Hellberg, Admirals ice the Griffins at BMO Harris Bradley Center, 4-0
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Magnus Hellberg continued his magnificent play this season, stopping all 22 shots he saw to lead the Admirals to a 4-0 win over the Grand Rapids Griffins Friday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
The Ads netminder ran his record to 3-0 on the season and has now stopped a combined 72 of the 74 shots he has faced on the year. It was the eighth shutout of the his Admirals career, moving him into a tie fourth place in Ads AHL history.
On the offensive side, Colton Sissons picked up a pair of goals, while Joe Pendenza and Mark Van Guilder also found the back of the net.
The Admirals jumped out to an early lead when Joe Pendenza jammed home his third goal of the season just 6:32 into the game. Off a turnover in the neutral zone, Viktor Arvidsson carried the puck into the Grand Rapids zone and feed it ahead to Pendenza. The Ads forward's first shot was stopped by the chest of Griffins goalie Tom
McCollum, but the rebound came right back to Pendenza and he crammed it home.
Sissons made it 2-0 Milwaukee just under six minutes later. Viktor Stalberg tried to center the puck to a crashing Sissons, but the puck was deflected off a Griffins defender. However, Sisson corralled the puck and slid it five-hole by McCollum.
A funky bounce pumped the Ads lead to 3-0 with 6:30 to play in the second. Miikka Salomaki lifted the puck high in the air through the neutral zone and it when it came down in the Griffins zone, Austin Watson and Van Guilder were battling 2-on-2. At the Grand Rapids goal line Watson chipped the puck to Van Guilder in the corner and he rifled a shot that from behind the goal that ricocheted off McCollum's inner skate and into the goal.
Sissons finished the Griffins off with an empty net marker with exactly one minute to go.
Pendenza's goal was not just his third of the season, but also his third game-winner of the year.
The Admirals are off for the remainder of the weekend and will return to the ice when they host the Iowa Wild next Wednesday, November 12th at 7:00 pm at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.