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Norfolk Admirals

Admirals Rally to Earn a Point in High-Scoring Game

December 20, 2018 - ECHL (ECHL)
Norfolk Admirals News Release


Norfolk Admirals forward Chris Crane
Norfolk Admirals forward Chris Crane
(Norfolk Admirals, Credit: Paul Jensen Photography)

NORFOLK VA - Cam Brown scored the lone goal in the overtime shootout while Matt O'Connor made eight saves in a relief Wednesday Night at Scope as the Wheeling Nailers topped the Norfolk Admirals 7-6. Despite the loss, Norfolk does pick up a valuable point as they now drop to (12-13-1-2, 27 Pts). Norfolk's Jake Wood and Jalen Smereck each finished with three points in the contest.

Wheeling got on the board first with a goal from Nick Saracino. Yushiroh Hirano gathered the puck at the left circle in the Wheeling end. Hirano played the puck over to the left point for Craig Skudalski. Skudalski played the puck to the front of the net for Saracino who put the puck right around Reichenbach to give Wheeling an early 1-0 lead.

Norfolk tied the game on a goal from Cody Smith. Crane got the puck and skated into the Wheeling end. Crane found D'Amico in the right circle. D'Amico played the puck across the ice into the left circle for Smith who's shot beat Ruby to tie the game at one.

Wheeling went in front with a goal from Brien Diffley. Winston Day Chief skated in through the right circle and fired a backhander on net which was saved initially by Reichenbach. The rebound bounced right to Diffley who put the rebound under the sprawled Reichenbach to give Wheeling a 2-1 lead.

Wheeling scored another goal to extend their lead to 3-1. The puck was turned over in the Norfolk end and bounce in front of the net. Karestenbergs found the rebound and beat Reichenbach between the legs to extend the Wheeling lead to 3-1. .

Wheeling added another tally with a goal from Dan Fick. Cam Brown was bale to keep the puck in the Norfolk end and start a cycle for Wheeling. Saracino fed the puck to Fick in the slot whose shot beat Reichenbach to give Wheeling the 4-1 lead.

Wheeling made their lead 5-1 with a power-play goal from Winston Day Chief. Sam Fick gained control of the puck at the left point. Fick passed the puck to Hirano at the left point. Hirano shot the puck from the point which was initially saved by Reichenbach. The rebound bounced right out to Day Chief who was there to put it home to give Wheeling a 5-1 lead.

Norfolk would cut the lead to 5-2 courtesy of Connor Hurley. Shane Morrisey gathered the puck behind the net. Morrisey played the puck to the left side of the net, who played it out to the front of the net for Taylor Cammarata. Cammarata played the puck back to Hurley at the slot who buried the puck behind Ruby to cut the Wheeling lead to three goals.

Norfolk got a goal back from Jake Wood. An attempted clearing attempt was knocked down by Jalen Smereck. Smereck played the puck around the boards for Patrick D'Amico. D'Amico fed the puck into the slot for Jake Wood who shot the puck and beat Ruby to the stick side to cut the Wheeling lead to 5-3.

Wheeling would answer less than a minute later with another goal from Nick Saracino. Hirano hit an Admirals player along the right wall in the corner which freed up the puck. Cam Brown gathered the lose puck in the right corner. Brown fed the puck to Saracino who had an easy tap-in at the back post to give Wheeling a 6-3 lead.

Norfolk answered with a goal just 17 seconds into the third period. T.J. Melancon intercepted a breakout pass and kept it in the Wheeling end. Melancon played the puck to the middle of the ice for Chris Crane. Crane shot the puck from between the circles that beat Ruby between the legs to cut the Wheeling lead to 6-4.

Norfolk added another tally with another goal from Jake Wood. Ty Reichenbach stopped the puck behind his net which allowed a breakout of the Norfolk end. Smereck skated from his own end into the Wheeling zone. Smereck fed a pass from outside the left circle to a crashing Jake Wood, who redirected the shot home to cut the wheeling lead to 6-5.

Norfolk would tie the game on a shot from Jalen Smereck. Jake Wood started the rush and skated into the Wheeling end. Wood fed the puck back to the point for Austin Frank. Frank played the puck over to the right circle for Smereck. Smereck skated to the faceoff dot and his wrister beat Ruby to even the game at six goals apiece.

The game would go to overtime and eventually to a shootout. Cam Brown beat Reichenbach in the second round of the shootout to give Wheeling the 7-6 win. Ty Reichenbach made 38 saves on 44 shots while Matt O'Connor made eight saves and three more in the shootout to get the win for Wheeling.

Three Stars

1 Nick Saracino (WHL) - (2G,1A)

2 Jake Wood (NOR) - (2G, 1A)

3 Yushiroh Hirano (WHL) - (3A)

To view a box score / game sheet CLICK HERE

The two teams will meet again on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. at Scope.

Upcoming Home Games & Promotions

Friday, December 21, vs. Wheeling, 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, December 22, vs. Wheeling, 7:00 p.m. - Hockey & Holly!

Coming Soon: Pink in the Rink presented by Cavalier Auto Group, take place on Saturday, January 19 against Jacksonville. The game will be played on pink ice and pink jerseys. Wear your pink as raise awareness for breast cancer prevention and research.

Admirals Ticket Information

Holiday Ticket Packs: Give the gift of hockey and receive four red-level ticket vouchers to be used for any 18-19 regular season game, an Admirals navy beanie, Admirals scarf and Admirals Holiday puck for just $65! (This is a $125 value!) To purchase, contact the Admirals office at 757-640-1212!

Single Game Tickets may be purchased at the Scope Box Office, or online at Ticketmaster.com

Discounted Group Tickets: Bring your group of 10 or more to a game at a discounted price! Group tickets are available for all home games. Fundraising opportunities are also available.

2018-19 Ticket Packages are Currently on Sale! The Admirals offer flexible partial plans that will best fit your schedule and budget! To view pricing and benefits of all available ticket packages CLICK HERE

For more information regarding ticket options, or Norfolk Admirals Hockey, visit NorfolkAdmirals.com or call the Admirals office at (757) 640-1212!

Check out the Norfolk Admirals Statistics




Images from this story

Norfolk Admirals forward Chris Crane
Norfolk Admirals forward Chris Crane
(Paul Jensen Photography)		   

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