Admirals Sink IceHogs with Offensive Explosion

ROCKFORD, Ill. - Garrett Mitchell and Joseph Cramarossa each scored for the Rockford IceHogs, but the Milwaukee Admirals' high-powered offense proved too much to overcome as the Ads skated to a 7-2 victory at UW Panther Arena on Saturday night.

The IceHogs held the Admirals to just one goal in the first period, as Tommy Novak beat Matt Tomkins 12:14 into the opening frame to give the home team the 1-0 lead.

Milwaukee built on that lead 5:46 into the second stanza when Michael McCarron netted a power-play goal, but Garrett Mitchell scored four minutes later for Rockford to cut the Admirals' lead in half. MacKenzie Entwistle dished a saucer pass over to Mitchell, who powered a wrister past Troy Grosenick to get Rockford on the board and make it 2-1.

The Admirals would add three more tallies in the second period, though, as Mathieu Olivier, Eeli Tolvanen and Yakov Trenin all buried to make it 5-1 entering the second intermission.

Joseph Cramarossa scored just 57 seconds into the third when he slapped home a shot from the slot to give the IceHogs a fighting chance, but it was all Admirals from there.

Trenin added another tally on Tomkins before Tomkins took matters into his own hands, going toe-to-toe with Grosenick in a rare goalie fight. Trenin later netted a third goal when he beat Collin Delia to complete the hat trick and make it 7-2.

The IceHogs head to Chicago to take on the Wolves at 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, with both teams tied for the fourth and final playoff spot.

GAME NOTES

• The IceHogs fell to the Milwaukee Admirals Saturday after being down 1-0 heading into the first intermission...Rockford boasts a record of 10-3-1-0 this season when leading after the opening frame but is just 9-11-0-2 when tied after one and 7-13-0-0 when trailing after one for a combined 16-24-0-2 when entering the first intermission tied or trailing.
  
• Garrett Mitchell's goal tonight gives the veteran forward three goals and an assist for four points in his last five appearances.
• Matt Tomkins' fight with Troy Grosenick was not the first fight of his professional career...He also fought when he was a member of the Indy Fuel.