Two Former Admirals Lead Portland over Norfolk
November 21, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Norfolk Admirals News Release
NORFOLK, Va. - Former Admiral Evan Oberg scored the game-winning goal and two-time Norfolk goalie Mike McKenna was nearly perfect between the pipes as the Portland Pirates pulled out a 2-1 victory over the Norfolk Admirals Friday night at Scope.
Nearly 13 minutes into the first period, Pirates center Jordan Martinook trickled the puck off the backhand between Danis' legs to put Portland up 1-0, 12:49 into the first period. Brendan Shinnimin and Justin Hodgman got credit for the assists on the first goal of the game. The Pirates headed to the locker room with a 1-0 lead after outshooting the Admirals, 10-8 in the opening frame.
After the Admirals killed two straight penalties, the Pirates extended their lead. Oberg flew down the left wing and slipped a wrist shot beneath Danis' blocker, giving the Pirates a 2-0 lead at the 6:24 mark of the second period.
The Admirals outshot the Pirates 15-6 in the second frame and the offense was finally rewarded courtesy of recently reassigned center Chris Wagner, the team's leading scorer. The forward furiously fought to push a rebound past McKenna with only 30 seconds remaining in the second period. Defenseman Marc Cantin recorded the first point of his Admirals career, earning the assist along with Kevin Gagne on the goal. The Admirals were able to head into the third with momentum after cutting the Pirates lead to 2-1.
Norfolk came out firing in the final 20 minutes, constantly testing McKenna. Wagner and Louis Leblanc combined for two close calls on the goaltender, but McKenna remained unfazed midway through the period. The Admirals continued to put on the heat during a late 5-on-3 power play, but once again McKenna was rock solid between the pipes. Even with Danis pulled at the other end, Norfolk could not slip another shot past the Portland netminder as the Pirates held on to win the game by a 2-1 final score.
McKenna stopped 37 of 38 shots, while Danis saved 19 of 21 shots he faced.
Norfolk went 0-for-3 on the power play, while Portland finished the game 0-for-2 with the man advantage.
The Admirals host Portland once again tomorrow night at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are still available at the Scope Box Office.
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