Ads earn must-need win over IceHogs, 5-2

ROCKFORD, Ill. -- Mark McNeill and Anthony Richard each scored two goals to lead the Milwaukee Admirals to a 5-2 win over the Rockford IceHogs Friday at BMO Harris Bank Center.

The win snapped Milwaukee’s three-game losing skid and kept Milwaukee’s playoff hopes alive. The Admirals, still in sixth place in the Central Division, are now three points out of fourth place in the division.

Milwaukee scored the game-winner at 10:09 of the third period when Bobby Butler scored his 22nd goal of the season with a one-timer from the left circle. Trevor Smith fed the pass to Alex Carrier at the right point. Carrier skated along the boards to the corner and sent a pass through the slot to Butler for the goal.

McNeill scored a power play empty-netter at 19:15 of the third period assisted by Harry Zolnierczyk and Tyler Gaudet. It was McNeill’s 11th of the season and sixth with the Ads. Richard scored his second of the game, and 16th of the season, into an empty net at 19:40 assisted by Mark Zengerle and John Ramage. The assist was Ramage’s first point with Milwaukee. Ramage also played his 300th American Hockey League game.

The IceHogs took a 1-0 lead at 5:01 of the first period when Henrik Samuelsson won a battle for a loose puck and banged it into the net for his fifth goal of the season.

Milwaukee tied the game at 19:35 of the second period. Petter Granberg slid the puck to center ice for Smith who skated across the middle of the Rockford blue line. As he crossed, he flipped a pass to his left just in front of wing Richard. Richard caught up to the puck in the left circle and snapped a shot into the goal for his 15th goal of the season.

The Admirals claimed the 2-1 lead at 3:28 of the third period. Yakov Trenin intercepted an outlet in Rockford’s left circle and shot the puck to the goal. It hit his teammate McNeill, who then found the loose puck and put it into the goal for his fifth goal with the Ads and 10th in the AHL this season.

Rockford tied the game at 9:21 of the third period when Lance Bouma scored from the left circle.

Ads goalie Anders Lindback stopped 36 shots to earn his 28th win of the season. Lindback saw 30 shots on goal in the first two periods. Each team finished the game with 38 shots on goal.

The Admirals will return home to Panther Arena to host Iowa Sun., Mar. 25.

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