side. This time, it was the puck that saw the back of the net.
The Ads couldn't muster another tally and the game extended into a mostly uneventful overtime. Bracken Kearns was responsible for the period's only excitement when he clanked a shot off the post with a minute left in the extra time. Despite having some good shots on nineteen seconds of power play time to finish the period, the Admirals weren't able to secure a victory and the game entered into a shootout.
The Admirals elected to shoot first and put the pressure on the Griffins early when Peverley deeked out Howard and put in an off-angle shot from the goal line. Goehring made a furious save on Ryan Keller's fancy move that didn't prove fancy enough. But the Admirals were unable score again in the shootout, while Langfeld tied it when he sent another shot over Goehring's glove side and Kip Miller slipped one over the leg of Goerhing's stick side as the fifth and final shooter and gave the Griffins the victory, their first over the Admirals this season.
Coach Claude Noel gave his thoughts on the recent road trip and tonight's game in a post-game chat outside his locker room.
"The road trip was good for us. I'm seeing some improvement and that's really all you can ask."
Noel has been satisfied with his team's progress and is happy where they are at this point of the season, but has higher hopes for the team.
"I'd love us to be the Anaheim Ducks," he quipped, "but where not there yet."
Milwaukee now heads to Grand Rapids on Friday for a grudge match against the Griffins and will play in Illinois on Saturday against their arch-rival the Chicago Wolves. The Admirals return home Sunday, December 17th at 5:00, to face Grand Rapids for the fifth time this season and third time in five days. The Admirals hope to pack the Bradley Center as every seat will be reduced to $2 will all proceeds from the sales going to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee.
American Hockey League Stories from December 13, 2006
- Admirals Fall to Grand Rapids 2-1 - Milwaukee Admirals
- Griffins Edge Admirals in Shootout, 2-1 - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Former Aeros Wood, Fortunus score for Manitoba in Aeros loss - Houston Aeros
- Oilers recall Roy, send Hejda to Bulldogs - Hamilton Bulldogs
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- Iowa adds to roster - Iowa Chops
- Flames Recall Prust From Knights - Abbotsford Heat
- Aeros shuffle roster, Foy back - Houston Aeros
- Phantoms Jersey Auction Ends Thursday - Adirondack Phantoms
- Free Jersey Day on Saturday - Bridgeport Islanders
- Bulldogs offer special holiday family pack - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Admirals Receive Bochenski and St. Pierre from Chicago - Norfolk Admirals
- Martins and Sterling to assist Wolves reading program - Chicago Wolves
- Flames Re-Assign Maki To Knights - Abbotsford Heat
- AHL announces suspension - AHL
- AHL Quick Hits - AHL
- 1,000th game in franchise history tonight - Houston Aeros
- 2007 AHL All-Star balloting underway - AHL
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