The goals just keep coming
Aberg, Gaudreau each score two
Pontus Aberg and Frederick Gaudreau are on some kind of roll.
Milwaukee’s toptwo goal scorers each added two more Friday in the Admirals’ 5-2 victory over Rockford in front of 8,033 fans at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.
Aberg has a teamhigh 21 goals thanks to seven in his last seven games, and Gaudreau has 20 after scoring nine times in his last eight outings, as Milwaukee won for the seventh time in 10 games and the IceHogs lost their sixth in a row.
“Not only scoring goals, they’re playing the right way, both of them,” Admirals coach Dean Evason said. “Both kill penalties, both play on the power play, both are playing key, arguably, firstand second-line right wingers. Yeah, it’s exciting. Obviously the goals are there, you see that. But they’re both playing extremely well.
“Every team has to have guys that produce, and every team has to have guys that check, and shut down. Sometimes a team fits and sometimes it doesn’t. Right now, our team fits. Having those two guys in an offensive role and scoring has clearly helped us.”
Milwaukee broke a 2-2 tie in the final period against Rockford, which has the fewest road wins (seven) in the American Hockey League. Gaudreau got it going when he scored 1 minute 27 seconds into the frame.
Mike Ribeiro’s pass from the right corner found Gaudreau in front of the crease, where he backhanded it in as two defenders converged on him and goalie Lars Johansson slid to the right post.
“Honestly, it was just instinct,” Gaudreau said. “Sometimes you kind of see stuff and you just try to put the puck in the net. I think I got lucky a little bit.”
Milwaukee picked up its eighth powerplay goal in the last six games when Aberg scored from the left circle into an open net, as once again the goalie was too far to the right post to recover in time, for a 4-2 lead.
It was Aberg’s teamhigh fifth two-goal game of the season, and Gaudreau notched his third two-goal game when he scored an empty-netter with 4.9 seconds left after Ribeiro’s shot clanked off the left post.
“More than that, I think the team is playing good, and that’s what matters,” Gaudreau said. “That’s what we’ve got to build on, keep trying to focus on. Individually, we’ve had success in the last couple of games. But it’s all about the team.”
Ribeiro finished with two assists and has eight in 14 games with Milwaukee after being reassigned from Nashville.
“He’s a hell of a hockey player,” Gaudreau said. “For me, he was an idol, a legend. … He’s been such a good player for me, and more than that, for every player in the (locker) room here.”
Milwaukee scored the only two goals of the first period and Rockford returned the favor in the second.
“We do have to clean up our second (period),” Evason said. “Hopefully we’ll get a handle on that.”
Roster update: Forward Stephen Perfetto was signed to a professional tryout contract before the game after leading the Alaska Aces of the ECHL with 64 points in 48 games. He assisted on Milwaukee’s first goal.