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

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).

Admirals Beat The Whale 4-3 For a 2 Game To 1 Series Advantage

 

Photo: Stan Godlewski

HARTFORD, Conn. – Alex Killorn, Trevor Smith and Mike Angelidis scored in the second period and Dustin Tokarski made 27 saves as the Norfolk Admirals edged out the Connecticut Whale, 4-3, on Sunday night at the XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The Admirals takes a two-games-to-one lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Semifinals series with Game 4 slated for tomorrow night in Hartford.

Ondrej Palat scored in the first period for the Admirals, who won their 16th consecutive road game dating back to February 12 at Charlotte.

Connecticut took a 1-0 lead just 5:20 into the contest on the power play. Casey Wellman intercepted a Norfolk clearing attempt in the slot between the hashmarks. He sent a slap shot past Tokarski’s blocker and into the net.

The game’s next score also came on a Whale power play. However, this time, it was Palat finding the back of the net while Norfolk was shorthanded. He intercepted a Connecticut pass at the blue line in the Norfolk zone and sped toward Whale goaltender Cameron Talbot on a breakaway. He deked to his forehand before stretching to slip a backhand shot past Talbot’s left leg at 8:01 for his second goal of the playoffs.

Connecticut re-claimed the lead late in the opening frame. Marek Hrivik sped past a Norfolk defender in the right wing before cutting towards the net and attempting a shot. The puck bounced off traffic in the crease before being knocked into the net by Andre Deveaux at 17:12 for a 2-1 Whale lead.

The Whale came out strong to begin the second stanza, out-shooting the Admirals 11-1 midway through the frame. However, Tokarski stood tall, and the second half of the period belonged to Norfolk. Killorn tied the game at 2-2 on the power play. He sent a shot through a screen from the right half-wall that beat Talbot at 11:31 for his third goal of the post-season.

Norfolk took their first lead of the game less than one minute later on Smith’s third goal of the playoffs. Mark Barberio sent a shot from the right point. Smith deflected the shot from the slot past Talbot at 12:16 to give the visitors a 3-2 lead.

Photo: Stan Godlewski

Norfolk’s captain doubled his team’s lead late in the second period with his first goal of the playoffs. Radko Gudas sent a shot from the right point that Michel Ouellet deflected on goal. Angelidis found the rebound on top of the crease and swept it past Talbot’s right leg at 17:40 for a 4-2 lead.

Connecticut trimmed Norfolk’s lead to one goal early in the third period with a five-on-three power play goal. Kris Newbury sent a pass from the right corner to Wellman at the top of the right circle. Wellman one-timed the puck past Tokarski at 1:06 to cut the Admirals’ lead to 4-3.

However, Norfolk’s defense was stingy and Tokarski thwarted the remaining four Connecticut shot attempts in the final frame as Norfolk held on for the one-goal victory.

Norfolk was 1-for-4 on the power play while Connecticut was 2-for-5.

Dustin Tokarski (4-1) stopped 27 of 30 shots for the win. Cameron Talbot (4-2) made 18 saves on 22 shots for the setback.

Norfolk Admirals 4 at Connecticut Whale 3 – Status: Final
Sunday, May 6, 2012 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Norfolk         1 3 0 – 4
Connecticut 2 0 1 – 3

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Wellman 2   5:20 (PP). 2, Norfolk, Palat 2   8:01 (SH). 3, Connecticut, Deveaux 2 (Hrivik, Newbury), 17:12. Penalties-Valentenko Ct (interference), 0:14; Smith Nor (boarding), 3:53; Segal Nor (slashing), 6:23; Bourque Ct (hooking), 8:59.

2nd Period-4, Norfolk, Killorn 3 (Kostka, Picard), 11:31 (PP). 5, Norfolk, Smith 3 (Barberio, Conacher), 12:16. 6, Norfolk, Angelidis 1 (Ouellet, Gudas), 17:40. Penalties-Oberg Nor (hooking), 0:56; McIlrath Ct (high-sticking), 9:37; Deveaux Ct (roughing), 18:51; Picard Nor (roughing), 20:00.

3rd Period-7, Connecticut, Wellman 3 (Newbury, Erixon), 1:06 (PP). Penalties-Barberio Nor (holding the stick), 0:43.

