Even after two difficult games against the Chicago Wolves, the Milwaukee Admirals are looking for silver linings.
Chicago has a 2-0 series lead in the Central Division Finals, outscoring the Admirals in the two games, 14-4. In preparing for their fight to fend off elimination tonight on home ice, Milwaukee head coach Karl Taylor was stressing the positive.
“It’s May 24th, we’re playing hockey,†Taylor said yesterday. “We’re excited to still be playing hockey. We wish we would have got a split in Chicago ― that would have been a victory for us in our mind. It didn’t happen, so now we move on.
“We get ready for shift one, period one, and we try to win the first shift, the first period, the second period, try to win a game, and then we move on to the next one.â€
Milwaukee is 1-0 when facing elimination in the Calder Cup Playoffs, taking a Game 5 road decision against the Manitoba Moose in the teams’ Central Division semifinal series.
Tonight’s situation for the Charlotte Checkers is less perilous than the one that Milwaukee faces.
Still, the Checkers badly need a win tonight against the Springfield Thunderbirds following Sunday’s 6-0 loss in Game 1 of the Atlantic Division Finals. Win Game 2, and the Checkers go back to Charlotte with an even series and as many as three tries on home ice to close it out. Lose, and the Checkers face a situation in which they would need to defeat Springfield three consecutive times.
Starting with Checkers head coach Geordie Kinnear, a consistent message has been stressed by Charlotte: they are capable of much more. The Checkers won the Atlantic Division title in the regular season on the strength of a 16-3-2-1 record in their final 22 games. They then eliminated the stubborn Bridgeport Islanders in a four-game Atlantic Division semifinal series.
With two full days between games for practice and video, Kinnear has the Checkers working to clear up what ailed them in Game 1.
“I think just collectively rebounding from not the effort we wanted,†captain Zac Dalpe said of the team’s goal in Game 2. “It felt like they played well, but we beat ourselves at times, too.â€
And then there are the Rochester Americans, who like Milwaukee are also trying to fight off elimination tonight.
Fiery Rochester defenseman Brandon Davidson spoke passionately following the Amerks’ 3-1 loss to the Laval Rocket in Game 2 of the North Division Finals on Monday.
“We need to really not play like them,†Davidson said. “We need to play like us.â€
“I think there’s minor details all over the ice that need to be cleaned up, but nothing huge. I think we’re right there. We’re a second behind the puck or a second ahead of it. We’re just not in a sweet spot right now.â€
The Rocket won twice on the road in their first series against Syracuse, including the deciding Game 5 overtime victory. But fresh off two games at sold-out Place Bell, the Rocket will now be the team dealing with a hostile environment going into Rochester.
The Amerks have staved off elimination once already in the postseason, winning Game 5 of their division semifinal in Utica. Davidson predicted that the Rocket will be facing a stubborn Amerks club tonight.
“I think [us] going down 2-0, that puts a lot of pressure on them,†Davidson said.
― Patrick Williams
