Rosemont, IL – Yaroslav Askarov stopped shots in regulation and overtime and all 12 Chicago shoot-out attempts as the Admirals won for the fifth consecutive game with a 2-1 final over the Wolves on Wednesday afternoon.
The win moved the Ads into a first place tie with Texas atop the Central Division. The two teams will square off in a pair of games this weekend.
The win for Askarov was his fourth straight and it was the third consecutive game that he has gone to a shoot-out. In those three contests he has stopped a remarkable 27 of 29 attempts. His record now stands at 18-9-3, which is tied for third in the AHL in wins.
After nearly 55 minutes of scoreless hockey, Jamison Rees put the Wolves up 1-0 when he found a loose puck in the slot and flipped a backhand over the shoulder of Askarov with 5:11 to go.
Milwaukee struck back with 2:03 to play on Markus Nurmi’s 13th of the season. With Askarov coming off the ice in favor of an extra attacker, Nurmi crashed backdoor and took a pass from Spencer Stastney and pushed it by Chicago netminder Pyotr Kochetkov.
After 23 attempts by both teams in the shoot-out, Michael McCarron finally converted, faking a slap shot on Kochetkov before sending a wrister over his blocker to claim the win.
The Admirals return to Panther Arena to play host to the Stars in a pair of games this weekend beginning Saturday night at 6 pm.
