Admirals Win 6-1, Sweep The Marlies, Win The Calder Cup

By Ronnie Shuker, The Canadian Press

TORONTO – Tyler Johnson and Mike Kostka each scored twice as the Norfolk Admirals defeated the Toronto Marlies 6-1 on Saturday to capture their first Calder Cup championship.

Richard Panik and Pierre-Cedric Labrie had the other goals for the Admirals, who swept the American Hockey League best-of-seven final.

Norfolk goalie Dustin Tokarski stopped 18 shots for his 12th win of the post-season and Cory Conacher chipped in with four assists. Johnson added two assists to also finish the night with four points.

Mike Zigomanis had the lone goal for Toronto. Ben Scrivens made 27 saves in front of a sell-out crowd of 8,084 at Ricoh Coliseum.

It’s the first championship title for Norfolk in its 12-year franchise history, capping off a remarkable and record-setting season.

In early February, the Admirals sat third in their division and were simply fighting for a playoff spot. But since a loss on Super Bowl Sunday to the Springfield Falcons, the Admirals went 43-3, which included a 28-game winning streak from Feb. 10 until April 20 – a professional hockey league record.

In the playoffs, Norfolk went 15-3, defeating the Manchester Monarchs 3-1, the Connecticut Whale 4-2 and then sweeping the St. John’s IceCaps and the Marlies.

Just as in the first three games of the series, Norfolk scored first in a chippy opening period with 31 minutes in penalties.

Panik, a 2009 second-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning, drove to the Marlies net and wristed a weak backhand shot toward the net that deflected off Marlies defenceman Juraj Mikus’s skate and in past Scrivens 6:17 into the game.

Toronto tied it with 16.1 seconds left in the period on a long 5-on-3 power play with Panik given a five-minute major and game misconduct for elbowing.

The Marlies worked it around the perimeter until Joe Colborne found Zigomanis, playing just his second game of the series, alone at the side of the net for an easy tap in.

It was the first goal Tokarski had allowed in 88:36 after shutting out the Marlies 1-0 in Game 3 and just the second power-play goal for Toronto, which went just 2-for-26 on the man advantage in the series.

Norfolk retook the lead 4:26 into the second period on a delayed penalty call. Ondrej Palat dished from the behind the goal line to Game 3 overtime hero Kostka who ripped a shot from the point past a screened Scrivens for his fifth of the playoffs.

The Admirals then made it a 3-1 game at 16:45. After Scrivens made a sensational sliding blocker save on Johnson off a one-timer, Johnson picked up the rebound behind the net and banked it off Scrivens’ back and into the net.

The Admirals took a three-goal lead less than a minute into the third on the power play. Kostka, a hometown player from Etobicoke, Ont., blasted a shot from the top of the circle high past Scrivens.

Johnson, an undrafted free agent signing by Tampa Bay in 2011, got his second of the game at 12:35 with Scrivens pulled for an extra attacker. Labrie then made it 6-1 Norfolk, snapping in a rebound past Scrivens into an open net.

Norfolk Admirals 6 at Toronto Marlies 1 – Status: Final
Saturday, June 9, 2012 – Ricoh Coliseum

Norfolk   1 2 3 – 6
Toronto 1 0 0 – 1

1st Period-1, Norfolk, Panik 5 (Johnson, Conacher), 6:17. 2, Toronto, Zigomanis 4 (Colborne, Lashoff), 19:43 (PP). Penalties-Dupuis Tor (interference), 1:02; Aulie Nor (interference), 3:20; Holzer Tor (interference), 8:49; Mikus Tor (roughing), 12:46; Cote Nor (roughing, roughing), 17:24; Panik Nor (major – elbowing, game misconduct – elbowing), 17:24; Orr Tor (roughing), 17:24; Kostka Nor (high-sticking), 18:40.

2nd Period-3, Norfolk, Kostka 5 (Palat, Conacher), 4:26. 4, Norfolk, Johnson 5 (Killorn, Aulie), 16:45. Penalties-Angelidis Nor (roughing), 9:50; Colborne Tor (holding), 18:02; Zigomanis Tor (slashing), 18:37; Holzer Tor (slashing), 19:25.

