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
The final stretch of the AHL season is upon us. The Admirals bounce back after an OT loss to the Checkers on Wednesday. Norfolk powered up their offense and set a course for the playoffs with a 5-1 victory over the Bears. There is no guaranteed playoff spot waiting for the Admirals. They are going to have to earn it. Every game won can move them up, every loss will keep them on the bottom.
Game Summary from the Norfolk Admirals:
March 8, 2013
Admirals Out-Gun Bears
NORFOLK – Sami Vatanen and Patrick Maroon each had a goal and two assists and the home team out-shot the visitors, 32-17, as the Norfolk Admirals (26-26-4-1) upended the Hershey Bears (28-22-3-5), 5-1, on Friday night at Norfolk Scope Arena.
Dan Sexton, Josh Brittain and John Mitchell also scored for Norfolk while Hampus Lindholm and John Kurtz notched two assists each. Frederik Andersen (14-11-1) stopped 16 of 17 shots for the win. The Admirals cut their deficit to five points for the eighth and final playoff spot with 19 games remaining in the 2012-13 regular season.
The Admirals will host the Bears again tomorrow night at Scope at 7:15 p.m.
Norfolk took a 1-0 lead midway through the first period on Sexton’s fifth goal of the season. Vatanen stopped a Hershey clearing attempt at the right point. He fed Sexton at the bottom of the left faceoff circle. From one knee, Sexton one-timed the puck past Bears netminder Dany Sabourin at 9:47. Both Sexton and Vatanen extended their point streaks to an Admirals season-high six games on the play.
The home team’s lead doubled with a five-on-three power play goal 6:08 into the second stanza. Maroon sent a pass from the right corner to Vatanen in the opposite circle. Vatanen one-timed the pass beyond the outstretched glove of Sabourin for his fifth goal of the season and a 2-0 Norfolk lead.
Hershey cut into the lead with an unassisted goal less than seven minutes later. Jeff Taffe intercepted a pass in the high slot, skated deeper into the slot and fired a slap shot past Andersen’s glove at 12:49 to cut Norfolk’s lead to 2-1.
However, the Admirals restored their two-goal lead 6:33 into the final frame. Maroon entered the attacking zone along the left wall and sent a shot from near the goal line at the left corner. The puck hit the inside of Sabourin’s left skate and went between his legs and into the net for Maroon’s 15th goal of the season and a 3-1 Norfolk lead.
The Admirals increased the lead to three goals midway through the third period with their second power play goal of the game. Maroon spotted Brittain with a pass from the left corner to the right circle. Brittain one-timed the puck past Sabourin at 11:02 for his ninth goal of the season and a 4-1 lead.
Norfolk closed out scoring with 3:10 remaining in regulation with Mitchell’s seventh goal of the season. Lindholm sent a feed to Kurtz for a shot from in tight that bounced off Sabourin. Mitchell one-timed the rebound into the net for the 5-1 final score.
Sabourin (8-9-3) stopped 27 of 32 shots in defeat.
Norfolk was 2-for-7 on the power play. Hershey was 0-for-4.
Three Stars:
1. Sami Vatanen – NOR
2. Patrick Maroon – NOR
3. Hampus Lindholm – NOR
Hershey Bears 1 at Norfolk Admirals 5 – Status: Final Friday, March 8, 2013 – Norfolk Scope
Hershey 0 1 0 – 1
Norfolk 1 1 3 – 5
1st Period-1, Norfolk, Sexton 5 (Vatanen, Kurtz), 9:47. Penalties-DiSalvatore Her (hooking), 1:13; Vatanen Nor (holding), 5:27; Smith-Pelly Nor (roughing), 19:55.
2nd Period-2, Norfolk, Vatanen 5 (Maroon, Lindholm), 6:08 (PP). 3, Hershey, Taffe 16 12:49. Penalties-Parent Nor (delay of game), 4:03; Schilling Her (interference), 4:24; McNeill Her (interference), 4:45; McNeill Her (tripping), 8:57; Irwin Nor (hooking), 14:26; Carman Her (tripping), 18:11.
3rd Period-4, Norfolk, Maroon 15 (Vatanen, Andersen), 6:33. 5, Norfolk, Brittain 9 (Maroon, Guenin), 11:02 (PP). 6, Norfolk, Mitchell 7 (Kurtz, Lindholm), 16:50. Penalties-Wellar Her (fighting), 1:27; Letourneau-Leblond Nor (fighting), 1:27; Marshall Her (holding), 3:19; Brouillette Her (fighting), 3:30; Smith-Pelly Nor (fighting), 3:30; Taffe Her (unsportsmanlike conduct, diving), 9:39; Kurtz Nor (tripping), 9:39; Kane Her (hooking), 10:48; Smith-Pelly Nor (diving), 10:48.
