Tight-Knit Ads Ready for Conference Finals Showdown Against Firebirds

Who's ready for a desert showdown?

After securing a 3-2 series win over the Texas Stars in the Central Division Final, the Milwaukee Admirals will continue their hunt for the Calder Cup tonight in Game One of the Western Conference Final against the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

The game will not only mark the first conference final appearance by the Ads since 2006, but the first since Head Coach Karl Taylor took the helm in 2018.

Speaking from Palm Springs on Tuesday, Taylor touched on the significance of the moment.

"We are very proud of the situation and advancing, and we're just really happy for [Admirals Owner] Harris Turer," Taylor said. "It's been a while for Harris and the front office staff, so we're really excited for them to experience it, but also for what we've accomplished as a group here in moving forward."

From here on, the road to the Calder Cup becomes even more difficult, as the Ads look to collect four wins against the second-best team in the American Hockey League - a team they've never faced once before.

At this point, though, Taylor says the emphasis is being placed on the things that have made the Admirals a tough opponent to play against every night, and not the Firebirds.

"At this stage of the game, most teams are playing 80 percent to their own identity, and maybe 20 percent to the things the other team does or tendencies they have," Taylor said. "Everyone is looking for an advantage to attack a weakness, but most teams are really focused on playing to their strengths more so than what the latter team is doing."

To be certain, the Admirals have plenty of strengths to focus on entering the conference finals.

Goaltender Yaroslav Askarov - the only rookie netminder remaining in the AHL postseason - holds a 2.44 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage after 10 games.

Of the four remaining teams in the playoff race, Milwaukee also boasts the best penalty kill (84.4 percent) and the second-best power play (28.1 percent).

And rookies Luke Evangelista and Joakim Kemell have both consistently made the scoresheet, leading the Admirals in points (13) and goals (5), respectively.

Now, the job is making sure each of those pieces continue to do the right things.

"That's our job as coaches, is to put the players in the right spots and hold them accountable when there's mistakes that affect the team or the group," Taylor said. "But we also want to reinforce the good stuff. So the details are always there… And the players seem to be more committed in certain areas than when they're playing game 40 in January. So as a group, we just need to reinforce the good and try to help them see it and taste it and get ready for the next opportunity."

Perhaps most important to Milwaukee's success, though, is the deep camaraderie that has formed among teammates after battling through two rounds and three elimination games together.

"This group is tight, they care about each other, and that definitely is the number one thing in the end," Taylor said. "When teams have gone on and done things, it's usually the tightest group that really enjoys it but is also able to rise when they're challenged."

Fans can catch all the action by joining the Preds at Ford Ice Center Bellevue for Calder Cup Playoffs Watch Parties, purchasing an AHLTV Playoffs All-Access subscription or

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And see below for the full Western Conference Final schedule:

Game One: Milwaukee at Coachella Valley; Thursday, May 25 at 9 p.m. CT
Game Two: Milwaukee at Coachella Valley; Saturday, May 27 at 9 p.m. CT
Game Three: Coachella Valley at Milwaukee; Monday, May 29, 6 p.m. CT
Game Four: Coachella Valley at Milwaukee; Thursday, June 1, 7 p.m. CT
\Game Five: Coachella Valley at Milwaukee; Saturday, June 3 at 6 p.m. CT
\Game Six: Milwaukee at Coachella Valley; Monday, June 5 at 9 p.m. CT
\Game Seven: Milwaukee at Coachella Valley; Wednesday, June 7 at 9 p.m. CT
\If necessary