Syracuse Crunched, Admirals Win In OT 5-4

They playoff race is in full swing. Norfolk is sitting 2 points out of a playoff spot, but there are a few more teams with the same situation. Every game for the last few week of the season have to be looked at as “must win” type games. It’s Crunchtime and the Syracuse Crunch are in town for a weekend series with the Admirals.

Friday nights game had everything you could imagine in a typical Admirals game and a few surprises. There was a fight, plenty of goals, a third period meltdown, and an overtime thriller. The Syracuse Crunch came to town looking less like the team that used to be the Calder Cup Admiral squad from last year. They were still a formidable opponent for the Admirals.

Syracuse struck first with a Brett Connolly goal at 3:51 into the first period. Connolly sent a backhanded shot from the left corner that went into the net off of Admirals goalie, Frederik Andersen. The Crunch struck once again at 17:07 of the first. Former Admiral fan favorite, Eric Neilson, deflected a Danick Gauthier wrist shot past Andersen for the 2-0 lead. Neilson’s goal was his first of the season and first as member of the Crunch. The Admirals would finally get on the board in the final seconds of the period. Kyle Bonis would get his first professional point since joining the Admirals from the OHL. Bonis sent the puck behind the net from the right circle. Patrick Maroon scooped up the puck and came up on the left side of the net and sent the puck past Riku Helenius for his nineteenth goal of the season at 19:46 of the first period.

Syracuse came out in the second and appeared to have this game under their control. Norfolk was struggling and could not  get their offense started. It was a back and forth defensive battle for most of the period. The Crunch scored at 18:59 to take the 3-1 lead. Alex Hutchings recovered a rebound from a Jean-Philippe Cote shot. Cote sent a wrist shot in on Andersen and the rebound bounced out to Hutchings who shot it past Andersen

Syracuse took a 4-1 lead just ten seconds into the third period and it looked like another nail in the Admiral coffin. J.T. Brown made a pass from the left circle that was tipped by J.T. Wyman and then on to the stick of Dan Sexton who redirected it past Andersen. The Admirals answered back with a pair of goals less than two minutes apart. McMillan stole the puck from the Crunch in the Admirals defensive zone and skated up towards the Crunch goal. He passed the puck across the crease to a waiting Devante Smith-Pelly who slammed the puck home at 0:50 of the third period. Rod Pelley and Chris Wagner worked together to help cut the Crunch lead to 4-3. Pelley sent a breakout pass to Wagner who would close in on Helenius and sent a backhand shot into the net for his seventh goal of the season. Patrick Maroon closed out the scoring for the third period as he tipped a Nate Guenin shot past Helenius at 8:49 to tie the game a 4 goals each.

Former Admirals captain Mike Angelidis took a slashing penalty late in the third period and started the Overtime period in the penalty box. The Crunch were shorthanded as the Admirals made their way into the offensive zone. Sami Vatanen sent a pass from the left point to Charlie Sarault in the right circle. Sarault, a newly signed Admirals from the OHL,  collected the puck and centered a pass to Patrick Maroon. Maroon would slide the puck past the pads of Riku Helenius for the Admiral 5-1 win at 1:44 of overtime.

Helenius (16-12-0) stopped 25 of 30 shots for Syracuse. Andersen ( 19-14-1) stopped 26 of 30 shots for the Admiral win.  Norfolk was 2-for-6 on the power play. Syracuse was 0-for-4.

Norfolk and Syracuse meet once more tonight at Scope.

Three Stars:
1. Patrick Maroon – NOR
2. Brandon McMillan – NOR
3. Chris Wagner – NOR

Bear Hunting….Admirals Bag Some Bears, Win 4-1

Photo: John Wright

Norfolk, VA

The Admirals had a successful weekend against the Bears. Four out of a possible four points and the Bears left Norfolk with nothing. While gaining some ground on the Bears, there is still some work to be done if the Admirals want to squeak into the playoffs. With 18 games left in the season the Admirals find themselves sitting in twelfth place in the AHL’s Eastern Conference with 59 points. I don’t think that there is anyone out there that would think that this years Admirals can pull off a winning streak to finish off the season. It’s not going to happen. Norfolk has a chance, but they are going to have to fight for every point and get some help if they want to make the post season. They got 4 points this weekend, there are 36 more points out there. get into the playoffs and it’s back to 0 points for everyone. Let’s get them points and bring back hockey to the Norfolk Scope in May and June.