Shots on Goal-Hershey 5-5-7-17. Norfolk 17-4-11-32.
Power Play Opportunities-Hershey 0 / 4; Norfolk 2 / 7.
Goalies-Hershey, Sabourin 8-9-3 (32 shots-27 saves). Norfolk, Andersen 14-11-1 (17 shots-16 saves).
A-5,626
Referees-Trent Knorr (44).
Linesmen-Mark Hamlett (81), Scott Pomento (25).
This weekend the Admirals played host the the AHL’s Atlantic Division leading Providence Bruins.The Admirals had their defense bolstered by the return of Hampus Lindholm and Nate Guenin. While the defense was uh…”stronger”, the offense was still lacking. Peter Holland and Pat Maroon are still up with the Ducks.
Photo: John Wright
This was also the Hall of Fame weekend. ECHL Admiral Brian Martin and AHL Admiral Marty Wilford were inducted into the Admiral’s Hall of Fame. Normally you would find the Admirals try to make a nice presentation of the event, but this year it just seemed that nothing was really put into the presentation. The original Admiral, Dennis McEwan was the only member of the Admirals front office to be part of the ceremony.While he did a great job, it would have been nice to have the the Ken Young, the owner of the team,or even Joe Gregory on hand to make the presentation. This was really a lackluster event.
Back to the Hockey. Friday nights affair was all Bruins. There was more excitement in the stands than on the ice. The recently bolstered defense fell apart and made Bobkov look like an ECHL goalie. The Admirals offense was just as bad, unable to find the back of the net and fell 3-0. Saturday nights affair started off with a bang with 2 early fights to get things going. Troy Bodie returned to the lineup and got back into the thick of things with the second fight of the night. Norfolk was not going to let what happened Friday night happen again Saturday night. They made a fight of it, but the Bruins would not step aside. It took a shootout to get things done, but the Admirals squeeked out a 3-2 win.
From The Norfolk Admirals:
February 22, 2013
Providence Shuts Out Admirals
NORFOLK – Niklas Svedberg stopped 21 shots and Graham Mink scored twice as the Norfolk Admirals (22-25-3-1) were shut out by the Providence Bruins (31-17-0-3), 3-0, on Friday night at Norfolk Scope Arena. The same teams face off again tomorrow night at Scope at 7:15 p.m.
Norfolk was shut out for the fifth time this season. Admirals goaltender Igor Bobkov (10-15-0) stopped 16 of 19 shots and took the loss before being replaced by Frederik Andersen (10-10-1) 8:07 into the second period. Andersen stopped all 13 shots he faced in relief. All of Providence’s offense came on special teams, as the Bruins scored twice on the power play and once while shorthanded.
Providence took the lead 16:17 into the contest on Mink’s first goal of the contest. While on the power play, Matt Bartkowski sent a low wrist shot from the high slot that Mink deflected from the low slot. Mink sent the puck up and under the crossbar for a 1-0 Bruins lead.
The lead doubled for the visitors with another Mink power play goal just 46 seconds into the second period. Colby Cohen sent a shot from the left point that Bobkov stopped. However, Mink found the rebound in the goalmouth and scored to increase Providence’s lead to 2-0.
That lead grew to three goals just over seven minutes later as the Bruins scored shorthanded. Bartkowski picked off a Norfolk pass and sent the puck to former Admiral Trent Whitfield. The Providence captain sent a wrist shot from the left circle over Bobkov’s right shoulder at 8:07 for a 3-0 lead.
Providence goaltender Niklas Svedberg (25-6-2) earned his 25th win of the season – tops among AHL rookie netminders.
Norfolk was 0-for-3 on the power play. Providence was 2-for-5.
Three Stars:
1. Graham Mink – PRO
2. Niklas Svedberg – PRO
3. Matt Bartkowski – PRO
Providence Bruins 3 at Norfolk Admirals 0 – Status: Final Friday, February 22, 2013 – Norfolk Scope
Providence 1 2 0 – 3
Norfolk 0 0 0 – 0
1st Period-1, Providence, Mink 4 (Bartkowski, Caron), 16:17 (PP). Penalties-Cohen Pro (hooking), 1:40; MacKinnon Pro (tripping), 5:43; Mitchell Nor (unsportsmanlike conduct), 14:40; Irwin Nor (delay of game), 19:58.
