Admirals Win 2-0, Complete The Weekend Sweep

Long night last night. Very good weekend from the Norfolk Admirals . The Ad’s won an overtime thriller on Friday night with 5-4 victory that included a Patrick Maroon hat trick. Saturday’s game was tighter with both teams going back and forth. This was a low scoring defensive battle. Norfolk produced the only goals of the night and sealed the seep with a 2-0 shutout over the Crunch. The next victory of the night also happened on the ice, but did not result in any points in the standings. The Admirals / PAPCO annual MDA Jersey Auction raised over $60,000 for MDA. Sami Vaatenen’s jersey brought in $5,600.00 with Patrick Maroon brought in the next highest amount at $4,100.00. For this game I will let the Ad’s take care of the game summary below.

From the Norfolk Admirals:

NORFOLK – Frederik Andersen made 41 saves and Norfolk stopped all eight Syracuse power plays as the Admirals (33-29-4-1) shut out the Crunch (39-19-4-5), 2-0, on Saturday night at Norfolk Scope Arena.

The Admirals remain two points back of the Hershey Bears for the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race with nine games remaining in the regular season.

Sami Vatanen and John Mitchell scored for Norfolk while Devante Smith-Pelly and Kyle Wilson each had two assists. Andersen (20-14-1) earned his 20th win of the season and his third shutout. With the win, Norfolk denied Syracuse the chance to clinch a berth in the 2013 Calder Cup Playoffs.

The Admirals will continue their five-game homestand by hosting the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Tuesday night at Scope.

The Crunch out-shot the Admirals, 13-3, in the first period, but Andersen kept the contest scoreless with several big saves.

Norfolk took a 1-0 lead 7:21 into the second period. Smith-Pelly carried the puck into the attacking zone and dropped a pass to Wilson in the right circle. Wilson then sent a pass to Vatanen at the left point. Vatanen sent a wrist shot from the left circle past the outstretched glove of Crunch goaltender Riku Helenius for his eighth goal of the season.

Andersen turned aside 11 shots in the second stanza as the Admirals took a 1-0 lead into the third period.

The lead doubled 4:52 into the third period. Smith-Pelly fired the puck into the attacking zone along the right wing glass. The puck ricocheted off a stanchion in the right corner and bounded into the slot, where Mitchell was able to fire it past an unsuspecting Helenius for his tenth goal of the season.

The Crunch had three third period power plays – including 1:40 worth of a five-on-three advantage. Andersen and the Norfolk penalty killers kept Syracuse at bay, and the netminder turned aside 17 shots in the final frame for the shutout.

Helenius (16-13-0) stopped 25of 27 shots and was saddled with the loss.

Norfolk was 0-for-4 on the power play. Syracuse was 0-for-8 in the game and 0-for-12 on the weekend against Norfolk.

The Admirals will conclude a five-game homestand next week with contests against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Tuesday night before the Binghamton Senators invade Scope on Friday and Saturday nights.

Three Stars: 
1. Frederik Andersen – NOR
2. Devante Smith-Pelly – NOR
3. Nate Guenin – NOR

Syracuse Crunch 0 at Norfolk Admirals 2 – Status: Final
Saturday, March 30, 2013 – Norfolk Scope

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

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Gauthier Syr (fighting), 3:14; Mikkelson Syr (roughing), 3:14; Kurtz Nor (fighting), 3:14; Wagner Nor (interference), 5:28; Sexton Syr (unsportsmanlike conduct), 7:58; Wyman Syr (interference), 7:58; Clark Nor (roughing), 18:23.

2nd Period-1, Norfolk, Vatanen 8 (Wilson, Smith-Pelly), 7:21. Penalties-Wagner Nor (cross-checking), 5:35; served by Jacques Syr (bench minor – too many men), 6:45; Brittain Nor (roughing), 9:42; Maroon Nor (cross-checking), 13:21.

3rd Period-2, Norfolk, Mitchell 10 (Smith-Pelly, Wilson), 4:52. Penalties-Pelley Nor (slashing), 14:38; Hendry Nor (high-sticking), 14:58; McMillan Nor (hooking), 18:54.

Shots on Goal-Syracuse 13-11-17-41. Norfolk 3-14-10-27.
Power Play Opportunities-Syracuse 0 / 8; Norfolk 0 / 4.
Goalies-Syracuse, Helenius 16-14-0 (27 shots-25 saves). Norfolk, Andersen 20-14-1 (41 shots-41 saves).

A-6,706
Referees-Ryan Fraser (14).
Linesmen-Mark Hamlett (81), Luke Murray (92).

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

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).

