Calder Cup Finals Observations and Comments

By Ken Peacock

The Calder Cup Finals finally kicked off in Norfolk this past Friday night. The night started off with the raising of 4 new banners to the Norfolk Scope rafters. There was one banner each for the winning the East Division title, the AHL regular season points title, the Eastern Conference title. The fourth banner recognized the Admirals for their history making 28-game winning streak. There was also a trophy presentation that was rudely interrupted by the Toronto players pre-maturely skating onto the ice.

Photo: L. Todd Spencer – The Virginian Pilot

The game itself was fun to watch from the fans perspective. This was the first time that the Marlies and the Admirals have ever met in regular or post-season action. This was the game that would be used to feel each other out and see what could or could not be done. It was a penalty filled affair that saw the Admirals taking more penalties than we would normally like them to take. The upside to the penalties was that the Admiral offense managed to put the puck on net with over 40 shots. The Toronto media had stated that “Toronto has had the benefit of going into sparsely filled rinks and quickly taking out what little crowd atmosphere there has been. The Scope in Norfolk won’t likely sell out either.”    Well I can understand why they may have said that as Toronto has never been down here before. The end result was Norfolk packing the house with a loud crowd and taking a 3-1 victory over the Marlies.

Saturday night the Admirals played before a sellout crowd. It was noticeably colder in the arena than it was the previous night. The honeymoon was over and both teams got down to business. It was a tighter and faster game. The Admirals cut back on the penalties that they took and skated away from any retaliation penalties. Norfolk scored the first goal again and never looked back. The Admirals shut down the Marlies and won the match 4-2. The series now moves to Toronto for games 3,4, and 5 (if needed). Let’s hope they do not have to share this flight up north with the Marlies.

Photo: L. Todd Spencer – The Virginian Pilot

I was not too impressed with the Marlies. Yes they played well and made the finals. If they are as good as what I have read it did not show this weekend. I understand that they have some injuries to some key players, but then what team has not had that happen. The Admirals have had to pull thru some tough times. Cooper has had to Band-Aid the team up and they have answered the call. Ben Scrivens is a great goaltender and was responsible for keeping the Marlies within range of coming back. He was also a pest that should have been penalized a few times for his actions against Admiral players. Just ask Alex Picard what he thought about the goal stick across the eye in game 1 or the goalie interference call in game 2. Jay Rosehill did his best Louis Robitaille impersonation, but the Admirals did not fall for it.  I have never truly appreciated Carter Ashton. Yes he can play, but it’s the tough guy image that he tries to put on that makes me laugh. He did it here and still does it in Toronto. Ashton needs to stick to scoring and leave the tough guy thing to thugs like Rosehill. The Marlies as a whole were not able to adapt to the Admirals. Norfolk just outplayed them this weekend.

Future AHL referee

AHL officials……Hmm…..  I don’t know if it is AHL policy or not, but was it intentional to send the worst officials to the Calder Cup Finals? Embarrassing is one word to describe the officiating performance this weekend. Dave Andrew should be ashamed of what he saw. I understand that there is a tendency to let the boys “play”, but there were some really blatant blown calls. I really feel bad for Alex Picard. He found himself on the bottom of a pile and the Marlie goalie nailed him in the head with the stick and dragged the blade across his eye. In game 2 the goalie came out of the crease and blocked Picard and Alex got called for interference. Yes I am bitching about non-calls that would have benefited Norfolk. I am also bitching about calls made against the Admirals. Some may ask “Why are you bitching when your team won?” Well……The officiating blatantly sucked! There was no hiding that from the sellout crowd. I am just a passionate hockey fan.

Now let’s concentrate on the games ahead.  The Admirals need 2 more to win the Calder Cup. The quest resumes this Thursday in Toronto. There are plenty of options to enjoy this game. We have the radio, internet, and on WGNT TV in the Hampton Roads area.. Big Woody’s will be showing the game

Norfolk Draws First Blood, Beat The Marlies 3-1

NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk Admirals opened the 2012 Calder Cup Finals by celebrating some of their recent accomplishments.

They closed out the night one step closer to a title.

Rookie stars Cory Conacher and Tyler Johnson each had a goal and an assist as Norfolk blitzed the Toronto Marlies early and held on late, taking a 3-1 decision in a feisty opener to the American Hockey League’s 76th championship series.

