5
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Milwaukee
2
The Chicago Wolves reeled off four goals in four shots during a 4:43 stretch of the third period to rally for a 5-2 victory over the Milwaukee Admirals on Thursday night at Allstate Arena.
Forwards Gage Quinney, Valentin Zykov, Cody Glass and Tye McGinn and defenseman Dylan Coghlan scored for the Wolves (24-21-3-2), who knocked off the AHL’s No. 1 team for the third time in their last six meetings.
Rookie forward Lucas Elvenes handed out two assists and Oscar Dansk posted 15 saves to improve his record to 14-1-2 since Dec. 4.
“I kind of mixed the lines up a little bit going into the third period,” said Wolves head coach Rocky Thompson. “We kind of got lucky with that. It was like there was some chemistry there.
“It’s great character and leadership in our room. Our guys were positive on the bench. They had hope because they knew there was opportunity for them.”
Milwaukee (34-10-4-3) took a 2-0 lead into the third period on goals by center Michael McCarron and forward Eeli Tolvanen. Admirals goaltender Connor Ingram stopped all 17 shots he faced during the first two periods, then the first eight in the third.
After that, Chicago couldn’t (and didn’t) miss.
The Wolves sliced the margin to 2-1 at the 9:00 mark of the third. Curtis McKenzie spied Brandon Pirri open at the far post, but Ingram blocked Pirri’s attempt to shove it home. The rebound bounced through the crease to Quinney near the other post and he knocked it in before Ingram could move.
Chicago maintained the pressure and pulled even at 11:09 on Coghlan’s seventh goal of the year. Elvenes, working just inside the offensive zone, zipped a pass to Jake Leschyshyn streaking down the slot. Leschyshyn got his stick on the puck and tipped it to Coghlan, who swept it past Ingram.
Zykov delivered the go-ahead goal at 12:16 when defenseman Jake Bischoff launched a slapshot from the point. Zykov tipped it while skating through the high slot and it slid through Ingram’s five-hole to give the Wolves a 3-2 lead.
Glass, playing his first game for the Wolves this season, capped the rally at 13:43 when he flung himself headlong just outside the crease in order to knock a backhand past Ingram for a 4-2 lead.
McGinn added an empty-net goal at 19:38 to give the Wolves five goals on their final five shots. Ingram (16-5-5) finished with 25 saves while Dansk improved his record to 18-7-2.
The Wolves continue their homestand at 7 p.m. Saturday against the Grand Rapids Griffins. The first 2,500 fans receive a Wolves Reusable Tote Bag, courtesy of Pet Supplies Plus.
