By Matt Mueller Culture Editor Published May 15, 2024 at 12:56 PM

Last year, the Milwaukee Admirals thrilled local sports fans with a stellar run through the Calder Cup Playoffs, winning breathlessly tense close games and charging all the way into the Western Conference Finals. The only problem? The run came up just a little shorter than preferred – something the Admirals are looking to amend as they sail even deeper into the AHL postseason this week.

After finishing even better in the standings this season than last year – complete with a franchise-record 19-game winning streak under their belts – and shooting down the Texas Stars in the first round, the Admirals will now face the Grand Rapids Griffins in the Central Division Finals. The best-of-five series begins with two games here at home at the UMW Panther Arena – the first dropping the puck tonight at 7 p.m., followed by Game 2 at the same time on Monday, May 20. For tickets to help give the Ads a true home ice advantage and hopefully nudge the series the good guys' way, head over to the Admirals' website – or head over to this link and plug in the promo code "MUELLER" for $2 off your ticket!

After those first two bouts in Brew City, the Admirals will voyage across Lake Michigan to Grand Rapids with hopefully a lead and two road games to potentially settle the series. Game 3 is guaranteed on Wednesday, May 22 at 7 p.m., with Game 4 set for Friday, May 24 if the best-of-five series pushes beyond the minimum. And if the series is still tied at that point, the final dramatic spat will drop the puck one last time on Sunday, May 26 at 5 p.m. back in Milwaukee at the UWM Panther Arena.

If you can't make it in person, fans can also watch along by subscribing to AHL.tv, or tune in on the radio via 97.3 The Game or The Big 920. And even when the team is playing across the lake during Games 3 and 4, stay tuned to the Admirals' Facebook and Twitter pages for any upcoming plans to gather Ads fans together and cheer on the squad – hopefully so loudly that they can hear and feel the team spirit from all the way across our massive Great Lake.

Not to tempt fate and anger the hockey gods ... but if the Admirals grind up the Griffins, they'll move onto the Western Conference Finals for the second straight season, where they would face either the Ontario Reign or last year's great nemesis, the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

But first things first, there's Grand Rapids to wreck. 

If you're a hockey fan, you know there's nothing quite like the intensity of playoff hockey – especially first hand. And even just one series into the postseason, the Admirals' play has lived up to that reputation, turning into the Heart Attack Ads once again and thrillingly coming back from two games down against the Stars, winning three straight home games and earning the right to move on closer to the Calder Cup. 

Even if you don't know icing from an ICEE, though, and think a Zamboni is a fancy Italian dessert pastry, you still won't want to miss this playoff push with the roaring and raucous UWM Panther Arena crowds as well as the goofy intermission games and entertainment – including the legendary Human Hockey Puck – at each home bout. And hopefully, this year's postseason visit will come complete with some revenge and a trophy raising at the very end.

For more information on tickets, promotions and more, check out the Admirals website. And we'll see you at the rink!

Matt Mueller Culture Editor

As much as it is a gigantic cliché to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. Whether it was bringing in the latest movie reviews for his first grade show-and-tell or writing film reviews for the St. Norbert College Times as a high school student, Matt is way too obsessed with movies for his own good.

When he's not writing about the latest blockbuster or talking much too glowingly about "Piranha 3D," Matt can probably be found watching literally any sport (minus cricket) or working at - get this - a local movie theater. Or watching a movie. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie.