Wolves fall 3-2 in shootout
The Chicago Wolves held a 2-1 lead over the Milwaukee Admirals after 40 minutes of play for the second time in less than 24 hours.
For the second straight game, the Admirals skated away with the Amtrak Rivalry victory, this time a 3-2 shootout decision Saturday night before 13,510 at the Allstate Arena.
Forwards Andrew Ebbett and Andrew Gordon scored in regulation for Chicago (28-19-4-4), which lost for the third time in the last four outings.
“We had a better effort than Friday night, but at the end of the day you want that extra point,” Wolves coach Scott Arniel said. “They were better than us in the third. But we didn’t give up too many quality chances. It was just a tough goal to give up late in the period.”
Milwaukee (28-24-3-3) drew even with the Wolves at 2-2 with 4:04 remaining in regulation when an errant puck ricocheted off an Admirals skater and dropped down in the crease. As Wolves goaltender Matt Climie tried to freeze the puck, left wing Brad Winchester was able to push the puck past Climie’s skate.
After a scoreless overtime session, Milwaukee scored on three of four shootout attempts, while Chicago lit the lamp once on four tries.
Chicago opened the scoring 12:55 into the second period. Ebbett and left wing Darren Archibald broke out of the neutral zone on a 2-on-1 rush. Archibald slipped a pass from the near circle to Ebbett in the slot, and he flipped a shot over the blocker of Admirals goaltender Magnus Hellberg.
Milwaukee knotted the score at one while on the power play at 16:11 of the middle frame. Right wing Juuso Puustinen’s shot from the near point was stopped by Climie, but he couldn’t control the rebound and center Cam Reid pounced on the puck and tapped it into an empty net.
Climie (16-16-3) stopped 27 of 29 shots while making his 13th consecutive start, which tied a franchise record.
The Wolves regained the lead 2:36 later with a power-play marker of their own. Right wing Darren Haydar ripped a shot from the far point that deflected off Ebbett in front of the net. Gordon streaked in from the side of the net and flipped a shot top shelf past Hellberg, who posted 22 saves.
The Wolves conclude a weekend three-in-three set when they host the Rockford IceHogs in an Illinois Lottery Cup contest at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Allstate Arena.