From the Norfolk Admirals:

NORFOLK – Patrick Maroon scored twice and Frederik Andersen made 23 saves as the Norfolk Admirals (27-26-4-1) defeated the Hershey Bears (28-23-3-5), 4-1, on Saturday night at Norfolk Scope Arena.

The Admirals, who were eight points out of a playoff spot entering the week, earned five of a possible six points in the standings over three games. Norfolk has now closed to within three points of the eighth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference with 18 games remaining in the regular season.

Troy Bodie and Brayden Irwin also scored for Norfolk, while Jordan Hendry notched two assists for the home team. Andersen (15-11-1) improved to 8-1-0 over his last nine games.

The Admirals now embark on a three-game road trip beginning on Wednesday night against the Charlotte Checkers. The return to Scope on March 19th and 20th to host the Adirondack Phantoms.

The Admirals opened scoring 2:25 into the contest on Bodie’s fourth goal of the season. Bears goaltender Dany Sabourin fumbled the puck as he attempted to clear it from the zone. Bodie corralled the puck and swept it into the cage for a 1-0 Norfolk lead.

The lead doubled just 34 seconds into the second stanza on Irwin’s first goal of the season. Josh Brittain worked the puck from the left corner to Jordan Hendry in the left circle. The veteran blueliner sent a low slap shot that Irwin deflected from the low slot. The puck changed directions, eluding Sabourin between the netminder’s legs for a 2-0 lead.

Hershey cut its deficit to one goal just over seven minutes later. Garrett Stafford carried the puck into the Norfolk zone along the right wing. Just before he circled behind the net, he centered the puck into the low slot, where Jon DiSalvatore one-timed the puck past Andersen. The goal at 7:43 of the second period cut the home team’s lead to 2-1.

Norfolk’s penalty kill came up large midway through the second period, killing off a Hershey five-on-three power play for 1:07 with several big saves by Andersen.

The lead increased to 3-1 early in the third period. Maroon carried the puck behind the net from the left wing, circled in front and sent a wraparound shot past Sabourin at 4:34 for his sixteenth goal of the season. Sami Vatanen earned an assist on the play to extend his point/assist streak to seven straight games (1g, 9a).

Maroon sealed the victory with an empty-net goal with 1:20 remaining in regulation.

Sabourin (8-10-3) stopped 15 of 18 shots in the setback.

Norfolk was 1-for-3 on the power play. Hershey was 0-for-6. The Admirals killed the final 17 straight Hershey power plays in the season series to finish 39/41 (95.1%) on the penalty kill against the Bears this season.

Norfolk’s three-game road trip begins Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. against the Charlotte Checkers. The Syracuse Crunch and Binghampton Senators will provide the opposition on March 15-16. The Admirals return to Scope on March 19-20 to face off against the Adirondack Phantoms.

Three Stars:

1. Frederik Andersen – NOR
2. Patrick Maroon – NOR
3. Jordan Hendry – NOR

Hershey Bears 1 at Norfolk Admirals 4 – Status: Final
Saturday, March 9, 2013 – Norfolk Scope

Hershey 0 1 0 – 1
Norfolk   1 1 2 – 4

1st Period-1, Norfolk, Bodie 4 (Guenin, Andersen), 2:25 (PP). Penalties-Orlov Her (delay of game), 0:31; Brittain Nor (high-sticking), 5:45; Pelley Nor (boarding), 12:29.

2nd Period-2, Norfolk, Irwin 1 (Hendry, Brittain), 0:34. 3, Hershey, DiSalvatore 16 (Stafford, Taffe), 7:43. Penalties-Irwin Nor (high-sticking), 8:02; Guenin Nor (cross-checking), 8:55.