3rd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Letourneau-Leblond Nor (major – charging, game misconduct – charging), 6:50; served by Mink Pro (bench minor – too many men), 8:02; MacKinnon Pro (roughing), 9:56; Vatanen Nor (roughing), 9:56; Hendry Nor (interference), 16:56.
A-5,602
Referees-T.J. Luxmore (49).
Linesmen-Mark Hamlett (81), Scott Pomento (25).
February 23, 2013
Hendry Proves It’s Better to Give Than Receive
NORFOLK – Frederik Andersen made 37 saves and Jordan Hendry gave the Admirals the win on his 29th birthday with the game-winning conversion in the sixth round of the shootout, as the Norfolk Admirals (23-25-3-1) defeated the Providence Bruins (31-17-0-4), 3-2, on Saturday night at Norfolk Scope Arena.
Hendry, who has played 239 career AHL games, scored on his first career AHL shootout attempt. He has two goals and seven points in 38 games with the Admirals this season. Brandon McMillan tied the contest at 2-2 with just 4:26 left in regulation, while Dan Sexton opened scoring in the game for the Admirals. Andersen (11-10-1) stopped 37 of 39 shots through regulation and overtime before denying five of six Providence shooters in the shootout. The Admirals have won eight of their last 13 games (8-4-1-0).
The Admirals will visit the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Wednesday night before returning to Scope to host the Charlotte Checkers next Friday night at Scope.
Norfolk went ahead, 1-0, on Sexton’s fourth goal of the season. Luca Caputi sent a pass across the crease to Sexton, who shot it past the right leg of Providence goaltender Michael Hutchinson at 6:49 for a five-on-three power play goal.
The Bruins tied the game early in the second period. Bobby Robins’ initial shot was blocked by Andersen, with the netminder reaching out with his glove in an attempt to cover the puck. However, it was knocked loose by Justin Florek to Christian Hanson, whose backhand shot hit the post. The puck then caromed off the post towards the crease, where it caromed again off a Norfolk defender and went into the net. Hanson’s goal at 4:11 tied the game at 1-1.
Providence took a 2-1 lead 9:24 into the final frame. Kevan Miller sent a shot from the right point that deflected off an Admirals defender and eluded Andersen.
The Admirals tied the game with 4:26 left in regulation. Emerson Etem attempted a wraparound shot from behind the net that wound up on the stick of Sexton. Hutchinson made a lunging save to deny Sexton’s shot. However, McMillan scored his fourth goal of the season on the rebound to tie the game at 2-2.
After a scoreless overtime, the teams exchanged goals in the fourth round of the shootout, with Caputi scoring for Norfolk and Graham Mink converting for Providence. In the top of the sixth round, Hendry rifled a shot off the crossbar and into the net, while Andersen stopped Nicolas Tremblay to seal the win.
Michael Hutchinson (6-11-2) stopped 31 of 33 shots through regulation and overtime before allowing two goals on six shots in the shootout.
Norfolk was 1-for-4 on the power play. Providence was 0-for-6.
Three Stars:
1. Frederik Andersen – NOR
2. Brandon McMillan – NOR
3. Dan Sexton – NOR
Providence Bruins 2 at Norfolk Admirals 3 (SO) – Status: Final SO Saturday, February 23, 2013 – Norfolk Scope
Providence 0 1 1 0 – 2
Norfolk 1 0 1 0 – 3
1st Period-1, Norfolk, Sexton 4 (Caputi, Vatanen), 6:49 (PP). Penalties-Randell Pro (fighting), 0:07; Letourneau-Leblond Nor (fighting), 0:07; Robins Pro (fighting), 0:38; Bodie Nor (fighting), 0:38; Cunningham Pro (holding), 5:32; Whitfield Pro (tripping), 5:49; McMillan Nor (slashing), 7:40; Guenin Nor (slashing), 8:40; Florek Pro (hooking), 11:39; Irwin Nor (hooking), 14:27.
2nd Period-2, Providence, Hanson 7 (Florek, Robins), 4:11. Penalties-Vatanen Nor (delay of game), 12:32; Clark Nor (roughing), 17:01.
