Admirals Blog News and notes on the Milwaukee Admirals hockey team. SHARE

By ,

Magnus Hellberg is forcing his way onto the ice.

The goalie made 22 saves in the third period to lead Milwaukee to a 4-0 victory over Grand Rapids Friday in front of 5,702 people at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

"He's making a case," Milwaukee coach Dean Evason said.

Hellberg picked up his first shutout since Dec. 12 after he almost had one in a 4-1 victory over Chicago on Sunday, but the Wolves scored on a six-on-four man advantage with only 63 seconds remaining.

Prior to the two games, Hellberg played in just one of his team's first eight contests.

"He deserved to get back in there tonight," Evason said.

Hellberg (3-0) has stopped 72 of the 74 shots he's faced and leads the American Hockey League in goals-against average (0.64) and save percentage (.973).

"I feel comfortable out there," Hellberg said. "And the boys played unbelievable in front of me. They helped with rebounds, helped me see pucks, so they make my job pretty easy."

Hellberg finished with 10 saves in the final period, including one that hit his neck on a close-range shot from Teemu Pulkkinen with 8:25 remaining.

"I was screened and I couldn't really see it," Hellberg said. "(Pulkkinen) has a pretty hard shot and he caught me under my helmet on my neck. I was a little tired too, so I took a little breather. I'm fine."

Hellberg also got in the face of Grand Rapids' Jeff Hoggan after he bumped the goalie midway through the second period.

It was all part of a chippy battle, as there were a total of four fights and 88 penalty minutes in the game.

"I think we'll keep what I said to him on the ice," Hellberg said. "It was a battle out there, a lot of action. It's nice to be a part of it. I like when it gets a little rough out there."

Milwaukee (8-2) has won two in a row after losing two straight, and Grand Rapids (3-5-1-0) is winless in its last five games.

The Griffins managed just two shots in the first 16 minutes of the game, and the Admirals already held at 2-0 lead.

The only goal Milwaukee needed came from Joe Pendenza with 13:28 left after he scored on his own rebound from the left crease.

"I shot it to the net, I kept going and ended up going top shelf," Pendenza said.

Milwaukee's second goal came from Colton Sissons with 7:34 to go. He was in the slot when he was unable to control a pass from Viktor Stalberg, but the puck bounced off Grand Rapids' Landon Ferraro nearby and Sissons swiped it in.

Milwaukee took a 3-0 lead with 6:30 left in the second thanks to a turnover in the Admirals' zone. Miikka Salomaki gathered the puck and lofted a long, high pass that Austin Watson tracked down at the opposite end. The Griffins' Nathan Paetsch tapped the puck away on the back wall, straight to Mark Van Guilder whose shot from the right goal line went in off the right foot of goalie Tom McCollum.

Thirty-eight seconds later, however, Stalberg was hip-checked by Brennan Evans and remained on the ice while teammate Jonathan Diaby fought the Grand Rapids' defenseman. Stalberg could not put any weight on his right foot as he was helped off the ice.

This was Stalberg's fourth and final game of his conditioning assignment from parent Nashville, and he returns to the Predators on Saturday.

"Not good. Not good," Evason said. "I don't know exactly what they're saying it is, but it's his knee. And it's not good. It's unfortunate."

Follow me on Twitter or 'like' my Facebook page