Shots on Goal-Norfolk 8-7-7-22. Connecticut 11-14-5-30.
Power Play Opportunities-Norfolk 1 / 4; Connecticut 2 / 5.
Goalies-Norfolk, Tokarski 4-1-0 (30 shots-27 saves). Connecticut, Talbot 4-2-0 (22 shots-18 saves).
A-3,319
Referees-Chris Ciamaga (24), Geno Binda (22).
Linesmen-Jim Briggs (83), Paul Simeon (66).

Admirals Keep On Rolling, Beat The Whale 3-1….Streak Moves To 14 In A Row.

HARTFORD, Conn. – Jaroslav Janus made 26 saves and Mike Kostka’s goal early in the third period was the difference as the Norfolk Admirals (41-18-1-2) overcame an early deficit to defeat the Connecticut Whale (30-20-5-5), 3-1, on Saturday night at the XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Norfolk has now extended its franchise-record winning streak to 14 straight games – including a franchise record-tying seven straight road wins. The Admirals conclude their three-game road trip tomorrow afternoon against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

Mike Angelidis and Tyler Johnson also scored for the Admirals.

The Whale took a 1-0 lead midway through the opening period. Scott Tanski skated into the Norfolk zone on a two-on-one. He sent a shot from the right circle that Janus blocked. However, the rebound ended up on the stick of Tommy Grant, who scored at 8:11.

The Admirals tied the game at 1-1 midway through the second stanza. Alex Hutchings sent a pass from the left circle to Angelidis in the bottom of the right circle. Angelidis one-timed the puck past Connecticut goaltender Chad Johnson at 12:17 for his 14th goal of the season.

Norfolk took a 2-1 lead early in the third period off a faceoff. Tyler Johnson won the draw in the right circle back to Kostka, who skated to into the high slot. He sent a slap shot through a screen and past Chad Johnson for his ninth goal of the season at 1:56.

Tyler Johnson sealed the victory for the Admirals with an empty-net goal. His 23rd goal of the season came at 19:18.

Jaroslav Janus (14-8-2) made 26 saves on 27 shots for his six straight win. Chad Johnson (19-13-5) stopped 23 of 26 shots for the loss.

Both teams were 0-for-3 on the power play.

Norfolk Admirals 3 at Connecticut Whale 1 – Status: Final
Saturday, March 10, 2012 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Norfolk         0 1 2 – 3
Connecticut 1 0 0 – 1

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Grant 8 (Tanski), 8:11. Penalties-Grant Ct (interference), 2:04; Angelidis Nor (roughing), 4:33; Deveaux Ct (roughing), 4:33.

2nd Period-2, Norfolk, Angelidis 14 (Hutchings, Devos), 12:17. Penalties-Deveaux Ct (interference), 4:13; Cote Nor (slashing), 7:32; Devos Nor (tripping), 18:41.

3rd Period-3, Norfolk, Kostka 9 (Johnson), 1:56. 4, Norfolk, Johnson 23 (Conacher), 19:18 (EN). Penalties-Conacher Nor (roughing), 5:54; Deveaux Ct (holding), 5:54; Palat Nor (boarding), 13:15; Deveaux Ct (goaltender interference), 13:24; Angelidis Nor (roughing), 20:00; Conacher Nor (roughing), 20:00; Deveaux Ct (roughing), 20:00; Newbury Ct (roughing), 20:00.

Shots on Goal-Norfolk 10-2-14-26. Connecticut 10-7-10-27.
Power Play Opportunities-Norfolk 0 / 3; Connecticut 0 / 3.
Goalies-Norfolk, Janus 14-8-2 (27 shots-26 saves). Connecticut, Johnson 19-13-5 (25 shots-23 saves).

A-6,314
Referees-Graham Skilliter (48).
Linesmen-Derek Wahl (46), Jim Briggs (83).

The Admirals Make It An Even Dozen, Springfield Falls 5-1

NORFOLK Va. – Tyler Johnson scored twice and the Norfolk Admirals (39-18-1-2) scored three goals in the first period as they topped the Springfield Falcons (27-27-2-2), 5-1, on Saturday night in front of 7,028 fans at Norfolk Scope Arena. Norfolk has now won 12 straight games and has built a five-point lead over the Oklahoma City Barons for the top record in the American Hockey League. The Admirals will embark on a three-game road trip against Northeast Division teams next weekend.

Dustin Tokarski stopped 17 of 18 shots to set an AHL Admirals franchise record with his eighth consecutive victory. The win was Tokarski’s AHL-leading 27th of 2011-12 and his 75th as an Admiral, tying him with Michael Leighton for first place on the Admirals’ all-time wins list.

