Admirals drop shoot-out contest to Texas, battle back to earn point

MILWAUKEE -- The Admirals battled back from a two-goal deficit to earn a point in a 3-2 shoot-out loss to the Texas Stars on Friday night, Feb. 7, at Panther Arena. The loss was the second straight for the Ads, but Milwaukee has still yet to lose consecutive games in regulation this season.

Texas jumped out to a two-goal lead beginning with Tanner Kero’s seventh of the season at the 8:30 mark of the first period.

Then just 1:08 into the second period Oula Palve finished off a two-on-one when took a feed from Tero and sent a one-timer over a prone Connor Ingram for a 2-0 Texas advantage.

However, Michael McCarron would cut that lead in half with an impressive display of hand-eye coordination for the Ads with just over seven minutes to play in the sandwich frame. An attempted clearing pass by the Stars from in front of the net hit Anthony Richard in the chest and bounced in the air, which is where Richard swatted it forward and before the puck found the ice again McCarron batted it through the legs of Texas goalie Landon Bow.

The Admirals tied the score with less than a minute to play in the second period when Tommy Novak converted pretty passing play for his ninth goal of the season. Novak started the play from down at the bottom of the right circle and then passed up to Matt Donovan at the point. Donovan immediately sent a pass over to Alex Carrier along the blueline, who sent it back down to Novak who had a wide-open net.

The score would stay that way for the third period and overtime before heading to a shootout. Freddy Gaudreau was the only Admiral to score in the shoot-out, while the Stars Jason Robertson and Joel L’Esperance connected on their tries to pick up the win.

Bow stopped 34 shots in goal for Texas, including many grade-A chances by the Admirals, to pick up the win, while Ingram stopped 35 shots of his own, marking the sixth straight game that he has allowed two or fewer goals.

The Admirals now have a rare weekend off as they don’t get back on the ice until hosting the Stars again next Wednesday, February 12 at 7 pm at Panther Arena.