3rd Period-4, Norfolk, Maroon 16 (Hendry, Vatanen), 4:34. 5, Norfolk, Maroon 17 (Wagner), 18:40 (EN). Penalties-Almeida Her (hooking), 0:28; Sexton Nor (interference), 1:17; Brittain Nor (interference), 3:54; DiSalvatore Her (tripping), 4:24.

Shots on Goal-Hershey 7-12-5-24. Norfolk 8-7-4-19.
Power Play Opportunities-Hershey 0 / 6; Norfolk 1 / 3.
Goalies-Hershey, Sabourin 8-10-3 (18 shots-15 saves). Norfolk, Andersen 15-11-1 (24 shots-23 saves).
A-7,316
Referees-Chris Cozzan (18), Jason Rollins (37).
Linesmen-Mark Hamlett (81), Scott Pomento (25).

Admirals Go 1-2 On Weekend Roadtrip

The Norfolk Admirals returned from the holidays with 3 games in 3 nights. First up for the Admirals was a match up against the former Norfolk Admirals. This was the first of eight games for these two teams. Syracuse took the first game 4-2 and will be Norfolk’s opponent this upcoming Friday and Saturday. Next up for the Admirals was a game against the divisional rival WB/S Penguins. Norfolk bounced back with a 3-2 overtime victory. Norfolk’s hope for salvaging the weekend road trip was spoiled in the first period of their Sunday afternoon match against the Springfield Falcons. Springfield held the Admirals to a Emerson Etem shorthanded goal and beat the Admirals 4-1.

Game Summary From The Norfolk Admirals:

December 29, 2012

Maroon Nets Overtime Winner As Admirals Top Penguins

WILKES-BARRE TOWNSHIP, Penn. – Patrick Maroon scored a power play goal 1:21 into overtime as the Norfolk Admirals (14-14-1-0) topped the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (14-13-2-1), 3-2, on Saturday night from the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.

Chris Wagner and Peter Holland also scored for Norfolk, while goaltender Igor Bobkov (7-8-0) stopped 23 of 25 shots in the victory.

Norfolk, which has posted a 7-3-1-0 record in December so far, rounds out the month and a three-game road trip tomorrow evening against the Springfield Falcons. They return to Norfolk Scope Arena on Friday and Saturday nights to face off against the Syracuse Crunch.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton opened scoring 4:14 into the first period. Brian Gibbons sent a wrist shot from the right point through a screen and past Bobkov to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead.

The Admirals tied the game at 1-1 midway through the second period. Wagner won a faceoff at the left dot in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton zone to Gabe Guentzel at the left point. Guentzel skated into the high slot and sent a wrist shot through traffic. Wagner deflected the shot past Penguins goaltender Jeff Zatkoff at 6:06 for his third goal of the season.

Norfolk took a 2-1 lead late in the second period on Holland’s team-leading 12th goal of the season. A Wilkes-Barre/Scranton forward sent a shot that caromed all the way around the glass in the Admirals’ zone and landed just across the blue line near the left point. Holland picked up the puck on a breakaway and scored glove-side at 16:33.

The lead was short-lived, however, as the Penguins tied the game just 46 seconds later. Former Admirals forward Trevor Smith won a faceoff in left circle. He centered the puck towards the low slot, and Jayson Megna sent a shot between Bobkov’s legs to tie the game at 2-2 at 17:19 of the second period.

After a scoreless third period, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s Benn Ferriero was whistled for hooking 27 seconds into overtime, giving Norfolk a four-on-three skater advantage. Holland sent a pass from the bottom of the right circle across the slot to Maroon, who was stationed on top of the goalmouth to Zatkoff’s right. Maroon tipped the puck past the right skate of the goaltender and into the net for his ninth goal of the season at 1:21, as Norfolk claimed the 3-2 victory.

Zatkoff (11-10-0) stopped 25 of 28 shots.

Norfolk was 1-for-4 on the power play. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton was 0-for-3.