3rd Period-5, Norfolk, Kostka 6 (Conacher, Johnson), 0:44 (PP). 6, Norfolk, Johnson 6 (Cote, Conacher), 12:35 (EN). 7, Norfolk, Labrie 5 (Ouellet, Smith), 13:33. Penalties-Lashoff Tor (roughing), 4:39; Mikus Tor (tripping), 7:30; Angelidis Nor (slashing), 9:47.

Shots on Goal-Norfolk 12-12-8-32. Toronto 8-7-4-19.
Power Play Opportunities-Norfolk 1 / 8; Toronto 1 / 6.
Goalies-Norfolk, Tokarski 12-2-0 (19 shots-18 saves). Toronto, Scrivens 11-6-0 (31 shots-26 saves).
A-8,084
Referees-Graham Skilliter (48), Terry Koharski (10).
Linesmen-Kiel Murchison (35), Matt MacPherson (83).

Fluke goal in OT puts Admirals just one victory from Calder Cup

Photo: Graig Abel

If the Norfolk Admirals are a team of destiny, as well as one of the greatest pro franchises in Hampton Roads sports history, the ending of Thursday night’s game proved it.

A fluke goal 9:09 into overtime by Mike Kostka gave the Admirals a 1-0 victory in Toronto and a 3-0 lead over the Marlies in the best-of-seven Calder Cup finals.

The Admirals can clinch the American Hockey League’s championship trophy by winning Saturday’s 3 p.m. game, which, like Game 3, will be shown in Hampton Roads on WGNT-TV 27.

Goalie Dustin Tokarski made 21 saves for the victory, which came oddly after more than 69 scoreless minutes.

Photo: Graig Abel

Near the red center line, Kostka dumped the puck into a corner, and Marlies goalie Ben Scrivens went behind the net to play the expected carom. But the disc took a weird bounce into the net and went just beyond the goal line to stun the crowd of 8,084 and TV-watchers around the U.S. and Canada.

Admirals coach Jon Cooper said, “I’m sick to my stomach for Scrivens.”

Norfolk Admirals 1 (OT) at Toronto Marlies 0 – Status: Final OT
Thursday, June 7, 2012 – Ricoh Coliseum

Norfolk  0 0 0 1 – 1
Toronto 0 0 0 0 – 0

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Holzer Tor (holding), 0:31; Tokarski Nor (interference), 2:45; Ashton Tor (slashing), 6:29; Smith Nor (boarding), 8:03; Dupuis Tor (cross-checking), 10:09; Segal Nor (cross-checking), 18:44.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Conacher Nor (goaltender interference), 10:25.

3rd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Barberio Nor (tripping), 6:10; Fraser Tor (holding), 15:06.

OT Period-1, Norfolk, Kostka 4   9:09. Penalties-served by Picard Nor (bench minor – too many men), 1:12.

Shots on Goal-Norfolk 6-8-10-7-31. Toronto 11-5-3-2-21.
Power Play Opportunities-Norfolk 0 / 4; Toronto 0 / 6.
Goalies-Norfolk, Tokarski 11-2-0 (21 shots-21 saves). Toronto, Scrivens 11-5-0 (31 shots-30 saves).
A-8,084
Referees-Marcus Vinnerborg (45), Jean Hebert (43).
Linesmen-Kiel Murchison (35), Mathieu Chenier (71).

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 Take Game 2, Harpoon The Whale 4-1

NORFOLK, Va. – Netminder Dustin Tokarski made 27 saves and both Tyler Johnson and Cory Conacher scored a power play goal, as the Norfolk Admirals defeated the Connecticut Whale, 4-1, on Friday night at Norfolk Scope Arena. With the Eastern Conference Semifinals series tied at one game apiece, the teams will travel to Connecticut for Game 3 on Sunday night.

Norfolk killed six of seven Connecticut power plays and has stopped 35 of 37 opponent power plays in the playoffs to date. Johnson scored his first professional playoff points with a goal and an assist. Alex Killorn opened the scoring with his second goal of the playoffs, while Mike Kostka’s second career playoff tally proved to be the game-winner as the Admirals snapped a two-game home losing streak. AHL MVP Cory Conacher capped off the scoring in the third period with his first professional playoff goal.

