Admirals top Wolves, move into first place tie with Rockford

MILWAUKEE -- Max Reinhart tallied his second hat trick of the season to power the Admirals to a 4-1 win over the Chicago Wolves in Amtrak Rivalry action on Friday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. The win moved the Ads into a first-place tie with Rockford, who lost to Lake Erie 5-4.

It was the fifth hatty of the season for the Admirals, the most for the team since 2005-06, and their third in the month of February.

Reinhart put the Ads up early with a bomb of a slapper from the left circle that beat Chicago goalie Jordan Binnington high-stick side with 3:47 to play in the opening stanza.

He would get his second of the of the game and 14th of the season at 6:08 of the middle frame. Max Gortz sent him a beautiful stretch pass from the Milwaukee zone that Reinhart handled at the Chicago blueline and he skated in on a partial breakaway on Binnington. The Wolves netminder made the initial stop by Reinhart found the loose puck and crammed it home.

Chicago’s Zach O’Brien used some fancy stick-handling to get the Wolves on the board with just 1:34 to go in the second period to make it 2-1 entering the third.

However Freddy Gaudreau pushed the lead back to two when he picked the pocket of a Wolves defenseman behind the Chicago net and swooped in front for his 13th of the season.

Less than two minutes later Reinhart would complete the hat trick with a power-play marker, his 15th overall and 2nd on the PP, at 7:54 of the third period. Cody Hodgson and Taylor Aronson assisted on the goal.

Marek Mazanec made 29 saves to earn his 16th win of the season and snap a personal three-game losing streak.

The Admirals and the Wolves complete their home-and-home set Saturday night when they face-off at the Allstate Arena at 7 pm. That is the first of a brief three-game road trip for the Ads, who return home on Saturday, March 5 at 7 against Chicago.