Norfolk climbs to third place in East
March 8, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Norfolk Admirals News Release
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. The Blue and Gold won two of their three contests against division foes last week to claim third place in the East Division. On Wednesday, March 3, the Admirals scored three times in the first period en route to a 4-2 win over Philadelphia. Jason Morgan, Yorick Treille and Shawn Thornton all had two points to lead Norfolk to a 4-1 victory over Albany on March 5. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins ended the Admirals five-game winning streak with a 2-1 decision on Sunday, March 7.
The season series against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Pittsburgh) concludes with a pair of contests at Scope this week. The Pens visit on Wednesday, March 10 at 7:15 p.m. and again on Friday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m. The Blue and Gold travel to Hershey (Colorado/Tampa Bay) to face the Bears on Saturday, March 13 at 7:00 p.m.
The Admirals are third in the East Division with a record of 30-27-4-5 (66 GP, 69 points). They trail Philadelphia (63 GP, 35-21-6-1, 77 points) and Bridgeport (63 GP, 32-18-9-4, 77 points), and are followed by Hershey (67 GP, 28-27-8-4, 68 points), Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (63 GP, 27-24-7-5, 66 points), Binghamton (65 GP, 28-29-6-2, 64 points) and Albany (63 GP, 16-29-11-7, 50 points).
THE WEEK AHEAD
Wednesday, March 10 Norfolk vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 7:15 p.m.
Friday, March 12 Norfolk vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 7:30 p.m.
The Penguins are 4-3-1-0 against the Admirals this year, including a 2-1-0-0 mark in Hampton Roads. Wilkes-Barre leads the all-time series with a record of 18-15-3-0. Matt Ellison tops all Admirals with 3+5=8 points and Marty Wilford has six assists (six points) versus the Penguins this year. Eric Meloche (2+4) and Toby Petersen (1+5) have chipped in six points apiece for the Baby Pens against Norfolk. Wilkes-Barres power play unit is 13th in the League (15.3) while its penalty killers are 27th (80.3). Michel Ouellet is atop the team scoring list with 25+16=41 points. He is first among AHL rookies in tallies and tied with Kyle Wellwood (STS) for third in scoring. Patrick Boileaus 25 assists are most on the team. Kris Beechs plus-12 rating leads the Pens while Matt Hussey and Guillaume Lefebvre share the lowest rating at minus-3 each. David Koci has spent 240 minutes in the sin bin, placing him sixth in the AHL in PIM. Minding the cage are Sebastien Caron (12 GPI, 7-3-2, 2.13 GAA, .933 spct.) and Nick Boucher (4 GPI, 1-0-0, 2.43 GAA, .919 spct.)
Saturday, March 13 Norfolk @ Hershey Bears 4:00 p.m.
Norfolk is 2-4-1-1 versus Hershey this season and is winless at the Giant Center (0-2-1-0). However, the Admirals maintain an edge of 17-11-5-3 in the squads all-time series. Ellison (2+2) and Ajay Baines (0+4) have four points each against the Bears in 2003-04. Hersheys scoring leaders against Norfolk this year are Eric Perrin (2+4=6 points), Pascal Trepanier (2+3=5 points) and Sheldon Keefe (1+4=5 points). The Bears are 10th in the AHL on the power play (15.56) and 20th when shorthanded (84.27). Perrins 68 points (21+47) are most on the club. He is first in the League in helpers and tied with Miroslav Zalesak (CLV) for first in scoring. Steve Brules 26 lamplighters place him among the top six in the AHL in goals. Trepanier (11+27=38 points) is third among AHL defensemen in scoring (Curtis Murphy, MIL; Garrett Stafford, CLV - 39 points each) and tied with several others for third in tallies by a League blueliner. His minus-28 rating is the lowest in the entire AHL. Marc Busenbergs plus-19 rating is best on Hershey and places him among the top 15 in the League. Dennis Bonvie has picked up 110 PIM in 18 games with the Bears, and he has 247 PIM overall this season, ranking him fourth in the AHL in PIM. Between the pipes, Peter Budaj is 15-19-6 with a 2.88 GAA and a .915 spct. in 42 games, and Tom Lawson is 13-12-2 with a 2.30 GAA and a .932 spct. in 32 outings. Lawson ranks seventh among League goalies in save percentage.
UPCOMING GAMES/PROMOTIONS
Wednesday, March 10 (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins)
* The Blue and Gold host their rivals for another key divisional match.
Friday, March 12 (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins)
* Pre-game Party at AJ Gators. For just $15, receive a Blue Level ticket to that nights game, a voucher for two drinks and an hors doeuvre buffet at AJ Gators, 344 Granby Street in Norfolk. Available at the Scope Box Office and all TicketMaster outlets. Special discounts available for season ticket holders through the Admirals office.
Saturday, March 20 (Houston Aeros)
* Military Appreciation Night. Show a valid military ID at the Scope Box Office or any TicketMaster outlet and receive a Blue or White level ticket for just $5.00.
