IceMen Face Admirals in Crucial Contest
March 18, 2018 - ECHL (ECHL)
Jacksonville Icemen News Release
Following last night's huge win over the Atlanta Gladiators, the Jacksonville Icemen (24-32-4-3, 55 pts) quickly turn their focus towards the fifth place Norfolk Admirals (25-32-6-1, 57 pts). A victory today would move Jacksonville into fifth place and just five points back of Atlanta for a playoff berth.
The Admirals will be capping off a busy weekend this afternoon, playing their third game in as many days. They started off this mini homestand with back-to-back wins over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits and are looking for a weekend sweep today. Goalie Ty Reichenbach picked up both wins the last two days, so it will be interesting to see if he gets the nod for his third straight game or if Jamie Murray starts in goal. The road ahead for Norfolk will be a challenging one, after today's game, the Admirals head down to South Florida for three meetings with the conference-leading Everblades.
Jacksonville enters this game with the same must-win attitude they had against the Gladiators. However, before they can think about reaching Atlanta in the standings, they must first pass Norfolk for fifth place. Undoubtedly, the team is riding a huge wave of momentum following back-to-back victories. Last night's win was only the second time in the 2017-18 season, presented by Community First Credit Union, that the Icemen have won a game when trailing after two periods. They're also getting offensive production up and down the lineup, with the game-winning goal last night coming from a rookie playing in his fifth professional game.
Looking at these teams head-to-head this seaon, an unusual trend sticks out: the visiting team has actually had more success than the hosting team. At the Norfolk Scope, Jacksonville is 3-0-1, whereas Norfolk is 2-1-0 at Veterans Memorial Arena. Don't forget, five of the last seven games have been settled in overtime or a shootout, so expect a tightly contested matchup.
Tune into ECHL TV this afternoon at 2:00 p.m. for the final meeting between the Icemen and the Admirals this season.
Matchup Breakdown
Records:
Jacksonville Icemen: 24-32-4-3 (6th in South division)
Norfolk Admirals: 25-32-6-1 (5th in South division)
Power Play:
Icemen: 24/252 - 9.5% (27th in ECHL)
Admirals: 48/275 - 17.5% (14th in ECHL)
Penalty Kill:
Icemen: 232/280 - 82.9% (14th in ECHL)
Admirals: 218/254 - 85.8% (6th in ECHL)
Players to Watch:
#24 F Garet Hunt (JAX)
14G, 9A - 23 Pts, -10 Rating
Garet Hunt has been one of Jacksonville's best players when up against the Admirals this season. The captain has four goals against Norfolk this year.
#7 F Brodie Dupont (NOR)
21G, 47A - 68 Pts, -13 Rating
Brodie has the most points on the Admirals against Jacksonville this season. In seven games, Dupont has 13 points (2g-11a) against the Icemen.
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