Alex Picard Leads Norfolk Over St. John’s 3-1

NORFOLK, Va. – Alexandre Picard scored twice to take over the scoring lead in the playoffs as the Norfolk Admirals defeated the St. John’s IceCaps, 3-1, in front of an AHL Admirals playoff record crowd of 6,249 at Norfolk Scope Arena. Norfolk takes a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals into Monday’s Game 3 at Mile One Centre in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

Richard Panik also scored. Dustin Tokarski (6-2) stopped 30 of 31 shots and has now turned aside 59 of 61 St. John’s shots in the series. Norfolk’s penalty kill stopped all five IceCaps’ shots.

Like in Game 1, the Admirals struck first in Game 2 – this time just 51 seconds into the contest. Trevor Smith found Richard Panik in the high slot, and Panik sent a quick wrist shot past Pasquale’s blocker. The Admirals were on a three-on-two rush when Smith connected with Panik, putting Norfolk up 1-0.

The second period saw the IceCaps even the score at one goal apiece 1:41 into the period. Garth Murray won a faceoff, sending the puck back to Paul Postma at the left point. Postma sent a shot through traffic that hit Tokarski. John Albert found the rebound and backhanded it into and the net to get St. John’s on the board.

The alternating scoring continued later in the second period when Picard made the score 2-1 in favor of the home team. Brandon Segal started the play when he collected his own deflection in the right circle and passed the puck back to Mike Kostka. The puck came to Kostka at the right point where he would shoot it, sending it off the glove of Pasquale. The rebound went behind the net, ricocheted to Picard on the other side, and with Pasquale still on the other half of the crease, Picard sent it into the cage before Pasquale could dive back to stop it.

In an attempt to tie the game, St. John’s pulled Pasquale for an extra skater with time winding down in regulation. After Jean-Philippe Cote forced a turnover at center ice, Picard took the puck down the right wall and hit the empty net to cement the victory for Norfolk, 3-1. Picard now has an AHL-best eight goals and 14 points in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Eddie Pasquale (7-6) stopped 35 of 37 shots for the loss.

Both teams were 0-for-5 on the power play.

Game 3 of the series takes place on Monday, May 21st, from Mile One Centre in St. John’s, Newfoundland. The puck drops at 6:00 p.m.

Big Woody’s Bar and Grill will show Game 3, Game 4 and (if needed) Game 5 of the series at their Chesapeake Square Mall location. The Chesapeake Square Mall location of Big Woody’s Bar and Grill is located at 4200 Portsmouth Boulevard in Chesapeake, Virginia.

In addition, A Step In Time Chimney Sweeps is having an Admirals Party for Game 3 only at the Virginia Beach Town Center location of Guadalajara on Monday night, May 21st. Watch the game live at 6:00 p.m. and cheer on your Admirals. In addition, there will be a free buffet, happy hour drink specials, and cornhole with prizes available. The Virginia Beach Town Center location of Guadalajara is located at 4611 Columbus Street in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Game 3 will also be shown on Monday, May 21st, at the Hits at the Park Restaurant during the Norfolk Tides game against the Pawtucket Red Sox. You must have a ticket to the Tides game to be admitted into the ballpark.

All games can be heard at 102.1-FM, 1490-AM and 1021TheGame.com. You can also watch on a pay-per-view basis at AHLLive.com.

Three Stars:
1. Alexandre Picard – NOR
2. Dustin Tokarski – NOR
3. Eddie Pasquale – STJ

St. John’s IceCaps 1 at Norfolk Admirals 3 – Status: Final
Saturday, May 19, 2012 – Norfolk Scope

St. John’s 0 1 0 – 1
Norfolk      1 1 1 – 3

1st Period-1, Norfolk, Panik 3 (Oberg, Smith), 0:51. Penalties-Kulda Stj (cross-checking), 6:40; O’Dell Stj (slashing), 11:12; Oberg Nor (hooking), 13:25; Smith Nor (interference), 18:02; Gagnon Stj (roughing), 19:07; Palat Nor (roughing), 19:07; Johnson Nor (tripping), 19:31.

