Admirals happy as pi with 4-3 win over IceHogs
ROCKFORD, Illinois -- Pontus Aberg scored two goals, including the winner in overtime, to lead the Milwaukee Admirals to a 4-3 win over the Rockford IceHogs Tuesday night at BMO Harris Bank Center.
Aberg scored the game-winner with 10.8 seconds left in overtime. He shot the puck from the slot and it was blocked off a defender back to his stick. Aberg skated right and sent the puck past a sprawling Rockford goalie Jeff Glass for the winner.
The goals for Aberg were numbers 63 and 64 in his Admirals career. He is now tied for sixth on the Admirals AHL list with Greg Classen.
Admirals goalie Marek Mazanec stopped 38 shots to earn his 19th win of the season. Mazanec has won 74 career games with 23 of those wins against the IceHogs.
Rockford got on the board first with a power play goal at 6:54 of the first period. Ville Pokka slapped a pass from the right point into the slot where Brandon Mashinter redirected the puck towards the net. It bounced off IceHogs teammate Kyle Baun in front of the goal. It was Baun’s 12th goal of the season.
Milwaukee tied the game at 10:44 of the first period. The Ads forced as turnover at the Rockford blue line and the puck ricocheted toward the left circle in the IceHogs zone. Matt White grabbed possession and slid a pass in front of the net to the right post where Aberg tapped it in for his 22nd goal of the season.
The IceHogs reclaimed the lead when Vinnie Hinostroza finished a 3-on-2 rush with his second goal of the season at 14:08.
The Ads tied the game again with a shorthanded goal by Justin Florek at 15:53 of the second frame. Trevor Smith stole a pass inside the Admirals blue line and headed up ice with Florek on a 2-on-1 rush. Smith got a shot to the goal which was turned aside but Florek was able to gently slide the loose puck into the net for his eighth goal of the season. It was his first shorthanded tally of the year and Milwaukee’s third as a team.
White gave Milwaukee a 3-2 lead with a power play goal at 10:26 of the third period. The goal, White’s 12th of the season and third on the power play, was assisted by Adam Payerl and Stephen Perfetto.
Rockford force overtime with a goal at 18:21 of the third period. The IceHogs pulled goalie Jeff Glass with 1:52 remaining in the game and set up an offensive zone faceoff. Tyler Motte won the draw to Hinostroza who wristed the shot into the net for his second goal of the game.
The Admirals improved to 6-1-1-1 against the IceHogs this season.