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Norfolk Admirals

Norfolk Admirals Weekly

November 18, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Norfolk Admirals News Release


NORFOLK, Va. - The Norfolk Admirals split their weekend series with division opponent Binghamton. As a result, the team moved into fourth place in the East Division. The Admirals currently own a record of 6-8-0-0 and have played very well on home ice with a record of 5-3 after a victory at Scope on Saturday.

Norfolk came into last weekend needing to up their game, and although the score of the first outing was not to their benefit, their play was markedly improved and culminated in a victory on Saturday. New to the Admirals were forward Kyle Palmieri and goaltender Yann Danis, and both made impressive contributions.

Friday ' s tilt against the Senators began in the Admirals ' favor as Palmieri, on a conditioning stint from the Anaheim Ducks, nearly beat Binghamton goalie Scott Greenham just two minutes in on one of his game-high eight shots. David Pacan opened the scoring with the first goal of his AHL career and Louis Leblanc capitalized on the power play to put the Admirals ahead, 2-1, going into the second period. However, despite controlling play for the first half of the second, the rest of the game primarily belonged to the visitors who stormed back with four unanswered goals including an empty-netter that sealed it, 5-2.

With a newly-inked professional tryout contract, Danis stood tall between the pipes on Saturday in his first game as an Admiral, turning aside 37 Binghamton shots by the final buzzer. Norfolk again scored first and this time made the advantageous start count. Although the Senators tallied twice in the middle frame to take the lead, Brendan Bell ' s first goal of the season and Leblanc ' s own marker completed the Admirals ' comeback, capping the weekend on a positive note with a 3-2 victory. The Admirals seem to thrive on close games, as all six of their victories so far this season have been won by a single goal.

Anaheim recalled goal leader Chris Wagner last Friday, but Norfolk has had good replacement production to fill the absence. Kerdiles now shares the team lead in points with nine, while Leblanc has registered a goal in three straight games and at least one point in four straight. Bell, who scored only three points in his first 10 games, notched a two-point effort on Saturday that consisted of his first goal, and has assisted on goals in three of the last four contests.

The Admirals currently sit at fourth in the East Division with a 6-8-0-0 record for a total of 12 points. They are just one point behind third-place Lehigh Valley, but have played one more game.

Norfolk travels next to Charlotte to take on the Checkers this evening, and will look to improve their away record of 1-5-0-0. This Friday and Saturday, the Admirals play host to the Portland Pirates at 7:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m., respectively. It is the first time Norfolk and Portland have sparred this season.

ON THE RADIO/INTERNET

All regular-season games will air live on 1650 AM WHKT "The Answer" and online at 1650theanswer.com. AHL Live will also carry online video of every Admirals game on a pay-per-view or season pass basis. Fans can log in to watch, listen or get more information about AHL Live's online audio and video features at ahllive.com.

Tune in live to 1650 AM "The Answer" every Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. for the "Admirals Hour" with the "Voice of the Admirals" Pete Michaud and the "Original Admiral" Dennis McEwen. Michaud and McEwen discuss the latest in Norfolk Admirals hockey, speak with guests, update you on the Anaheim Ducks, as well as answer any calls during the show. Ask Pete and Dennis your questions by calling in to the studio at 757-454-1650.

STANDINGS UPDATE

At 6-8-0-0 (12 points), the Admirals are in 4th place in the East Division and are in 14th place in the Eastern Conference.

Eight teams in each conference shall qualify for the 2015 Calder Cup Playoffs. Following the conclusion of each team's 76-game regular season, the three division winners in each conference will be seeded 1-3 (in order of regular-season points) and the next five best teams (in order of regular-season points) will be seeded 4-8.

THE ADMIRALS' WEEK AHEAD

Tues., Nov. 18 ... at Charlotte Checkers (Carolina Hurricanes) ... 7 p.m.

Fri., Nov. 21 ... vs. Portland Pirates (Arizona Coyotes) ... 7:30 p.m.

