Etem Plays the Hero as Admirals Vanquish Devils
December 22, 2012 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Norfolk Admirals News Release
NORFOLK - Emerson Etem tied the game with 33 seconds remaining in regulation and won it six seconds into overtime as the Norfolk Admirals (13-13-1-0) defeated the Albany Devils (9-10-1-6), 2-1, on Saturday night at Norfolk Scope Arena. The win moved the Admirals back to .500 on the season.
Norfolk's Igor Bobkov (6-7-0) and Albany's Keith Kinkaid (6-7-3) traded saves for over two periods before either team found the back of the net. Bobkov stopped 25 of 26 shots to earn the win and Kinkaid stopped the first 34 Norfolk shots before Etem's last two shots found the twine behind the Albany netminder.
The Admirals now embark on a three-game road trip beginning next Friday night against the Syracuse Crunch. They return to Hampton Roads on January 4th and 5th to host the Crunch at Scope.
After a scoreless opening two periods, the Devils got on the board 4:42 into the third period. Steve Zalewski sent a pass from behind the goal line to Bobby Butler. After getting around a Norfolk defender in the low slot, Butler sent a backhand shot over Bobkov's right shoulder for a 1-0 Albany lead.
The game remained 1-0 in favor of the Devils until the final minute of regulation. Admirals head coach Trent Yawney pulled Bobkov out of the net in favor of an extra attacker, giving Norfolk a six-on-five skater advantage. The game-tying play began after Rod Pelley won his fourth consecutive offensive zone faceoff. Sami Vatanen sent the puck behind the Albany net to Patrick Maroon. Maroon's first centering attempt ricocheted back to him. However, his second pass found Etem in the low slot for a one-timer that tied the game at 19:27.
On the opening faceoff of overtime, Peter Holland pushed the puck forward toward the Albany blue line. Etem picked up the puck and sped past an Albany defender for a partial breakaway. He held the puck on his backhand until almost to the goalmouth, when he moved to his forehand and tucked a shot around a diving Kinkaid's right side and into the net.
Norfolk was 0-for-2 on the power play. Albany was 0-for-4.
The Admirals and Syracuse Crunch face off at 7:30 p.m. next Friday night from the Onondaga County War Memorial at Oncenter in Syracuse, New York. Tune in to 102.1-FM, 1490-AM, 1021TheGame.com or AHLLive.com.
After completing their three-game road trip, the Admirals return to Scope on Friday and Saturday, January 4th and 5th, to host the Syracuse Crunch. The first 2,012 fans through the gates on January 4th will receive an Admirals Calder Cup replica trophy, courtesy of John's Tax Service, JPM Financial Services and WTKR NewsChannel3.
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.
Three Stars:
1. Emerson Etem - NOR
2. Igor Bobkov - NOR
3. Bobby Butler - ALB
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American Hockey League Stories from December 22, 2012
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