Syracuse Crunched, Admirals Win In OT 5-4

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Norfolk and Syracuse meet once more tonight at Scope.

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

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

Photo: John Wright

Norfolk, VA

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

From the Norfolk Admirals:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Three Stars:

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

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

Hershey 0 1 0 – 1
Norfolk   1 1 2 – 4

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

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

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

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

I’d Like To Solve The Puzzle Pat…..Admirals Win!

The Admirals received some of their firepower back from the Ducks earlier this week. Would it be enough to bring them a victory? Well they took a spin on the wheel and solved the puzzle for Friday night. The visiting St. John’s IceCaps took them to the shootout, but Viktor Fasth, emerson Etem, and John Britain shut them down. Norfolk wins 3-2 in the shootout.

Pat Sajak and Brandon McMillan

The Admirals had a visit last night from Pat Sajak. The Wheel of Fortune star was in town with his son to catch a game. Sajak, who owns homes in Maryland and California, is a longtime season ticket holder for the Capitals and Kings. He had made plans to catch a game prior to the lockout ending. He picked a good time to come down. An Admirals AHL game last night and next week he can catch the Caps back at the Verizon Center.

Game Summary from the Norfolk Admirals:

January 18, 2013

Admirals Cap Comeback with Shootout Win

Photo: John wright

NORFOLK – Emerson Etem tied the game in the third period and Josh Brittain netted the winning goal in the shootout as the Norfolk Admirals (15-19-2-1) completed a comeback from a two-goal deficit to defeat the St. John’s IceCaps (16-20-1-2), 3-2, on Friday night at Norfolk Scope Arena. The same teams meet tomorrow night at Scope in the sixth annual Pink in the Rink to benefit the Tidewater Affiliate of Susan G. Komen For the Cure.

Brittain also scored in regulation for the Admirals, giving him goals in three straight contests. Goaltender Viktor Fasth (1-1-0) stopped 20 of 22 shots through regulation and overtime before stopping all five shooters in the shootout for his first North American professional victory.

The IceCaps took a 2-0 lead in the first period on a pair of power play goals. Eric O’Dell opened scoring at 6:22 before former Admirals defenseman Richard Petiot doubled the St. John’s lead with his first goal of the season at 10:40.

Just before the midway mark of the second period, the crowd of 5,759 rose to their feet as Jay Rosehill dropped the gloves with Ryan Schnell. The fight helped Rosehill break the 1,000 career AHL penalty minutes mark, and gave the Admirals momentum, which they cashed in less than a minute later.

Brittain cut the St. John’s lead in half with his third goal of the season – and third goal in as many nights. He accepted a pass from Troy Bodie near the bottom of the left circle and sent a shot from a bad angle through the leg pads of IceCaps goaltender Eddie Pasquale. The goal at 9:01 of the second stanza cut St. John’s lead to 2-1.

Norfolk knotted the contest at 2-2 just under five minutes into the third period. Patrick Maroon entered the attacking zone along the left wing and sent a pass to Etem in the left circle while being knocked to the ice. Etem sent a feed towards the goalmouth that deflected off a St. John’s defender’s skate and behind Pasquale for Etem’s tenth goal of the season at 4:56.

Photo: John Wright

After a scoreless overtime, the game proceeded to a shootout. Brittain scored the only goal of the shootout in the top of the third round, and Fasth denied all five St. John’s shooters, as the Admirals earned a 1-0 edge in the shootout and the 3-2 decision in the game.

Eddie Pasquale (9-14-2) stopped 32 of 34 shots through regulation and overtime before preventing four of five shooters in the shootout from converting for the shootout setback.

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

The Admirals and Ice Caps square off again tomorrow night at Scope at 7:15 p.m. in the sixth annual Pink in the Rink to benefit the Tidewater affiliate of Susan G. Komen For the Cure. For more details, visit norfolkadmirals.com.

