Jan. 29, 2022

MILWAUKEE - Four different Admirals scored as Milwaukee defeated the Grand Rapids Griffins 5-0 on Saturday at Panther Arena. The Griffins have been shut out two out of the last three contests and dropped the last three meetings against the Admirals this season.

Connor Ingram continued his dominance in net, notching 42 saves and the shutout. He now has a combined 72 saves and zero goals against in the last two games against the Griffins. Grand Rapids’ winless streak climbed to five contests, which is the longest this season. In his first start since Dec. 11, goaltender Kaden Fulcher made 21 saves in his AHL season debut.

Grand Rapids had two shorthanded chances in the opening stanza on breakaways. Turner Elson sent a one-timer but was denied by Ingram while Taro Hirose took a shot but rattled the post.

Milwaukee opened the scoring during a power play at 8:07 in the first period. Cody Glass fed the puck to Anthony Richard at the doorstep, who then pushed the puck in between the pads of Fulcher.

The Admirals scored two tallies in the middle frame to give them a three-goal advantage. With 16:20 remaining, Jeremy Davies took an angled shot from the left-wing boards that went just inside the left goal post.

At 11:04, Marc Del Gaizo sent a wrister from the slot that went over the shoulder of Fulcher to extend the Milwaukee lead.

Fifty-seven seconds into the final frame, Milwaukee made it a 4-0 game when Cole Smith got his own rebound from an initial shot and sent the rubber behind the Griffins’ netminder.

Kyle Criscuolo had an opportunity to avoid a shutout with a tap in at 12:24 during a Grand Rapids power play but was denied by the Milwaukee defense.

With 4:07 remaining in the third period, Matt Luff went behind the net to punch the loose puck in behind Fulcher, sealing a 5-0 victory for the Admirals.

Notes

• Grand Rapids went 1-for-2 on the penalty kill but was 0-for-6 on the man advantage.

• The Griffins have been outscored 10-1 in their last three outings.

• Hirose appeared in his 100th game as a Griffin.

Box Score
Grand Rapids 0 0 0 - 0
Milwaukee 1 2 2 - 5

1st Period-1, Milwaukee, Richard 7 (Glass, Novak), 8:07 (PP). Penalties-Spezia Gr (hooking), 7:44; Berry Gr (tripping), 11:15; Smith Mil (interference), 17:21.

2nd Period-2, Milwaukee, Smith 7 (Davies, Knott), 3:40. 3, Milwaukee, Del Gaizo 4 (Afanasyev, Richard), 11:04. Penalties-LaBate Mil (tripping), 0:39; Smith Mil (boarding), 15:42; Smith Mil (holding), 18:43.

3rd Period-4, Milwaukee, Smith 8 (Donovan, Healey), 0:57. 5, Milwaukee, Luff 10 (Grimaldi, Davies), 15:53. Penalties-Sebrango Gr (roughing), 10:12; Luff Mil (roughing), 10:12; Grimaldi Mil (tripping), 11:45; LaBate Mil (hooking), 12:49.

Shots on Goal-Grand Rapids 14-9-19-42. Milwaukee 9-10-7-26.
Power Play Opportunities-Grand Rapids 0 / 6; Milwaukee 1 / 2.
Goalies-Grand Rapids, Fulcher 0-1-0 (26 shots-21 saves). Milwaukee, Ingram 16-10-3 (42 shots-42 saves).
A-5,296

Three Stars
1. MIL Ingram (W, SO, 42 saves); 2. MIL Richard (power play goal, assist); 3. MIL Smith (two goals)

Record / Next Game
Grand Rapids: 15-15-5-2 (37 pts.) / Wed., Feb. 2 vs. Toronto 7 p.m.
Milwaukee: 19-18-2-2 (42 pts.) / Wed., Feb. 2 at Rockford 7 p.m. CST

Photo by Milwaukee Admirals