Admirals Clinch Playoff Berth By Taking Down Rampage

Saturday night’s Admirals game was one of few sporting events where it seemed the closer the game came to ending, the more fans filed in.

Dennis DeYoung, lead singer of the band Styx, performed after the game, giving the Admirals one of their biggest crowds of the season.

Those who actually showed up for the opening act were treated to a playoff-clinching win by the Ads, who make their return to postseason play after a one-year hiatus. Milwaukee had made the playoffs in 12 straight seasons before last season’s disappointing 10th place finish in the Western Conference.

“It was frustrating last year, no question,” Admirals’ Head Coach Dean Evason said. “I think everybody remembers it. We’re clearly a proud franchise and it’s nice to get back, for sure.”

Admirals’ forward Jamie Devane, who played in the Toronto Maple Leafs system last season knows how hard it is to get to the playoffs.

“I’ve been lucky enough to make the playoffs every year, so I know it’s a huge accomplishment for the team,” Devane said. “We’ve worked all year, we’ve had different lineups throughout the year, and we’ve really stuck with our systems and stuck with our team. It’s nice.”

Milwaukee took down the San Antonio Rampage 2-1 at the BMO Harris Bank Center, snapping the five-game winning streak San Antonio carried into the game.

Max Reinhart started the scoring for the Admirals with just 1:24 left in the first period. Admirals’ defenseman Patrick Mullen got his stick on an errant pass from Rampage forward Borna Rendulic and fired a pass right on the tape of Reinhart, who was able to get behind the Rampage defense. Reinhart sped in on San Antonio goaltender Reto Berra and pulled the puck from his forehand side to his backhand before flipping it over Berra, who was left lying on his belly after Reinhart’s deke. For Reinhart, it was just one of several goals scored in breakaway situations this season.

“People don’t give Rhino enough credit for one, his speed,” Evason said. “He doesn’t get credit for being a fast guy. What makes him even faster is his intelligence. He knows when to go, when not to go.”

The goal was Reinhart’s 21st of the year, making him just the 19th Admirals player to reach that mark since the team joined the AHL for the 2001-02 season.

Devane picked up his fifth goal of the season halfway through the second period on a pass from Pontus Aberg. Ads’ defenseman Taylor Aronson was barely able to hold a Rampage clearing attempt in the offensive zone, and fired the puck around the boards. Aberg picked up the puck behind the San Antonio goal and threw it in front to Devane who was crashing the net. All Devane had to do was let the pass hit his stick to redirect the puck past Berra and give Milwaukee the eventual game-winning goal.

“I just try when I go out there to be a responsible two-way player, a leader on the team and play a responsible two-way game, finish checks,” Devane said. “So when you get goals like that it’s a bonus.”

The first star of the game was the Admirals’ red-hot goaltender Juuse Saros.

Saros, who was recently named AHL goaltender of the month for March, stopped 25 of the 26 shots he saw and came up especially big in the first period.

“He won the hockey game for us, simple as that,” Admirals Coach Dean Evason said. “We weren’t good in the first. They were real good. Juuse kept us in the hockey game, not only in the first, he kept us in it throughout.”

Saros’ night remained perfect until Rendulic received a pass in the slot from rookie Mikko Rantanen and snuck it past Saros with just 1:19 remaining in the third period. San Antonio, who pulled Berra with a little over three minutes left in the period, scored the goal with a six-on-five advantage. The goal was Rendulic’s 14th of the season.

As for the rest of the regular season, the Admirals plan to stick to the game plan that got them into the playoffs in the first place.

“Our focus is still one game at a time,” Evason said. “We’ll prepare to play Manitoba and that’s as far as we’ll look.”

Admirals’ players should be used to playoff intensity by the time the playoffs finally roll around, as they have played in a lot of meaningful games during the home stretch of the regular season.

“The games have been really tight,” Devane said. “Teams really start to bear down at the end here trying to position for playoffs and home ice.”

Making the playoffs ensures that the Admirals will play at least two more games at the Bradley Center past their April 15 regular season finale. Whenever the playoffs are over for the Ads, it will mark the end of an era, as the team will never play another game in the Bradley Center. The building has been their home since the Bradley Center opened in 1988. They will be moving back to the UWM Panther Arena, where they played from the mid-1970’s until 1987.