Three Stars:
1. Patrick Maroon – NOR
2. Peter Holland – NOR
3. Jayson Megna – WBS

NOTES … Patrick Maroon has points in four consecutive games (2g, 2a) … Norfolk has overtime wins in two of their last three games. Peter Holland has the primary assist on both overtime goals … With his two-point performance tonight, Holland now has 29 points (12g, 17a) in 29 games this season … The Admirals have improved to 6-1 in games decided after regulation, with a 3-1 mark in overtime and a 3-0 mark in shootouts … Did not play: Ryan Lasch, John Kurtz, Brandon McMillan, Matt Smaby, Nick Schaus, Frederik Andersen. 

Norfolk Admirals 3 (OT) at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 2 – Status: Final OT
Saturday, December 29, 2012 – Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza

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

1st Period-1, W-B/Scranton, Gibbons 4 (Samuelsson, Morrow), 4:14. Penalties-Guentzel Nor (hooking), 8:50; Palmieri Nor (slashing), 12:05; Farnham Wbs (goaltender interference), 19:38.

2nd Period-2, Norfolk, Wagner 3 (Guentzel, Bodie), 6:06. 3, Norfolk, Holland 12   16:33. 4, W-B/Scranton, Megna 3 (Smith), 17:19. Penalties-Peters Wbs (high-sticking), 18:55.

3rd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-served by Holzapfel Wbs (bench minor – too many men), 12:18; Maroon Nor (tripping), 15:39.

OT Period-5, Norfolk, Maroon 9 (Holland, Palmieri), 1:21 (PP). Penalties-Ferriero Wbs (hooking), 0:27.

Shots on Goal-Norfolk 7-13-5-3-28. W-B/Scranton 11-6-8-0-25.
Power Play Opportunities-Norfolk 1 / 4; W-B/Scranton 0 / 3.
Goalies-Norfolk, Bobkov 7-9-0 (25 shots-23 saves). W-B/Scranton, Zatkoff 11-10-0 (28 shots-25 saves).

A-5,101
Referees-Geno Binda (22).
Linesmen-Scott Adams (20), Matt McNulty (26).

December 30, 2012

Admirals Close Out Road Trip With Loss In Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Emerson Etem’s shorthanded goal was the only tally of the game for the visitors as the Norfolk Admirals (14-15-1-0) closed out a three-game road trip with a 4-1 loss to the Springfield Falcons (17-8-2-3) on Sunday evening from MassMutual Center. Norfolk went 1-2-0-0 on the road trip.

The Admirals, who posted a 7-4-1-0 record in December, return to Norfolk Scope Arena on Friday and Saturday nights to face off against the Syracuse Crunch.

Springfield took the lead 10:13 into the first period. David Savard sent a shot from the left point that Admirals goaltender Igor Bobkov blocked. However, Ryan Johansen found the rebound in the bottom of the left circle and sent the puck into the net to give the home team a 1-0 lead.

The Falcons doubled their lead just over three minutes later. Nick Drazenovic sent a snap shot from the left circle between Bobkov’s legs and into the net at 13:22 for a 2-0 Springfield lead.

Matt Calvert made the score 3-0 less than three minutes later. He attempted a wraparound shot from behind the goal line to Bobkov’s left. The puck caromed back to Calvert off a defender’s skate, and the Falcons forward sent a shot past Bobkov’s glove from the right circle at 16:06.

The Falcons took a 4-0 lead with a power play goal 4:57 into the second period. Cam Atkinson centered the puck from behind the net to former Norfolk captain Ryan Craig at the goalmouth. Craig one-timed the puck into the net past Bobkov’s left leg.

Frederik Andersen took over between the pipes for the Admirals to start the third period, and Norfolk broke up Springfield netminder Allen York’s shutout bid with a shorthanded goal 2:47 into the final frame. Etem sent a pass from the neutral zone to Nate Guenin, who entered the attacking zone along the right wing and sent a shot on York. The rebound came into the slot, and Etem scored his ninth goal of the season to cut Springfield’s lead to 4-1.

Bobkov (7-9-0) stopped 23 of 27 shots through two periods and took the loss. Andersen (7-7-0) stopped all nine shots he faced in the third period and did not receive a decision. York (1-2-0) stopped 25 of 26 shots for the win.

