Milwaukee Admirals AHL hockey fan site
News and photo blog below. Other stuff and external links listed in the right column.
Updated on nights and weekends
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Just a heads up to the loyal readers of this site. I will not be at the next two Admirals home games, as I will be in Pennsylvania to visit my Dad and to enjoy a hockey game between my two favorite NHL teams.
I've got fourth row tickets for the February 14 game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators. Section A21, which is across from a defensive faceoff circle in the end that Sidney Crosby and friends will attack twice. I'm not sure how to enjoy the game, as I follow each team closely - watching every game from each team on the NHL Center Ice TV package. I guess all I can hope for is a high-scoring three-point game.
When the news was announced last year that this season would be the last for the Igloo (aka Mellon Arena), I told myself I would have to get back there one more time to say farewell to the NHL's most unique venue. A new modern arena being built across the street will open in time for next season, but it won't be the same experience as going to the old dome.
In September, I did a quick scan of the Penguins home schedule and quickly decided this was the game. My two favorite teams conveniently matched up on a Sunday afternoon. I was already going to boycott the Admirals game that day due to their continued insistence on scheduling a home game on the same day as the Daytona 500 (10 times in 14 years), but this trip to PA trumps the race anytime.
Depending on the weather, I'll either be heading out after work on Thursday or early in the morning on Friday and will make the 8 hour drive home on Monday. Expect a full summary of my trip on Tuesday or Wednesday.
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The Admirals defeated the Houston Aeros on Friday night by a score of 5-3. With Houston being the first team out of a playoff position, this win was big as far as the playoff race is concerned. It's never too early to think about the playoff race... everyone focuses on the importance of the games in the last few weeks of the season, but in reality, these games are worth just as much.
A few weeks ago, the entire 7-team division was within 8 points of each other. Since then, the top four have created a cushion.
West Division |
Games Played |
Points |
Rockford |
55 |
65 |
Milwaukee |
52 |
64 |
Texas |
50 |
63 |
Chicago |
50 |
62 |
Houston |
52 |
57 |
Peoria |
49 |
54 |
San Antonio |
49 |
50 |
Since January 5, Milwaukee has gone 11-5... losing twice to Chicago and twice to Hamilton. Those two teams are my current pick for the Western Conference Final matchup. Of course, Milwaukee has what it takes to make it that far, but they need to make a few tweaks here and there to convince me they should be favored.
Fortunately, Peoria has struggled since losing their head coach to the NHL, and San Antonio is proving that they do indeed suck, despite a brief 5-0-1 surge after the Christmas break. Ideally, the separation between fourth and fifth will continue to grow in order to allow the Admirals to lock up a playoff spot sometime in March.
Oh yeah, I took photos last night. Click here for a slideshow of some of the better shots.
And here's my favorite shot of the night... Chet Pickard stars in next installment of 'The Matrix'.
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In what I considered a must-win game, Milwaukee took on the division leading Texas Stars on Tuesday night at the Bradley Center. The Admirals entered the night three points out of first, but only five points ahead of the fifth place Houston Aeros. Every game against the top half of the division is huge from here on out.
Fortunately, the Admirals came to play, and the Stars looked sluggish. At times, it seemed like Milwaukee was on a power play when the penalty boxes were empty. They were cycling the puck well, and the Stars had trouble clearing the zone at times.
Five different Admirals scored in a 5-1 victory - Alexander Sulzer, Nick Spaling, Mike Santorelli, Colin Wilson, and Triston Grant. Below is my photo of Spaling's goal. Click here for a slideshow of more of my photos.
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A duel between two of the top teams of the Western Conference ended with a 3-2 victory for the Hamilton Bulldogs.
After falling into a 2-0 deficit after two periods, the Admirals scored twice in the third period in a comeback effort, but couldn't pull off the miracle.
Speaking of miracles, the highlight of the night was seeing two members of the 1980 Olympic gold medal winning hockey team. Bob Suter and former Admiral Buzz Schneider were on hand to sign autographs, and one of the guys brought his medal to show the fans. Suter is the father of former Admiral Ryan Suter, who will participate in next month's Olympic Games in Vancouver.
Click here for a slideshow of my photos.
Here is a photo which sums up the game...
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I took some really good photos from Friday night's game against Houston. A big, big thanks to Paul for not only letting me use his spare camera again, but he had me try a better zoom lens.
I did something a little different for this batch. I threw them on a flickr page. Click here for a slideshow of every photo.
Here's one of my favorites from Friday night...
I took photos at Thursday night's game, but I doubt I'll be sharing those. I was so fed up at that game, and I don't want to relive it by going through that batch of pics anytime soon.
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Site born on
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