Admirals warm up for the holidays
Published on December 20, 2005 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Milwaukee Admirals News Release
OVERALL...The Admirals (19-7-1-1) enter this week's action in second place in the West Division, four points behind the first-place Houston Aeros. The Ads actually have a better winning percentage (.714) than Houston (.710), but have played three fewer games than their West Division rival. Milwaukee is 7-2-1 in their last ten games and has registered at least a point in 24 of their last 28 contests. In addition, the Admirals have outscored their opponents 95-66, making their goal differential (29) ten more than the next closest team in the Western Conference.
LAST WEEK...The Ads picked up six out of a possible eight points last week, winning three of their four games. On Wednesday night Milwaukee topped Omaha 5-4 in a shoot-out. Scott Reid picked up his first win as an Admiral in relief after he stopped all seven shots he faced as well as four of five attempts in the shoot-out. The Ads and Knights finished a home-and-home set on Friday at the Bradley Center with a 2-0 Omaha win. It was the first shut-out the Admirals had suffered since their 1-0 loss on the home opener October 14. On Saturday night, Milwaukee took a 4-3 decision from the Chicago Wolves at the All-State Arena. Brandon Segal notched two goals and Brian Finley stopped 27 of 30 shots to lead Milwaukee. Sunday afternoon saw the Admirals and Cleveland Barons both playing their third game in three days. After falling behind 2-0 in the first 2:05 of the game, the Ads battled back and came away with a 5-4 victory. Five different Milwaukee skaters scored and Libor Pivko had five assists to pace the offense.
VS. GRAND RAPIDS...Grand Rapids invades the Bradley Center for the second time this season on Wednesday night. The Ads and Griffins have squared off three times thus far this season with the home team winning each time. The Griffins won the first two meetings, 6-3 on October 8 and 5-4 in OT on December 3, while the Admirals won the only meeting in Milwaukee, 5-2 on December 9. In 69 lifetime meetings between the two clubs, the Admirals have a 29-32-8-4 mark, including a 17-12-5-2 record at the Bradley Center.
VS. IOWA...Milwaukee and Iowa square off for the fifth time this season on Friday night in Iowa. The Ads are 3-0-0-1 versus the Stars thus far this year including a 2-0-0-1 mark in Des Moines. The Admirals fell to the Stars in their first meetings this year, 3-2 in a shoot-out on Oct. 21 at Iowa, before winning the last three games: 6-0 on November 8 in Des Moines, 6-3 at the Bradley Center on November 11, and 4-3 in overtime on December 6. Iowa's Head Coach, Dave Allison, was the Admirals bench boss for two seasons in 2000-01 and 2001-02. Admirals Coach Claude Noel was an assistant for Allison during those seasons.
UP COMING PROMOTIONS...The Admirals will don retro jerseys from their 1975-76 USHL Championship Team on December 26 and 27. The team will hold a blind, silent auction at those games and the winning bidders will then get their jerseys autographed by the player. Proceeds from the jersey auction will be donated to the Admirals Power Play Foundation. The championship trophy from the 75-76 season will also be on display at the game. In addition, the first 5,000 fans will receive a travel mug on the 26th, courtesy of Gonzalez, Saggio & Harlan and the first 5,000 fans on the 27th will receive a cowbell courtesy of Potawotami Bingo and Casino.
GOING UP...Flights from Milwaukee to Nashville have been littered with Admirals this year, as nine Admirals players have been recalled by the Predators thus far. Among those nine, goaltender Pekka Rinne and defensemen Kevin Klein and Greg Zanon all made their NHL debuts this season. Also, on the Predators current line-up three of the four centers, Jerred Smithson, Vern Fiddler, and Kris Beech, all began the year in Milwaukee before being summoned by the Preds. Out of the 21 players who make up the Predators roster, 13 of them have spent significant time with the Admirals over the past few seasons.
THE ROAD TO SUCCESS... After struggling to win on the road early in the season, the Admirals have had some success as of late. They have won four straight games away from the Bradley Center which is one short of the club record of five consecutive road wins, set from March 19 to April 3, 1998 and also November 25 to December 23, 1994. While Rinne has been solid for the Admirals in goal at home, Brian Finley has posted impressive numbers on the road. The Sault Ste. Marie, ONT native is 6-1 with a 1.77 GAA and a .937 save percentage in red Admirals sweater.
HOME SWEET HOME... The Bradley Center has been a safe haven for the Ads thus far this season. After dropping their first game of the season at home, the Admirals have won nine of their last ten games at the BC, outscoring their opponents 41-21. Rookie goalie Pekka Rinne has been particularly impressive at home, posting an 8-1 record with a 1.58 goals against average and a .932 save percentage. Libor Pivko leads the Admirals home scorers with 17 points (2g-15a), with Darren Haydar is close behind with 16 points on six goals and ten assists.
WESTWARD HO... The Admirals have made their hay versus West Division opponents thus far this year, posting an impressive 15-4-0-1 mark against intra-divisional foes and outscoring them by a 68-39 margin. Milwaukee has been particularly impressive at the BC with a 6-1 record against the West at the Bradley Center. Versus the North Division the Ads have not been quite as good, recording just a 3-3-1 mark versus teams from the North.
A PAIR OF FIRSTS...In addition to making his NHL debut last Thursday night, Rinne also picked up his first NHL win when he stopped 35 of 38 shots to lead the Predators to a 5-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. The 6-5, 207-lb. rookie gave up a goal on the first shot he saw, but settled down and gave up just two more goals on the night and helped to kill off a pair of 5-on-3 Chicago power plays. Rinne was particularly impressive after the Blackhawks pulled within a goal at the 6:07 mark of the third period, stopping all 11 shots thrown his way the rest of the game.
OVER THE AIR AND ON THE WEB... The Admirals have a new flagship radio station this season in Milwaukee's ESPN Radio 1510 AM (days)/1290 AM (nights). Aaron Sims will call all of the hard-hitting end-to-end action. In addition, the team has a one-hour hockey magazine dubbed "Milwaukee Admirals Center Ice" that airs every Tuesday from 6-7 pm on ESPN Radio. Fans can watch all Admirals games, home and on the road, live on the internet via B2 Networks. Simply go the Admirals website at www.milwaukeeadmirals.com and click on the B2 logo.
American Hockey League Stories from December 20, 2005
- Hamilton, Collins and Colliton Return From Islanders - Bridgeport Islanders
- B-Sens claim defenseman Brad Norton on waivers - Binghamton Senators
- Falcons Weekly Notes - Springfield Falcons
- Aeros to honor local police, firefighters December 28 - Houston Aeros
- Oilers recall Winchester - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Janssen Recalled; Bergfors To Play In WJC - Albany River Rats
- Sound Tigers snippets - Bridgeport Islanders
- Admirals warm up for the holidays - Milwaukee Admirals
- Bulldogs food drive continues - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Rampage weekly - San Antonio Rampage
- Delmore Recalled by Columbus -- Havern Released From P.T.O. - Syracuse Crunch
- Babchuk Back, Gusev Gone - Norfolk Admirals
- P-Bruins Deliver Toys to Toys for Tots - Providence Bruins
- Falcons Release Eriksson - Springfield Falcons
- Iowa Deletes Three From Roster - Iowa Chops
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