Okay. Last two games of the season tonight and Sunday.
First Ads home playoff game is the 24th, as both Chicago and Omaha will have home ice on us. Lowdown? We beat Chicago. An Omaha series is almost a sure first round exit...
Sheldon Brookbank was named Eddie Shore AHL defenseman of the year. Past Admirals winner was Curtis Murphy in 03'/04'...He had a good year, winning the Eddie Shore, RBK All - Star selection with a goal in the game, and an NHL call up with a point. Not bad. I think his game is more versatile than his brother, Wade - a pure enforcer type, but I think his size is keeping him back...
Brandon Segal was saved from the 'pro - player' rule. He would have had 260 games this season - he would have had to be 'one of five' players on the squad next season with 260 + regular season games. BUT, Noel held him out/scratched for a game, so he can play all next year without being a part of the 'one of five' rule...
Other than that - GL! More later. Wolves tonight at 7 CST.
In the shootout. Something like 6 - 10 in shootouts this season. Not good for a team that set the AHL record for OT games...
Ville Koistinen. #4. Booby Orr? Weird. For some reason he has been lining up at the wing in various situations. He also has been playing a lot of PP time. Last night, like it was a set play or something, he gets fed the puck at the red line and goes streaking in, full speed, splitting the defense, and getting shots on goal! The one he got obstructed tight into the goalie, knocking Garret down and into the next, actually scoring - but the official lost sight of it and the no goal call was 'goalie gloved puck in the net' - whatever that means, really.
So, The little guy has speed. He looks like a little fire hydrant rolling down the ice like that...He also shoots in the shootouts as well...
Other than that Abid with a goal and two assists. Gosh, those Wolves get under his grill, and you can see the steam coming off his ears. Valabek, Chicago's resident 6 foot 6 (-) 3 minutes of ice - time goon - in - chief grabs him at the end of period and starts dragging him around like 'warning him'...but both Sheldon and Nolan kind of skate over to him and laugh at him...funny.
Other than that the West race will not be decided until Sunday with Omaha at Chicago. They are one point apart now...Weird. Ig Grand Rapids loses one game, and Peoria can win their last two, they are in the playoffs in the opposite division, the North, vs. Hamilton. The 'cross-over' effect.
Was in the Ads front - office the other day with an account rep, and we are all eagrly awaiting the division alignments next season. Cleveland is coming back (as 'Lake Erie Monstors' I think) as well as the now Rockford Ice Hogs...Rockford, Milwaukee, Chicago (really Rosemont, IL), Peoria, and Iowa (Des Moines) are all relatively close cities and should make for a really exciting division core next year.
Sunday Peoria, then the Calder playoffs start!
BTW - saw the highlights of the Preds/Sharks part deux - I give Tootoo alot of props just hanging on to Ryan Clowe! Hartnell looked like he absolutely wanted no part of that mess - although he had to know it was coming...great series!
...with an empty netter...Odd game. Note - Rocky Thompson is one of THE UGLIEST dudes you will ever see! #55 for the Rivermen. He wears the 'A', decent player, won't hurt ya' but the no teeth in front, greasy long hair down the back with the crooked nose is freakin' scary! After his fight with TJ (Reynolds) in the first, he blew a kiss at the big board! Yuck! At any rate, kinda rooted for Peoria...Odd. BUT - to see a team that has its whole future in its destiny - Toronto beat Grand Rapids 5 - 1... All the Rivermen had to do was win...and they just didn't do it. So, its 3 - 2 Omaha in CHI over the Wolves right now in the second in the Division title game...Hope Omaha wins - as we have a much better chance of beating CHI in the first round than Omaha. Either way, I think we lose second round...regardless...Playoffs start next Friday on the road...GL Preds!
Note - Rocky Thompson is one of THE UGLIEST dudes you will ever see! #55 for the Rivermen. He wears the 'A', decent player, won't hurt ya' but the no teeth in front, greasy long hair down the back with the crooked nose is freakin' scary! After his fight with TJ (Reynolds) in the first, he blew a kiss at the big board! Yuck!