The Admirals opened a two-goal lead with a pair of even strength goals in the opening 20 minutes. Three minutes after the opening faceoff, Pierre-Cedric Labrie picked up a loose puck behind the Whale net. From behind the goal line to the glove side of Whale netminder Cameron Talbot, Labrie fed a pass to the top of the left faceoff circle. From there, Killorn chipped a shot over the glove of Talbot to put Norfolk ahead, 1-0.

Photo: Steve Earley, The Virginian-Pilot

Norfolk increased its lead to 2-0 with less than three minutes to go in the opening frame. From the center of the right faceoff circle, Alexandre Picard connected with Kostka on a cross-crease pass. After pinching in from the point, Kostka slipped a shot under a sprawling Talbot at 17:44.

The teams exchanged a pair of power play goals as the Admirals maintained their two-goal lead through 40 minutes.

Midway through the period, Connecticut’s Andre Deveaux narrowed the Norfolk lead to one goal. While Norfolk’s Evan Oberg served the second penalty of a double-minor for high-sticking, the Whale crashed the Admirals’ net. With a teammate knocked into the net, Deveaux jammed in a loose rebound to bring the score to 2-1 at 9:02.

Photo: Steve Earley, The Virginian-Pilot

The Admirals reclaimed a two-goal lead with a power play tally of their own. With 36 seconds remaining on a five-on-three power play, Kostka knocked a pass to Johnson for a shot. The initial shot bounced to Trevor Smith off a Whale defenseman in the crease. Smith’s rebound attempt deflected to Johnson, who sent the shot off Talbot and into the goal to put Norfolk ahead, 3-1, at 15:45.

Norfolk capped off scoring with their second power play tally of the evening. While skating with a five-on-four man advantage, Johnson connected with Conacher on a pass through the center of the Connecticut zone. From the right faceoff dot, he sent a slap shot beyond a diving Talbot to put the Admirals ahead, 4-1, at 4:41.

The Admirals finished the night 2-for-11 on the power play while holding Connecticut’s man advantage to one goal on seven attempts.

Tokarski (3-1) stopped 27 of 28 shots while his counterpart Cameron Talbot (4-1) finished the night with 36 saves on 40 shots.

Connecticut Whale 1 at Norfolk Admirals 4 – Status: Final
Friday, May 4, 2012 – Norfolk Scope

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

1st Period-1, Norfolk, Killorn 2 (Labrie, Aulie), 3:00. 2, Norfolk, Kostka 1 (Picard), 17:44. Penalties-Grant Ct (interference), 3:03; Picard Nor (boarding), 5:11; Picard Nor (slashing), 7:15; McIlrath Ct (interference), 11:16; Picard Nor (tripping), 14:58; Audy-Marchessault Ct (slashing), 18:39.

2nd Period-3, Connecticut, Deveaux 1 (Hrivik, Tessier), 9:02 (PP). 4, Norfolk, Johnson 1 (Smith, Kostka), 15:45 (PP). Penalties-Grant Ct (roughing), 3:24; Deveaux Ct (holding the stick), 6:19; Cote Nor (roughing), 6:19; Oberg Nor (double minor – high-sticking), 6:28; Redden Ct (roughing), 14:20; Newbury Ct (cross-checking), 15:00; Redden Ct (roughing), 19:54; Tessier Ct (unsportsmanlike conduct), 20:00; Picard Nor (unsportsmanlike conduct), 20:00.

3rd Period-5, Norfolk, Conacher 1 (Johnson, Barberio), 4:41 (PP). Penalties-Newbury Ct (tripping), 3:40; Deveaux Ct (interference, fighting, game misconduct – jersey, game misconduct – abuse of officials), 6:08; Hrivik Ct (misconduct – unsportsmanlike conduct), 6:08; Newbury Ct (unsportsmanlike conduct), 6:08; Segal Nor (fighting), 6:08; Conacher Nor (goaltender interference), 12:16; Wellman Ct (boarding), 12:48; Killorn Nor (interference), 16:11.

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 13-7-8-28. Norfolk 12-14-14-40.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 1 / 7; Norfolk 2 / 11.
Goalies-Connecticut, Talbot 4-1-0 (40 shots-36 saves). Norfolk, Tokarski 3-1-0 (28 shots-27 saves).
A-4,859
Referees-Graham Skilliter (48), Jamie Koharski (84).
Linesmen-Matt MacPherson (83), Tom George (61).

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).