GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Milwaukee Admirals’ battleship plowed to its ninth straight victory on Friday, rallying in the third period on goals by Alexandre Carrier and Daniel Carr to overcome Grand Rapids’ 36-24 shot advantage and edge the Griffins by a 3-2 count at Van Andel Arena.
The Central Division-leading Admirals, whose last loss came three weeks ago at home against Iowa, also claimed their sixth straight road win, as they last tasted defeat in unfriendly confines on Oct. 23 at Van Andel Arena.
Grand Rapids (9-8-1-1) will look to earn a draw of its weekend set against the Admirals (13-3-1-2) on Saturday in a 7 p.m. EST start at Panther Arena.
The Griffins had the upper hand in the early going, drawing a pair of penalties and outshooting the Admirals by a 7-1 count over the first 7:03, but it was the visitors who took advantage of that second Grand Rapids power play to score the game’s first goal. A turnover at the right point enabled Cole Schneider to chip the puck down the ice, and Laurent Dauphin caught up to it above the left circle before cutting in and snapping a shot through Calvin Pickard’s five-hole at 7:50. It marked the AHL-high sixth shorthanded goal surrendered by the Griffins this season.
Grand Rapids headed to the locker room with that one-goal deficit despite outgunning Milwaukee 15-6 for the period, as Connor Ingram showed why he ranks among the AHL’s early-season goaltending leaders by helping deny all three Griffins power plays.
Jarid Lukosevicius cashed in on a breakaway 2:01 into the second to knot the score. He blocked a shot at the right point and was off to the races, eventually firing a shot from the edge of the right circle that bounced off both Ingram and the crossbar before falling across the line.
The Griffins’ penalty killers took center stage with 14:12 left in the period, killing off 1:31 of a Milwaukee 5-on-3 to maintain the 1-1 ledger. Grand Rapids then took its only lead with 3:29 remaining during a delayed penalty, as Filip Zadina found a carom along the right goal line and banked a backhand off Ingram to extend his point streak to six games (4-4—8), one shy of his careerhigh.
Milwaukee’s top-ranked power play would not be denied on its fourth and final chance, as Carrier’s rocket from the point sailed past Pickard’s glove 2:38 into the final frame to produce the second tie of the night. Carr, the reigning AHL MVP, ensured that the deadlock did not last long, as he crashed the right post to pot Tommy Novak’s pass and put the Admirals back on top at 3-2 with 11:35 remaining.
Grand Rapids outshot Milwaukee 6-1 over the duration – nearly mirroring its advantage from the game’s start – but Ingram shut the door en route to finishing with 34 saves. Pickard made 21 stops and saw his personal four-game winning streak snapped.
Milwaukee killed off each of Grand Rapids’ five power plays.
Three Stars: 1. MIL Carr (game-winning goal, assist); 2. MIL Ingram (W, 34 saves); 3. GR Zadina (goal)
[Post content courtesy of the Grand Rapids Griffins]