I totally agree. I first saw Rocky Thompson 10 seasons ago when the Wolf*Pack joined the league and Thompson was playing then for the Saint John Flames. He was quite a site on the ice and was just looking for a brawl to start so he could drop 'em.
He was one of those characters in hockey that you just don't forget. He didn't have any teeth back then either.
I wouldn't say he's having a bad year. The team in front of him is not nearly as consistant as it was last season, he's actually started a few games I've attended this year. The past two seasons I've either made the games he's injured or resting. There is no problem with his being aggressive behind the net, sometimes it seems he tries too hard to be the third d-man, but he's jumped right back into his game since January. Makes some great saves, let's in a real stinker, it seems, in each of the games the MilAds have lost, but I wouldn't say it's a bad year.
I've noticed Koistinen lining up on the wing at times also. He plays and skates more like a forward, so it doesn't surprise me.
I've noticed Claude blowing a few more gaskets during the stretch, then again the past few games I've attended have all been regulation losses.
Rocky Thompson - I think there are youTube links out there of some religious commercials he's done locally in Peoria.
6 of 47 in the AHL with at least 1560 minutes played...29 GP, 1670 total minutes, 817 shots, 65 GA, 3 SO, 2.34 GAA, .920 %...
Rinne has done well, and he does not have the team in front of him that he had last season, clearly. I think he does let in the stinker that we did not see last season. Honestly, I really have not seen the shoulder affect him at all, so I guess he's back to where he needs to be. I think if Mason is unloaded, he'll be the #2 next season in Nashville, IMO.
Claude has lost patience at times. My wife was doing more watching him the last game against Chicago put his hands over his eyes, kneel over or slam his back against the wall in disbelief/disgust, etc. A few times he's waving his arms at players as if to say, "You had the WHOLE net to shoot at, and what!" (you 'fan', 'pass', fill in the correct outcome...)
At any rate, Ads at Chicago Friday to start the Calder Playoffs...
AHL Calder Cup Playoffs
Western Division Semi-Finals
(3) Milwaukee Admirals vs. (2) Chicago Wolves
History: The teams have a long standing rivalry that spans two leagues and thirteen years. Though many players have come and gone, the animosity between the clubs and their fans have never waned.
“There’s been no love lost between both organizations,” said Admirals Coach Claude Noel. “It’s pretty deeply ingrained [in us], and I think the fans feel pretty much the same for each other.”
The Admirals have an all-time 71-46-1-14 record against the Wolves with a 6-2-1-1 record against Chicago this season.
Up until this date, the rivals have met three times in the playoffs. Two out of the three times the winner went on to win the league championship. Milwaukee defeated Chicago in route to their 2004 Calder Cup title, while Chicago knocked out the Ads on their way to their 1998 Turner Cup title.
Milwaukee’s Three Stars:
Rich Peverley- has been the most consistent player for the Admirals all season and leads the team in almost every scoring category, despite missing thirteen games while on assignment in Nashville . He boasts five goals and two assists in the seven games he played against the Wolves this season.
Pekka Rinne-has had varying results against the team south of the Wisconsin border, but that has less to do with his individual play and more to do with the challenges of trying to stop the league’s best offense. Rinne will hope he can come through as he did in the last year’s playoffs when he backstopped the Ads to a four-game sweep against last season’s best offense, Grand Rapids , earning a shutout in the first game of the series.
Cal O’Reilly-may be the youngest player on the team, but that hasn’t stopped him from being one of the best forwards on the Ads’ roster since the all-star break, as he rides into the playoffs on an eight-game scoring streak. No one player in the Western Division gave the Wolves more trouble this season. O’Reilly was responsible for five goals and ten assists registered against Chicago goaltenders this season. The Toronto native has scored a goal in the teams’ last three meetings, including the game winner the last time Milwaukee made it down to the Allstate Arena.