2nd Period-2, St. John’s, Albert 3 (Postma, Murray), 1:51. 3, Norfolk, Picard 7 (Kostka, Angelidis), 15:38. Penalties-Kulda Stj (holding), 6:09.

3rd Period-4, Norfolk, Picard 8 (Cote), 19:07 (EN). Penalties-Sawada Stj (boarding), 0:52; Killorn Nor (holding), 6:55; Conacher Nor (holding), 10:16; Meech Stj (interference), 11:17.

Shots on Goal-St. John’s 13-11-7-31. Norfolk 14-17-7-38.
Power Play Opportunities-St. John’s 0 / 5; Norfolk 0 / 5.
Goalies-St. John’s, Pasquale 7-6-0 (37 shots-35 saves). Norfolk, Tokarski 6-2-0 (31 shots-30 saves).
A-6,249
Referees-Francis Charron (46), Terry Koharski (10).
Linesmen-Mathieu Chenier (71), Scott Pomento (25).

Admirals Open Conference Finals With 6-1 Victory Over IceCaps

NORFOLK, Va. – Mike Kostka scored twice as 13 of 18 Norfolk skaters registered points in a 6-1 throttling of St. John’s in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday night at Norfolk Scope Arena. The same two teams square off Saturday night at Scope for Game 2 at 8:00 p.m.

Photo: Ross Taylor – The Virginian Pilot

Kostka scored two of four goals by Admirals defensemen in the victory, joining single tallies from Jean-Philippe Cote and Keith Aulie. Michel Ouellet and Ondrej Palat also scored for Norfolk, while Dustin Tokarski (5-2) stopped 29 of 30 shots for the win.

The first goal of the game did not come until 18:55 of the opening period when Kostka fired a power play slapshot past St. John’s goaltender Eddie Pasquale. Evan Oberg passed to Kostka at the top of the Norfolk offensive zone to start the play. Kostka wound up and fired a slapshot through traffic, beating Pasquale between his left leg and glove.

Norfolk added to their lead with another power play goal early in the second period. Tyler Johnson had the puck at the top of the left circle and passed it to Ouellet, who took the pass at the bottom of the circle. Ouellet skated towards net, sending a shot that bounced off Pasquale. Ouellet backhanded the rebound between Pasquale’s right leg and the post at 3:08 to make it a 2-0 Norfolk advantage.

Eight minutes later, Kostka extended the Norfolk lead with a goal very similar to his first. The play started with a Philip-Michael Devos feed along the wall from behind the St. John’s net. The puck found its way around the boards to a waiting Kostka. From the top of the right circle, Kostka fired another slapshot through traffic into the back of the net, making it 3-0 Norfolk at 11:04.

Continuing with the theme of successful slapshots by defensemen, Cote added Norfolk’s fourth goal at 13:42 of the second period. Trevor Smith had the puck in the middle of the left circle when he spotted Cote alone in the high slot. With no defenders around him, Cote wound up and fired a shot that grazed the shoulder of Pasquale before going into the net and making it 4-0 Norfolk. The IceCaps would bring in David Aebischer to relieve Pasquale at this point.

The Norfolk surge continued into the third period with a Palat goal at 1:28. Cory Conacher began the play after he poked the puck loose from a St. John’s player in the Norfolk zone. Johnson then began a two-on-one break. Johnson skated until the middle of the right circle where he passed across to Palat on the edge of the left circle. Palat beat Aebischer with a snap shot, blocker side, for a 5-0 lead.

Photo: Ross Taylor – The Virginian Pilot

St. John’s responded with a power play goal by Zach Redmond at the 2:11 mark. Brock Trotter skated the puck down to the middle of the right circle before throwing the puck behind the Norfolk net. As the puck emerged from behind the net near the left circle, Redmond reached for it, gathered it and banked a shot off Tokarski and into the net to make it 5-1 Norfolk.

