Ads closing in on perfect month

A lot of hockey players take part in ‘No Shave November’ as a way of raising cancer awareness. The American Hockey League North Division leading Milwaukee Admirals are trying something new called ‘No Loss November.’

The Ads dropped a 3-2 overtime decision at Des Moines on Halloween, dropping its record in the opening month of the season to 2-4-1-0. But while ripping the October sheet off of the calendar, the Milwaukee crew has apparently also ripped it out of memory — the team is 10-0 in November, including a trio of recent wins, all on home ice at the Bradley Center.

On Friday, the Admirals went to a shootout to defeat the visiting Rockford IceHogs 2-1 and the following night the Admirals came out with a 3-1 win against the San Diego Gulls. On Tuesday the Adirals were back in action, doubling the San Antonio Rampage 6-3.

IceHogs 1 at Admirals 2 (so)

Shootout goals by Kevin Fiala and Frederick Gaudreau lifted the Admirals to victory past the IceHogs who forced the extra period and shootout with a goal by Ryan Hartman 3:55 from the final buzzer.

Teams actually played through two goal free periods, the first goal finally coming at the 5:04 mark of the third as Gaudreau fired his fourth of the season from Viktor Arvidson and Max Gortz.

Marek Mazanek stopped 28 of 29 shots and both of the shots he faced in the shootout to nail down the win in goal for the Admirals. Mark Visentin also turned in a solid effort, with 32 saves through regulation and overtime, but beaten twice on two shots in the shootout.

Gulls 1 at Admirals 3 

The Admirals played its first game against a Pacific Division team and pulled out a 3-1 win in a close game, not settled until Adam Payerl sank an empty net tally with 22 seconds to play. Arvidson picked up the assist on the goal.

Both teams scored in the opening period, Fiala scoring his first of the season from Cody Bass to open the scoring for the Ads 3:28 into the game before Chris Mueller scored his team’s only goal on a powerplay at the 10:02 mark. Assists on Mueller’s goal went to Brandon Montour and Shea Theodore.

Gaudreau’s fifth of the season with 2:23 to go in the middle period, from Arvidson and Taylor Aronson stood up as the game winner in the this one.

Mazazek was back between the pipes, stopping 29 of 30 to pick up the win for the Admirals. John Gibson turned aside 34 of 36 in goal for the Gulls.

Rampage 3 at Admirals6

After a pair of close defensive battles, the Admirals exploded for a half dozen Tuesday.

The visitors scored first in this one, but the Admirals rallied back and carried a 2-1 lead into the second, where both teams added two more.

The Admirals fired two more, about two minutes apart in the final frame to clinch the win in this one.

Arvidson collected his sixth and seven goals of the season for the Admirals while Aronson and Vladislav Kamenev both picked up two assists. Felix Girard picked up a goal and assist in the game with other goals for Conor Allen, Colton Sissons and Pontus Aberg.

Borna Rendulic scored twice for the Rampage and Marc-Andre Cliche notched the other.

Juuse Saros handled 22 of 25 shots to nail down his eighth win of the season for the Admirals. Calvin Pickard turned aside 20 of 26 for the Rampage.

The Admirals have two games to play on the weekend, both at home, but both against tough opposition as the Grand Rapids Griffins will be back in town on Friday followed by the IceHogs on Saturday.