Admirals get back on winning track, beat Checkers 5-2
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- Pontus Aberg scored two goals and goalie Jonas Gunnarsson stopped 32 shots to lead the Admirals to a 5-2 win over the Charlotte Checkers Tuesday night, February 28th at Bojangles’ Coliseum
The Admirals improved to 7-0-0-0 all-time at Bojangles’ Coliseum. Milwaukee finished the game with three power play goals in five attempts while killing all five Charlotte power play chances.
Gunnarsson started his first game since Feb. 12 and picked up his third win of the season. Two have come against the Checkers.
With career goals 57 and 58, Aberg passed 9th-place Timofei Shishkanov and tied Colton Sissons for eighth place on the Ads AHL goals list.
Aberg scored a power play goal at 17:40 of the first period to give his team a 1-0 lead. Trevor Smith was able to move the puck away from pressure on the right wing boards to Frederick Gaudreau. Gaudreau slid a pass from the right circle to Aberg in the left circle. Aberg sent a wrist shot past goalie Daniel Altshuller for his 16th goal of the season and seventh on the power play.
The Admirals made it 2-0 at 4:05 of the second period when Derek Army scored his seventh goal of the season after a neutral-zone turnover led to a breakaway. Anthony Richard stole the puck at center and found Army coming off the Ads bench. Army’s shot beat Altshuller to the stick side.
Charlotte’s Andrew Miller put his team on the board with a backhanded goal at 15:59 of the second period.
Milwaukee reclaimed a two-goal advantage when Aberg scored his second of the game at 18:05 of the second frame. Aberg’s shot from the middle of the blue line deflected off a defender’s stick and into the net for his 17th goal of the season. Smith and Matt White recorded helpers.
The Checkers closed the gap to one when Connor Brickley finished off a 2-on-1 break at 19:14 of the second period with his sixth goal of the year.
Milwaukee scored a pair of power play goals in the third period. First, Frederick Gaudreau tapped a puck into the net at 1:31 of the third period for his 16th goal of the season and sixth power play goal. Aberg had an open look from the slot but fired a slap shot wide of the net. The puck bounced hard off the end boards to Gaudreau at the right post for the tap-in.
Adam Payerl scored his career high 14th goal at 7:36 of the third. Payerl followed his own shot to plant the rebound for another Ads power play tally. Justin Kirkland and White recorded the assists.
The Admirals conclude a four-game road trip with a game at Charlotte Wed., Mar. 1. Milwaukee returns to UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena Sat., Mar. 4 against Manitoba.