Wolves wrap road trip with win over Milwaukee

The Chicago Wolves wrapped up a three-game road trip by downing the Admirals 4-3 on Tuesday afternoon in Milwaukee.

Nikita Pavlychev had a goal and two assists while Jusso Valimaki, Bradly Nadeau and Ronan Seeley also scored to propel the Wolves. Chicago ran its season record against Central Division-rival Milwaukee to 6-1-1-0 and finished the road trip with a 2-1-0-0 mark.

The Wolves jumped in front on Valimaki’s sixth goal of the season coming 6 minutes, 34 seconds after opening puck drop. The veteran defenseman took a nifty backhand pass from Pavlychev, gathered the puck in the left circle before launching a shot past Milwaukee netminder Matt Murray to the stick side. Pavlychev and Aleksi Heimosalmi were awarded assists on the score.

The lead was short-lived as Reid Schaefer pulled the Admirals even with a shorthanded marker midway through the first period.

Nadeau staked the Wolves to a 2-1 advantage just before the intermission when the 20-year-old forward camped between the circles and wired a one-timer off a feed from Ryan Suzuki that solved Murray to the glove side. Suzuki and Charles Alexis Legault had assists on Nadeau’s team-leading 23rd goal of the season.

Milwaukee pulled into a 2-2 tie late in the second on a tally by Ryder Rolston but again the Wolves seized the lead when Pavlychev found the back of the net with 1:25 remaining in the period.

Noah Philp gathered the puck along the end boards and threaded a pass through traffic to Pavlychev at the bottom of the left circle and the towering center ripped a shot by a lunging Murray to the stick side. On Pavlychev’s 10th goal of the season, Philp recorded the lone helper.

Early in the third, Seeley extended his goal-scoring streak to four games to give the Wolves a 4-2 lead. The defenseman took advantage of time and space before unleashing a wrist shot from the left circle that eluded a screened Murray. Pavlychev and Yanick Turcotte earned assists.

Milwaukee made things interesting when Fedor Svechkov scored with 2:22 remaining but the Wolves held on for the victory.

Cayden Primeau (24 saves) captured the win — his 12th consecutive triumph — in goal for the Wolves while Murray (17 saves) suffered the loss for the Admirals.

Chicago improved to 28-12-6-5 on the season while Milwaukee stands at 22-23-4-3.