Milwaukee Completes Weekend Sweep

Nov 1, 2008

The Milwaukee Admirals completed a successful weekend, collecting four points from the Grand Rapids Griffins after a 5-4 win at Van Andel Arena Saturday night.

 

In a game reminiscent of a February matchup last season between the teams, Milwaukee scored five goals in the first period and held on for the win. It was Grand Rapids first loss in regulation this season.

 

Tom Galvin put Grand Rapids on the board with a shot from the point at 2:15, but the Admirals tied it 13 seconds later. On a faceoff to the left of Griffins goalie Daniel Larsson, Cal O’Reilly pushed the draw to the left point where Robert Dietrich fired a slapshot over Larsson’s glove for his second of the season and second in as many nights. Dietrich had scored the overtime game winner the previous evening against Grand Rapids at the Bradley Center.

 

Milwaukee took the lead at 3:41 when Andreas Thuresson scored his second of the season with assists going to O’Reilly and Teemu Laakso.

 

Grand Rapids tied the game at 10:32 on a shot from Mattias Ritola that was deflected off an Admirals player past Milwaukee goalie Drew MacIntyre.

 

The Admirals reclaimed the lead at 14:33 when Nick Spaling, standing in front of Larsson, tipped a Dietrich shot into the net for his second of the season. Dietrich and Tim Ramholt notched the assists.

 

Spaling scored again just 92 seconds later with Triston Grant and Ryan Maki recording the assists. The point was the first for both Grant and Maki this season. Maki played the puck from the left corner to Grant behind the net. Grant found Spaling at the right post for the goal and chased Larsson from the game.

 

New Griffins goalie Jimmy Howard fared no better to finish the first. Ramholt’s pass from the Milwaukee zone found Hugh Jessiman on the right wing. He carried the puck into the offensive zone and passed to O’Reilly, who fired a wrist shot past Howard for his fourth of the season. Jessiman earned his first Admirals point and Ramholt also notched a helper.

 

Grand Rapids scored two power play goals in the second to get within a goal. Landon Wilson scored both, the first a 5-on-3 tally at 4:24. The second was scored just 20 seconds later on a similar backdoor pass.

 

MacIntyre stopped 34 shots in the game.

 

The Admirals return home Nov. 7 against San Antonio. Faceoff is at 7 p.m.