Wolves Pound Milwaukee 5-1, Carry Four-Game Win Streak Into Playoffs

Chicago ended the regular season with a statement that sounded louder than the scoreboard: a 5-1 rout of Milwaukee at Allstate Arena that extended the Wolves’ winning streak to four and capped a two-game weekend sweep by an 8-1 margin.

Bradly Nadeau and Justin Robidas drove the attack with a goal and two assists apiece, while Nikita Pavlychev and Noah Philp each added a goal and an assist. Ronan Seeley also scored, giving Chicago a scoring spread that reflected how thoroughly the Wolves controlled the night.

Seeley started the avalanche midway through the opening period, and Chicago never let Milwaukee settle into a rhythm. By the time the second period ended, the Wolves had already built a 4-0 lead and taken the suspense out of the finale. Isaac Ratcliffe got Milwaukee on the board at 15:40 of the second with his ninth goal of the season, but that only trimmed the deficit to 4-1 before Chicago answered with another insurance goal before the intermission.

That was the difference all night: Chicago’s pace forced Milwaukee to chase, and the Wolves finished their chances before the Admirals could regroup. The physical edge showed up in how little room Milwaukee had to work with, and the goaltending held steady when the visitors finally found a crack. For a team heading into the postseason, that combination travels well.

The result also put a final stamp on a lopsided season series. Chicago finished 8-1-2-1 against Milwaukee, a striking record against a Central Division opponent that usually makes every meeting messy. The Wolves also beat the Admirals 3-0 on Saturday, April 18, then backed it up with the 5-1 finish on Sunday, April 19, after Milwaukee had clipped Chicago 4-3 in a shootout on April 11.

Now Chicago turns to Texas as the Central Division’s No. 2 seed in a best-of-five semifinal. Game 1 is set for Tuesday, April 28, in Texas, with Game 2 on Thursday, April 30, before the series shifts to Chicago for Games 3 and 4 on Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3, if needed. Milwaukee, the No. 5 seed, opens a best-of-three first-round series against No. 4 Manitoba. For the Wolves, this was the kind of finish that can carry straight into the Calder Cup chase, and it came in the middle of their 25th AHL season with all the right signs flashing at once.