The Milwaukee Admirals have made a habit this season of outplaying their opposition, but coming up short on the scoreboard. Friday night against Rockford, Milwaukee finally got it all together and posted a 2-1 win that wasn't quite as close as the score would indicate.

AHL game report is here, and Dave Boehler's JSOnline recap is here.

The Admirals dominated play with their defense over the first ten minutes. Rockford didn't register their first even-strength shot on goal until 11 minutes into the game. Unfortunately, it went in.

Rob Klinkhammer collected the puck at center ice, juked around Scott Ford at the blueline, and streaked toward Mark Dekanich. Robert Dietrich cut down his angle and forced Klinkhammer to his left. With no angle to shoot - the Ice Hogs' forward centered the puck to the front of the crease. Scott Ford was there....and deflected the puck into his own net. 

Milwaukee's best chance in the period came off the stick of Nick Spaling.  He fired a shot from the right circle that beat Corey Crawford...but clanged off the far post and slid harmlessly into the crease, where Crawford sat on it.

The Admirals continued to take the play to the Ice Hogs in the second period, and the scoreboard finally took a hint.  Mark Santorelli tied the game with a power play goal. It was Pudding's second goal of the year, and first since opening night. 

Robert Dietrich and Ben Eaves got the assists on the play - and Jon Blum made a terrific play to help make it possible. Rockford was trying to clear the zone, and Blum got just enough of his stick on it to prevent the puck from leaving the neutral zone. That, in turn, kept Rockford's penalty killers on the ice.

The Game-Winner was scored by Andreas Thuresson into a wide open net. Corey Crawford was playing the puck behind the net and passed it off the boards. But he misfired and the puck went about 2 feet....right to Robert Dietrich. Dietrich centered to a cutting Thuresson for the easy goal.

"We've had a couple of bad bounces lately, so now - we've got some good bounces," said Thuresson. 

"It was a huge game for us and a huge win for us, it gets us back to five hundred. I don't think whatever happens tomorrow is going to diminish the win tonight."

NOTES

Robert Dietrich got to play the role of "heavy" in the first. When Danny Bois leveled Cal O'Reilly with a solid check at the blue line, Dietrich stepped up and knocked Bois on his can. The problem was Bois' hit on Cal was legal...Dietrich's hit on Bois was not.  (The puck was long gone). Dietrich was kind of hosed out of a star of the game tonight. He assisted on both goals and got his licks in on Bois (even though it was a penalty).

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Here's a riddle: Mark Matheson, Ben Guite, and Hugh Jessiman are in on a three-on-two. Who takes the shot?

Matheson.

From 50 feet out

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The game ended with a bit of a kerfuffle as Wacey Rabbit took out both Triston Grant and Grant Bickell with a solid check. Bickell then decided to punch Grant while Triston was lying on the ice. Triston fought back some - and wanted to keep going, but Bickell wouldn't go and the stripes broke it up. Grant was chirping at Bickell all the way to the penalty box, and even made the "chicken" motion toward him.

"We play these teams ten times each, so you're bound to have - what did you call them? Kerfluffles? - as we go along. Whatever happens tomorrow night happens. I'm sure Triston Grant's ready and prepared for whatever is going to happen." 

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No Admirals player has been recalled to Nashville yet...as of 10:20pm. "They're still deciding" says one source. We are told it is between Thuresson and Olvecky. (I expect Thuresson. Sutty says Olvecky. Ryan Miller thinks Bracken Kearns. We should be covered there).

UPDATE 11:55pm:

Admirals Short Shifts has learned that Peter Olvecky will become the seventh Admirals player recalled by the Nashville Predators.

Olvecky has 2 goals and 5 assists in 9 games for the Admirals this season. Most impressively, perhaps, he is a team high +4.

When I spoke with Predators Coach Barry Trotz last week, he said Olvecky's upside caught his eye. When he is clicking, Olvecky has shown the ability to dominate at the AHL level. He possesses the speed, toughness, and scoring ability to stack up against anyone; lack of consistency has been the knock on Olvecky this season.

Olvecky does have experience at the NHL level. He played 31 games for the Minnesota Wild last season, notching 2 goals and 5 assists.

That experience may have been a factor in selecting Olvecky over Thuresson - who has played extremely well this season, too.