Norfolk was 0-for-4 on the power play. Springfield was 1-for-7.

The Admirals return to Norfolk Scope Arena on Friday and Saturday nights to host the Syracuse Crunch. The first 2,012 fans through the gates on Friday will receive an Admirals Calder Cup replica trophy, courtesy of John’s Tax Service, JPM Financial Services and WTKR NewsChannel3.

Three Stars:
1. Matt Calvert – SPR
2. Allen York – SPR
3. Nick Drazenovic – SPR

NOTES … Did not play: Ryan Lasch, Brandon McMillan, Matt Smaby, Nick Schaus, Marco Cousineau, Jay Rosehill.

Norfolk Admirals 1 at Springfield Falcons 4 – Status: Final
Sunday, December 30, 2012 – MassMutual Center

Norfolk       0 0 1 – 1
Springfield 3 1 0 – 4

1st Period-1, Springfield, Johansen 12 (Savard, Holden), 10:13. 2, Springfield, Drazenovic 9 (Atkinson, Erixon), 13:22. 3, Springfield, Calvert 10   16:06. Penalties-Weber Spr (hooking), 3:14; Amadio Spr (cross-checking), 12:22; Palmieri Nor (interference), 13:07.

2nd Period-4, Springfield, Craig 8 (Atkinson, Calvert), 4:57 (PP). Penalties-Vatanen Nor (hooking), 3:51; Etem Nor (boarding), 6:19; Etem Nor (roughing), 8:23; Amadio Spr (roughing, roughing), 8:23; Maroon Nor (fighting), 12:32; Craig Spr (unsportsmanlike conduct, fighting), 12:32; Wagner Nor (slashing), 15:02; Clark Nor (fighting), 18:02; Weber Spr (fighting), 18:02.

3rd Period-5, Norfolk, Etem 9 (Guenin), 2:47 (SH). Penalties-Caputi Nor (high-sticking), 1:22; Guentzel Nor (slashing), 9:37; Maroon Nor (roughing, misconduct – abuse of officials), 14:00.

Shots on Goal-Norfolk 7-11-8-26. Springfield 18-9-9-36.
Power Play Opportunities-Norfolk 0 / 4; Springfield 1 / 7.
Goalies-Norfolk, Bobkov 7-9-0 (27 shots-23 saves); Andersen 7-7-0 (9 shots-9 saves). Springfield, York 1-2-0 (26 shots-25 saves).

A-2,763
Referees-T.J. Luxmore (49), Jon McIsaac (45).
Linesmen-Luke Galvin (2), Paul Simeon (66).

Poor Play, Frustration, Sketchy Officiating….A Recipe For Disaster. Admirals Fall 5-2.

Norfolk had its annual Grand Illumination Parade to kick off the holiday season. There was only one problem, they forgot to flip the switch in the Admirals locker room. The only thing in Scope that was being lit up last night was the back of Igor Bobkov’s neck. The Springfield Falcons (10-2-0-2)  schooled the Norfolk Admirals (7-7-0-0) on how to play hockey to the tune of a 5-2 victory. The Admirals have until Wednesday night to get their act together when the Charlotte Checkers come to town.

Photo: John Wright

Springfield took an early 1-0 lead at 4:51 of the opening period. Dalton Smith moved in from the left circle and across the slot before sending a backhand shot behind Admirals netminder, Igor Bobkov. Norfolk would tie the game up 47 seconds later with a Chris Wagner rebound goal off of a Mat Clark shot. Both teams would go back and forth until Springfield scored with 21 seconds left in the first. John Moore found the back of the net when his shot deflected off the stick of an Admiral and past Bobkov. The Falcons closed out the period with the 2-1 lead.

Photo: John Wright

Springfield opened up the second period with a Tim Erixon goal at 5:29 for the 3-1 lead to extend the Falcon lead to 3-1. Kyle Palmieri found Peter Holland out in the open and fed him a pass. Holland had the jump on the Falcon defenders and went in with a breakaway and scored with a wrist shot at 8:49. Both team would head off to their respected locker rooms with the Falcons holding the 3-1 advantage.

