Firebirds stop Admirals, 5-2, to win Game 3 and force Milwaukee into elimination game

Five different players score in the decisive win that gives the Firebirds their ninth consecutive.

After the Coachella Valley Firebirds won the first two games of their best-of-seven series against the Milwaukee Admirals, there was never any doubt that the first period in Game 3 on Tuesday was going to be a big one.

Back at home in Wisconsin, the Admirals could get back into the series by setting the early tone. Conversely, the Firebirds could further separate themselves in the series with a strong early effort.

As it turns out, it was the latter narrative that came to fruition.

The Firebirds scored three first period goals and added another early in the second period to take a big lead en route to a 5-2 win in front of a crowd of 4,729 inside UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. The win forces the Admirals into an elimination game on Thursday in their American Hockey League Western Conference championship series.

“We knew they were going to come our hard to protect home ice,” said defenseman Cale Fleury, who scored 31 seconds into the game. “So, we had to match their intensity.”

The Firebirds will take a 3-0 lead in the series into Thursday’s Game 4 in Milwaukee. Coachella Valley has now won nine consecutive Calder Cup Playoff games.

After Fleury scored, Ryker Evans and Ryan Winterton added first period goals. Max McCormick then scored early in the second and Jacob Melanson scored late on an empty net to seal the game for Coachella Valley.

Chris Driedger saved 28 shots in the game and recorded his seventh game with two or fewer goals allowed this postseason.

The Firebirds were 0-for-3 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.

The Admirals cut the Firebirds’ four-goal lead in half in the second period, on goals by Marc Del Gaizo and Fedor Svechkov. But the Firebirds killed off a penalty with fewer than 11 minutes to play and Driedger maintained a clean sheet in the third period.

McCormick nearly scored a second goal late in the game, but the puck hit the inside of the post on the Admirals’ goal.

Milwaukee was then unable to cut the deficit a third time despite a late 6-on-5 advantage after pulling goaltender Troy Grosenick.

This is a developing story.