Five minutes later in the third, Norfolk struck again, this time during four-on-four play. Palat skated down the right side of the ice after a pass from Conacher. When he reached the bottom of the right circle, Palat passed across the slot to Keith Aulie, who one-timed it past Aebischer to make it 6-1 Norfolk.

Eddie Pasquale (7-5) stopped 17 of 21 shots for the loss in the first 33:42 of the game. Aebischer (0-0) saw his first 26:18 of action in the 2012 Calder Cup Playoffs, making 10 saves on 12 shots.

Norfolk was 2-for-5 on the power play. St. John’s was 1-for-7 with the man advantage.

St. John’s IceCaps 1 at Norfolk Admirals 6 – Status: Final

Thursday, May 17, 2012 – Norfolk Scope

St. John’s 0 0 1 – 1
Norfolk      1 3 2 – 6

1st Period-1, Norfolk, Kostka 2 (Oberg, Smith), 18:55 (PP). Penalties-Gudas Nor (elbowing), 5:08; Aulie Nor (double minor – high-sticking), 13:22; Sawada Stj (high-sticking), 15:05; Barberio Nor (delay of game), 15:32; Cormier Stj (goaltender interference), 17:02.

2nd Period-2, Norfolk, Ouellet 1 (Johnson, Barberio), 3:08 (PP). 3, Norfolk, Kostka 3 (Devos, Angelidis), 11:04. 4, Norfolk, Cote 1 (Smith, Labrie), 13:42. Penalties-Clark Stj (high-sticking), 1:24; Cote Nor (hooking), 16:24.

3rd Period-5, Norfolk, Palat 4 (Johnson, Conacher), 1:28. 6, St. John’s, Redmond 1 (Trotter, Postma), 2:11 (PP). 7, Norfolk, Aulie 1 (Palat, Conacher), 7:21. Penalties-Devos Nor (unsportsmanlike conduct), 1:35; Murray Stj (roughing, fighting), 3:01; Angelidis Nor (fighting), 3:01; Johnson Nor (slashing), 5:25; Trotter Stj (high-sticking), 5:40; Picard Nor (slashing), 15:16; Albert Stj (elbowing), 18:03; Clark Stj (roughing), 18:03; Murray Stj (misconduct – unsportsmanlike conduct), 18:03; Picard Nor (roughing, misconduct – unsportsmanlike conduct), 18:03.

Shots on Goal-St. John’s 14-9-7-30. Norfolk 11-13-9-33.
Power Play Opportunities-St. John’s 1 / 7; Norfolk 2 / 5.
Goalies-St. John’s, Pasquale 7-5-0 (21 shots-17 saves); Aebischer 0-0-0 (12 shots-10 saves). Norfolk, Tokarski 5-2-0 (30 shots-29 saves).

A-3,541
Referees-Francis Charron (46), Terry Koharski (10).
Linesmen-Mathieu Chenier (71), Tom George (61).

2-1 OT Victory Sends The Admirals To The Conference Finals

NORFOLK, Va. – Richard Panik’s goal with 6:59 remaining in overtime lifted the Norfolk Admirals over the Connecticut Whale, 2-1, in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Friday night at Norfolk Scope Arena. The Admirals win the best-of-seven series, four games to two, and advance to the conference finals for the first time in their Calder Cup Playoff history.

Photo: Ross Taylor, The Virginian-PIlot

Panik brought 5,832 fans at Scope to their feet just minutes after returning to the ice from an injury. He was struck in the face by a slapshot midway through the third period and missed the remainder of the third period and the majority of overtime while receiving treatment in the Norfolk locker room.

Tyler Johnson also scored for the Admirals, who outshot the Whale, 46-31, in the contest after being out-shot, 24-12 through the first two periods. Goaltender Jaroslav Janus (3-1) turned aside 30 of 31 shots.

