MILWAUKEE -- One game after being shutout for the first time this season, the Milwaukee Admirals offense erupted for six goals from six different players to take a 6-3 win over the Lake Erie Monsters on Friday night at the Bradley Center. The win snapped a brief two-game losing streak for the Admirals and put a share of first-place on the line Saturday night against the Charlotte Checkers, who lead the Ads by two points in the Midwest Division.
The Admirals jumped out to a 1-0 lead after the first period on Michael Latta's 11th goal of the season at the 8:55 mark. Ads defenseman Victor Bartley took the puck from the Milwaukee zone and fired it up ice to Blake Geoffrion, who sent a quick pass to a speeding Latta. Latta skated into the Ads zone and then fired a wrister top shelf over the shoulder of Lake Erie goalie Trevor Cann.
A busy second period saw the Admirals post four goals to grab a 5-2 lead after 40 minutes. Ryan Flynn got things going for the Ads with his first of the season just 1:50 into the period when he deflected a Taylor Beck shot and the puck snuck past Cann.
Scott Ford made it 3-0 Milwaukee when he found a loose puck in the slot and unleashed a slapper for his third of the season at the 4:30 mark.
Lake Erie tied the score with a power-play marker by Patrick Rissmiller at 9:11 of the second, but the Ads responded with a PPG of their own when Kyle Wilson roofed a shot from the bottom of the right circle with just under five minutes left in the stanza.
The Admirals pumped their lead to four on a beautiful touch pass by Beck. With Milwaukee on another power-play Geoffrion sent a pass to Beck, who was stationed on the on the right post. With his back to the play, Beck flicked a backhand through the crease and right on the tape of a crashing Bartley for an easy tap-in.
The Monsters cut the lead to three when Evan Brophey redirected a pass from Rissmiller by Admirals goalie Anders Lindback with just 37 seconds to play in the second and then pulled to within two on a shorthanded goal by Tyson Barrie 3:03 into the third. However, Juuso Puustinen halted any momentum Lake Erie had when he beat James Reid, who had replaced Cann after Wilson’s goal, five-hole to take the lead back up to three with just under ten minutes to play in the game.
Geoffrion paced the Admirals offense with three helpers on the night, while Bartley (1g-1a), Puustinen (1g-1a), Beck (2a), Jon Blum (2a), and Teemu Laakos (2a) all recorded multi-point games for Milwaukee. Lindback ended the night with 30 saves to earn the win in his first game with the Ads since February 26th of last season.
The game also saw four fights and a season high 30 penalty minutes for the Admirals.
The Ads and Checkers hit the ice tomorrow night at 7:00 pm at the BC.