MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- For three years, the Milwaukee Admirals have been one of the best teams in the AHL, but they haven't played in a single playoff game. With the Ads clinching a spot Saturday, that should change soon.
"It feels weird for sure, but it feels good to be back," said Admirals defenseman Matt Donovan.
Milwaukee had the best record in the league in 2020, then COVID ended the season. It wiped out the Ads' 2021 campaign entirely. And this year, a few players tested positive early as the team struggled out of the gates.
"We came so far from the beginning of the year, at one point we were in last place," said forward Cole Schneider. "We know how far we climbed, we can beat anyone in the league, we just got to play well and play together."
From there, the Ads caught fire, punching their tickets to the post-season with four games left in the regular season.
"We had a tough start this year," said Admirals Head Coach Karl Taylor. "We fought a lot of adversity, we earned this right."
The playoffs are their reward for a resilient season, but after waiting three years, this isn't a team that's just happy to be there.
"We want to win for our fans, we want to win for ourselves. So we're very focused on what we want to do and that's win, win, not just hang out, not just make the playoffs, but win, win."
The playoffs start in early May.