Congratulations to the Norfolk Admirals. The Admirals 4-0 win over the St. John’s IceCaps completes the sweep. The Admirals will now return to Norfolk and rest up for the Calder Cup Finals. Norfolk’s opponent has yet to be determined. The Toronto Marlies lead the Oklahoma City Barons 2-1 in their conference final series.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Pierre-Cedric Labrie scored on a breakaway 1:37 into overtime and Dustin Tokarski stopped all 25 shots he faced as the Norfolk Admirals claimed Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals over the St. John’s IceCaps, 1-0, on Monday night at the Mile One Centre. The Admirals lead the best-of-seven series, three games to none, with Game 4 set for tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m. EDT from Mile One Centre.
Tokarski (7-2) earned his first shutout of the playoffs to out-duel St. John’s netminder Eddie Pasquale (7-7), who turned aside 26 of 27 shots. Neither team scored on the power play, as the Admirals went 0-for-7 and the IceCaps were 0-for-6.
The only goal of the game came early in overtime. Labrie took possession of the puck after a neutral zone turnover and broke in alone on Pasquale. The second-year Admiral sent a wrist shot from between the hashmarks in the slot that eluded Pasquale’s glove for his fourth goal of the playoffs.
Norfolk Admirals 1 (OT) at St. John’s IceCaps 0 – Status: Final OT
Monday, May 21, 2012 – Mile One Centre
Norfolk 0 0 0 1 – 1
St. John’s 0 0 0 0 – 0
1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Redmond Stj (boarding), 2:09; Cote Nor (hooking), 4:51; Kulda Stj (slashing), 7:34; Redmond Stj (delay of game), 10:04; Johnson Nor (tripping), 10:52; Conacher Nor (interference), 18:48.
2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Murray Stj (tripping), 7:54; Cote Nor (roughing), 13:56; Murray Stj (roughing), 13:56; Gudas Nor (roughing), 15:35; Murray Stj (roughing), 18:57; Kostka Nor (high-sticking), 19:45.
3rd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Postma Stj (boarding), 2:13; Barberio Nor (high-sticking), 11:52; Cormier Stj (tripping), 12:05.
OT Period-1, Norfolk, Labrie 4 1:37. Penalties-No Penalties
Shots on Goal-Norfolk 7-9-9-2-27. St. John’s 7-10-6-2-25.
Power Play Opportunities-Norfolk 0 / 7; St. John’s 0 / 6.
Goalies-Norfolk, Tokarski 7-2-0 (25 shots-25 saves). St. John’s, Pasquale 7-7-0 (27 shots-26 saves).
A-6,287
Referees-Mark Lemelin (41), Jamie Koharski (84).
Linesmen-Matt MacPherson (83), Jim Vail (5).
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).
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).
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).
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Alexandre Picard scored twice and Jaroslav Janus stopped all 22 shots he faced as the Norfolk Admirals shut out the Connecticut Whale, 4-0, on Wednesday night at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut. With the victory, the Admirals now lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Semifinals series, three-games-to-two.
Ondrej Palat and Pierre-Cedric Labrie also scored for the Admirals in the win. Norfolk out-shot Connecticut, 35-22.
Photo: Richard Messina, Hartford Courant
The Admirals opened scoring 15:15 into the game on Picard’s first goal of the series and fifth of the playoffs overall. The veteran forward took a pass from Labrie and went behind the Connecticut net. He then re-emerged in front and to the left of Whale netminder Cameron Talbot before sending a wraparound shot past the goaltender for a 1-0 Norfolk lead.
Picard doubled the lead early in a dominant second period for the visitors. He found the rebound of a Scott Jackson shot in the slot and sent a shot into the net while falling at 2:43. It was the only one of 15 shots by the Admirals to get past Talbot in the second period, as Norfolk out-shot Connecticut, 15-7, in the stanza.
Photo: Richard Messina, Hartford Courant
Norfolk went ahead, 3-0, late in the third period. Tyler Johnson chased a dump-in behind the Connecticut net and centered the puck to Palat in the slot. Palat’s wrister beat Talbot, blocker-side, for his third goal of the playoffs at 14:06.
Labrie iced the victory with a goal with 5.2 seconds remaining just after a power play had expired.
Norfolk was 0-for-3 on the power play while Connecticut was 0-for-4.
Cameron Talbot (5-3) made 32 saves on 36 shots for the loss.
Photo: Richard Messina, Hartford Courant
Norfolk Admirals 4 at Connecticut Whale 0 – Status: Final
Wednesday, May 9, 2012 – Webster Bank Arena
Norfolk 1 1 2 – 4
Connecticut 0 0 0 – 0
1st Period-1, Norfolk, Picard 5 (Labrie), 15:15. Penalties-Devos Nor (interference), 2:32; Wellman Ct (tripping), 16:54.
2nd Period-2, Norfolk, Picard 6 (Jackson, Palat), 2:43. Penalties-Janus Nor (tripping), 6:32.
3rd Period-3, Norfolk, Palat 3 (Johnson, Cote), 14:06. 4, Norfolk, Labrie 3 (Angelidis, Segal), 19:54. Penalties-Killorn Nor (hooking), 2:38; Cote Nor (slashing), 9:04; Audy-Marchessault Ct (slashing), 9:56; Picard Nor (roughing), 17:43; Owens Ct (goaltender interference, roughing), 17:43; Conacher Nor (roughing), 19:10; Audy-Marchessault Ct (slashing, misconduct – unsportsmanlike conduct), 19:10.
Shots on Goal-Norfolk 8-15-13-36. Connecticut 6-7-9-22.
Power Play Opportunities-Norfolk 0 / 3; Connecticut 0 / 4.
Goalies-Norfolk, Janus 2-1-0 (22 shots-22 saves). Connecticut, Talbot 5-3-0 (36 shots-32 saves).
A-1,154
Referees-Geno Binda (22), Jon McIsaac (39).
Linesmen-Luke Galvin (2), Kevin Redding (16).
