Marek Mazanec earns shutout in Admirals' win over Charlotte Checkers; Ads snap 4-game losing skid

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- Goalie Marek Mazanec stopped 20 shots to lead the Milwaukee Admirals to a 3-0 win over the Charlotte Checkers Tuesday night at Bojangles’ Coliseum.

The win snapped a four-game losing skid for Milwaukee. The Admirals were able to avoid its first five-game regulation time losing streak since Jan. 2012 with the win. Milwaukee improved to 5-0-0-0 all-time at Bojangles’ Coliseum.

Mazanec earned his first shutout of the 2016-17 season and the ninth of his career. He tied Mark Dekanich on the Ads AHL shutouts list. Only Brian Finley (15), Pekka Rinne (10) and Magnus Hellberg (10) have more. Mazanec joins fellow goalies Juuse Saros and Jonas Gunnarsson as Ads netminders with shutouts this year. The last time Milwaukee had three goalies record a shutout in the same season was 2006-07 (Rinne, Karl Goehring and Scott Reid).

Milwaukee scored the first goal of the game at 2:45 of the first period. Checkers defenseman Roland McKeown tried to pass through the slot in the Checkers zone and put the puck right on the stick of Ads forward Derek Army. Army, who caught the puck right in front of the crease, shot the puck into the net for his third goal of the season.

Charlotte scored what appeared to be the tying goal at 10:05 of the second period when Phil DiGiuseppe shot the puck from the right corner along the goal line. The puck ended up in the net but Mazanec argued the puck went in under the goal, not past him and the goal line. After a video review, the referees agreed with Mazanec and the game remained in Milwaukee’s favor.

The Ads then snapped a 0/20 stretch on the power play with Matt White’s goal at 16:37 of the second period. Adam Payerl won a battle in the Checkers right circle for a loose puck then snapped a pass to a wide-open White in front of the Checkers goal. White tapped the pass into the net for his ninth goal of the season, second on the power play. It gave the Admirals a 2-0 edge.

Milwaukee closed the scoring at 11:13 of the third period when Trevor Murphy slapped a shot from the right point into the net for his eighth goal of the season. Anthony Richard earned his first AHL point with an assist on the play.

The Admirals visit Charlotte again Wed., Jan. 18. Milwaukee’s next game at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena will be Tues., Jan. 24 against Cleveland.