The Chicago Wolves earned their 16th point in nine games as they fell 3-2 in a shootout to the Milwaukee Admirals Friday night at UWM Panther Arena.
Brandon Pirri tallied in both regulation and the shootout while Tobias Lindberg scored in the first period for the Wolves (13-12-5-2).
Chicago opened scoring less than two minutes into the game when the top line of Beau Bennett, Tomas Hyka and Pirri executed a great zone entry. From the right wing, Hyka fed a pass to Bennett on the opposite wing for a shot. Pirri swept in the rebound chance from the slot for the 1-0 lead at 1:53.
Fifteen seconds past the midway point of the period, Tyler Moy’s quick-release shot found space between the near post and Max Lagace (7-2-2) for the 1-1 equalizer.
At the tail end of the first period, Lindberg flew out of the box after serving a slashing infraction and joined the rush. The puck caromed off the end boards behind the net and ended up on Lindberg’s stick. With Anders Lindback (15-5-2) still getting across the crease, Lindberg shot the puck into a wide-open net for the 2-1 go-ahead goal with 2:03 left in the frame.
At 9:07 of the second session, on the rush from the right wing, Emil Pettersson lasered a saucer pass through the slot. Anthony Richard drove the net on the opposite wing and redirected the puck in for the 2-2 tie.
After a scoreless third period and 3-on-3 overtime, Justin Kirkland and Frederick Gaudreau scored for Milwaukee (16-12-3-0) while only Pirri could solve Lindback in the three-man shootout.
Lindback made 31 saves as well as two in the shootout while Lagace made 20 saves in the loss.
The Wolves finish the 2017 calendar year with an Illinois Lottery Cup contest against the Rockford IceHogs at Allstate Arena on Saturday, Dec. 30. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on CW50.