Three Stars:
1. Emerson Etem – NOR
2. Josh Brittain – NOR
3. Richard Petiot – STJ

NOTES … Josh Brittain has goals in his last three games – his first three career Norfolk goals … Jay Rosehill now has 1,004 penalty minutes in his 352-game American Hockey League career between the Admirals, Springfield Falcons and Toronto Marlies … Rosehill ranks second all-time in AHL Admirals history with 491 penalty minutes in 148 games … Norfolk out-shot St. John’s, 35-22, enjoying its largest shot differential of the season (+13) … Did not play: Igor Bobkov, Garrett Klotz, Brandon McMillan, Matt Smaby, Matt Kennedy, Andrew Rowe, Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond. 

St. John’s IceCaps 2 at Norfolk Admirals 3 (SO) – Status: Final SO
Friday, January 18, 2013 – Norfolk Scope

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

1st Period-1, St. John’s, O’Dell 9 (Mouillierat, Sawada), 6:22 (PP). 2, St. John’s, Petiot 1 (Sawada, Jaffray), 10:40 (PP). Penalties-Sol Stj (fighting), 2:05; Bodie Nor (fighting), 2:05; Petiot Stj (hooking), 2:45; Brittain Nor (cross-checking), 4:23; Huskins Nor (closing hand on puck), 8:42; Mouillierat Stj (holding the stick), 15:08; Melchiori Stj (interference), 16:59; Brittain Nor (holding), 19:02.

2nd Period-3, Norfolk, Brittain 3 (Bodie), 9:01. Penalties-Guenin Nor (slashing), 0:57; Schnell Stj (fighting), 8:33; Rosehill Nor (fighting), 8:33; Maxwell Stj (tripping), 18:22.

3rd Period-4, Norfolk, Etem 10 (Maroon, Huskins), 4:56 (PP). Penalties-O’Neill Stj (tripping), 4:15; Schaus Nor (tripping), 5:18.

OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-No Penalties

Shootout – St. John’s 0 (Maxwell NG, O’Dell NG, Klingberg NG, Jaffray NG, Mouillierat NG), Norfolk 1 (Etem NG, Maroon NG, Brittain G, Lasch NG, Sexton NG).
Shots on Goal-St. John’s 7-6-7-2-0-22. Norfolk 9-11-10-4-1-35.
Power Play Opportunities-St. John’s 2 / 5; Norfolk 1 / 5.
Goalies-St. John’s, Pasquale 9-14-2 (34 shots-32 saves). Norfolk, Fasth 1-1-0 (22 shots-20 saves).

A-5,759
Referees-Jon McIsaac (45).
Linesmen-John Grandt (98), Mark Hamlett (81).

Different Day, Same Results…. Admirals Fall to Penguins

I almost had to buy a program to figure out who these Admirals were. The NHL is preparing to kick off its lockout shortened season and the AHL teams have been pillaged as training camps continue. Last nights roster had about 6 players that appeared on the Admirals opening night roster. The rest of the squad featured ECHL call ups and a fiesty goalie from the Swedish Elite League. The Ducks wanted to get Viktor Fasth some North-American game time with the Admirals. Fasth performed exceptionally well and did not look rusty at all. In fact it was actually pretty good game. The team skated well, passed well, but could not get any shots on Thiessen of the Penguins. Their failure to adapt to the game led to a 4-2 win for the Penguins.

From the Norfolk Admirals:

January 15, 2013

Penguins Slide by Admirals

NORFOLK – Goaltender Viktor Fasth made 25 saves in his North American professional debut, but the Norfolk Admirals (14-19-2-1) dropped a 4-2 decision the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (18-17-2-1) on Tuesday night at Norfolk Scope Arena.

Nick Schaus and Josh Brittain scored for the Admirals, who were out-shot in the contest, 29-13 – including 21-6 in the final two periods.

The Admirals host the St. John’s IceCaps on Friday and Saturday nights at Scope. Saturday’s game is the sixth annual Pink in the Rink to benefit the Tidewater Affiliate of Susan G. Komen For the Cure.