Cory Conacher, Michel Ouellet and Richard Panik also scored for Norfolk.

Norfolk charged out to a 3-0 lead after one period. Conacher netted his 31st goal of the season on a deflection 7:04 into the contest. Radko Gudas sent a shot from the right point. Conacher, stationed between the hashmarks, deflected the shot down and past the right leg of Springfield goaltender Paul Dainton.

The home team’s lead doubled just over a minute later. Ouellet and Mike Angelidis entered the attacking zone on a two-on-one. Ouellet dropped the puck back to Angelidis in the right circle and then skated towards the slot. Angelidis then returned the puck toward Ouellet, who redirected the pass into the net at 8:28 for his 14th goal of the season.

A highlight-reel shorthanded play gave the Admirals a 3-0 lead at 14:32. Angelidis entered the attacking zone and went behind the goal line while attracting the Springfield defense. He then fired the puck the length of the ice back to his defense in the Norfolk zone in an effort to kill time on the Springfield power play. Scott Jackson then fired the puck back to Johnson, who was speeding through the neutral zone through the Falcons’ defense. He wound up on a semi-breakaway and sent a shot over Dainton’s glove for his 19th goal of the season.

After a scoreless second stanza, the Falcons got on the board at 8:15 of the third period. David Savard sent a pass to Brent Regner in the left faceoff dot. Regner sent a slap shot over the glove of Tokarski to cut Norfolk’s lead to 3-1.

However, a Panik power play goal restored the Admirals’ three-goal lead just over two minutes later. Conacher sent a shot from the right point that Panik deflected past goaltender Mike Spillane, who had come into the game in relief of Dainton at the beginning of the second period. Panik’s 13th goal of the season at 10:19 made the score 4-1 in favor of the Admirals.

Johnson closed out scoring less than a minute later with his second goal of the contest and 20th goal of the 2011-12 campaign. He took a feed from Ondrej Palat and swept the puck into the net before Spillane could recover at 11:00 for a 5-1 Norfolk win.

Dustin Tokarski (27-11-0) made 13 saves on 14 shots for the win. Paul Dainton (9-6-0) stopped 8 of 11 shots for the loss through 20 minutes of play. Mike Spillane (0-0-0) stopped six of eight shots through 40:00 of relief and did not receive a decision.

Norfolk was 1-for-6 on the power play while Springfield was 0-for-4.

Tempers flare during warmups:

Springfield Falcons 1 at Norfolk Admirals 5 – Status: Final
Saturday, March 3, 2012 – Norfolk Scope

Springfield 0 0 1 – 1
Norfolk        3 0 2 – 5

1st Period-1, Norfolk, Conacher 31 (Gudas, Devos), 7:04. 2, Norfolk, Ouellet 14 (Angelidis, Picard), 8:28. 3, Norfolk, Johnson 19 (Jackson, Angelidis), 14:32 (SH). Penalties-Prout Spr (interference), 3:20; Angelidis Nor (elbowing), 11:31; Kubalik Spr (roughing), 11:33; Conacher Nor (roughing), 11:33; Cote Nor (holding), 13:40; Bogosian Spr (hooking), 16:32.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Picard Nor (interference), 3:58; Amadio Spr (holding), 8:51; Cullity Spr (interference), 15:30; Gudas Nor (major – kneeing, game misconduct – kneeing), 19:07.

3rd Period-4, Springfield, Regner 2 (Savard, MacLeod), 8:15. 5, Norfolk, Panik 13 (Conacher, Barberio), 10:19 (PP). 6, Norfolk, Johnson 20 (Palat, Panik), 11:00. Penalties-Mair Spr (holding), 4:43; Savard Spr (slashing), 10:05; Bass Spr (roughing), 15:18; Angelidis Nor (roughing), 15:18.

Shots on Goal-Springfield 5-6-7-18. Norfolk 11-4-10-25.
Power Play Opportunities-Springfield 0 / 4; Norfolk 1 / 6.
Goalies-Springfield, Dainton 9-6-0 (11 shots-8 saves); Spillane 0-0-0 (14 shots-12 saves). Norfolk, Tokarski 27-11-0 (18 shots-17 saves).

A-7,028
Referees-Chris Cozzan (18), Mark Lemelin (41).
Linesmen-Jesse Pletsch (51), Tom George (61).