In a pre-game ceremony, the Admirals raised banners to the Scope rafters commemorating their East Division, overall regular season and Eastern Conference playoff titles, as well as a fourth recognizing their record 28-game winning streak.

Once the puck dropped, Norfolk was quick to show the dominance they’ve displayed while winning 40 of their last 43 games.

Photo: L. Todd Spencer – The Virginian-Pilot

Conacher, the AHL’s most valuable player and rookie of the year in 2011-12, opened the scoring with the teams skating four-on-four at 12:21 of the first period, snapping a shot past Ben Scrivens. It was the second postseason goal for Conacher, who had led the league with 39 goals during the regular season.

Shots were 16-9 after one period and 27-12 by the midway point of the second period when Johnson doubled the lead to 2-0, ripping a bullet by Scrivens at 10:03. It was just the fourth power-play goal allowed by the Marlies all postseason.

Toronto finally got on the board at 3:57 of the third period, with former Admiral Carter Ashton, in his first action since Game 2 of the first round vs. Rochester, beating Dustin Tokarski to make it 2-1. That goal ended Tokarski’s personal shutout streak at 203 minutes and 26 seconds, just 4:01 shy of the all-time Calder Cup playoff record set by the Springfield Indians’ Marcel Paille in 1962.

The Marlies continued to pressure for the equalizer, but could not convert on three third-period power plays before Brandon Segal secured the win with an empty-net shorthanded tally with 18.3 seconds remaining.

Photo: L. Todd Spencer – The Virginian-Pilot

Scrivens (11-3, 1.64, .945) finished with 39 saves on the night as the Marlies were outshot by a 42-24 margin. Tokarski (9-2, 1.60, .940) stopped 23 shots to help Norfolk to its seventh consecutive victory.

The game, which featured a combined 70 minutes in penalties, saw Toronto finish 0-for-10 on the power play and Norfolk go 1-for-5.

NOTES: Attendance at Scope was 7,229… In Calder Cup Finals history, the Game 1 winner has won the series 56 of 75 times.

Toronto Marlies 1 at Norfolk Admirals 3 – Status: Final
Friday, June 1, 2012 – Norfolk Scope

Toronto 0 0 1 – 1
Norfolk  1 1 1 – 3

1st Period-1, Norfolk, Conacher 2 (Johnson, Oberg), 12:21. Penalties-Lashoff Tor (hooking), 1:25; Mueller Tor (roughing), 1:25; Cote Nor (slashing, roughing), 1:25; Panik Nor (hooking), 8:15; Dimmen Nor (tripping), 11:34; Dupuis Tor (tripping), 11:40; Labrie Nor (roughing), 15:46; Picard Nor (roughing), 18:47.

2nd Period-2, Norfolk, Johnson 4 (Barberio, Conacher), 10:03 (PP). Penalties-Conacher Nor (slashing), 4:47; Dupuis Tor (cross-checking), 9:18; Dupuis Tor (roughing), 12:24; Conacher Nor (roughing), 12:24; Picard Nor (cross-checking), 13:24; Picard Nor (checking to the head), 18:01; Dupuis Tor (goaltender interference), 19:23; Mikus Tor (roughing), 19:23; Palat Nor (roughing), 19:23; D’Amigo Tor (roughing), 20:00.

3rd Period-3, Toronto, Ashton 1 (Scott, Gardiner), 3:57. 4, Norfolk, Segal 4 (Smith, Gudas), 19:41 (SH EN). Penalties-Acton Tor (roughing), 8:59; Gudas Nor (roughing), 8:59; Kostka Nor (hooking), 10:38; Fraser Tor (fighting), 14:38; Labrie Nor (boarding, fighting), 14:38; Oberg Nor (delay of game), 18:24; Rosehill Tor (elbowing, misconduct), 19:57.

Shots on Goal-Toronto 9-9-6-24. Norfolk 16-13-13-42.
Power Play Opportunities-Toronto 0 / 10; Norfolk 1 / 5.
Goalies-Toronto, Scrivens 11-3-0 (41 shots-39 saves). Norfolk, Tokarski 9-2-0 (24 shots-23 saves).