New Admirals Lose To The Old Admirals…Or Crunch 4 Admirals 2

Gary Walts, The Post-Standard

Last night was the first meeting of the our current Admirals taking on our old Admirals. The new look Syracuse Crunch are held together by players that wore an Admirals jersey last season. It’s was a bittersweet meeting for the fans. While we enjoy the current version of the Admirals it is hard to let go of the team that skated here last season. Syracuse basically got a championship team gift wrapped and put under the tree this season. A team that many feel should be in Norfolk. Well it is what it is and there is nothing that we, the fans, could do anything about. We move on and embrace the Ducks prospects and skate ahead in search of another Calder Cup. While the outcome of the game was not what we wanted, it was a close game with some fireworks at the end that will make next weeks games a little bit more interesting. Here is the recap from the Norfolk Admirals.

Admirals Fall to Syracuse, 4-2

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Kyle Palmieri and Sami Vatanen netted goals, but the Norfolk Admirals (13-14-1-0) fell to the Syracuse Crunch (19-7-1-3), 4-2, on Friday night from the Onondaga County War Memorial at Oncenter. The game was the first of eight meetings between the clubs in 2012-13.

Norfolk suffered just its third regulation loss in December, falling to 6-3-1-0 in the month. Admirals goaltender Igor Bobkov (6-8-0) stopped 28 of 32 shots. Syracuse netted three power play goals in the contest.

Norfolk plays the second game of its three-game road trip tomorrow night against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Syracuse took a 2-0 lead after one period on a pair of power play one-timers. Mark Barberio scored on a shot from the right point at 9:42. Alex Killorn then scored on a shot from the slot at 12:12.

Norfolk cut its deficit to one goal 7:19 into the second stanza. Palmieri picked off a pass in the neutral zone and skated in alone on Crunch goaltender Dustin Tokarski. He sent a backhand shot over Tokarski’s right leg for his tenth goal of the season, cutting Syracuse’s lead to 2-1.

Syracuse restored its two-goal lead exactly five minutes into the final frame as Ondrej Palat scored on a rebound to give the home team a 3-1 lead.

Vatanen’s fourth goal of the season came at 10:54 of the third period. Patrick Maroon sent a pass through two sets of legs to the rookie defenseman, who scored to cut the Crunch lead to 3-2.

However, Brett Connolly netted the third Syracuse power play goal of the contest at 16:15 for the 4-2 final score.

Tokarski (12-5-3) stopped 16 of 18 shots in the win.

Norfolk was 0-for-2 on the power play. Syracuse was 3-for-4.

The Admirals and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins face off at 7:05 p.m. tomorrow night from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township, Pennsylvania. Tune in to 102.1-FM, 1490-AM, 1021TheGame.com or AHLLive.com.

After completing their three-game road trip, the Admirals return to Norfolk Scope Arena next Friday and Saturday nights to host the Syracuse Crunch. The first 2,012 fans through the gates next Friday will receive an Admirals Calder Cup replica trophy, courtesy of John’s Tax Service, JPM Financial Services and WTKR NewsChannel3.

Three Stars: 
1. Tyler Johnson – SYR
2. Ondrej Palat – SYR
3. Kyle Palmieri – NOR

NOTES … This game marked the first time the Admirals faced Syracuse with the Crunch as the top affiliate of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. Norfolk and Tampa Bay were affiliated from the 2007-08 – 2011-12 seasons … Fourteen of Syracuse’s 20 players in the lineup in tonight’s game played for the Admirals in 2011-12 … This was also the first time the Crunch faced Norfolk with the Admirals as the top affiliate of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. Syracuse and Anaheim were affiliated from 2010-11 – 2011-12 … Thirteen of Norfolk’s 20 players in the lineup in tonight’s game played for the Crunch in 2011-12 … Did not play: Ryan Lasch, Luca Caputi, John Mitchell, Matt Smaby, Nick Schaus, Frederik Andersen. 

Norfolk Admirals 2 at Syracuse Crunch 4 – Status: Final
Friday, December 28, 2012 – Onondaga County War Memorial at Oncenter

Norfolk     0 1 1 – 2
Syracuse 2 0 2 – 4

1st Period-1, Syracuse, Barberio 6 (Connolly, Johnson), 9:42 (PP). 2, Syracuse, Killorn 11 (Namestnikov, Oberg), 12:12 (PP). Penalties-served by Brown Syr (bench minor – too many men), 4:02; Vatanen Nor (hooking), 8:17; Maroon Nor (unsportsmanlike conduct, fighting), 10:48; Angelidis Syr (fighting), 10:48; Namestnikov Syr (tripping), 12:39.

2nd Period-3, Norfolk, Palmieri 10   7:19. Penalties-Wagner Nor (hooking), 18:16.