3rd Period-3, Providence, Miller 1 (Bartkowski, Spooner), 9:24. 4, Norfolk, McMillan 4 (Etem, Sexton), 15:34. Penalties-Miller Pro (roughing), 5:08; McMillan Nor (roughing), 5:08; Irwin Nor (hooking), 18:50.
OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Whitfield Pro (high-sticking), 4:47.
GLENS FALLS, N.Y. – The Adirondack Phantoms (18-21-2-1) scored three times in the third period as they defeated the Norfolk Admirals (18-22-2-1), 5-2, on Friday night at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The Admirals saw their three-game winning streak end in the team’s first action after the All-Star Break.
Peter Holland added to his team-leading point total with a goal in his first game back from the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. Dan Sexton also scored for the Admirals, while Igor Bobkov (8-11-0) took the loss after stopping 22 of 26 shots.
Norfolk’s brief road trip concludes tomorrow in Bridgeport, Connecticut, with a 7:00 p.m. faceoff against the Sound Tigers. The Admirals return to Scope next week to face off against their East Division rivals, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, on Friday and Saturday nights.
Adirondack took a 1-0 lead midway through the first period with a power play goal. Erik Gustafsson sent a shot that was deflected by Matt Mangene past Bobkov at 13:11.
The Admirals tied the game at 1-1 late in the second period with a power play goal of their own. Norfolk entered the attacking zone with an odd-man rush. Holland sent a shot that Adirondack goaltender Brian Boucher stopped. Luca Caputi picked up the rebound to Boucher’s left and fed Holland in the slot. Holland scored his 13th goal and team-leading 32nd point of the season at 14:59.
The Phantoms re-claimed the lead less than three minutes later. Rob Bordson sent a shot from the right circle past Bobkov at 17:41.
However, the Admirals tied the game at 2-2 just 25 seconds later. Josh Brittain sent a pass from the right corner toward the slot. Sexton sent a quick shot past Boucher’s left leg at 18:06 for his second goal of the season.
Jason Akeson broke the tie with a power play goal 6:46 into the final frame. He sent a slap shot from the high slot through traffic that gave the Phantoms a 3-2 lead. Rob Bordson doubled Adirondack’s lead with a wrist shot from the right circle that made it 4-2 at 14:14. Shane Harper tallied into the empty net at 17:53 for the 5-2 final score.
Boucher (2-2-0) stopped 27 of 29 shots for the win.
Norfolk was 1-for-7 on the power play. Adirondack was 2-for-4.
Norfolk’s brief road trip concludes tomorrow in Bridgeport with a 7:00 p.m. faceoff against the Sound Tigers. All games can be heard on 102.1-FM, 1490-AM or 1021TheGame.com. You may also watch at AHLLive.com.
The next home action for the Admirals takes place on Friday and Saturday, February 8th and 9th against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The second Military Appreciation Night, presented by USAA, takes place on Friday, February 8th. Red Level Tickets (normally $19 on game nights) will be available for just $11 at the Norfolk Scope Box Office for all active or retired military, their dependents and reservists with valid military identification. Groups of 15 or more can purchase their Red Level Tickets for just $9 by contacting the Admirals Group Sales Office via phone at (757) 640-1212 ext. 23.
Due to inclement weather and the resulting traffic conditions, the Admirals announced that any unused tickets for the Friday, January 25th contest against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers will be honored for any remaining 2012-13 regular season game played at Norfolk Scope Arena (based upon ticket availability). These unused tickets may only be redeemed at the Norfolk Scope Box Office.
Three Stars:
1. Brian Boucher – ADK
2. Rob Bordson – ADK
3. Harry Zolnierczyk – ADK
NOTES … The Admirals have not been out-shot in their last seven games … Dan Sexton has points in five straight games (2g, 3a) – tied for the longest point streak by a Norfolk player this season (Peter Holland, Oct. 12-27, 2g, 4a) … Luca Caputi has two goals and three assists in four games since re-joining the Admirals from the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets … Since joining the Admirals from the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets on December 31st, Josh Brittain has five goals and seven points in 12 games. He is tied with Patrick Maroon (3g, 7pts, 11gp) for the most points since that time … Brayden Irwin, who was signed to a Professional Tryout Contract by Norfolk earlier in the day, made his Admirals debut and recorded two shots on goal … Did not play: Brandon McMillan, Troy Bodie, Nick Schaus, Jay Rosehill.
Norfolk Admirals 2 at Adirondack Phantoms 5 – Status: Final Friday, February 1, 2013 – Glens Falls Civic Center
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 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.
