The numbers:

 

2…the number of overtime periods played in game six

 

90:42…the time of the game

 

104…the combined shots on goal for the teams (54 for Texas)

 

32…the number of saves Admirals goalie Jeremy Smith made in the overtime sessions in games five & six, both Admirals wins

 

52…saves by Smith in game six, 19 in overtime

 

What a great series. Milwaukee won three straight to knock off the defending Western Conference Champs. Two of the games were decided in overtime.

 

Mark Van Guilder scored two game-winners in the series. He said during the postgame show that the game six double-OT winner may have been the biggest goal of his life.

 

The play that led to the game-winner was quite remarkable. Ryan Thang was tripped by defenseman Brad Lukowich and no penalty was coming. Thang got up and was able to get the puck away from Lukowich and get a good shot on goalie Richard Bachman. The rebound came to Van Guilder for the bury. Thang showed a very cool head. It’d been easy to chirp the referee for not making the tripping call. Instead, he went to the net and assisted on the series-clincher. A cooler head prevailed.

 

Teemu Laakso and Roman Josi were awesome in the series. I didn’t like a couple penalties Mike Bartlett took in game six, but he was hitting everything in sight over the last few games.

 

It was great to see Andreas Thuresson notch his first goal of the playoffs. Thuresson led the Admirals with nine points in seven playoff games last season.

 

Texas clearly was the better team in the first overtime, outshooting the Admirals 13-2. However, goalie Smith was the best player on the ice, denying all 13 shots.

 

Game six was the first series Milwaukee clinched on home ice since defeating Grand Rapids in the Western Conference Finals in 2006.

 

I need to give a tip of the cap to the Stars, too. I really like that team and its coaches. Travis Morin and Raymond Sawada had great series. Defenseman Brenden Dillon was terrific. So was goalie Richard Bachman.

 

Next up is Houston. Milwaukee went 4-0-1-1 against the Aeros this season, outscoring Houston 18-13 in those six games. Two games were decided in a shootout, with each club winning one.

 

You’ll remember Houston ended Milwaukee’s season in 2009 with a 4-3 series win in the Division Finals. Only five Houston players were on that team: Justin Falk, Maxim Noreau, Marco Scandella, Robbie Earl and Matt Kassian. Houston forward Jed Ortmeyer played for the Admirals in that 2009 series. Of the Admirals current roster, only Scott Ford, Thuresson and Kelsey Wilson played in that 2009 series.

 

Game one is Friday at 7pm. Hope to see you at the Bradley Center.

 

Oh, by the way...

 

The Ontario Hockey League announced that for the second time in his career Ryan Ellis of the Windsor Spitfires is the recipient of the Max Kaminsky Trophy awarded to the OHL’s Most Outstanding Defenseman of the Year. Ellis is a first-round pick of Milwaukee's parent club, Nashville. He led all defencemen in scoring and finished tied for fourth overall in the OHL with 101 points in 58 games scoring 24 goals and 77 assists.  He became the first defenceman to score 100 points in a season since Jamie Rivers of the Sudbury Wolves recorded 121 points in his award-winning 1993-94 campaign.  A three-time finalist, Ellis won the award for the first time in his sophomore 2008-09 season and becomes just the third defenceman in OHL history to win the award twice following Denis Potvin (Ottawa 1972 and 73), and Bryan Berard (Detroit 1995 and 96).

 

Since the Aeros are next, I leave you with the great Dean Martin.