3rd Period-4, Syracuse, Palat 4 (Taormina, Johnson), 5:00. 5, Norfolk, Vatanen 4 (Maroon, Wagner), 10:54. 6, Syracuse, Johnson 19 (Panik, Palat), 16:15 (PP). Penalties-Rosehill Nor (hooking), 15:46; Hendry Nor (fighting), 20:00; Maroon Nor (roughing, roughing, major – spearing, game misconduct – spearing), 20:00; Angelidis Syr (fighting, misconduct – continuing altercation), 20:00; Aulie Syr (roughing, roughing), 20:00; Gudas Syr (roughing), 20:00.

Shots on Goal-Norfolk 8-7-3-18. Syracuse 9-12-11-32.
Power Play Opportunities-Norfolk 0 / 2; Syracuse 3 / 4.
Goalies-Norfolk, Bobkov 6-8-0 (32 shots-28 saves). Syracuse, Tokarski 12-5-3 (18 shots-16 saves).

A-5,776
Referees-Chris Ciamaga (24).
Linesmen-John Everett (82), Joe DeMizio (3).

 

Tampa Bay Lightning Announce Affiliation Change

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE FROM THE TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

The Tampa Bay Lightning have entered into a multi-year affiliation agreement with the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League today, Lightning Assistant General Manager Julien BriseBois announced. Syracuse will serve as the Lightning’s top affiliate starting with the 2012-13 regular season. Tampa Bay will provide the Crunch with their top prospects under both NHL and AHL contracts.

“We are excited about our new partnership with the Syracuse Crunch and we look forward to working with Howard Dolgon and his organization on putting together a winning development program,” said BriseBois. “We benefited from tremendous fan support in Norfolk which helped us reach new heights as a team. We wish the Admirals fans and the city of Norfolk all the best in the future.”

The Syracuse Crunch is entering into its 19th year of operation in the AHL and boast the longest, current independent ownership group led by Howard Dolgon. The Crunch has the sixth longest tenure of any AHL team. The Lightning will be the fourth primary NHL affiliate of the Crunch, who previously partnered with Vancouver (1994-99), Columbus (2000-09) and Anaheim (2010-12). Syracuse had a dual affiliation with Vancouver and Pittsburgh from 1997-1999.

“We are delighted to be partnering with a first class organization run by an outstanding management team in Steve Yzerman and Julien BriseBois,” said Dolgon.

Tampa Bay previously held their primary AHL affiliation with the Norfolk Admirals over the past five seasons. As the Lightning’s top affiliate, the Admirals captured the Calder Cup last week and also set a professional hockey record, winning 28 consecutive games to close out the 2011-12 regular season.

Tampa Bay Leaks Affiliation Move

While nothing is “OFFICIAL” yet, the writing is on the wall. The Tampa Bay Lightning are taking the puck and moving to Syracuse. Earlier today the Virginian-Pilot/PilotOnline.com released a story about the impending move. This article confirmed everything what we have been hearing for months now. The Admirals and Lightning officials have been trying to avoid the subject and wanting to concentrate on the Admirals playoff run and Calder Cup win. Now that the season is over and the parties are over it is as good enough time as any to put this “Worst Kept Secret” to rest.

The official announcement is expected within the week from the Lightning. Syracuse Crunch owner, Howard Dolgan, tweeted that a “A proper and professional announcement coming from the Crunch re new affiliation. Stay tuned.” Evidently he is upset that a Lightning official leaked the information and stole his thunder. Not exactly a good way to get things rolling in  a new relationship. The Crunch’s previous affiliation with the Anaheim Ducks ended on a sour note with the Ducks being shown the door by Dolgan. Good luck to Tampa with the Crunch ownership.

So what about hockey in Norfolk? There is nothing to worry about right now. Admiral’s owner Ken Young assures us that we will have hockey in Norfolk in October. “One thing the fans have said that they are worried about is that they won’t have AHL hockey here,” Young said. “That won’t happen. There will be an AHL team here.” This quote was backed up with a press release from the Admirals that stated the Admirals were aware of reports that the Tampa Bay Lightning have signed an affiliation agreement with the Syracuse Crunch. They also reassured us that there will still be AHL hockey at Scope next season. Announcements of a new National Hockey League partner will be made in the near future in the near future.

What does our future look like? The Anaheim Ducks are the likely candidate to fill our affiliation needs. Another possible candidate would be the Florida Panthers. The Ducks and the Panthers have not announced any affiliation agreements. The Panthers were partnered with the San Antonio Rampage last season, but that could all change as we witnessed today. Anaheim appears to be the likely candidate. One bright point to bring out of this situation is that this years Crunch were a good team. Hopefully the team that appears on Scope ice next year will not be like the early years of our Tampa affiliation.

This is a developing story and until everything is said and done…… Stay Tuned

GO ADMIRALS!!!!