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Hockey Thu May 01 2008
Rivalry gets ramped up
Although I’ve been giving myself over to baseball the past few weeks (Go Sox!) the recent cold snap reminded me that hockey is in the midst of its playoff stretch, and lo and behold, the Chicago Wolves did advance past the Milwaukee Admirals with a 4-2 series victory Saturday.
Leading the way was netminder Ondrej Pavelec, who recorded his first career postseason shutout in a series clenching 3-0 Game 6 victory. After an offensive attack failed to tickle the twine in a 2-0 loss in Game 4 last Wednesday the Wolves rebounded the next night with a 4-1 victory in Game 5, led by goals from Brett Sterling and Darren Haydar in the first period.
The victory sets up a highly anticipated showdown between the Wolves and the Blackhawks affiliate Rockford IceHogs, starting with Game 1 tonight at the Allstate Arena. The top two seeds in the West division literally fought tooth and nail throughout the season, with the teams accumulating more than 150 penalty minutes in a pair of brawl-filled games late in the season. The battle was tight on the scoreboard as well, with six of the 10 overall games decided by a single goal. The Wolves did garner a 6-3-1-0 record against Rockford during the regular season, including a perfect 5-0 at Allstate.
With all the animosity between the two squads, expect the series to be a chippy, hard-hitting physical affair, but the Wolves should have the offense to prevail in what should be a captivating matchup.
And don’t forget, free food!
Find the full 7-game schedule after the jump, and buy tickets here.
Game 1
Allstate Arena
Thu., May 1
7 p.m.
Game 2
Allstate Arena
Sat., May 3
7 p.m.
Game 3
Rockford MetroCentre
Sun., May 4
4 p.m.
Game 4
Rockford MetroCentre
Wed., May 7
7 p.m.
Game 5*
Allstate Arena
Fri., May 9
7:30 p.m.
Game 6*
Rockford MetroCentre
Sun., May 11
4 p.m.
Game 7*
Allstate Arena
Tue., May 13
7 p.m.
* if necessary