* Team Poster Giveaway. The first 4,000 fans will receive a 2003-04 Team Poster, courtesy of Coca-Cola.
Sunday, March 21 (Houston Aeros)
* Dog Day Afternoon. The Norfolk SPCA will be selling special edition t-shirts featuring the Admirals Marty Wilford and his dog Jax, and raffling off a variety of prizes to benefit the SPCA. A number of rescued SPCA pets will also be on display.
* Family Fun Pack Game. Receive a Blue level ticket, hot dog and soft drink for just $11.00. Available at the Scope Box Office and all TicketMaster outlets. Must be purchased in advance. Not available the day of the game.
TEAM NOTEBOOK
* The Blue and Gold are ninth in the League in goals against (2.33 per game) and second in shots against (25.02).
* Last week, the Admirals defeated Philadelphia (4-2 on March 3) and Albany (4-1 on March 5) in consecutive games, despite being outshot both times. The team is just 5-11-1-3 when being outshot this season.
* Since February 11, Norfolk has held the opposition to one or two goals in 11 of its 12 games, posting a record of 10-1-0-0 in the 11 matches. Lowell won 3-2 on February 20 the only time an opponent scored more than twice during that span.
* RW Yorick Treille has seven points (3+4) over his last seven games (since February 20).
* C Jason Morgan has three goals and three assists (six points) in his five games with the Admirals (since February 27)
* F Carsen Germyn has 6+4=10 points in his last 10 games (since February 14).
* G Matt Underhill made 29 saves in his NHL debut and C Tyler Arnason scored a pair of goals in Chicagos 4-3 overtime loss to Edmonton on March 7.
* Today, RW Matt Keith was recalled to the Blackhawks and RW Pavel Vorobiev was reassigned to the Admirals.
ON THE RADIO
All games are broadcast on the Admirals Flagship Station, AM-1230 WJOI. The games are also cybercast on the World Wide Web at SportsJuice.com. Go to www.SportsJuice.com, or click on the link at www.norfolkadmirals.com. Pre-game broadcasts begin 15 minutes prior to game starting time.
TICKET INFORMATION
Individual tickets for all remaining contests on the Admirals home schedule are available at the Scope Box Office, all TicketMaster outlets, charge-by-phone at (757) 671-8100 and online at www.ticketmaster.com. Group tickets and Calder Cup 2004 Playoff Packages are on sale through the Admirals office. For more information, visit the clubs website at www.norfolkadmirals.com or call the Admirals at (757) 363-1900.
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American Hockey League Stories from March 8, 2004
- Penguins acquire defenseman Nasreddine - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Griffins end Texas trip with 4-1 loss - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Sunshine Kids continue to profit as Aeros pull away for 4-1 win - Houston Aeros
- Phantoms defeat Albany 6-1 - Adirondack Phantoms
- Islanders Trade Nasreddine For Webb - Bridgeport Islanders
- Kings Recall Hnilicka; Assign Chouinard And Grebeshkov - Manchester Monarchs
- Royal Review - Manchester Monarchs
- Kings Acquire Carter; Trade Aulin - Manchester Monarchs
- Moose wrap up homestand this week - Manitoba Moose
- Laviolette Heads Binghamton Hall of Fame Inductees - Binghamton Senators
- Thrashers Deal Piros for Rossiter - Chicago Wolves
- River Rats back in town for four in five - Albany River Rats
- Falcons release Dickie and Littlejohn from PTO agreements - Springfield Falcons
- Scoville Reassigned to Syracuse - Syracuse Crunch
- Griffins earn first invitation to 2004 Calder Cup Playoffs - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Wolves Weekly - Chicago Wolves
- P-Bruins play four games this week - Providence Bruins
- Worcester's Evans named AHL Player of the Week - Worcester IceCats
- Falcons to honor 10th Anniversary team Friday with commenorative poster - Springfield Falcons
- Sound Tigers Back In First Place - Bridgeport Islanders
- Manitoba Moose Sports Carnival Raises Close to $30,000 - Manitoba Moose
- Flurry of NHL trades makes for wild weekend around AHL - AHL
- Admirals up next as Bears kick off four-game homestand Saturday - Hershey Bears
- IceCats' Evans named Sher-Wood AHL Player of the Week - AHL
- Bulldogs finish four-game road trip in Milwaukee Tuesday - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Aeros split two, maintain fourth-place positioning - Houston Aeros
- Leclaire Records Second Shutout - Syracuse Crunch
- Barons Weekly Report - Cleveland Barons
- Norfolk climbs to third place in East - Norfolk Admirals
- Lowell Lock Monsters Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with Irish Micky Ward - Albany Devils
- Bulldogs four-game unbeaten streak snapped - Hamilton Bulldogs
- B-Sens weekly - Binghamton Senators
- Aeros Game Day - Houston Aeros
- Griffins welcome special guests Mike Vernon and Carter Oosterhouse - Grand Rapids Griffins
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
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