Admirals Come Back Strong After Pandemic Pause

If you told Milwaukee Admirals’ left winger Cole Schneider at the beginning of December that the Admirals would secure a spot in the AHL postseason, he might’ve thought you were joking. Now, up 2-0 in their current playoff series against the Manitoba Moose, the Admirals are looking at a chance to move on to the 2nd round for the first time since 2011.

“We had a tough start, but we’ve been playing better lately,” said Schneider, the Admirals leading goal-scorer this season.

The Admirals finished the 2021-22 season with 39 wins and earned a 3-seed in this year’s AHL (American Hockey League) Calder Cup Playoffs. While fans are excited about this year’s championship-potential, some still can’t help but wonder about the 2019-20 season.

Through 61 games, the Admirals had won a league-best 41 games with 15 more still to be played. They were the favorites to win the 2020 Calder Cup trophy until the COVID-19 pandemic caused the AHL to shut down. Instead, the team would have to settle for the title ‘regular season champions’.

Adding insult to injury, the Admirals became one of three teams that decided to opt out of the shortened 2020-21 AHL season. After opting out, team owner and CEO Harris Turer announced that all of their full-time employees would still be paid for the year.

“It’s been a year of frustration, no doubt,” said Aaron Sims, the Admirals play-by-play announcer. “I am so excited to see that we’re starting to see the light at the end of all this.”

As for the players, some of them earned the opportunity to skate for the Admirals’ NHL affiliate Nashville Predators during the 2020-21 season. Other players, like former Admirals defenseman Frederic Allard, found opportunities with different AHL teams or played overseas temporarily.

“It was crazy for me playing in three different leagues, but getting a chance to play in my first NHL game last year was special. I had been dreaming of that moment for years,” said Allard, who now plays for the Los Angeles Kings.

While the players found opportunities elsewhere, the fans were without an AHL team for roughly 19 months.

“Believe it or not, this city (Milwaukee) is a hockey town,” said Maurice “Mo” Long, who has been cheering on the Admirals since their inauguration into the AHL in 2001. “It’s something we take for granted.”

Fast-forward to today and these fans have something to cheer for again. Mo was one of many fans at the UWM Panther Arena on Friday, April 29th to watch the Admirals clinch 3-seed for the playoffs.

They are matched up against the 2-seed Manitoba Moose in a best-of-5 series. Although their most recent matchup prior to the playoffs ended in a 6-2 loss, the Admirals have won the first two games of the series in exciting fashion. In game one, Cole Schneider gave the Admirals a 3-2 lead by scoring a goal with just over 4 minutes left in regulation. In game two, the Admirals held a 1-0 lead until the Moose scored tied the game with roughly one and a half minutes left. In heroic fashion, the Admirals responded by scoring a goal with 43 seconds left to cap off a dominant performance from Admirals goaltender Devin Cooley.

Now, the Admirals will travel to Winnipeg, Canada for the remainder of the series, needing just one more win to advance. The winner of this series will take on the winner of the 1-seed Chicago Wolves vs. 4-seed Rockford IceHogs in the quarterfinals.

Admirals upcoming schedule:

• Game 3: Wed. May 11 – 7:00 p.m. @ Mainotiba
• *Game 4: Fri. May 13 – 7:00 p.m. @ Manitoba
• *Game 5: Sun. May 15 – 2:00 p.m. @ Manitoba

* = If needed