Photo: Ross Taylor, The Virginian Pilot

The Whale got on the board first 14:49 into the first period. After a turnover at the Connecticut blueline, Casey Wellman carried the puck into the Norfolk zone along the left wing and sent a shot off Janus. The rebound came back to Wellman, and he sent it back into a maze of sticks and skates in the crease. Jonathan Audy-Marchessault was credited for the goal after the puck snuck past Janus.

Both goaltenders stood strong in the second period as the teams combined for 18 shots but were held off the scoreboard.

After posting just 12 shots in the opening two periods, Norfolk controlled the play in the third period by posting 18 shots in the frame to just three by Connecticut.

Just past the midway mark of the period, Johnson’s second goal of the playoffs tied the game at 1-1. From along the left boards, Palat intercepted a Whale pass and quickly fed the puck toward the slot. The pass deflected off a Connecticut defender to Johnson in the slot between the hashmarks. Johnson collected the fluttering puck and sent a backhand shot between the legs of Whale goaltender Cameron Talbot at 10:52, setting the stage for overtime.

On his first shift after returning from the injury, Panik split the Connecticut defense in the neutral zone and received a pass from Alex Killorn for a breakaway. Panik deked to the backhand before slipping a forehand shot around Talbot’s right leg and into the back of the net at 13:01 for the game-winner.

Talbot (5-4) finished the night with 44 saves on 46 shots in defeat.

The Admirals open the Eastern Conference finals against the winner of the St. John’s/Wilkes-Barre/Scranton series on Thursday night at Norfolk Scope at 7:15 p.m. A complete schedule is available at norfolkadmirals.com. The series between the IceCaps and Penguins will be decided tomorrow night in St. John’s at 6:00 p.m. EDT.

Connecticut Whale 1 at Norfolk Admirals 2 (OT) – Status: Final OT
Friday, May 11, 2012 – Norfolk Scope

Connecticut 1 0 0 0 – 1
Norfolk          0 0 1 1 – 2

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Audy-Marchessault 4 (Hrivik, Wellman), 14:49. Penalties-Conacher Nor (hooking), 2:58; Bourque Ct (goaltender interference), 6:10; Segal Nor (hooking), 6:33; Killorn Nor (holding the stick), 10:33; Newbury Ct (interference), 16:59.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Audy-Marchessault Ct (slashing), 7:42; Wellman Ct (holding the stick), 20:00.

3rd Period-2, Norfolk, Johnson 2 (Palat), 10:52. Penalties-Erixon Ct (holding), 7:52; Deveaux Ct (roughing), 11:32; Picard Nor (roughing), 11:32; Tessier Ct (slashing), 13:52.

OT Period-3, Norfolk, Panik 2 (Killorn, Oberg), 13:01. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 13-11-3-4-31. Norfolk 5-7-18-16-46.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 0 / 3; Norfolk 0 / 6.
Goalies-Connecticut, Talbot 5-4-0 (46 shots-44 saves). Norfolk, Janus 3-1-0 (31 shots-30 saves).
A-5,832
Referees-Darcy Burchell (42), Mark Lemelin (41).
Linesmen-Scott Pomento (25), Tom George (61).

 

Killorn’s OT Goal Lifts The Admirals To A 4-3 Victory And Clinches The Series.

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Alex Killorn scored on a rebound 13:27 into overtime as the Norfolk Admirals defeated the Manchester Monarchs, 4-3, on Friday night at the Verizon Wireless Arena. With the win, Norfolk won the best-of-five Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series against Manchester, three games to one, and advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Connecticut Whale beginning Wednesday night at Norfolk Scope Arena.

Photo: Bruce Taylor - Union Leader

Evan Oberg, Mark Barberio and Trevor Smith also scored for the Admirals, who erased 1-0 and 3-1 deficits for the win. Norfolk netminder Dustin Tokarski (2-0) stopped 22 of 25 shots for the win.

