The Lake Erie Monsters dropped their fourth and final contest of the 2009-10 regular season to the Milwaukee Admirals Wednesday night at the Bradley Center by a score of 5-1. With the loss, the Monsters drop to 30-30-0-6 while the Admirals improve to 35-23-1-6. Currently, Lake Erie sits four points behind the Manitoba Moose for the fourth and final playoff spot in the North Division.

Mike Santorelli started the scoring for Milwaukee, netting his 20^th of the season on the power play at the 16-minute mark of the first period. Mark Matheson and Teemu Laakso picked up assists on the goal.

Heading into the second up by a goal, the Admirals pushed their lead to two on Ryan Maki’s fifth tally of the season six minutes into the middle frame. An even strength goal, Dave Scatchard and former Monster Chris Mueller assisted on the tally.

It would take 11 more minutes, but Milwaukee would continue to light up the scoreboard, as Santorelli netted his second power play marker of the night with three minutes left in the middle frame. Santorelli’s 21^st of the season, scored at the 16:53 mark, was assisted by Robert Dietrich and Jonathon Blum.

Before the final 20 minutes of regulation would begin, the Admirals would add to their lead, as Nick Spaling’s sixth goal of the season with a minute left in the second period put Milwaukee up four and was the last goal Monsters goalie John Grahame would allow on the night. Hugh Jessiman and Triston Grant assisted on the goal.

Coming in for Grahame, a switch to goalie Billy Sauer in net for the Monsters made no difference, and Milwaukee went ahead 5-0 just 12 seconds into the final frame on Ben Guite’s seventh of the season. Jessiman and Grant picked up the helpers on the Admirals fifth and final goal of the evening.

Down five, the Monsters kept battling, and rookie Justin Mercier foiled Mark Dekanich’s shutout bid, netting his 11^th of the season. The goal, coming at the 11:28 mark of the third, was a shorthanded score and went unassisted.

By game’s end, Grahame had made 13 saves on 17 shots while Sauer turned away three of four shots he faced. Dekanich made 30 saves on 31 shots in the win.

Lake Erie finishes the 2009-10 regular season against the Admirals with a 2-1-0-1 mark and have an all-time record of 5-1-1-1 against Milwaukee.

The Monsters return to the ice Friday, when they travel to British Columbia for back-to-back games against the Abbotsford Heat. The weekend games wrap up the team’s seven-game road trip that spans 11 days. Lake Erie returns home on Friday, March 19^th for a contest against the Hamilton Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available and can be purchased by calling (216) 420-0000, by visiting LakeErieMonsters.com or by visiting any Northern Ohio Discount Drug Mart.