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AHL Norfolk Admirals

Admirals Finish Week with Win, Tie, Loss

January 20, 2003 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Norfolk Admirals News Release


VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Blue and Gold hosted three games last week, finishing with a win, a tie and a loss. On Wednesday, January 15, Craig Andersson made 29 saves as the Admirals shut out Syracuse 1-0. Two nights later, the Crunch scored with 50 seconds left in regulation to force overtime, as the teams skated to a 3-3 draw. On Saturday, January 18, Philadelphia got a lucky bounce of the puck to score with five seconds remaining in the third period to down Norfolk 2-1.

The Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit Red Wings) make their lone scheduled appearance at Scope on Wednesday, January 15 at 7:15 p.m. On Friday, January 25, the Phantoms (Philadelphia Flyers) return for another match up at 7:30 p.m.

Norfolk remains in first place in the South Division with 56 points (25-14-3-3), five points ahead of Hershey (21-14-8-1, 51 points). Philadelphia sits third (20-17-1-3, 44 points) followed by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (19-19-2-3, 43 points).

THE WEEK AHEAD

Wednesday, January 22...Norfolk vs. Grand Rapids Griffins...7:15 p.m.

Last year, the Griffins swept both games from the Admirals, out-scoring them 13-3 in the two contests. Grand Rapids' 754 penalty minutes are second fewest in the Western Conference (Hershey, 749 PIM). The club's special teams are ranked 22nd on the power play (14.12) and 14th on the penalty kill (84.71). Mark Mowers tops the club in goals (20) and points (45, 25 assists). Behind him are Michel Picard (17+27=44 points) and Stacy Roest (13+29=42 points). All three rank among the top 12 scorers in the League. David Van Drunen's plus-20 rating is best on the Griffins, and places him fourth among AHL defensemen in plus/minus rating. Ed Campbell's 96 PIM are most on the team, and he is fourth in the AHL with 38 minor penalties. Between the pipes, Joey MacDonald is 8-3-0 with a 2.31 goals against average and a .914 save percentage in 14 appearances, while Marc Lamothe is 16-10-6 with a 2.17 GAA and .922 spct. in 32 games. Lamothe has the most wins of all AHL goalies and ranks fourth in GAA. He is also among the League leaders in minutes played (1,852) and saves (787).

Friday, January 24...Norfolk vs. Philadelphia Phantoms...7:30 p.m.

This is the seventh of 10 regular season meetings between the teams. The Blue and Gold hold a 4-2 edge in series thus far. Philadelphia ranks 25th among AHL clubs in goals for per game (101, 2.46) and tied with Bridgeport (113, 2.51) for seventh in goals against per game (103, 2.51). Mark Greig (19+23=42) and Peter White (16+25=41) are first and second in points on the Phantoms' roster, and are both among the League leaders in points and power play tallies (nine each). John Slaney is third on the club with 28 points (four goals, 24 assists). He is third among AHL blueliners in assists. Peter Vandermeer's 167 PIM lead the Phantoms and place him third overall in the League in PIM (Utah's John Erskine - 219, Rochester's Sean McMorrow, 210). In net, Antero Niittymaki is 11-11-0 with a 2.65 GAA and .905 spct. in 23 games, and Neil Little is 8-8-1 with a 2.13 GAA and .918 spct. Little ranks third among League goalies in GAA.

Saturday, January 25...Norfolk @ Hershey Bears...7:00 p.m.

This is the sixth of 10 scheduled match ups between the clubs, the third in Hershey. Norfolk is 2-1-2-0 against the Bears, including a 1-0-1-0 mark at Hershey this year. Only Lowell (739 PIM) has received fewer PIM than the Bears. Hershey is ranked 16th with the man-advantage (15.38) and third when shorthanded (88.15). Brian Willsie leads the team in goals (21), points (37, 16 assists) and power play goals (nine). He has taken the most shots of any AHL skater (164). Mark Freer is second in scoring (12+21=33 points), and first in helpers. Brett Clark is the highest scoring defenseman on the club with 3+18=21 points. Rob Voltera's 120 PIM are most on the Bears. The goaltending duties belong to Peter Budaj (15 GPI, 6-5-1, 2.61 GAA, .912 spct.) and Phil Sauve (33 GPI, 15-10-7, 2.19 GAA, .920 spct.). Sauve is fifth in the AHL in GAA and tied with several others for second in wins.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS

Wednesday, January 22 (Grand Rapids Griffins)

* NASCAR Night - two lucky fans will win trips to the Richard Petty Driving Experience in Richmond, plus, there will be interactive NASCAR displays on the concourse at Scope.

Friday, January 24 (Philadelphia Phantoms)

* Admirals Fight Illiteracy Night - as the Admirals recognize National Reading Month, fans are asked to bring gently used books to the game for donation in bins by the doors.

* AJ Gator's pre-game party at the 244 Granby Street location in downtown Norfolk. For $15.00, fans receive a Blue Level ticket to that night's game, a voucher for two drinks (soda, beer or well drinks) and an hors d' oeuvre buffet. Tickets are available through the Scope Box Office and all TicketMaster outlets.

Friday, January 31 (Chicago Wolves)

* Bobblehead Giveaway - the first 4,000 fans through the gates receive a Tyler Arnason bobblehead, courtesy of TradeStaff & Company.

TEAM NOTEBOOK

* In five appearances since being reassigned to Norfolk on January 1, G Craig Andersson is 3-1-1, including two shutouts, and has posted a 0.91 goals against average and a .960 save percentage.

* Overall this season, Andersson has a .930 spct., placing him third among AHL goaltenders.

* With a win and a tie against Syracuse last week, the Admirals finished their regular season series at 3-0-1-0 against the Crunch this year.

* The Admirals' 45 shots against Syracuse on January 17 (3-3 tie) were the most shots taken in a game this season.

* Norfolk's crowd of 6,560 on Saturday, January 18 versus Philadelphia was the Admirals' largest audience since joining the AHL in 2000-2001.

* D Marty Wilford (8+19=27 points) and D Burke Henry (5+19=24 points) are both among the top 15 blueliners in the League in scoring.

* C Ajay Baines has not posted a point in 14 games. He last registered a point with a goal at San Antonio on December 18.

* RW Casey Hankinson has just one point in his last seven games, an assist January 3 at Syracuse.

ON THE RADIO

All games are broadcast on the Admirals' Flagship Station, WBVA 1450-AM "The Buzz". 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 20 minutes prior to game starting time.

The Admirals Radio Show will air Thursday, January 23 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., when Pete Michaud welcomes special guests as he broadcasts live from the Azalea Inn/Time Out Sports Bar & Grill, 2344 E. Little Creek Road in Norfolk.

TICKET INFORMATION

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. Family Four Packs and AJ Gator's pre-game party packages are available at Scope's Box Office and all TicketMaster outlets. Flex Vouchers and Group Tickets are available through the Admirals' office. For more information, contact the Admirals at (757) 363-1900 or visit the team's website at www.norfolkadmirals.com.

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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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