ROSEMONT, Ill. – After a disappointing end to last season, the Milwaukee Admirals opened their 2023-24 slate needing overtime if they were going to end a long losing streak against arguably their biggest rival.
Spencer Stastney made sure opening night was a success. The defenseman’s breakaway goal 48 seconds into the extra session lifted Milwaukee to a 2-1 win over the Chicago Wolves on Saturday night at Allstate Arena in Rosemont.
The breakaway developed when the Wolves appeared to change their line, opening the ice for Stastney, who took a long pass from Fedor Svechkov and beat Adam Scheel for the winner.
The win not only got Milwaukee’s 23rd AHL season off on the right foot, but also snapped a four-game losing streak to Chicago.
Milwaukee’s bid last season to win its first Calder Cup since 2003-04 ended when it lost in six games to the expansion Coachella Valley Firebirds in the Western Conference Finals. And early on Saturday, the Admirals couldn’t solve Scheel, who was making his Wolves debut after collecting just 15 wins through the previous three seasons with the Texas Stars.
Milwaukee held a 13-4 advantage in shots through the first 20 minutes and continued to pepper Scheel in the second period.
Yaroslav Askarov’s bid for an opening-night shutout for Milwaukee ended at 16:11 of the second period when Nathan Sucese buried a pass from former Admiral Matt Donovan into the back of the net from the bottom of the right circle.
But Chicago’s lead wouldn’t last. Just 2:20 later, Denis Gurianov — a veteran of 280 NHL games — beat Scheel with a one-timer from the top of the left circle for his first goal in an Admirals uniform and Milwaukee’s first marker of the season.
Askarov finished with 20 saves in the win, but also got some help late. Donovan’s drive with 3:52 left in regulation rang off the post to leave the score tied at 1. Svechkov assisted on both goals.
Overall, Milwaukee had a 37-21 advantage in shots and killed off all nine Wolves power plays.
More must-reads: