Admirals edge the Icehogs in a shootout, 6-5

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The Admirals came away with their third straight win over the Rockford Icehogs Friday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center after the Ads scored three goals in the shoot-out for a 6-5 final. Marek Mazanec stopped all three of the Rockford attempts he saw, to earn his first career shoot-out victory.

Milwaukee and Rockford were evenly matched throughout the game, but Milwaukee earned the victory and were able to come within one point of tying Rockford for seventh place in the conference.

Playing in just his second game with the Admirals, Francis Wathier scored his first goal with Milwaukee only 1:05 into the game to stake Milwaukee to an early 1-0 lead. In line with the net, Mark Van Guilder fed the puck up to Wathier on the left dot, who ripped one past Jason LaBarbera for the tally.

Rockford's Jeremy Morin answered back with two straight goals for the IceHogs to put them up 1-0. The first came at the 4:41 mark, while the second was on a one-timer from the left dot with the Hogs on the power-play at 10:33.

Thirty seconds after Morin's second goal, Mark Van Guilder fired back with a shot that tied up the game at two apiece. From the goal line, Whatier passed up to Anthony Bitetto at the blue line, whose shot was redirected by Van Guilder past LaBarbera.

Rockford took the lead at 13:03 when Brad Mills scored, but the Hogs' 3-2 gain was short lived. A pair of Admirals goals just 17 seconds apart by Patrick Cehlin and Vinny Saponari put the Ads back on top, 4-3, at the end of a wild first period.

The first came from Cehlin at 16:58 when he, Filip Forsberg and Taylor Beck took back-to-back-to-back shots on LaBarbera, and Cehlin was able to get the final one past the Rockford netminder.

Only 17 seconds later Austin Watson came away with an IceHogs turnover and fed Taylor Beck in front of the net. Beck's shot bounced off LaBarbera's left pad but and Saponari was there to cram it home.

Rockford's Joakim Nordstrom scored the lone goal of the second period at 3:05. Nordstrom's goal locked the two teams back into a tie game at 4-4.

The Admirals took a 5-4 lead early in the third period with a shot from Calle Jarnkrok at the 3:42 mark. Assisted by Forsberg and Cehlin, a quick shot by Jarnkrok from the bottom of the left circle beat LaBarbera stick side.

Tying up the game for the last time in the night's match-up, Brad Mills scored a power-play goal for the IceHogs at 5:33 and pushed the game into overtime.

After neither team was able to find the back of the net in overtime, Mathieu Tousignant scored first in the shoot-out for the Admirals, followed by goals from both Beck and Saponari. Marek Mazanec stopped all three shots he faced from the Hogs to give the Ads the two points.

The Admirals are back in action on Saturday, March 15 to take on the San Antonio Rampage at 7:00 pm at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.