Sat., Nov. 22 ... vs. Portland Pirates (Arizona Coyotes) ... 7:15 p.m.

ADMIRALS SPOTLIGHT

- Defenseman Mat Clark got into his first NHL game this season and the third of his career against Vancouver earlier this month when the Ducks played Vancouver. He logged 22 shifts and 17 minutes of ice time as well as a shot on net.

- Fellow defenseman Josh Manson remains with the Ducks and continues to impress. He recorded his first career NHL point, an assist, in his seventh career game on November 16 against Florida. His ice time has grown as well, as Manson has skated for at least 19 minutes in each of his last four appearances. Head Coach Bruce Boudreau has shown confidence in the rookie placing him on the penalty kill several times in the past few games.

- Chris Wagner was recalled by Anaheim last Friday and saw 7:08 of ice time in his return to the NHL since his first career call-up in October. Wagner certainly caught Anaheim's attention with his play this season and seems to be one of the first players called upon for help at the forward spot when the Ducks need it.

ADMIRALS' LOG

Yann Danis stopped 37 shots on Saturday for his first win as an Admiral and his first victory this season. After playing 31 games for Adirondack last season, Danis joined the Admirals to ease the goaltending situation in Norfolk as Jason LaBarbera is in Anaheim. With Danis in net, the Admirals held the opponent to less than three goals for the fourth time this year. Winger Louis Leblanc has strung together some productive outings. Leblanc carries a four-game point streak into tonight's matchup with Charlotte. His goal on Saturday night made it three contests in a row with a marker on the scoresheet. The fluctuation in the Norfolk roster caused the Admirals to search for hands from the ECHL. Forwards Matthew Pistilli and Casey Pierro-Zabotel agreed to professional tryout contracts (PTO) yesterday. Pistilli has seen 206 games of AHL action and Pierro-Zabotel has skated in 14 career games at the AHL level.

NORFOLK LEADERS

Chris Wagner (6)

Assists: Nic Kerdiles (6)

Points: Nic Kerdiles, Chris Wagner, Brad Winchester (9)

Games: Six players tied (14)

PP Goals: Louis Leblanc, Brad Winchester (2)

SH Goals: Chris Wagner (2)

+/- Rating: Nathan McIver (+2)

0 Nathan McIver (51)

0 Yann Danis (2.02)

A0 Yann Danis (.949)

A0 Jason LaBarbera (3)

Losses: Igor Bobkov (4)

0 Igor Bobkov, Jason LaBarbera (5)

Minutes: Jason LaBarbera (300:06)

ABOUT THIS WEEK'S MATCHUPS .

The Admirals travel to take on Charlotte tonight for the first time this year for a battle of 14th-place clubs. The team has struggled on the road all the season, carrying a 1-5 record away from home ice. The Checkers have been less than stellar this year as well. They enter Tuesday's match with a 4-8-1-0 record for a total of nine points. The Checkers went winless this past weekend, falling twice to San Antonio. Norfolk met Charlotte twice during the preseason as the teams' split the two-game series, both winning on home ice.

Head Coach Jarrod Skalde would certainly welcome some offense from newest additions Matthew Pistilli and Casey Pierro-Zabotel, both up from the ECHL and both operating from the forward position. He'll also hope that right winger Louis Leblanc maintains his hot hand. Leblanc netted the game-winner and an assist on Saturday night and has a goal in three straight games and a point in four straight. Defenseman Brendan Bell chipped in with an assist in the first period and his first marker of the season which tied the game at 2-2 in the third. Bell has four points in the last four games, is the highest-scoring defenseman on the team, and ranks in the top five on Norfolk's roster with seven points. With the volume and severity of injuries to Admirals' forwards, balanced scoring from up and down the roster is essential to this team's success.

