Exhausting. Draining. Exhilarating.

Those are three words to describe the just-concluded Calder Cup West Division Semifinal series against the Texas Stars. This was a fantastic set of games that were tight all the way through. There were certainly any number of gritty performances by players on both teams but I would like to highlight the performance of Admirals goaltender Jeremy Smith.

Smitty was outstanding. He made a ton of game-saving saves and kept us in every game. He’s come a long way since starting the season in Cincinnati. His athleticism and tenacity in the goal have really elevated over the past two months. It’s great to see and a big reason why we’ve been able to advance to the West Division Finals.

Our matchup with Houston starting on Friday night should be another tight series. I don’t think anything is going to come easy during the 2011 playoff season but fortunately we have a resilient group of athletes and a tremendous leadership group who make this team special.

Thanks to our great fans as well. We had a fantastic first round which included an Admirals AHL playoff record attendance of 6,819 in game two. I’ve said this before and I will continue to say it. You DO make a difference at the games. The energy you bring elevates our team’s energy level. Keep bringing it! We need you!

Go Admirals!