Admirals win 18th straight victory; top Wolves 4-0
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Yaroslav Askarov stopped all 27 shots thrown his way for his fifth shutout of the season as the Admirals beat the Wolves 4-0 to extend their winning streak to a remarkable 18 in a row.
The Ads now have sole possession of 2nd place in AHL history for longest winning streaks, trailing only the 2011-12 Norfolk Admirals who won a professional hockey record 28 consecutive contests.
The win for Askarov was also extending his personal winning streak to 14 games, which is a new franchise record eclipsing fellow netminder Troy Grosenick’s active 13-gamer.
Zach L’Heureux scored a pair of goals for Milwaukee, while Adam Wilsby and Cody Hodgson each found the back of the net as well, while Juuso Parssinen dished out a pair of assists in the game.
Wilsby started things right for the Admirals, scoring his fifth goal of the season just 57 seconds after puck drop. Wilby carried the puck up the right wing, entered the Wolves zone and fired a wrister that went over the right should Adam Scheel.
The score stayed that way until early in the third period when Zach L’Heureux pushed the Ads lead to 2-0. Skating strong with the puck, Reid Shaeffer made a counter-clockwise circle around the Chicago zone before firing a backhand from right dot. Sheel made the stop, but L’Heureux was on the doorstep to scoop it into the net for his 13th goal of the season at 2:10 of the third.
The Wolves made a push late in the third and had 1:24 of 5-on-3 play, but Askarov and the Ads defense proved up to the task.
L’Heureux sealed the game for Milwaukee with an empty netter with 1:43 to play in the contest. Cal O’Reilly collected an assist on the play and moved within two of tying Darren Haydar for the most points in Admirals AHL history at 276.
Hodgson finished the scoring for Milwaukee, completing a two-on-one with Parssinen at 19:25 of the third. The goal was particularly special for Hodgson, who returned to hockey for the first time since retiring in 2016.
The Admirals and Wolves finish up their home-and-home set on Saturday night at 6 pm at Panther Arena. Following the game Country Music Star Jackson Dean will perform LIVE in Fm106/Coors Light Country Music Night.
1️⃣8️⃣ STRAIGHT WITH AN ASKY SHUTOUT
— Milwaukee Admirals (@mkeadmirals) February 22, 2024
SECOND-LONGEST WINNING STREAK IN @TheAHL HISTORY#MILhockey | @LandmarkCUpic.twitter.com/e7crwjqpEL