Both teams traded goals back and forth on the night, with Milwaukee carrying a 3-2 lead into the final frame before Rockford tied things up. But then, after the IceHogs took a delay of game penalty, Svechkov ended the series just 1:38 into overtime to send the Ads onto the next round.
“That’s the game - you’ve got to keep playing the game,” Admirals Head Coach Karl Taylor said following the win. “We’ve had a lot of these elimination games over the years in these moments, and you’ve just got to keep playing. It’s hockey. It’s [the] playoffs. It’s supposed to be really difficult.”
Nothing came easy for the Ads in the series after they earned a first-round bye thanks to their second consecutive Central Division title. Milwaukee had a 2-0 lead in Game 1 before ultimately falling by a 3-2 final in overtime. The IceHogs cruised to victory in Game 2 and pushed the Admirals to the brink of elimination, but they won a pair on the road in Rockford to force Game 5 in Milwaukee.
Chase De Leo and Jesse Ylonen also tallied for Milwaukee in the series finale to give the Ads a date with the Texas Stars and another best-of-five series in the Central Division Finals, which begins on Thursday in Texas.
“It takes a lot of belief and a lot of experience, but it also takes a heck of a lot of luck,” Taylor said. “You don’t win the elimination games or come back on the reviser sweep situation unless you get some luck… it was a very equal game and we were fortunate to get the win.”
Milwaukee will face Texas in the Calder Cup Playoffs for the third consecutive season. The Ads defeated the Stars in five games last season to advance to the Western Conference Finals.
Games 1-2 will take place in Texas on Thursday and Sunday before the series shifts to Milwaukee on May 21. Visit MilwaukeeAdmirals.com to watch and listen to all Ads games, and stay tuned to NashvillePredators.com for updates.