Milwaukee’s X-Factors:
Ramzi Abid- was great against his old team this season, tallying three goals and eight assists in seven games. A recall to Nashville on Tuesday has pulled the forward out of the lineup. Abid’s departure doesn’t necessarily mean the Ads are also on their way out, but if Abid were return mid-series he would definitely give the squad a boost.
Brandon Segal- scored more than one third of his goals this season against Chicago . His seven goals were the most goals anyone one player put on the Wolves this season. Segal was able to score in six out of the nine games in which he played against Chicago , and if he can match those numbers in the playoffs, he could be a deciding factor in the series.
Defense- What’s the most important thing the defense must do in this series according to Captain and defenseman Sheldon Brookbank?
“[Being] responsible with the puck, not trying anything too crazy offensively and turning it over. That’s kind of what they look for. We’ve just got to play our style and that will turn into good defense for us.”
Milwaukee is facing the most prolific offense in the league and the play of their defense in their own zone may very well be what causes the Admirals to sink or swim. In this series, it’s all up to them.
Chicago’s Three Stars:
Darren Haydar- finished a 122-point MVP season that is ranked as one of the top-ten highest scoring seasons in AHL history. Haydar’s four goals and eleven assists for fifteen points are the most points against the Admirals by any Chicago forward this season. As always, the Admirals defense will have to keep a close eye on Haydar all series.
Brett Sterling- was named rookie of the year by registering the league’s only 50-goal season, finishing with 55. Sterling recorded a Wolves’ high, six goals against Milwaukee this season. Sterling has the best shooting percentage (.192) amongst any player with 200+ shots in the league, a stat made even more impressive when you consider he has the second most shots in the league.
Jason Krog- has played on four NHL teams, including 21 games in 2003 NHL playoffs on a Mighty Ducks squad that found themselves in the Stanley Cup Finals. Krog has been the pinnacle of consistency as he has registered a point in 39 out of the 42 games he played in this season.
Chicago’s X-Factors:
Cory Larose- was named a potential x-factor by Brookbank who noted that the player hadn’t done too much to hurt the Ads this season, but had the potential to in the playoffs. Larose is third on the team in scoring and has eleven points against Milwaukee this season. Only one of those points is a goal, and if the center would increase that stat he could possibly give the Ads more offensive pressure than they can handle.
Defense- Chicago has three defensive players with 15-goals or more in Nathan Oystrick, Mark Popovic, and Andy Delmore. That gives them three of the leagues’ top five highest goal scoring defensemen. According to Brookbank it’s up to the teams’ forwards to shut down Chicago ’s high scoring blueliners.
“They are going to have to know where they are, and they are going to have to pick them up,” he said after Tuesday morning’s practice.
If they don’t, the Admirals will have a tough time staying ahead on the scoreboard.
Goaltending- Chicago’s goaltending hasn’t been great this year, and they’ve been even worse against the Admirals as ex-NHL goalie Fred Brathwaite went 0-4-1 against the Ads with a 3.60 GAA while Michael Garnett had a good record, 4-1-0 but his goals against was 4.10. With those numbers, there is no telling who their likely starter will be, but at any rate this may be Chicago ’s only weakness. If one of the members of the goaltending staff get hot, coupled with a high powered offense, it would be hard for any team to stop them.
All Things Note Worthy:
1. Home-Ice Advantage?
Chicago may get four of the seven games in the series at home, but so far this season that has not helped them. Milwaukee is a perfect 5-0-0 at the Allstate Arena.
“That’s not enough to hang your hat on,” said Noel explaining how, in this case, the past doesn’t always reflect the present. “We’ve started a whole new scenario here. Players are motivated, and driven to make more sacrifices. Those are the little details that make the difference in the game.”
2. Very Special Teams
Chicago finished the season with the league’s third best power play team. Milwaukee finished the season with the league’s third most efficient penalty-kill. More notably, Milwaukee was responsible for five out of the Wolves’ twelve shorthanded goals against this year.