The third period was a defensive battle and the Admirals continued to out shoot the Falcons, but that was not enough. Nick Holden extended the Falcon lead to 4-2 at 14:08. David Savard would score an empty-net, shorthanded goal at 16:59 to close out the scoring at 5-2.

Springfield to this season had only managed to beat the Admirals 3 times at Scope since the Admirals joined the AHL. The Falcons have now won 2 games in two days. Norfolk was did not score on any of their power play opportunities. Poor passing, questionable goal-tending and overall poor play is a recipe for disaster that is leaving a bad taste in the mouths at Scope. It didn’t help that it seemed that the referee, Ryan Murphy, had his head stuck somewhere. I would say that the officiating was for lack of better words….”Sketchy” (and that is being nice). It would appear that four of the Admirals thought that as well, but Murphy was having not wanting his actions questioned and they were sent immediately to the time out corner with penalties for abuse of officials of unsportsmanlike conduct. Trent Yawney waited until the end of the game for his discussion with Murphy. Needless to say the Admirals performance of late has been extremely frustrating.

The Admirals and Charlotte Checkers will meet for the first game of the GEICO Challenge Cup this Wednesday night at 7:15 p.m. at Scope. There are plenty of tickets available. Get yours today.

Three Stars:
1. Jonathan Audy-Marchessault – SPR
2. Paul Dainton – SPR
3. Peter Holland – SPR

 

 

Springfield Falcons 5 at Norfolk Admirals 2 – Status: Final
Saturday, November 17, 2012 – Norfolk Scope

Springfield 2 1 2 – 5
Norfolk       1 1 0 – 2

1st Period-1, Springfield, Smith 2 (Prout, Spencer), 4:51. 2, Norfolk, Wagner 2 (Clark), 5:38. 3, Springfield, Moore 2 (Audy-Marchessault, Johansen), 19:39 (PP). Penalties-Prout Spr (cross-checking), 0:52; Maroon Nor (roughing), 5:15; Dainton Spr (delay of game – restricted area), 5:35; Clark Nor (tripping), 5:51; Parent Nor (interference), 17:43; Collins Spr (cross-checking), 19:48.

2nd Period-4, Springfield, Erixon 4 (Audy-Marchessault, Kubalik), 5:29. 5, Norfolk, Holland 7 (Palmieri, Rosehill), 8:49. Penalties-Chaput Spr (fighting), 6:27; Kurtz Nor (fighting), 6:27; Rosehill Nor (tripping), 6:27; Rosehill Nor (checking to the head, unsportsmanlike conduct), 14:36; Smaby Nor (cross-checking), 15:57; Drazenovic Spr (tripping), 18:59.

3rd Period-6, Springfield, Holden 1 (Erixon), 14:08. 7, Springfield, Savard 1 (Craig), 16:59 (SH EN). Penalties-Prout Spr (cross-checking), 7:57; Palmieri Nor (slashing), 7:57; Maroon Nor (misconduct – abuse of officials), 15:15; Hansen Spr (holding), 16:38; McMillan Nor (slashing, misconduct – abuse of officials), 17:45; Palmieri Nor (holding, misconduct – unsportsmanlike conduct), 19:32; Smith-Pelly Nor (misconduct – abuse of officials), 19:32.

Shots on Goal-Springfield 15-8-8-31. Norfolk 9-12-14-35.
Power Play Opportunities-Springfield 1 / 9; Norfolk 0 / 5.
Goalies-Springfield, Dainton 1-0-1 (35 shots-33 saves). Norfolk, Bobkov 3-4-0 (30 shots-26 saves).
A-4,844
Referees-Ryan Murphy (5).
Linesmen-Tom George (61), Scott Pomento (25).

Special Teams Shine In Admirals 6-3 Win Over The Whale.

The Norfolk Admirals (4-0-0-0) special teams shined tonight with a 6-3 win over the Connecticut Whale (0-3-1-0). The Admirals scored three power play goals and two shorthanded goals in the contest. The Admirals now hit the road starting off with a weekend series in St. John’s against the IceCaps next Saturday and Sunday.