Norfolk took a 1-0 lead 6:56 into the first period. After John Kurtz forced a turnover in the Norfolk zone, John Mitchell spotted Troy Bodie for a breakout pass. Bodie entered the attacking zone along the right wing and dropped a pass back to Schaus. The Norfolk defenseman sent a slap shot from the right point that eluded the glove of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goaltender Brad Thiessen for Schaus’ first goal as an Admiral.

The Penguins tied the score at 1-1 with a five-on-three power play goal early in the second stanza. Alex Grant sent a slap shot from the left point. Riley Holzapfel, who was stationed on top of the goalmouth to Fasth’s left, deflected the shot past the netminder at 3:07.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton took a 2-1 lead early in the third period off a pinball play. Holzapfel carried the puck into the Norfolk zone along the left wing and passed the puck toward the slot. The puck bounced in the air after a deflection by Grant, and a Norfolk defender attempted to bat the puck away from danger in the low slot. However, it deflected down to his feet, and Paul Thompson quickly shot it under the defender and Fasth to give the visitors the lead 4:49 into the third period.

The Admirals tied the game at 2-2 midway through the third period with a power play goal. Rod Pelley sent a backhand pass from the slot to Brittain in the left circle. Brittain corralled the puck and sent a wrist shot past Thiessen, stick-side, at 14:46 for his second goal of the season.

However, the Penguins responded with a power play goal of their own less than three minutes later. Grant sent a slap shot from the high slot through traffic and past Fasth at 17:10, giving Wilkes-Barre/Scranton a 3-2 lead.

Brian Gibbons added an empty-net goal with 28 seconds left for the Penguins.

Brad Thiessen (7-7-1) stopped 11 of 13 shots for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Norfolk was 1-for-5 on the power play. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton was 2-for-4.

Three Stars:
1. Alex Grant – WBS
2. Riley Holzapfel – WBS
3. Viktor Fasth – NOR

NOTES … Viktor Fasth was loaned to the Admirals by Norfolk’s NHL parent club, the Anaheim Ducks, earlier today. Fasth made his North American professional debut after earning back-to-back Swedish Elite League goaltender of the year awards in 2010-11 and 2011-12 … Norfolk’s 13 shots on goal were the fewest in a single game in AHL Admirals history, eclipsing the previous mark of 15 from April 11, 2009, at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton … Also earlier today, the Admirals signed forwards Brandon Marino and Jean-Michel Rizk to Professional Tryout Contracts. Both made their AHL debuts after starting the season with the Admirals’ ECHL affiliate, the Fort Wayne Komets … During the game, the Anaheim Ducks announced that they have signed forward Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond to a one-year, two-way contract. Letourneau-Leblond has appeared in 242 career AHL games between the Albany River Rats, Lowell Devils, Albany Devils and Abbotsford Heat, posting 18 goals and 39 points with 1,013 penalty minutes … Did not play: Ryan Hegarty, Sami Vatanen, Garrett Klotz, Brandon McMillan, Chris Wagner, Dan Sexton, Frederik Andersen, Jay Rosehill. 

The Admirals return to Scope on Friday and Saturday nights for a weekend series against the St. John’s Ice Caps. Saturday night is the sixth annual Pink in the Rink to benefit the Tidewater affiliate of Susan G. Komen For the Cure. Special discounted fundraising tickets are available for a limited time, with $15 Red Level Tickets for sale through komentidewater.org, norfolkadmirals.com/groups and by calling the Komen Tidewater office. For more details, visit norfolkadmirals.com.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 4 at Norfolk Admirals 2 – Status: Final
Tuesday, January 15, 2013 – Norfolk Scope

W-B/Scranton 0 1 3 – 4
Norfolk             1 0 1 – 2

1st Period-1, Norfolk, Schaus 1 (Bodie, Mitchell), 6:56. Penalties-Smith Wbs (fighting), 0:49; Kennedy Nor (fighting), 0:49; MacIntyre Wbs (elbowing), 3:09; Farnham Wbs (fighting), 19:37; Kurtz Nor (fighting), 19:37; Guentzel Nor (double minor – high-sticking), 19:56.

