Admirals hold off Rampage; breaking tie to secure 5-4 win

MILWAUKEE -- Jimmy Oligny's first goal of the season with 5:04 remaining in the game broke a 4-4 tie and helped the Admirals to a 5-4 win over the San Antonio Rampage on Monday night, December 12th at Panther Arena.

Oligny's heroics were only necessary after the Rampage stormed back from a three-goal third period deficit. But just 1:19 after San Antonio's Rocco Grimaldi tied the game at four, Oligny sent a wrister from the bottom of the right circle that went over the shoulder of goalie Kent Simpson.

The Admirals jumped out to an early lead on a power-play goal by Captain Trevor Smith just 2:18 into the contest. Harry Zolnierczyk took a shot from the left dot that caromed off pads in front of the net and right to Smith, who had a wide open net to score his seventh goal of the year.

Vladislav Kamenev put forth a Goal-of-the-Year candidate to put the Ads up two. Kamenev skated into the Rampage zone and then toe-dragged around a San Antonio defenseman before firing a wrister that beat goalie Kent Simpson over his left shoulder.

Cody Corbett cut the Milwaukee lead in half with his first goal of the season with 4:32 remaining in the first.

The only goal of the second period came from a nifty counter-attack while the Ads were on the penalty kill. Pontus Aberg sent the puck out of the Ads zone to Kamenev at neutral. Kamenev then skated over the blue line, dropped a pass for Matt White, who then found a streaking Aberg for his sixth goal of the season and the team's second shortie of the year.

Jonathan Diaby scored his first goal as an Admiral at the 4:31 mark of the third period to push the team's lead to 4-1.

However, three goals by the Rampage in just over six minutes in the third period tied the game, setting the stage for Oligny's game-winner.

The Admirals now hit the road for a four-game road trip beginning with a pair of contests in Austin against the Stars this weekend.

The Ads don't return home until after the Christmas break when they will play host to the Chicago Wolves at 7:00 p.m. on December 26th.