The Admirals started things off early when Chris Wagner and Troy Bodie worked their offensive magic and put the Admirals on the board first. With the Admirals killing a penalty Wagner caused a turnover in the neutral zone. Troy Bodie took the puck and skated in shorthanded. Bodie skated past a Whale defender and cut in front of the crease and shot the puck past the glove hand of Whale goalie Scott Stajcer at 4:33 of the first period. Less than four minutes later Sami Vatanen took a pass from Peter Holland and sent a one-timer past Stajcer at 8:03 for an Admiral power play marker. This was Vatanen’s first professional goal. Connecticut got on the scoarboard eight minutes later on a Kyle Jean goal at the 16:00 minute mark cutting Norfolk’s lead to 2-1.

The Admirals opened up the second period with a power play. The hero of last nights game, Corey Elkins, sent a pass to Ryan Lasch in the right circle. Lasch would then shoot the puck over the shoulder of the Whale goalie for his first AHL goal and give Norfolk the 3-1 lead. Connecticut answered back five minutes later when Kris Newbury skated in and passed to Christian Thomas. Thomas would then shoot the puck past Admirals goalie Frederik Andersen at 5:31.Andersen on a two-on-one break. Kris Newbury fed Christian Thomas in the slot, and Thomas sent a shot past the blocker of Andersen at 5:31. Late into the second period the Admirals found themselves shorthanded. Troy Bodie won a faceoff in the Admirals zone. Bodie took the puck and batted it past a Whale defender. He recovered  the puck and skated into the Connecticut zone and passed to Chris Wagner. Wagner received the puck and skated in on Stajcer and backhanded it past the goalie at 18:08 for his first professional goal. Both teams headed into the locker room with a 4-2 Norfolk lead.

The third period started off in favor of the Whale. Connecticut would score at the 35 second mark on a Chad Kolarik goal from the right faceoff circle to make the score 4-3 Admirals. Next up were the Admirals when Patrick Maroon scored a power play goal on the rebound of a Sami Vatanen shot at 13:42. Kyle Palmieri closed out scoring with 45 seconds remaining with an even strenght goal to give the Admirals a 6-3 vistory.

The Admirals hit the road for the first time this season. They will visit the St. John’s IceCaps for a pair of games next weekend. Saturday’s game will start at 6:00 p.m. EDT and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. EDT. If you want to watch the game you can find it at AHLLive.com. The next home game will be November 2 and 3 against the Binghamton Senators.

Connecticut Whale 3 at Norfolk Admirals 6 – Status: Final
Saturday, October 20, 2012 – Norfolk Scope

Connecticut 1 1 1 – 3
Norfolk         2 2 2 – 6

1st Period-1, Norfolk, Bodie 2 (Wagner), 4:33 (SH). 2, Norfolk, Vatanen 1 (Holland, Palmieri), 8:03 (PP). 3, Connecticut, Jean 3 (Collins, Segal), 16:00. Penalties-Guentzel Nor (holding), 0:40; Hendry Nor (boarding), 2:44; Vernace Ct (interference), 6:11; Collins Ct (hooking), 6:58; McMillan Nor (slashing), 16:23; Newbury Ct (unsportsmanlike conduct), 17:20; Wagner Nor (unsportsmanlike conduct), 17:20; Miller Ct (cross-checking), 18:56.

2nd Period-4, Norfolk, Lasch 1 (Elkins, Lindholm), 0:29 (PP). 5, Connecticut, Thomas 1 (Newbury), 5:31. 6, Norfolk, Wagner 1 (Bodie, Guenin), 18:08 (SH). Penalties-Jean Ct (tripping), 1:24; Segal Ct (boarding), 5:57; Vernace Ct (fighting), 5:57; Bodie Nor (double minor – head-butting (attempt, fighting), fighting), 5:57; Newbury Ct (slashing), 7:01; Maroon Nor (cross-checking), 7:01; Yogan Ct (slashing), 9:36; Miller Ct (tripping), 15:35; Lindholm Nor (holding the stick), 16:40; Andersen Nor (interference), 19:53.

