Milwaukee Powers Past Wolves
Mar 1, 2008
Milwaukee scored five power play goals on seven attempts, three in the third, to defeat the Chicago Wolves Saturday at Allstate Arena, 6-4.
Admirals center Rich Peverley recorded a four-point night to lead the Admirals.
The game was the final regular season meeting of the season between the teams. Milwaukee finished 4-4-2-0 against the first place Wolves.
Milwaukee struck first in the game when Mike Santorelli used his speed to score a power play goal at 14:07 of the first. Peverley made an outlet pass from the right corner in the Admirals zone to Jason Guerriero at center. Guerriero, facing the Milwaukee goal, swept a pass to his left for Santorelli. The rookie forward cruised around Chicago defender Grant Lewis and lifted a shot over Wolves goalie Robert Gherson for his 16th goal of the season, seventh on the power play. Guerriero and Peverley earned the assists. The goal was Santorelli’s first in nine games.
Just 11 seconds later, Milwaukee’s Nolan Yonkman went to the box for holding. At 16:15 of the first period, with just three seconds left on the penalty, the Wolves tied the game when Kevin Doell converted on a 3-on-2 chance.
Milwaukee went back on the power play at 18:44 when Chicago’s Colin Stuart tripped Mark Matheson in the Admirals zone. Off the draw in Chicago’s end of the ice, Janne Niskala passed to Cody Franson at the right circle. Franson sent a pass to the left circle where Peverley unloaded a wristshot over Gherson’s right shoulder for his 11th goal of the season, fourth on the power play. Franson and Niskala got the assists.
Chicago scored the lone goal of the second as Matt Anderson scored his first goal of the season, finishing another rush for the Wolves. Anderson caught a pass as he moved down the Admirals slot. He deked to his right around Milwaukee goalie Pekka Rinne and tucked the puck into the net.
In the third, the Admirals took the lead on another power play goal, this one from John Laliberte. As Peverley carried the puck to the right circle, he fired a shot on Gherson. The rebound caromed to Laliberte in the left circle for the bang-bang goal. It was Laliberte’s third goal of the year, first on the power play. Peverley and Santorelli notched helpers on the goal scored at 4:27 of the third.
Chicago’s Lewis was whistled for tripping at 4:54 to put the Admirals back on the power play. At 5:22, Niskala received a pass in the slot from Peverley and roofed a slapshot over Gherson’s right shoulder for his 18th goal of the season, tenth on the power play. Peverley and Guerriero recorded the assists.
Milwaukee tallied its fifth power play goal at 15:40 of the third. Antti Pihlstrom’s shot from the right post was stopped by Gheson. Pihlstrom tracked down the rebound, went around the Wolves net and found Matt Ellison at the bottom of the left circle for an easy goal. It was Ellison’s 19th of the season and fourth on the power play. Pihlstrom and Cal O’Reilly recorded the helpers.
Chicago fought back, scoring twice in 68 seconds. Milwaukee’s Santorelli took a necessary penalty, taking down Chicago’s Jason Krog in front of an empty Milwaukee net, to put the Wolves on the power play at 16:48. Nine seconds into the power play, Krog tipped a shot from the blue line over Rinne’s shoulder to make the game 5-3.
Brett Sterling scored with 1:55 left to get the Wolves within one.
Chicago pulled Gherson with 1:15 left. While in the Milwaukee zone, Nolan Yonkman knocked the puck loose on the left wing boards where it was picked up by Pihlstrom. Pihlstrom skated to Chicago’s blue line and flipped a shot into the empty net with 39.1 seconds to play. The goal was Pihlstrom’s team-leading 21st of the season. Yonkman notched the lone assist.
The Admirals next game is Thursday, March 6, as they host Grand Rapids. Faceoff is at 7 p.m.