The Monarchs opened scoring just 38 seconds into the contest. A Manchester defenseman caused a turnover in the left corner of the Norfolk zone. Justin Azevedo found the puck in the high slot and sent a slap shot off the crossbar and into the net to give the home team a 1-0 lead.

Norfolk knotted the score at 1-1 midway through the second stanza. Oberg sent a shot from the left point through traffic that glanced off Zatkoff. While the goaltender slowed the puck, he did not stop it, as it trickled between his legs and into the net at 7:18.

However, the Monarchs restored their lead exactly four minutes later on a four-on-four play. Brandon Kozun and Patrick Mullen executed a crossover play at the Norfolk blue line, with Kozun dropping a pass to Mullen in the high slot. Mullen skated a few strides toward the net before sending a shot past Tokarski’s glove at 11:18 for a 2-1 Manchester lead.

The Monarchs doubled their lead just over four minutes later with their first power play goal of the series. Thomas Hickey sent a slap shot from the high slot. Andy Andreoff changed the path of the puck from high to low with a deflection from the center slot, and the shot eluded Tokarski at 15:37 for a 3-1 Manchester lead.

However, that lead evaporated less than two minutes later with a pair of Norfolk goals. Cory Conacher set up the visitors’ second goal when he spotted Barberio in the left circle. The AHL’s Outstanding Defenseman waited for a Manchester defender to commit to a block before shuffling to his left in the faceoff circle and sending a wrist shot top-shelf at 16:58.

The Admirals tied the game at 3-3 just 16 seconds later. Smith entered the attacking zone along the right wing with speed. He sent a shot from the right circle that Zatkoff blocked. However, Smith found his own rebound and backhanded a shot past Zatkoff’s left leg at 17:14 for his second goal of the post-season.

The Admirals out-shot the Monarchs, 10-3, in the third period but could not solve Zatkoff as the game required overtime.

Photo: Bruce Taylor - Union Leader

Norfolk sustained the pressure in the overtime session, out-shooting Manchester, 9-2, before finding the back of the net with their tenth shot of the extra session. Alexandre Picard sent a shot that Zatkoff stopped. However, Killorn found the rebound in the right circle as traffic was encroaching on Zatkoff. He fired a shot over a prone Zatkoff for his first professional playoff goal and the series-clincher at 17:14.

Jeff Zatkoff (1-1) stopped 35 of 39 shots for the loss.

Both teams were 1-for-5 on the power play.

Norfolk Admirals 4 (OT) at Manchester Monarchs 3 – Status: Final OT
Friday, April 27, 2012 – Verizon Wireless Arena

Norfolk         0 3 0 1 – 4
Manchester 1 2 0 0 – 3

1st Period-1, Manchester, Azevedo 1   0:38. Penalties-Ouellet Nor (tripping), 7:49; Angelidis Nor (fighting), 10:42; Clune Mch (fighting), 10:42; Cliche Mch (hooking), 15:55; Conacher Nor (slashing), 17:51.

2nd Period-2, Norfolk, Oberg 1 (Killorn, Picard), 7:18. 3, Manchester, Mullen 1 (Kozun, O’Neill), 11:18. 4, Manchester, Andreoff 2 (Hickey, Vey), 15:37 (PP). 5, Norfolk, Barberio 2 (Conacher, Ouellet), 16:58 (PP). 6, Norfolk, Smith 2 (Gudas), 17:14. Penalties-Azevedo Mch (interference), 2:21; served by Czarnik Mch (bench minor – too many men), 9:27; Smith Nor (interference), 11:03; Picard Nor (hooking), 15:07; Labrie Nor (roughing), 15:55; Cliche Mch (roughing, roughing), 15:55; Palat Nor (interference), 17:37.

3rd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Cote Nor (fighting), 1:49; Deslauriers Mch (fighting), 1:49; Kolomatis Mch (slashing), 9:37.