3rd Period-7, Connecticut, Kolarik 1 (Pyett, Newbury), 0:35 (PP). 8, Norfolk, Maroon 3 (Vatanen, Palmieri), 13:42 (PP). 9, Norfolk, Palmieri 2 (Holland, Guenin), 19:15. Penalties-Kreider Ct (high-sticking), 11:41; Gilroy Ct (slashing), 12:57; Bodie Nor (elbowing), 15:04.

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 14-16-5-35. Norfolk 10-12-9-31.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 1 / 7; Norfolk 3 / 8.
Goalies-Connecticut, Stajcer 0-2-0 (31 shots-25 saves). Norfolk, Andersen 2-0-0 (35 shots-32 saves).

A-4,085
Referees-T.J. Luxmore (49).
Linesmen-Mark Hamlett (81), Luke Murray (92).

Admirals Fall To Charlotte 4-3 In The Pre-Season Finale

By Ken Peacock

The Admirals wrapped up the pre-season schedule at the Chilled Ponds Ice and Turf Sports Complex in Chesapeake this afternoon. Both teams battled it out in front a small, but lively crowd of Admirals faithful fans. Unfortunately Norfolk came up on the losing end and fell to Dan Ellis and the Checkers, 4-3.

Peter Holland, Kenndal McArdle and Chris Wagner all had goals for Norfolk. Marco Cousineau (27 Shots 23 Saves) and Igor Bobkov (6 Shots 6 Saves) split time in the Norfolk Net. Cousineau took the loss.
The Checkers opened up the scoring at 13:10 of the first. Tim Wallace took a shot from the high slot and beat Cousineau. Charlotte took the 1-0 lead to the locker room. Norfolk out shot the Checkers 13-11 in the first period.

The Checkers made it 2-0 at 5:23 of the second period. Tommy Kivisto scored five on a breakaway pass from Rasmus Rissanen. Less than two minutes later Zach Boychuk took the rebound from a Beau Schmitz shot and knocked it past Cousineau to make it a 3-0 lead for Charlotte at 7:05. Dan Ellis was replaced at the 10 minute mark of the second with John Muse. Less than a minute later a Peter Holland shot would find its way past Muse and into the back of the Checkers net. The Admirals goal at 10:49 was set up by a nice Devante Smith-Pelly pass. Unfortunately for the Admirals, the Checkers were not done. Zac Dalpe took a Victor Rask pass and put it behind Cousineau at 12:11 to give the Checkers a 4-1 lead going into the locker rooms. Charlotte out shot the Admirals 16-12 in the second period.

Norfolk struck early in the third with a nice Kenndal McArdle goal. McArdle intercepted the puck in the neutral zone, came down the right wing and sent a wrist shot that beat Muse to get he Admirals within 2 goals at 1:25 of the third period. Norfolk’s Chris Wagner would strike at 9:22 when he chipped a shot over a sprawled out Muse to get the Ad’s within 1 goal. Emerson Etem and Ryan Lasch assisted on Wagner’s goal. That would be the last goal of the game as Charlotte clamped down and hung on for the 4-3 win. The Admirals out shot Charlotte 10-6 in the final frame.

Norfolk was 0-for-4 on the power play. Charlotte was 1-for-1 with the man advantage.

Three Stars:
1. Dan Ellis – CHA
2. Zach Boychuk – CHA
3. Kenndal McArdle – NOR

The Admirals’ 2012-13 regular season begins on Friday at Norfolk Scope against the Worcester Sharks. There are plenty of tickets available. Come out and support the Admirals as the go for Calder Cup once more.

Casual observations from the weekend….

This is going to be a strong team. The NHL lockout gives us a chance to see some of the prospect that would have most likely started out the year in Anaheim. Kyle Palmeri, Devante Smith-Pelly, and Igor Bobokov impressed me the most this weekend. This is going to be an exciting season. Don’t miss out. Come out and support the team.