The Milwaukee Admirals can’t help but go the distance.
For the second time in the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs, the Admirals will play a win-or-go-home Game 5, and for the third consecutive season, the Admirals will take the Texas Stars to five games.
The team’s familiar fate was secured with an overtime win in Game 4 to avoid elimination and even the series, as Ryder Rolston tipped a shot past Stars goaltender Remi Poirier to extend the hockey season in Milwaukee.
The 2-1 victory on Friday night was the culmination of an Admirals’ comeback effort, having knotted the game late after playing most of regulation from behind.
“I thought that was a great hockey game,” Karl Taylor, Admirals head coach, said in a press conference. “I thought both teams really laid it on the line. Either team could have won. We were fortunate to get that tip in overtime to get the win.”
Matt Murray stood tall in net for Milwaukee, stopping the final 21 shots he faced after Justin Hryckowian put Texas ahead just 29 seconds into the game, burying a rebound chance.
“When you give up a goal that quick, that’s not how anybody wants to start the game that had a blue jersey on, so for him to recover and then come back and play a solid game like he did, I was really proud of his effort,” Taylor said.
The Admirals’ penalty kill kept the deficit at one for the remainder of the opening frame, as the Stars failed to register a shot during their two first-period power plays.
Both squads found scoring opportunities in the second, including a pair of rush chances for Admirals center Jake Lucchini that were both turned away. Each netminder added five saves to their respective tally for the game, leaving the Stars with the lone score of the contest after two periods of play.
As their time to draw back to even reached its final 20 minutes, the Admirals put pressure on the Texas defense, nearly scoring on a netfront scramble just over six minutes into the period. With just over six minutes remaining, Kieffer Bellows would be denied on a wrap-around attempt, as Poirier just caught a piece of the puck with his outstretched pad.
But Milwaukee wouldn’t have to wait much longer for the equalizer.
With six minutes left on the clock, Joakim Kemell departed the play to collect his stick before a pass from Fedor Svechkov connected with him in the high slot. With Bellows using a netfront screen to put a blindfold on Poirier, Kemell’s shot found the back of the net as the Admirals finally broke through.
“Obviously he’s known for his shot and he let one loose,” Rolston said. “I think not only our team, but the building, felt it, and we just kind of took the momentum from there.”
Murray turned away the lone shot of the final six minutes to keep the score even, and Admirals captain Kevin Gravel skated the puck behind the Milwaukee net as time expired to usher in an overtime period.
Texas recorded the opening shot of the extra frame, but the Admirals owned the rest of overtime. Murray went the remainder of the game without facing a shot while Milwaukee put six towards Poirier, with the sixth and final shot extending the series.
With just over 12 minutes in the books, Chase De Leo floated a puck from the blue line that caught the outstretched stick of Rolston, passing Poirier on its way to the back of the net.
“I finished my check and was coming through the middle of the ice and I saw him get it, and then I just tried to make my stick available for a shot,” Rolston said. “And sure enough, got a piece of it.”
As the goal horn sounded, the Admirals’ bench cleared to celebrate the win in the northwest corner of the ice, as Game 5 was officially written on the schedule in pen.
“That’s just playoff hockey,” Rolston said. “You got to find ways to generate offense without necessarily getting zone time. And I think that we do such a good job of that. We have so many guys that just compete hard and finish checks and wear down their defenseman. And that’s the message going into Sunday.”
Sunday’s winner-take-all game will close the series between Milwaukee and Texas, with the winner punching their ticket to the Western Conference Finals. Having ousted the Stars from the playoffs in five games each of the last two seasons, the Admirals will look to strike down Texas yet again and write another chapter in their playoff history.
This story was written by Lance Schulteis. He can be reached at lance.schulteis@marquette.edu.