Admirals Fall at Manchester
Feb 4, 2008
Cody Franson notched his first career two-goal game, but it was for naught as the Milwaukee Admirals lost in Manchester to the Monarchs, 5-4.
The game was the first between the teams in Manchester and the second all-time.
The lone goal of the first period was scored by Manchester’s Vladimir Dravecky. Trevor Lewis sped along the right wing wall with the puck and chipped it past Milwaukee defenseman Janne Niskala once he hit the Admirals line. Lewis got around Niskala and fired a perfect pass into the slot where Dravecky, all alone, directed the pass over Pekka Rinne’s right shoulder.
Milwaukee tied the game early in the second with a power play goal from Josh Langfeld. Cal O’Reilly gave the puck to Niskala in the left circle. His shot was blocked by Manchester goalie Dan Cloutier but the rebound came to Langfeld who tallied his 16th of the year, third on the power play. Niskala and O’Reilly notched assists on the goal scored at 3:45 of the second period.
The Monarchs took the lead with a power play goal of its own. John Zeiler tipped a shot from the point past Rinne for the go-ahead at 5:29.
Milwaukee tied the game just 3:14 later. John Laliberte, carrying the puck along the right wing boards, tried to dump the puck from the Manchester blue line. The chip hit the linesman’s skate, but stayed in the Monarchs zone. Laliberte reached back, passed the puck to Alex Sulzer in the left circle, whose shot was tapped to Franson. Franson’s shot beat Cloutier high to the stick side for his seventh goal of the year. Sulzer and Laliberte recorded the helpers.
The Admirals took the lead for the first time with 2:30 to go in the period when, again on the power play, Franson slapped a shot low to the ice that beat Cloutier to his glove side. Kelsey Wilson and Matt Ellison recorded the assists. The goal marked Franson’s first professional two-goal game.
Manchester tied the score with 56 seconds to go in the period when Teddy Purcell caught a pass from Kevin Dallman and one-timed a shot past Rinne for his 16th of the year.
The Monarchs took the lead with another power play goal at 3:30 of the third. Gabe Gauthier slid a rebound between the legs of Rinne for his 11th power play goal of the season, 17th overall.
Manchester scored its fifth with another goal from Dravecky, this time with a wrist shot from the right circle at 6:08.
The Admirals got within one at 6:23 when Mike Santorelli crashed the net and knocked in a rebound from Andreas Thuresson. It was Santorelli’s 14th of the year.
The Admirals play at Providence Wednesday night at 6 p.m. CST.