The Checkers desperately seek to get back into the win column tonight at home where they have only two wins in six total contests. Despite Charlotte's membership in the Western Conference and the Admirals' in the Eastern, these clubs will square off on eight occasions, as many times as Norfolk will see their own East Division opponents. The Checkers missed out on the playoffs last season but took five of eight decisions from the Admirals in 2013-14. Charlotte looks for scoring more urgently than the Admirals with only two skaters sitting with seven or more points after 13 games. As a team, the Checkers have registered three or more goals just four times this year. Greg Nemisz leads the way with 10 points.

CHARLOTTE LEADERS

Greg Nemisz (6)

Assists: Chad LaRose (5)

Points: Greg Nemisz (10)

Games: Eight players tied (13)

PP Goals: Six players tied (1)

SH Goals: Greg Nemisz, Brendan Woods (1)

+/- Rating: Phil Di Giuseppe, Greg Nemisz (+4)

0 Kyle Hagel (41)

0 Drew MacIntyre (3.53)

A0 Drew MacIntyre (.902)

A0 Drew MacIntyre (3)

Losses: Drew MacIntyre (7)

0 Drew MacIntyre (12)

Minutes: Drew MacIntyre (714:51)

Norfolk returns to home ice on Friday night to face the Portland Pirates. The Pirates have lacked consistency this season, showing an 8-8-0-0 record and occupying the fourth spot in the Atlantic Division. The two teams' have yet to face each other this season. They will meet once again on Saturday night as well.

It's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for the Pirates through their first 16 games of 2014-15, much like the Admirals season so far. Portland won their home-opener, then dropped their next four games in a row. After splitting the next two, the Pirates reeled off five wins of their own, and have now gone 1-3 in their last four. They will stop off in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Wednesday as they make their way down to Hampton Roads for the weekend. Two Portland centers top the team points list as Alexandre Bolduc and Brendan Shinnimin lead with 14 points and 11 points, respectively. The veteran Bolduc exploded for 10 points in nine games in October, but has cooled off so far this month with four points in seven games. Shinnimin also started hot with seven points last month but has slowed to four points in seven games in November like Bolduc. These two are responsible for the bulk of Portland scoring, so if the Admirals can account for the Pirates' top pivots, than Norfolk's chances for victory look much more promising. Just as long as Admiral defenseman also keep an eye on a group of four attackers that have six or seven point totals, including former Calder Cup-winning Admiral Evan Oberg.

PORTLAND LEADERS

Alexandre Bolduc (6)

Assists: Alexandre Bolduc (8)

Points: Alexandre Bolduc (14)

Games: Seven players tied (16)

PP Goals: Four players tied (2)

SH Goals: Jordan Martinook, Tobias Reider (2)

+/- Rating: Joel Hanley (+4)

0 Eric Selleck (47)

0 Louis Domingue (2.29)

A0 Mike McKenna (.924)

A0 Louis Domingue (5)

Losses: Mike McKenna (6)

0 Mike McKenna (12)

Minutes: Mike McKenna (563:57)

**UPCOMING EVENTS AND PROMOTIONS**

Friday, November 21 vs. Portland Pirates

- Admirals Country Night

US 106.1 will be joining us with tickets to local country music concerts. Wear your Cowboy hats and boots ! The best-looking country outfit will get the opportunity to ride the Liberty Tax zamboni in the second intermission. Tweet us a photo of your outfit @NorfolkAdmirals including #AdmiralsCountry with your name and seat location for a chance to win!

Saturday, November 22 vs. Portland Pirates

- Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Night

Purchase $11 Red Level tickets via Ticketmaster for a portion of ticket sales to go to JDRF.

- Post-Game Skate with the Admirals, presented by Dave and Buster's

TICKETS

Individual tickets are on sale now at the Scope Box Office, all Ticketmaster Outlets, charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000, and online at ticketmaster.com. Don't miss a minute of Admirals action by purchasing your season tickets today. Stop by the Admirals' Administrative Offices at Scope, call (757) 640-1212 weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or visit norfolkadmirals.com anytime.

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