OT Period-7, Norfolk, Killorn 1 (Picard, Barberio), 13:27. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Norfolk 8-11-10-10-39. Manchester 10-10-3-2-25.
Power Play Opportunities-Norfolk 1 / 5; Manchester 1 / 5.
Goalies-Norfolk, Tokarski 2-0-0 (25 shots-22 saves). Manchester, Zatkoff 0-2-0 (39 shots-35 saves).
A-6,102
Referees-Francis Charron (46), Jean Hebert (43).
Linesmen-Joe Andrews (32), Landon Bathe (80).

Admirals 5-1 Victory Over Albany Moves The Streak To 26.

Photo: Cindy Schultz - Albany Times Union)

ALBANY, N.Y. – The Norfolk Admirals (53-18-1-2) received goals by five different skaters as they defeated the Albany Devils (30-33-6-5), 5-1, on Friday night at the Times Union Center. The victory is Norfolk’s 26th consecutive victory and also sets an Admirals’ franchise record with 109 standings points.

The Admirals’ close out the regular season with a visit to Binghamton on Saturday night before traveling to Adirondack on Sunday evening.

Trevor Smith, Michel Ouellet, Evan Oberg, Brandon Segal and Philip-Michael Devos scored for the Admirals while Keith Aulie posted two assists in his Admirals debut. Jaroslav Janus (22-8-2) turned aside 20 of 21 shots for his 14th consecutive victory.

Photo: James DiBianco

Norfolk opened the scoring with five unanswered goals, including three goals in the opening period. After collecting a pass, Smith broke in all alone on Devils’ netminder Keith Kinkaid. From in between the hash marks, Smith snapped a shot over the glove of the rookie goaltender for his 25th goal of the season at 2:55.

Less than five minutes later, Ouellet’s 16th goal of the season stretched the Admirals lead to 2-0. In his first game as an Admirals’ uniform, Aulie tipped a pass from behind the Devils’ net out front to Ouellet. From just below the left faceoff circle, Ouellet chipped the pass over the left shoulder of Kinkaid at 7:17 of the first.

Norfolk tripled their lead with less than three minutes remaining in the first period. From along the Devils net, Johnson slipped a pass into the lower slot to Oberg. The pinching defenseman collected the pass and sent a shot off the stick of Kinkaid and under the goaltender to extend the Admirals’ lead to 3-0 with his sixth goal of the season at 17:29 of the opening 20 minutes.

Photo: John Wright

The Admirals expanded on their lead just over five minutes into the middle frame. From the left faceoff circle, Picard sent a cross-crease pass to the backside of Kinkaid. Before the goaltender could recover, Segal tapped in his 17th goal of the season to Norfolk in front 4-0 at 5:17.

The visitors’ lead strengthened to 5-0 on Devos’ seventh goal of the season. This time, Aulie found Devos standing on the glove side of Devils’ netminder Jeff Frazee. Aulie fed Devos a pass, who tucked the puck behind Frazee at 7:07 of the third period.

Albany broke the shutout bid with a power play goal by Vladimir Zharkov. While skating on their fifth power play of the night, Zharkov’s shot from the right faceoff circle deflected behind Janus as the Admirals lead narrowed to 5-1 at 14:13 of the final period.

Neither team scored in the final five minutes of play as the Admirals skated away with the 5-1 victory, their 26th victory in a row.

Kinkaid (17-20-3) finished the night with 13 saves on 17 shots before exiting midway through the second period. Frazee (11-19-2) made eights saves in 31 minutes of action and did not record a decision.

Norfolk was scoreless on four power play chances. Albany was 1 for 5 with the man advantage.

Norfolk Admirals 5 at Albany Devils 1 – Status: Final
Friday, April 13, 2012 – Times Union Center

Norfolk 3 1 1 – 5
Albany  0 0 1 – 1

1st Period-1, Norfolk, Smith 25 (Segal), 2:55. 2, Norfolk, Ouellet 16 (Aulie), 7:17. 3, Norfolk, Oberg 7 (Palat, Johnson), 17:29. Penalties-Cote Nor (tripping), 12:43; Gelinas Alb (tripping), 12:58.

