Milwaukee Admirals fall in OT to San Antonio Rampage

MILWAUKEE -- The Admirals overcame a pair of two-goal, third-period deficits to force overtime and earn a point in the standings before eventually falling in OT to the San Antonio Rampage on Wednesday night at Panther Arena.

The point Milwaukee earned pushed their AHL-leading total to 82, courtesy of a 37-12-5-3 record.

Trailing 2-0 entering the third period the Ads started their comeback when Cole Schneider deflected a Jeremy Davies shot to pull within one at 4:59 of the stanza. Unfortunately for the Admirals, the deficit went right back up to two just 13 seconds later when Lucas Walman fired a wrister from the top of the right circle that beat Troy Grosenick to the far side.

It wouldn’t take long for Milwaukee to tie it as Freddy Gaudreau tallied his 11th goal of the season at the 6:02 mark and that was followed by a pretty individual effort that culminated in a backhand goal from Matt Donovan for a 3-3 game just 51 seconds later.

San Antonio took the lead again on Alexey Toropchenko’s fifth goal of the season at 11:50 of the third period.

However, the Ads would respond again, this time it was Eeli Tolvanen potting his 17th goal of the season with under seven minutes to play in regulation. The play started when Gaudreau and Tolvanen entered the San Antonio zone 2-on-2. Gaudreau flipped the puck over the sticks of the Rampage D to Tolvanen, who somehow got a shot off while falling down that beat San Antonio netminder Adam Wilcox.

The score remained that way until 3:36 of the 3-on-3 OT session when Joey LaLeggia chipped a pass through the slot to Nolan Stevens, who buried his ninth of the season to win it for the Rampage.

Milwaukee now heads out on a five-game road trip beginning Saturday night at 8 pm in Colorado. The Ads next home game will be Wednesday, March 11 at 10:30 am against the same Rampage squad in the second Baird School Game of the season.