2nd Period-2, W-B/Scranton, Holzapfel 10 (Grant, Dumoulin), 3:07 (PP). Penalties-Bodie Nor (tripping), 2:17; Morrow Wbs (interference), 14:22; served by Payerl Wbs (bench minor – too many men), 16:35.

3rd Period-3, W-B/Scranton, Thompson 12 (Holzapfel, Grant), 4:49. 4, Norfolk, Brittain 2 (Pelley, Fasth), 14:46 (PP). 5, W-B/Scranton, Grant 1 (Dumoulin, Holzapfel), 17:10 (PP). 6, W-B/Scranton, Gibbons 5   19:32 (SH EN). Penalties-Smith Wbs (slashing), 13:19; Pelley Nor (roughing), 15:57; Holzapfel Wbs (delay of game), 18:19.

Shots on Goal-W-B/Scranton 8-10-11-29. Norfolk 7-3-3-13.
Power Play Opportunities-W-B/Scranton 2 / 4; Norfolk 1 / 5.
Goalies-W-B/Scranton, Thiessen 7-7-1 (13 shots-11 saves). Norfolk, Fasth 0-1-0 (28 shots-25 saves).

A-3,136
Referees-Fred Leblanc (30), Steve Patafie (85).
Linesmen-Kyle DeMaggio (97), Mike Sheehan (90).

Admirals Keeping Things Warm In The Cellar – NHL Returns to Action

Been awhile since my last post. Been busy with real life matters. Meanwhile the Norfolk Admirals continue to keep the cellar warm while the NHL open up camps and return to action next week.

When we last met the Admirals had just dropped a 0-3 match with the Syracuse Crunch on Friday (1/4/13). The Crunch provided the opposition the following night. The game was a much tighter game and the Admirals even had a chance to win. The key word was “HAD”. Things were not meant to be and Norfolk lost in overtime 3-4. After the loss the team had to take a trip down to Raleigh to take on the Charlotte Checkers at 1:30pm Sunday (1/6/13). Once again the Admirals played a pretty decent game, but the outcome remained the same. Norfolk dropped this game 1-3 to Charlotte.

Norfolk had some time off to get things together before heading up north for a Friday night match with the Syracuse Crunch. The Crunch and the Admirals played a tough match and  that ended up going to a shootout. Syracuse came out on top with a 3-2 win over the Admirals in front of the home crowd.

Saturday night in Binghamton saw a new look Admiral team. The NHL and NHLPA had finally settled things and were starting camps the next morning. The pillaging of the AHL had begun and Norfolk had to bring in some new faces. Anaheim had recalled Holland, Maroon, Smith-Pelly, Etem, Hendry, Guenin, and Palmieri. The Band-Aid Admirals, K-Mart Admirals, whatever you might want to call them were pounced upon early. The Senators struck for two goals in the first period. Josh Brittain and Ryan Lasch got Norfolk back into things in the second, but the Senators were to strong for them. Binghamton struck for two more and took home the 4-2 win.

Norfolk returns home for a rare Tuesday night game against the WB/S Penguins followed by a pair of games against the St. John’s IceCaps on Friday and Saturday. With the NHL getting back to business, the roster could change a bit more. One thing for sure is that some of these players will not return. Fortunately we are not the only team to be affected. The entire AHL is being hit. Once things settle down the AHL will return to being a developmental league for future NHL’rs. This could turn into a good thing for us. It’s time to get this ship back up and steaming forward. GO ADMIRALS!