A-7,229
Referees-Francis Charron (46), Jean Hebert (43).
Linesmen-Matt MacPherson (83), John Grandt (95).

The Toronto Sun – Marlies Gear Up For The Cup Final (Link and Commentary)

Link:  http://www.torontosun.com/2012/05/30/marlies-gear-up-for-cup-final

Here’s a nice article on the upcoming Admirals / Marlies Cup Final. I only take one exception to the article about the Norfolk Scope. During the season we may have had some sparse crowds. It was expected and not surprising to anyone that goes to the games. The crowds may have never filled up the rink, but the crowds were dedicated hockey fans showing support for the Admirals. Ever since we had the winning streak and moved deep into the playoffs the crowds have become larger and the noise got louder. I expect that this weekend we will see and hear our largest crowds of the season.

The writer for the Toronto Sun wrote in his article …. “Toronto has had the benefit of going into sparsely filled rinks and quickly taking out what little crowd atmosphere there has been. The Scope in Norfolk won’t likely sell out either.”  Well Mr. Lance Hornby… I hope you are making the trip down to see the games. The Norfolk Scope is NOT going to be a sparsely filled rink. The Toronto Marlies are NOT going to see fans sitting in the stands  on their hands. Who knows if we will sell out the arena on both nights. It sure as hell is going to be damn close to doing so. The atmosphere is going to be lively and energetic and not the falling like a deflated balloon like you predict.

I am a fan of hockey on all levels. I would be happy watching a pickup game at the rink or watching it on the tube. This weekend I will be in the stands supporting MY TEAM fighting for the Calder Cup. I can assure the Toronto Marlies a few things. The Norfolk Admirals are not going to sit on their rear ends and play dead to ANYONE. If they believe that then they can go back and ask the Monarchs, Whale, and the IceCaps. The Norfolk Admirals are going to be coming at you hard. Carter Ashton cannot save you by telling you our so-called systems and how to play against our team. Your coach says that Keith Aulie can’t help us because you play multiple systems. I am pretty sure our coach likes to switch things up as well. Last, but not least…. The Admirals have a great fan base down here. You are NOT going to come into this so-called sparsely filled rink and quickly take out the so-called little crowd atmosphere that we have here.

Good luck Marlies….you are going to need it!

GO ADMIRALS!!!

Tampa Bay Makes Some Moves, Carter Ashton Traded To The Leafs

By Ken Peacock

Today was the last day for NHL teams to make trades. Rick Nash of the Columbus Blue Jackets was the big name that was being talked about and at the end of the day Nash remains a Blue Jacket. There were plenty of buyers wanting to bolster their lineup, but not a lot of sellers. Tampa Bay could have tried to get themselves a goalie, but the lightning claimed that  they were not expecting to make any moves. That turned out to be a false report as the Lightning made 3 moves to help bolster their blue line.

Earlier last week Steve Downie was traded to the Colorado Avalanche for defenseman Kyle Quincey. Steve Yzerman then traded Quincey to the Detroit Red Wings for a first round draft pick and prospect, Sebastien Piche. Piche was then assigned to the ECHL’s Florida Everblades. The Avalanche are happy with Downie and Yzerman has banked another pick for this summer’s draft.

Fast forward to today and the Lightning have been anything but quiet. First up for the Bolts was the acquisition of Mike Commodore from the Detroit Red Wings. In exchange for Commodore the Lightning sent a conditional seventh-round draft choice to the Red Wings. Detroit will only gets the pick if Commodore plays 15 or more regular-season games with the Bolts and if Tampa Bay makes the playoffs this season. Commodore has 471 games in the NHL over the last 11 years. Now the big question is…. What number will he choose….Commodore 64?

The next move was adding defenseman Keith Aulie to the roster. Aulie adds size to the Lightning’s blue line. He has played 17 games with the Maple Leafs this year collecting 2 assists and 16 penalty minutes. He has also played 23 games with the Toronto Marlies in the AHL collecting 1 assist and 30 penalty minutes. Acquiring Aulie came at a price to the Norfolk Admirals. Aulie was traded for forward Carter Ashton. Ashton was a highly regarded prospect in the Lightning system. The change of scenery may have a positive impact for Ashton as his play of late was average at best with the occasional glimpse of greatness.

