Admirals inch closer to playoff berth, beat Rampage 6-1

MILWAUKEE -- The Admirals turned a tie game into a 6-1 victory with five goals in the final 10:15 of the third period as they inched closer to a berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs on Wednesday morning in front of more than 9,000 kids at their second Baird School Day Game.

The Ads will become the first team in the AHL to clinch a playoff spot if both Texas and Grand Rapids lose in regulation tonight. Milwaukee’s win today gives them 90 points on the season, the first team in the league to break that barrier and it marks 12th time in the past 19 campaigns that they have done it.

The Admirals balanced scoring attack featured goals from six different players, while Daniel Carr, (1g-1a), Anthony Richard (1g-1a), Tommy Novak (2a), and Jeremy Davies (2a) each posted multi-point efforts.

Troy Grosenick stopped 28 shots to earn his 20th win of the season. Grosenick and Connor Ingram (21 wins) are now the first goaltending duo to each earn 20 wins in a season since Brian Finley and Wade Flaherty both did it back in the 2003-04 season.

After a scoreless first period, Milwaukee got on the board on Carr’s team-leading 23rd goal of the season just 1:34 into the second. The play started when Davies skated the puck deep into the San Antonio zone and fired a shot that was saved by Adam Wilcox, but the puck when right to Carr in the slot and he fired it high into the net for a 1-0 advantage.

The score stayed that way until the Rampage tied things up on a Joey LaLeggia power-play tally at the 8:08 mark of the third period.

The Ads responded quickly, scoring three times in a 4:11 stretch to turn a tie game into a 4-1 advantage. The first tally game via the power play when Eeli Tolvanen scored for the third time in the past two games against San Antonio.

That was followed by goals from Cole Schneider at 12:28 and Mathieu Olivier at 13:56 to give the Admirals a three-goal advantage.

Richard’s empty netter and a deflection from Michael McCarron finished the scoring Milwaukee topped San Antonio for the second time in the past four days.

The Admirals continue their three-game homestand when they play host the Manitoba Moose for a pair of games this weekend, beginning Friday night at 7 pm at Panther Arena.