Admirals Sweep Canadian Trip

Dec 6, 2008

Mike Santorelli extended his goals streak to six games and his points streak to nine games and defenseman Alex Sulzer scored two power play goals as the Milwaukee Admirals downed the Toronto Marlies Saturday at Ricoh Coliseum, 6-2.

 

The Admirals also received goals from Nick Spaling, Ryan Jones and Andreas Thuresson. Cal O’Reilly recorded three assists. Goalie Mark Dekanich stopped 31 shots to pick up the win. The win was Milwaukee’s sixth straight over the Marlies.

 

After stopping 20 of 21 shots in relief Thursday to beat Hamilton, Dekanich got the nod to start his second straight game. Due to an injury to Nashville goalie Dan Ellis, the scheduled starter for the Admirals, Drew MacIntyre, was recalled by the Predators after the morning skate. Dekanich got stronger as the game wore on, stopping 20 shots in the third period.

 

Toronto’s Ben Ondrus scored the lone goal of the first period. Darryl Boyce tried to carry the puck from the right wing boards into the slot. The puck was knocked away by Milwaukee’s Triston Grant to Marlies defenseman Phil Oreskovic at the right point. His first shot was blocked by a sliding Spaling but the second shot was tipped past Dekanich by Ondrus at 19:08.

 

The Admirals tied the game at 2:17 of the second period on the power play. O’Reilly fed a pass from the right circle to Santorelli in the left circle. Santorelli passed to Sulzer at the point for a wristshot that got past Marlies goalie Adam Munro. It was Sulzer’s second goal of the season and first on the power play. The Marlies took the lead with a power play goal at 4:04 of the second period when Jiri Tlusty knocked the puck into the net with his right skate.

 

It was all Milwaukee after that. Munro went behind his net to play the puck, but he fired it right into Thuresson’s shins. Thuresson fed Spaling who slapped the puck past Munro for his fourth goal of the season at 6:40 of the second.

 

The Admirals took the lead for good with 11.9 seconds left in the second period when Sulzer fluttered a shot toward the net from the middle of the blue line while on another power play. The shot eluded Munro and gave Sulzer his second goal of the night with assists to Santorelli and O’Reilly once again.

 

Jones gave the Admirals a 4-2 lead at 1:52 of the third period. A couple Toronto defenders tried to play the body but Jones took the puck and stuffed his fifth goal of the season past Munro. The goal was unassisted.

 

Santorelli scored a power play goal to make it 5-2 at 7:50 of the third. He caught a pass from Sulzer at center ice and split the defensemen on his way to the net where his shot zoomed past Munro. It was Santorelli’s eighth goal of the season, fourth on the power play and it marked the sixth straight game he scored a goal, tying the longest streak in the AHL this season. Sulzer and O’Reilly notched the helpers.

 

The final goal came at 8:42 of the third when Thuresson flew past a defender and roofed a shot over Munro. Spaling and Mark Matheson picked up the assists.

 

The Admirals improved to 13-7-0-1 (27 points) and are 8-3-0-1 when the opponent scores the first goal of the game.

 

Milwaukee plays at Quad City Wednesday.