Tampa Bay closed up day with a trade with the Ottawa Senators. Matt Gilroy was traded for  defenseman Brian Lee. Lee was the ninth overall pick of the 2005 Entry Draft, and has played in 35 NHL games this season, registering a goal and seven assists. He has spent the the last five seasons with the Senator organization. This was his second year as a full-time member of the NHL club. Lee has played in 167 NHL games and has five goals, 23 assists and a minus-18 rating.

While the rough draft for next years defense has been written there is still an issue in goal for the Lightning. Yzerman has stated that there is a need to acquiring a goaltender, but the Lightning will most likely make a move this summer.

“We have some areas of concern on our team, but we will see how the rest of the season pans out,” Yzerman said. “You weigh what the player offered can give you and what they bring to your team now and for the rest of the year, but nothing made sense for us to do in goal.”

As the end of the season rapidly approaches it’s time for the Lightning to focus on the playoffs. Commodore and Lee are expected to be in the lineup Tuesday against Montreal and Aulie is expected to arrive on Wednesday.

In other moves on Monday, the Lightning assigned Evan Oberg, Mike Angelidis, and Trevor Smith to the Norfolk Admirals. Brandon Segal, recently acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks, was recalled to Tampa Bay.

 

 

Admirals Beat Penguins 3-2, Norfolk Streak Is Now 9 Wins In A Row

WILKES-BARRE TOWNSHIP, Pa. – With a pair of third-period goals, including a power-play goal by Carter Ashton, the Norfolk Admirals (36-18-1-2) set a new franchise-record with their ninth-consecutive victory, as they defeated the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (32-18-2-5), 3-2, on Sunday afternoon at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. The nine-game winning streak is Norfolk’s longest since the team joined the American Hockey League prior to the 2000-01 season.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

With the victory, the Admirals extend their lead in the East Division to four points over the Penguins and eight points over the third-place Hershey Bears. Norfolk also ties the Oklahoma City Barons for the most points in the AHL with 75.

Mark Barberio and Jean-Philippe Cote joined Ashton on the goal sheet, while Dustin Tokarski turned aside 28 shots for his sixth-straight win and his AHL-leading 25th victory of the season.

The Penguins broke a scoreless tie with just over seven minutes remaining in the second period. As his team skated with their fourth power play of the night, Ben Street sent a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle. The shot deflected off the glove of Tokarski and behind the Admirals’ netminder to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead at 12:27.

The Admirals knotted the game at 1-1 with a power play goal by Mark Barberio. With his team skating on a man advantage, Tyler Johnson slipped a pass to Barberio in the center slot. Before being knocked into the net, Barberio fired a shot over the glove of Penguins netminder Patrick Killeen for his ninth of the season at 17:07.

Norfolk took their first lead of the contest on Jean-Philippe Cote’s first tally since joining the Admirals in mid-November. After Johnson won an offensive-zone faceoff back to Cote, the defenseman fired a shot over the glove of Killeen to give the Admirals a 2-1 lead at 4:44 of the third.

With just over ten minutes remaining, the Penguins’ Alexandre Picard knotted the game at 2-2. The defenseman picked up a loose puck along the right-side boards and fired a shot over Tokarski at 9:50 of the third.

With just 2:04 remaining in regulation, the Admirals took the lead for good on Ashton’s 19th goal of the season. While standing on the left side of the Penguins net, Ashton chipped a loose rebound off of Killeen’s stick and in behind the Penguins netminder to put the Admirals ahead 3-2, at 17:56 of the third.

Despite facing a six-on-five Penguins’ attack for the final sixty seconds, the Admirals held on for their ninth victory in a row and their fifth victory in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season.

Dustin Tokarski (25-11-0) made 28 saves on 30 shots in the victory. Patrick Killeen (0-2-0) turned aside 21 of 24 shots in the loss.

The Admirals were 2 for 7 on the power play while the Penguins were 1 for 6. .

Norfolk Admirals 3 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 2 – Status: Final
Sunday, February 26, 2012 – Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza

Norfolk            0 1 2 – 3
W-B/Scranton 0 1 1 – 2

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Picard Nor (roughing), 11:46; Williams Wbs (roughing), 17:43.