2nd Period-4, Norfolk, Segal 17 (Picard, Kostka), 5:17. Penalties-Johnson Nor (slashing), 10:14; Cote Nor (hooking), 14:21; Segal Nor (tripping), 18:20.

3rd Period-5, Norfolk, Devos 7 (Aulie, Ouellet), 7:07. 6, Albany, Zharkov 16 (Gelinas, Perkovich), 14:13 (PP). Penalties-Zalewski Alb (double minor – high-sticking), 2:21; Gudas Nor (roughing), 5:39; Mills Alb (roughing), 5:39; Zharkov Alb (goaltender interference), 9:03; Cote Nor (charging), 13:07; Gudas Nor (unsportsmanlike conduct), 19:17; Zajac Alb (unsportsmanlike conduct), 19:17.

Shots on Goal-Norfolk 13-7-6-26. Albany 7-7-7-21.
Power Play Opportunities-Norfolk 0 / 4; Albany 1 / 5.
Goalies-Norfolk, Janus 22-8-2 (21 shots-20 saves). Albany, Kinkaid 17-20-3 (17 shots-13 saves); Frazee 11-19-2 (9 shots-8 saves).

A-2,481
Referees-Ryan Hersey (46).
Linesmen-Robert St. Lawrence (10), Mike Emanatian (69).

How Sweet It Is!! Admirals Win Sixteen In A Row, Beat The Penguins 4-1

Norfolk Admirals - John Wright

NORFOLK, Va. – Tyler Johnson posted a goal and two assists and Jaroslav Janus tied a two-week-old franchise record with his eighth win in a row as the Norfolk Admirals (43-18-1-2) defeated the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (26-20-2-5), 4-1, at Norfolk Scope Arena on Wednesday night. With 16 wins in a row, the Admirals have now tied the second-longest winning streak contained in a single season in American Hockey League history. They will try to tie the record on Friday night on the road against the Charlotte Checkers. 

Richard Panik scored a goal and an assist, while defensemen Radko Gudas and Evan Oberg also scored in the contest. Janus made 12 saves for his sixteenth win of 2011-12.

The visitors jumped out to an early lead just as a Norfolk power play expired. Bryan Lerg sent a wrist shot through a screen that deflected off the glove of Janus and into the far corner of the net to give the visitors the 1-0 lead at 8:47.

 

The Virginian Pilot - Ross Taylor

However, Norfolk responded with four unanswered goals the rest of the way. Just over three minutes after Lerg’s goal, the Admirals knotted the game at 1-1. As the home team skated on a power play, Barberio slipped a shot through the Penguins’ defense to Panik on the far post. Panik tipped the feed behind Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goaltender Scott Munroe for his 16th goal of the season at 11:28.

Thirty-one seconds later, the Admirals struck once again to open up a 2-1 lead. As the Penguins’ defense was treading backwards, Gudas fired a shot from the blue line. The shot snuck through traffic and over Munroe for Gudas’ seventh tally of the season at 11:59.

Norfolk opened a three-goal lead just ten seconds into the middle frame on a power play. After Panik tipped a Picard pass over the blue line, Johnson broke in all alone on Munroe. From just beneath the hash marks, Johnson went top shelf over Munroe to give the Admirals a 3-1 lead with his 25th of the season.

 

The Virginian Pilot - Ross Taylor

The Admirals capped off the scoring just three minutes into the final period. Just seconds after he exited the penalty box, Oberg tripled the home team’s lead with his sixth goal of the season. From just inside the zone, Oberg sent a slap shot over the right pad of Munroe at 2:37 for the 4-1 final score.

Jaroslav Janus (16-8-2) turned aside 12 of 13 shots he faced for his franchise-record tying eighth straight win. Scott Munroe (15-6-3) stopped 29 of 33 shots in the loss.