Fists Fly, Offense Sputters….Admirals Fall To The Crunch 3-0

The Syracuse Crunch provided the opposition for last nights match up at Scope. Many of the players and coaching staff were on last seasons Calder Cup wining Norfolk Admirals.It was an awkward situation for many fans. You want to support your Admirals, but you also want to welcome back those familiar faces. I went an appropriate and traditional route. I clapped and cheered when the former Admirals took the ice for warm ups. When the Syracuse Crunch took the ice for the game I cheered for the Admirals. I learned early that you cheer for the crest on the jersey, not for the name on the back of the jersey. Now I am a Caps fan and I keep tabs on the Bears and the Caps prospects, but I am an Admirals fan and support the Admirals all season long. Last night it seemed like I was one of the few as it appeared that there were many more fair weather type fans that cheered on the Crunch as they shut out OUR Admirals and then skated to center ice and raise their sticks to salute the fans…..Admiral fans (hmmm.) Yes members of the Crunch were Admirals, but the past is the past. We won the cup, we had the nice streak, but its over and time to look into the future. Jay Rosehill put it into perspective… “”Those guys won here, and they’ve got some history, but this is our crowd, and this is our barn,the past is over. There’s going to be a clash, for sure, because they come in here like it’s going to be a reunion. We’re trying to establish that this is our place now.” Hopefully we can get the support of all the fans behind the ADMIRALS and get a win tonight. Our Admirals are the only team that should be raising their sticks on Scope ice.

Now for the game results….

Not much to talk about as far as scoring. The league leading Crunch brought their “A” game to town and it showed. Richard Panik opened up the scoring for the Crunch with a power play goal at 2:28 of the first period. Tyler Johnson scored on a slap shot at 14:50 of the first. Both teams went scoreless in the second to keep the game at 2-0 Crunch. Keith Aulie closed out the scoring at 17:04 to give the Crunch a 3-0 victory.

The Admirals offense was almost non-existent. Dustin Tokarski turned aside all 22 shots he faced. The Admirals are going to need to turn up the heat and put some shots on Tokarski. We know Tic is not a wall and we have witnessed many a melt down in net last year. The Admirals need to get the shots flying and apply the pressure. The wall will crumble.

We saw a very physical game last night. Tempers flared and fists were flying. The highlight of the night was Jay Rosehill’s dismantling of Eric Neilson. There was no skating in circles and posturing in this match. Rosehill flew into the fight and pounded Neilson. Neilson tried to keep up, but I give the fight clearly to Rosehill. Tonight will probably very physical as well, but lets hope our offense shows up as well.

LETS GO ADMIRALS!!

Syracuse Crunch 3 at Norfolk Admirals 0 – Status: Final
Friday, January 4, 2013 – Norfolk Scope

Syracuse 2 0 1 – 3
Norfolk     0 0 0 – 0

1st Period-1, Syracuse, Panik 16   2:28 (PP). 2, Syracuse, Johnson 20   14:50. Penalties-Conacher Syr (roughing), 2:08; Wagner Nor (roughing, roughing), 2:08; Holland Nor (interference), 3:22; Pelley Nor (boarding), 8:53; Conacher Syr (misconduct – continuing altercation), 16:33; Gudas Syr (fighting), 16:33; Neilson Syr (fighting), 16:33; Bodie Nor (fighting), 16:33; Clark Nor (misconduct – continuing altercation), 16:33; Rosehill Nor (fighting), 16:33; Palat Syr (high-sticking), 18:27.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Gudas Syr (misconduct), 6:15; Namestnikov Syr (fighting), 6:15; Neilson Syr (misconduct – continuing altercation), 6:15; Bodie Nor (misconduct – continuing altercation), 6:15; Hendry Nor (fighting), 6:15; Rosehill Nor (misconduct), 6:15; Panik Syr (diving), 7:58; Parent Nor (interference), 7:58; Connolly Syr (delay of game – faceoff violation), 10:29; Aulie Syr (interference), 18:26; Holland Nor (tripping, misconduct – abuse of officials), 19:33; Wyman Syr (high-sticking), 20:00.

3rd Period-3, Syracuse, Aulie 3 (Killorn), 17:04. Penalties-Korobov Syr (hooking), 2:35; Gudas Syr (charging), 14:29.

Shots on Goal-Syracuse 10-8-11-29. Norfolk 6-5-11-22.
Power Play Opportunities-Syracuse 1 / 3; Norfolk 0 / 6.
Goalies-Syracuse, Tokarski 14-5-3 (22 shots-22 saves). Norfolk, Andersen 7-8-0 (29 shots-26 saves).
A-6,285
Referees-Terry Koharski (10).
Linesmen-Luke Murray (92), Scott Pomento (25).