Afanasyev's hat trick powers Admirals to Series Lead

GRAND RAPIDS, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Egor Afanasyev has had some impressive performances in his time with the Admirals, but he's never had a game quite like this.

Afanasyev scored all three Admirals goals, including the game winner in overtime, to push Milwaukee past Grand Rapids 3-2 in game three of their playoff series. The Admirals now lead that division final two games to one.

The Admirals and Griffins played to a scoreless tie through one period, but Afanasyev found the net twice in the second stanza to help Milwaukee grab a 2-1 lead in the game. Austin Czarnik scored a goal for Grand Rapids early in the third period, and the Admirals could not answer, sending the game to overtime.

At 4:40 in the extra period, Afanasyev finished off his hat trick with the game winning goal, assisted by Joakim Kemell and Ryan Ufko.

With the win, Milwaukee has pushed Grand Rapids to the brink of elimination. Game four is Friday in Grand Rapids, and if the Ads lose that game, they'll play a deciding game five Sunday in Milwaukee.