Rockford, IL–Kieffer Bellows posted a three-point game to lead the Milwaukee Admirals to a 3-1 win over the Rockford IceHogs Tuesday at BMO Center.

With the win, the Admirals moved into a tie with the Texas Stars for first place in the Central Division. Both teams have 55 points. Texas has played 43 games while the Admirals have played 46. Milwaukee has won three straight. Rockford dropped its third straight game.

Milwaukee scored goals on each of the team’s first two shots of the game. The first came at 3:49 of the first period. As the Admirals entered the Rockford zone, Cal O’Reilly caught an Anders Bjork pass in the right circle and quickly backhanded a shot into the net for his sixth goal of the season. Bjork and Bellows had the assists.

Bellows scored on the power play at 5:42 of the first period to give the Admirals a 2-0 lead. Joakim Kemell tied up an IceHogs defender behind the goal. Ryan Ufko tapped the loose puck to the left post and Bellows backed his way to the slot before snapping a wrist shot high into the net for his 13th goal of the year. It was his fifth on the power play.

Rockford scored a power play goal of its own to cut the deficit in half at :48 of the third frame. Zach Sanford won a face-off and Artyom Levshunov fired a shot from the point over the right shoulder of Murray to make the score 2-1.

Bellows scored an empty-net goal with a backhander from the Admirals blue line at 19:57 of the third period to seal the Admirals win.

Ads goalie Matt Murray won his sixth consecutive game with 26 saves.

The Admirals return to action Thurs., Feb. 13 when the team hosts Springfield at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.