By Mark Schmetzer
Enquirer contributor

Monday Night Hockey came to Cincinnati Gardens for the first time since the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks started playing there. The outcome might prevent a return.

Jay Henderson scored on a long slap shot with 7:39 left in sudden-death overtime to give the Milwaukee Admirals a 4-3 win over the Mighty Ducks in Game 4 of their American Hockey League West Division semifinal series.

Henderson's slap shot from just outside the left circle got through goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov's legs.

Mike Farrell, who scored earlier in the game, was credited with an assist.

The goal tied the series at 2-2 and means the series will return to Milwaukee for Game 6 Friday at 8 p.m. Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday at 7:35 p.m. at the Gardens.

Game 1 of the series also went to overtime, and the Cyclones won 5-4.

The Monday night home game was Cincinnati's first in the seven-season history of the franchise.

The Ducks were especially ineffective on their power play. They converted none of their five opportunities , while the Admirals scored on two of their four chances.

Tony Hrkac, who's in his 18th professional season, scored from a crowd in front of the Ducks net during a Milwaukee power play with 6:34 left in the first period.

Farrell made it 2-0 with 16.5 seconds left in the period by scoring after knocking Stanislav Chistov off the puck.

The Ducks tied the score with second-period goals by Joel Perrault, his first of the playoffs, and Casey Hankinson, his second.

Milwaukee, which had the AHL's best record during the regular season, regained the lead on Mathieu Darche's power-play goal with 3:16 left in the period, but Chistov scored his team-high fifth playoff goal with 16:33 left in the third period to tie the score, 3-3.

Milwaukee	2	1	0	1-4
Cincinnati	0	2	1	0-3

First period: 1. Mil, Hrkac 3 (Darche, Smith), 14:41 (ppg). 2. Mil, Farrell 1 (Pivko, Hutchinson), 19:43.

Second period: 3. Cin, Perrault 1 (Martensson), 2:50. 4. Cin, Hankinson 2 (Parenteau, Brookbank), 10:19. 5. Mil, Darche 1 (Hrkac, Murphy), 16:44 (pp).

Third period: 6. Cin, Chistov 5 (Stepp, Brookbank), 3:27.

Overtime: 7. Mil, Henderson 1 (Farrell), 12:21.

Shots on goal: Milwaukee 10-9-7-7 -33; Cincinnati 3-12-6-5 - 26.

Power-play opportunities: Milwaukee 2-for-4; Cincinnati 0-for-5.

Goaltenders: Milwaukee, Flaherty (26 shots, 23 saves); Cincinnati Bryzgalov (33 shots, 29 saves).

Referee: Pochmara. Linesmen: Gould, Lord. A: 1,257.