CHICAGO – The Chicago Wolves held on to a one-goal lead for most of an intense 60 minutes of hockey to defeat the Milwaukee Admirals in Game 7 of their Calder Cup series, 2-1.
“It’s been awhile since we put in sixty minutes,” Chicago head coach Don Lever said afterward. “We played two solid periods, and they wouldn’t go away. I thought the first half we were real good and the last five minutes we kind of backed in. You’ve got to hand them a lot of credit. They just didn’t stop coming at us.”
Lever also added, “You are afraid to make a mistake. They poured it on almost like every game that they were behind.” 
All the Wolves needed to clinch the game was less than two minutes worth of offense. But the game was filled with intensity, as Milwaukee had their opportunities and played tough throughout the game.
Wolves right wing Anthony Stewart, sporting his new Mohawk cut, smacked a shot from the far circle that flew in over Mark Dekanich’s shoulder for the first goal of the game at the 12:29 mark. Just a 1:28 later, center Kevin Doell wristed a rebound from a Spencer Machacek wraparound attempt to give the Wolves a 2-0 lead.
Chicago finished the first with a huge 15-5 shots advantage.
In the second, it was Milwaukee’s attempt to stage a comeback. Right wing Tim Stapleton got his and the team’s second consecutive penalty. On the power play, center Marty Murray took a simple shot that just bounced in under Peter Mannino’s pads to bring the Admirals within one.
The third period showed just who wanted it more. Both team battled hard. The Wolves dominated the first half with an aggressive forecheck and turned in one of their best non-scoring periods all year.
Both netminders played on their heads all series long, combining for three shutouts. Dekanich saved 34 of the 36 shots he faced, while the Wolves’ Peter Mannino saved 15 shots.
Mannino was by far the MVP of the series, registering two shutouts. “We had the lead there, they came back and things tightened up a little bit. The guys were a little disappointed on how we gave away a couple of wins and stuff like that,” Mannino said. “To come out here tonight and play that well and give up a certain amount of shots. It is a testament to the guys, it’s a true team win.”
Only three penalties were called for the whole game, as both teams were careful not to make errors in a crucial final game. Ironically, the Wolves Tim Stapleton was called for two penalties after taking only one in the previous six games of the series. Milwaukee was able to convert on one of the two tonight.
Three Stars were: Anthony Stewart (Chicago), Third Star with a goal; Mark Dekanich (Milwaukee) with 34 saves; and Kevin Doell (Chicago) with the game winner.
The Admiral’s NHL parent, the Nashville Predators , also got eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on the same night, losing to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games.
The Wolves next opponent will be the Texas Stars beginning on Friday in Chicago. The Stars started the season with a torrid record only to cool off a bit, but their defense is still one of the best in the league.
Contact matt.chin@prohockeynews.com
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