Milwaukee Admirals lose to Checkers in Charlotte

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CHARLOTTE - Kyle Criscuolo scored two goals to lead the Charlotte Checkers to a 4-2 win over the Milwaukee Admirals on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

By the numbers:

The loss keeps the Admirals in third place in the Central Division with 39 points (17-13-2-3). The Admirals could only muster 15 shots on goal in the game, a season low.

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Admirals goalie Matt Murray stopped 30 shots in the loss. Charlotte finished with 34 shots in the game.

Criscuolo scored the game-winner when he camped in front of the Admirals net. Checkers forward Justin Sourdif forced a turnover behind Milwaukee’s net and fed Criscuolo who planted the puck into the net at 1:30 of the third period.

Charlotte scored the first goal of the game when Criscuolo finished a 2-on-1 with a deflection under the left pad of Murray at 4:43 of the first period.

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The Admirals answered back while on the penalty kill at 6:07 of the first frame. An errant pass from a Checkers player from behind the Admirals goal lead Admirals forward Kevin Wall and Jake Lucchini toward the offensive zone with a 2-on-1. Wall fed Lucchini at neutral ice on the left wing. The two entered the offensive zone and Lucchini flipped a pass to Wall for the tap through the legs of Checkers goalie Ken Appleby. It was Wall’s first career shorthanded goal and his second goal of the season.

Milwaukee had just two shots on goal in the second period, but one went in. Ryder Rolston took a bouncing puck away from the Checkers defensemen at Milwaukee’s blue line and headed to the goal on a breakaway. Rolston snapped a shot through the legs of Appleby for his third goal as an Admiral and fourth in the American Hockey league this season. That goal was Milwaukee’s first shot of the second period, and it came at 11:48 of the frame.

The Checkers tied the score at 16:29 of the second. Will Lockwood popped a rebound of a Trevor Carrick shot into the goal to knot the score 2-2.

Rasmus Asplund scored an empty-net goal with 20.2 seconds remaining to close the scoring.

What's next:

Milwaukee continues its five-game road trip Saturday at Texas. The Admirals return home to UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena Wednesday, Jan. 22 to host Rockford.