Wolves know they won't sink Admirals without a fight

The Chicago Wolves don't expect the Milwaukee Admirals to go out without a fight in Game 6 of their American Hockey League Calder Cup playoff series tonight at the Bradley Center.

Leading the West Division semifinal series 3-2, the Wolves need 1 more victory to put away the gritty Admirals.

"They're going to be ready to go in Milwaukee so we have to match their intensity," said Wolves winger Brett Sterling. "Hopefully we can put them away in six."

The Wolves cleared a big hurdle in Thursday's Game 5 win at Allstate Arena when they scored four times off Admirals goalie Pekka Rinne in a 4-1 victory.

Rinne has stood tall in the series, as has Wolves goalie Ondrej Pavelec.

Wolves coach John Anderson felt getting to Rinne early in Game 5 on Sterling's goal 1:59 into the first period helped ease his team's mind about scoring.

"It's very difficult getting guys to put pucks on the net when their goalie is playing so well," Anderson said. "It's almost like a psychological advantage. We talked about it that he's a great goalie, but we've beaten him before, so let's put pucks on the net."

If the Wolves can wrap up the series, they certainly won't miss the Admirals' constant pushing, shoving and gloves in the face after nearly every whistle. There were 22 minor penalties called in Game 5, a dozen for roughing.

"That's playoff hockey," Anderson said. "If you want the NHL, it's the same thing. They just do it a little bit bigger and a little bit harder. We have the same idea. We want to protect the front of the net, and if you want to go there, you have to pay the price. Hopefully our guys want to pay that price."

"It's been a chippy series, but Chicago-Milwaukee has always been a tough series," Sterling said. "It's playoff hockey. It's fun, it's a battle; you hate each other on the ice and you're over it when you're off the ice."

Like the Wolves, the Rockford IceHogs can end their first-round series tonight with a fourth win over Houston.

A Wolves-Rockford series in the second round certainly would generate interest, with the IceHogs being the AHL affiliate of the Blackhawks.

But for the Wolves, it's a case of first things first against Milwaukee.