Milwaukee Admirals fall to Marlies at home

The Milwaukee Admirals face the Toronto Marlies on Dec. 17, 2022. (Courtesy: Milwaukee Admirals)

The Admirals and Toronto Marlies combined for 11 goals, including seven in the first period alone, but unfortunately for Milwaukee, they came up on the wrong end of a 6-5 loss in a wild contest on Saturday night at Panther Arena.  

The scoring started early and lasted through the first period. Phil Tomasino picked up his seventh of the season just 68 seconds into the game when he was stationed at the left post, took a pass from Adam Wilsby and tucked in underneath the pads of Toronto netminder Erik Kallgren.

Toronto scored the next three goals beginning with a shorthanded breakaway by Logan Shaw at the 4:42 mark. That was followed by goals from Noel Hoefenmayer and Semyon Der Arguchinstev just 22 seconds apart.

The Admirals responded with a pair of quick goals of their own to knot the game at three. Spencer Stastney found a crashing Kiefer Sherwood at 12:10, and then just 17 seconds later, Tim Schaller poked a loose puck five-whole for his fourth of the year.

Toronto’s Joseph Blandisi got the seventh and final goal of the game’s first 20 minutes with the Marlies second shorthanded goal with 3:10 remaining in the stanza.

The scoring slowed down in the second period with just a pair of tallies. Nick Abruzzese gave the Marlies another two-goal advantage with his seventh goal of the year at 6:07 of the sandwich frame.

John Leonard got the Ads back within one on his second goal in as many games. With the team on the power play, Leonard took a pass on the top of the left circle, took two strides and ripped a slapper that went off the glove of Kallgren and into the net.

The third period didn’t have any scoring until the final minute of action when Graham Slaggert found the empty net after the Ads had pulled Devin Cooley in favor of an extra attacker with just 53 seconds to play.

Milwaukee didn’t quit, however, as Jimmy Huntington tipped a Marc Del Gaizo shot with 20 seconds to play to get the Ads within one, but they couldn’t get the equalizer and lost for the third straight game.

The Admirals look to get back on the winning track as they finish the weekend by visiting the Chicago Wolves tomorrow at 3 pm. Their next home contest will be on Wednesday, Dec. 21, against the Wolves, at 7 pm at Panther Arena.