SAN ANTONIO (WITI) -- Defenseman Jesse Blacker scored the game-winner just 18 seconds into overtime to lead the San Antonio Rampage to a 3-2 win over the Milwaukee Admirals Wednesday night, March 11th.
Blacker received a pass on the left faceoff dot, just to the right of Admirals netminder Marek Mazanec. Blacker fired a shot past Mazanec for the win. The loss was Milwaukee’s third straight, although the Admirals do gain a point in the standings.
Admirals forward Mark Van Guilder played his 367th game as an Admiral, which moved him past former teammate Scott Ford into first place on the Admirals AHL games list.
San Antonio grabbed the first lead of the game when Rampage forward Brett Olson scored a shorthanded goal at 14:58 of the second period. Olson’s shot from just across the Admirals blue line sailed over the glove of Mazanec into the net. It was the ninth shorthanded goal Milwaukee allowed this season.
Exactly two minutes later, Milwaukee’s Van Guilder tied the game when he slammed a rebound of a Johan Alm shot past Rampage goalie Michael Houser. It was Van Guilder’s eighth goal of the season and Alm recorded the only assist.
The Rampage reclaimed the lead at 8:55 of the third period when a Corban Knight pass bounced off the skate of San Antonio forward Dany Heatley past Mazanec.
The Admirals responded in short order once again. Viktor Arvidsson got the puck into the right wing corner where Austin Watson sent a shot off the back of Houser’s glove into the net. The goal was Watson’s 20th of the season, his third straight 20-goal campaign in the AHL.
The Admirals visit the Texas Stars Saturday, March 14th.
Milwaukee returns to the BMO Harris Bradley Center to host Texas Saturday, March 21st at 7:00 p.m.