Norfolk was 2-for-8 on the power play. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton was 0-for-4.

Three Stars:
1. Tyler Johnson – NOR
2. Richard Panik – NOR
3. Radko Gudas – NOR

NOTES … Norfolk’s 16-game winning streak is tied for the second-longest winning streak contained within a single season in AHL history (Baltimore Skipjacks, 16 wins from February 23 – March 23, 1984) … The longest AHL winning streak contained within a single season was accomplished by the Philadelphia Phantoms when they won 17 consecutive games from October 22 – November 27, 2004. Norfolk can tie that mark with a win on Friday in Charlotte … The Syracuse Crunch won 18 straight regular season games over the course of two seasons from March 9 – October 17, 2008. During their streak, the Crunch won 15 games to conclude the 2007-08 regular season and the first three games to open the 2008-09 regular season … Admirals forward Alexandre Picard was on that Crunch team, along with former Admirals captain Zenon Konopka … Norfolk’s last loss of any kind came on February 5 – a 4-2 defeat at the MassMutual Center by the Springfield Falcons …Prior to this winning streak, the longest winning streak by a goaltender in AHL Admirals history was seven games by Michael Leighton from January 30 – February 18, 2004. Eight years later, two different Norfolk netminders hold simultaneous eight-game winning streaks at the same time, with Janus earning his eighth straight win tonight and Dustin Tokarski having done so on March 3 vs. Springfield … Tokarski won his first career NHL game yesterday by stopping 33 shots in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 6-1 victory over the Boston Bruins … The last time Norfolk was in first place overall in the American Hockey League this late in the season was March 31, 2007, when they held a one-point lead over the Hershey Bears …Tyler Johnson has seven goals and 11 assists in his last eight games in what continues to be the longest active point streak in the American Hockey League … Johnson has also tied an Admirals season high with goals in five straight games (7g), and he also has recorded five consecutive multiple-point games (7g, 6a) … Did not play: Richard Petiot, Mike Angelidis, Jon Kalinski.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 1 at Norfolk Admirals 4 – Status: Final
Wednesday, March 14, 2012 – Norfolk Scope

W-B/Scranton 1 0 0 – 1
Norfolk             2 1 1 – 4

1st Period-1, W-B/Scranton, Lerg 23 (O’Reilly, Strait), 8:47. 2, Norfolk, Panik 16 (Barberio, Johnson), 11:28 (PP). 3, Norfolk, Gudas 7 (Jackson, Hutchings), 11:59. Penalties-Gibbons Wbs (tripping), 6:46; Lerg Wbs (elbowing), 10:42; Strait Wbs (boarding), 17:17; Williams Wbs (slashing), 19:54.

2nd Period-4, Norfolk, Johnson 25 (Panik, Picard), 0:10 (PP). Penalties-Gudas Nor (interference), 4:40; Barberio Nor (slashing), 8:35; Picard Wbs (elbowing), 17:45; Gibbons Wbs (hooking), 17:57.

3rd Period-5, Norfolk, Oberg 6 (Palat, Johnson), 2:37. Penalties-Oberg Nor (interference), 0:28; DeFazio Wbs (boarding), 13:58; Panik Nor (interference), 14:05; Despres Wbs (slashing), 14:12; Smith Nor (slashing), 17:55; Despres Wbs (goaltender interference), 18:21.

Shots on Goal-W-B/Scranton 4-7-2-13. Norfolk 11-13-9-33.
Power Play Opportunities-W-B/Scranton 0 / 4; Norfolk 2 / 8.
Goalies-W-B/Scranton, Munroe 15-6-3 (33 shots-29 saves). Norfolk, Janus 16-8-2 (13 shots-12 saves).

A-4,120
Referees-Jason Rollins (37), Steve Patafie (85).
Linesmen-Mark Hamlett (81), Bill Lyons (27).