The Chicago Wolves started the third period with a one-goal lead, but couldn’t hold off the Milwaukee Admirals. The Admirals rallied to tie the game and force overtime and eventually a shootout, that resulted in the Wolves taking a 3-2 loss.

Right wing Darren Haydar and center Jared Ross tallied regulation goals for Chicago (16-15-2-1), while left wing Nigel Dawes was the only Wolves player to score in the shootout.

Goaltender Peter Mannino (10-7-1) posted 30 saves in regulation and overtime and stopped one Milwaukee attempt in the shootout.

“They showed a little more discipline than we did,” said Wolves Head Coach Don Lever. “We just couldn’t get any momentum going and had no flow, and their goaltender played pretty well.”

The Wolves needed just 2:16 to take a 1-0 lead. Haydar held the puck along the boards near the left face-off circle and lasered a shot between goaltender Mark Dekanich’s pad and the post.

The Admirals pulled even, 1-1, at 12:38 of the second period when Linus Klasen’s shot from the left face-off circle bounced off Mannino’s pad and trickled over the goal line.

The Wolves regained a one-goal lead, 2-1, when Ross wrapped the puck around the net and it escaped under Dekanich’s pads at 17:12 of the second period.

Dekanich (11-3-3) turned aside 19 shots for the Admirals and thwarted three of four Wolves shootout attempts.

Milwaukee (17-9-2-4) drew even again, 2-2, 1:20 into the third period. Defenseman Jonathon Blum took a pass from Klasen in the middle of the right face-off circle and ripped a shot past Mannino

The Wolves return from a holiday break to host the Grand Rapids Griffins at the Allstate Arena on Monday, December 27, at 7 p.m.

A Chicago Wolves press release contributed to this article.