Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer
Losing just does not happen very often in Milwaukee. Since entering the AHL in 2001, there have been just three postseason misses for the Admirals. They have had 22 consecutive seasons finishing over .500 and won eight division titles.
This season, though, brought its fair share of frustration, including nine straight losses through a grueling December.
But big wins against powerhouse opponents can send a team in its way.
On Tuesday night, the Admirals were in the middle of a back-and-forth game on home ice against the league-leading, record-breaking Grand Rapids Griffins.
Tied at 4-4 as overtime was starting, Zach L’Heureux surged down the right boards and past the Grand Rapids blue line before cutting 90 degrees to his left. He eventually sliced across the slot and to the inside edge of the left circle. A shooting lane opened up, and L’Heureux whipped a low shot past Sebastian Cossa, whose name dots the top of the AHL’s goaltending charts.
It was a 5-4 Milwaukee win just 23 seconds into OT.
The Admirals needed that one. The two points, sure, but mostly they just needed to keep feeling good again.
L’Heureux, who had also scored an overtime winner against the Griffins on New Year’s Eve, completed a three-point night after he had turned in a goal and three assists in a win over Manitoba one game prior.
The Admirals, who had started 12-4-2-0, now have points in five of seven games since that nine-game slide. Their wins over Grand Rapids are two of the six defeats the Griffins have suffered all season, and they visit Van Andel Arena to try to keep the momentum going tonight – and again on Wednesday.
Magnus Chrona put a stop to the Milwaukee skid on Dec. 30 when his 31-save shutout of Rockford – the first of his AHL career – gave them their first victory in 27 days. After earning just one point during a two-game visit to Texas, the Ads pounced on Manitoba for a 7-3 victory on Jan. 8.
After a last-minute 5-4 loss to Chicago on Friday evening, Milwaukee sits fourth in the Central Division, just one point ahead of the IceHogs and Stars. It would only take a brief stumble for the Admirals to slip out of a playoff position.
One significant change has been the return of the 22-year-old L’Heureux to the lineup on Dec. 30 after missing 18 of the previous 20 games. L’Heureux has four goals and six assists in the last eight games, and the 2021 first-round draft pick always brings his trademark ornery play – but he has managed to remain penalty-free for his past six outings.
“I liked how we stuck with it,” head coach Karl Taylor said after Tuesday’s win over the Griffins. “Pretty proud of the group to find a way.”
Taylor, who has been behind the Milwaukee bench since 2018, will never be one to panic. He will also not be one to look too far ahead. If the adage rings true that a team takes on its head coach’s personality, then a calm, steady demeanor has long defined how things are done in Milwaukee – good or bad.
“Good signs,” Taylor allowed, “but we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