3. Ads Must Strike Early
Milwaukee didn’t lose a game in regulation this season when leading going into the third period, with a record of 21-0-1-1. Making that stat more critical, Chicago lost all eighteen of the games in which they entered the third period trailing by a goal.
4. Youth Movement
The Chicago Wolves have seven AHL rookies on their team which includes top forward Brett Sterling and high scoring defenseman Nathan Oystrick.
Milwaukee has eight AHL rookies on their team which includes set-up man Cal O’Reilly and the team’s penalty minutes leader Kelsey Wilson.
5. What the Playoffs are all About
Noel lists one of his team’s great assets are their ability to succeed in tight games.
“A lot of times,” he explained. “That’s what the playoffs are about.”
Milwaukee ’s record in those games this season is 24-8-4-9 compared to Chicago ’s 12-6-3-6.
Chalk Talk:
“We would like to counter their scoring by making them play in their end. That’s not an easy task, [but] if we are able to do that then I think we have a chance to have some success.”
--Claude Noel
“They are a highly skilled team. Obviously we are going to have to work hard as a team and play really well defensively if we want to beat them. Their offense is their strength. They have two good lines over there. They can be really dangerous on their transition game. We’re going to have to limit the turnovers and play tight defensively.”
--Ramzi Abid
“We’re going to try and shut down their top two lines and just outplay their 3rd and 4th line.”
--Sheldon Brookbank
“You’re going to have to check well without the puck so you get it back and keep the scoring chances down. When you deal with them, you have to deal with scoring chances. If you give them a lot of scoring chances then you’re going to be in trouble. If they’ve got the puck two-thirds of the game you’re going to be in trouble there too, because they are a skilled group that feed off that type of play.”
--Claude Noel
“We’ve got to concentrate on our own game--a team game--we don’t rely on one line or one or two people, and that’s how we need to beat them.”
--Ramzi Abid
“We feel we can get out of the division, but so do the other four teams.”
Do you think any players have progressed to perhaps have a shot at making our team next season? Have the following players shown any improvement over past seasons or over the course of this season:
O'Reilly
Koistinen
Klein
Segal
Also I see that Ryan Maki has played a few games now, how has he looked?
How severe is Erat's injury? I suppose, with Tootoo going down, Abid will probably remain with Nashville so the MilAds lose a scorer for part of the Wolves series, unless the Preds can steal their series from SJ.
Pekka will need to play consistant to help the defense. The MilAds will need to play with that shootout (run & gun) mentality, these games will probably be high scoring affairs due to the Wolves being able to overwhelm the MilAds D and the incredible inconsistancy of the Wolves' goaltending.
One quick comment about a player Stranger mentioned, O'Reilly's defense needs some work, but he really plays with enthusiasm and seems to have a good work ethic.
Do you think any players have progressed to perhaps have a shot at making our team next season? Have the following players shown any improvement over past seasons or over the course of this season:
O'Reilly
Koistinen
Klein
Segal
Also I see that Ryan Maki has played a few games now, how has he looked?
O'Reilly and Koistinen are too new to me/the team so I really can't say much about their development. Its clear that Ville is going to be an offensive/defensmen, he's quick and for his size is pretty sturdy. Cal looks really sharp, he might be a year away, but I think he will definatly go to the NHL at some point soon. Klein, yes - he should not be in the AHL next year...BUT, I think he has great value as trade bait, young, talented, plays with a lot of inexperienced D - men to help them develop, and is steady. Segal. Love the guy, been around four years now, I don't see him as a full - time NHL'er, but he will be a great 2nd/3rd line AHL guy for as long as he wants. Good insurance policy for any big club. BUT, I think his grinder persona might interest a team looking for that kind of player, and he won't hurt you with his game, with all of his pro experience now...Other than that I hope Sheldon (Brookbank) maybe gets a shot at another club. If he puts on a few pounds, he might make a big club somewhere...I think that the Preds are too deep at D for him to get a realistic shot, IMO.
Also I see that Ryan Maki has played a few games now, how has he looked?
