Milwaukee’s season came to a heartbreaking end on Sunday, May 25 in a devastating 3-2 loss to the Texas Stars. After Sunday’s contest, the Admirals have a 7-3 record in game five of best-of-five series and a 16-5 elimination game record under head coach Karl Taylor.
“[We’ve] been through a lot this year,” said Milwaukee’s captain Kevin Gravel. “A lot of change, a lot of ups and downs, and we grew really close… It’s really disappointing to see it come to an end.”
Milwaukee’s fall started early in the first period. Curtis McKenzie took the Texas Stars to an early 1-0 lead with a goal from Michael Karow and Kole Lind. Out of Milwaukee’s ten playoff games, they’ve started from behind in four. Three of which were in the Central Division Finals series against Texas.
A tripping call to Lind allowed Milwaukee’s Chase De Leo to score his third goal of the postseason. De Leo’s goal came after he earned the primary assist on Ryder Rolston’s game-winning overtime goal in game four. Assisting De Leo’s power play goal was Admirals forwards Fedor Svechkov and Keiffer Bellows.
Milwaukee took a 2-1 lead in the second period. Fedor Svechkov earned his fourth postseason goal on a breakaway, assisted by Joakim Kemell and Turner Ottenbreit.
The Admirals struggled to keep pressure in the offensive zone in the third period, allowing Texas to score two unanswered goals. Matěj Blümel scored the game-tying goal. Justin Hryckowian scored the game-winning goal with five minutes left in regulation. Hryckowian’s goal was his seventh of the postseason and took him to a league-leading 15 points.
Gravel reflected on his performance in the third period. “I’m not thrilled with the way I played [during the game-tying goal]. That’s something I’ll look back on… You don’t ever want regrets when you’re looking back at your seasons.”
Milwaukee’s goaltender, Matthew Murray, played exceptionally well in game five. Despite Texas netting three goals on him, Murray made 27 saves in net. He had a few notable ten-bell saves, including back-to-back saves on shots from Texas’s Harrison Scott and Antonio Stranges.
Taylor agreed that Murray’s performance throughout game five and the postseason was great. “[Texas is] his old team, as we know, and that always gives you an extra burst… You definitely want to play well against them, and I think he accomplished that goal.”
Throughout the season, the Milwaukee Admirals had over 40 unique players on their roster. A handful of Admirals had the opportunity to play for their National Hockey League (NHL) affiliate, the Nashville Predators.
Taylor said that is what stood out for him this season. “There’s so many different people in there from different teams… We were able to build them, and officially, they’re all Milwaukee Admirals now.”
The worst part of the offseason is the changeover. Contracts expire, players retire, and teams complete trades during free agency. The fact of the matter is that this team of Milwaukee Admirals will never be replicated.
Some notable contracts expiring include Admirals forwards De Leo and Cal O’Reilly. De Leo joined the Admirals in January 2025 after being claimed off waivers. He finished the season with 21 points, including five postseason points. O’Reilly signed a one-year AHL contract with the Admirals. He led the team in points with 52 points, with an overwhelming majority earned in the regular season.
There are outstanding prospects like Tanner Molendyk and Oasiz Weisblatt on the way to Milwaukee soon, the future looks promising for the Milwaukee Admirals. Taylor awaits the day he can “win for the city” and bring home the Calder Cup for the Admirals front office staff. This organization “inspires him every day.”
The Milwaukee Admirals enter the offseason earlier than they wished. however, it won’t be long before they return to the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. Milwaukee’s home opener for the 2025-2026 regular season is scheduled for Saturday, October 18.