2nd Period-1, W-B/Scranton, Street 18 (Grant, Mormina), 12:27 (PP). 2, Norfolk, Barberio 9 (Johnson, Segal), 17:02 (PP). Penalties-Craig Wbs (goaltender interference), 5:56; Johnson Nor (tripping), 6:43; Labrie Nor (interference), 9:35; Gudas Nor (cross-checking), 11:55; Williams Wbs (hooking), 15:05; Sill Wbs (roughing), 17:02.

3rd Period-3, Norfolk, Cote 1 (Johnson), 4:44. 4, W-B/Scranton, Picard 4 (Craig, Gibbons), 9:50. 5, Norfolk, Ashton 19 (Dimmen, Conacher), 17:56 (PP). Penalties-Picard Nor (tripping), 0:29; Chupp Wbs (roughing), 10:41; Mormina Wbs (delay of game), 12:03; Labrie Nor (delay of game), 15:08; Grant Wbs (hooking), 16:12.

Shots on Goal-Norfolk 8-7-9-24. W-B/Scranton 11-10-9-30.
Power Play Opportunities-Norfolk 2 / 7; W-B/Scranton 1 / 6.
Goalies-Norfolk, Tokarski 25-11-0 (30 shots-28 saves). W-B/Scranton, Killeen 0-2-0 (24 shots-21 saves).

A-5,071
Referees-Matt Kirk (66), Geoff Miller (28).
Linesmen-Matt McNulty (26), Bob Fyrer (72).

Don’t miss out on any of the fan discussion at Norfolk AdmiralsZone.

Admirals Fall To The Phantoms 3-1

By Ken Peacock

With the All-Star break over, Norfolk finds itself on the road for three games in three nights. Friday night the Norfolk Admirals (26-17-1-2) fell to former Admiral Michael Leighton and the Adirondack Phantoms (22-21-1-1), 3-1, at the Glens Falls Civic Center. Norfolk will now move on to Springfield for a pair of games against the Springfield Falcons tomorrow night and Sunday.

Adirondack opened up the scoring at 12:27 into the first period. Tye McKinn of the Phantoms sent a shot past Admiral goalie, Jaroslav Janus, to give the Phantoms the 1-0 lead. Norfolk was held scoreless in the first.

The Phantoms would make it 2-0 just 20 seconds into the second. Matthew Ford fired a shot past Jaroslav Janus. Norfolk would score its first and only goal of the night at 9:58 of the second period. Carter Ashton received a pass from Tyler Johnson and put the puck past Michael Leighton for his 18th goal of the season. The Phantoms would put the nail in the coffin eight minutes later with a goal from Tye McGinn. The Phantoms held Norfolk scoreless and went home with the 3-1 victory.

Jaroslav Janus (8-8-2) stopped 31 of 34 shots for the loss while Michael Leighton (15-16-0) stopped 27 of 28 shots for the win. Both teams were 0-for-1 on the power play.

Norfolk Admirals 1 at Adirondack Phantoms 3 – Status: Final
Friday, February 3, 2012 – Glens Falls Civic Center

Norfolk        0 1 0 – 1
Adirondack 1 2 0 – 3

1st Period-1, Adirondack, McGinn 6 (Akeson, Roe), 12:27. Penalties-Conacher Nor (cross-checking, roughing), 17:48; Testwuide Adk (roughing), 17:48.

2nd Period-2, Adirondack, Ford 11 (Holmstrom, Hamel), 0:20. 3, Norfolk, Ashton 18 (Johnson, Conacher), 9:58. 4, Adirondack, McGinn 7 (Akeson, Roe), 17:42. Penalties-Testwuide Adk (interference), 4:45.

3rd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Norfolk 8-9-11-28. Adirondack 14-12-8-34.
Power Play Opportunities-Norfolk 0 / 1; Adirondack 0 / 1.
Goalies-Norfolk, Janus 8-8-2 (34 shots-31 saves). Adirondack, Leighton 15-16-0 (28 shots-27 saves).

A-2,585
Referees-Chris Brown (86).
Linesmen-Steeve Lemay (64), Mike Emanatian (69).

Don’t miss out on any of the fan discussion at Norfolk AdmiralsZone.