Maki is really young, has not gotten a lot of ice time. I'd have to check but I think he has been a healthy scratch more often than not. He is another guy who everyone thinks is 'going places' and should be a regular next season...
Rosemont, IL--The Milwaukee Admirals entered hostile territory hoping to leave the Allstate Arena with a playoff win that would have been their sixth win in a row on the Chicago Wolves’ home ice. But despite their perfect record against the Wolves on the road this season, the Ads stumbled early and couldn’t recover despite a third period rally that saw them score pair of goals. A goal shy of a comeback, the Ads lost to the Wolves 3-2 and felling to 0-1 in the West Division Semi-finals.
From the opening faceoff on, the Wolves led a furious attack proving that sometimes your best defense is a good offense. Keeping the puck in Admirals’ end for most of the first period, the Wolves were able to out shoot the Milwaukee club 14-6.
During the bombardment, Chicago netted the opening marker created by a high velocity shot by Andy Delmore from the point in the second minute of the first period. The shot rebounded off the leg pad of Admirals’ goalie Pekka Rinne and onto the stick of the AHL’s regular season goal scoring leader Brett Sterling. The forward slipped his shot past Rinne before the goalie could react, netting his first goal of the series.
The Wolves added another, ten minutes later, as a collection of players from both teams clashed in front Rinne. Despite being screened, the Finnish netminder made the first save on a backhanded shot by Andre Deveaux that was able to find its way through the pile of players, but the rebound on his shot found its way out of the fray and between the faceoff circles where Chicago’s Kevin Doell waiting. Doell didn’t waste the opportunity as he extended the Wolves lead to 2-0.
In the second period, Milwaukee followed up a failed two-man advantage by giving up another goal, giving the Wolves a commanding three-goal lead going into the final period.
Sterling was given credit for the marker as he added to the Wolves lead on the powerplay with six minutes left in the second, beating Rinne to a bouncing puck in the crease for his second goal of the game.
But despite being down three goals with only twenty minutes to play, the Ads didn’t give in to adversity as they gave their all to complete what almost was an incredible rally.
The Ads began the rally three minutes into the third as Chris Durno scooped up Kim Staal’s rebound in the corner and made a quick pass to Cal O’Reilly crashing to the net. Garnett extended his pads to make the save on O’Reilly’s shot, but his reach wasn’t far enough to prevent the shot form reaching the back of his net.
Minutes later Admirals’ leading scorer Rich Peverley emerged from the penalty box after a cross-checking infraction. Thanks to a heads up pass to the forward as he stepped onto the ice, Peverley was able to take the pass and brake for the net with only Garnett in front of him. Andy Delmore pulled Peverley down from behind before he could find his way to the twine, earning the Ads’ a penalty shot. Peverley used the opportunity to pull his team within one goal, lifting his shot over the shoulder of Garnett with twelve minutes left to play.
As the third period wound down, the Ads were given one last chance to complete the comeback on a power play chance created by a goaltender interference call on Chicago right wing Guillaume Desbiens. But unable to crack the Wolves penalty-kill team all night, the Ads couldn’t complete the comeback.
Milwaukee and Chicago will return to action at the Allstate Arena for game two of the best-of-seven series Sunday April 22nd at 4:00.
AHL playoff attendance has always been down in the first couple of rounds from the regular season. I remember reading many articles each season about that very topic while I was an AHL fan in Hartford. The only time our attendance didn't drop too dramatically was in the early years of the franchise when New Haven met us in the first round, but even then I remember attendance was off from the regular season and by the time we had advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals against Saint John...there weren't many people in the building at all for the elimination game of that series.
You can follow the links from ESPN to both the Milwaukee Ads site, and the OnMilwaukee.com site, where some of the Ads players have weblog articles about their day - to -day life/playoff experiences (O'Reilly, Brookbank, Noel, etc...) Usually the games are streamed live as well. You can get Aaron Sims play - by - play through links at ESPN, or MilwaukeeAdmirals.com
Next game Sunday 4 - 22 - 07 at 4:00 p.m. CST @ Chicago.
