Gaudreau scores his first hat trick.

Gaudreau scores his first hat trick

Sixteen minutes had run off the clock in the final period Friday night, and the Milwaukee Admirals, trying to tie the game, had just one shot on goal.

But Frederick Gaudreau not only scored his third goal of the game with just 47 seconds left, Kevin Fiala’s overtime goal lifted the Admirals to a 4-3 victory over Rockford in front of 6,793 fans at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

“We were lucky in this hockey game,” Admirals coach Dean Evason said. “We didn’t like our game past the first period at all. We have to correct it for sure.”

Milwaukee won for the sixth time in its last eight games to remain in second place behind the IceHogs in the American Hockey League’s Central Division, as Gaudreau picked up his first hat trick after not having any goals in his previous 15 games.

“It feels good, for sure,” he said. “I was just trying to stay positive . . . but for some reason it wasn’t coming. Tonight it came three times. It feels really good.”

Milwaukee was playing only its second home game in the last 34 days, but several fans had seen enough and began to exit with about 3 minutes remaining.

But the Admirals pulled goalie Marek Mazanec and Gaudreau was able to force overtime.

A shot by Stefan Elliott bounced off the right leg of goalie Michael Leighton and Gaudreau was waiting for the rebound in front of the crease. Gaudreau’s stick beat Kirill Gotovets’ clearing attempt and he was able to swat the puck into the net.

“I just kept my mind in the moment,” Gaudreau said. “I didn’t know what was going on. I just tried to stay where I was. Elliott did a really, really good shot. I was lucky enough to have the puck right on my stick.”

In overtime, the puck slid to Cody Hodgson in the neutral zone and Fiala skated ahead for a 2-on-1 breakaway. Hodgson passed the puck past Rockford’s Marko Dano and Fiala got it as he crossed Rockford’s blue line.

Fiala skated free and, despite a slash from Dano as he approached the crease, was able to lift the puck over the right leg of Leighton for the Admirals’ sixth victory in nine games against Rockford.

“It’s exciting, but I don’t think about it,” Fiala said. “Everything happens so fast in hockey, I just tried to get a breakaway and it worked, so I was happy.”

Gaudreau gave the Admirals a 1-0 lead with 5:03 left in the first. Rockford responded with three goals in a 10-minute span in the second period before Gaudreau’s second goal cut Rockford’s lead to 3-2 with 3:01 left in the frame.

“He worked his butt off,” Evason said. “He has such a great attitude and he just keeps plugging along.”

Gaudreau