Admirals split with Falcons, tie Penguins
January 26, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Norfolk Admirals News Release
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. â The Blue and Gold played three games in three days last week, going 1-1-1-0 during the stretch. Four different players lit the lamp as Norfolk downed Springfield 4-2 on January 23. The next night, the Falcons enacted their revenge, as they slipped past the Admirals 2-1. On Sunday, January 25, Michael Leighton stopped 27 shots and Igor Radulov notched his fourth tally of the year as the Blue and Gold skated to a 1-1 draw at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
The Providence Bruins (Boston Bruins) make their first appearance at Scope since the 2000-01 season (and only one this year) on Friday, January 30. On Saturday, January 31, the Hartford Wolf Pack (New York Rangers) come to Norfolk for their only regular season contest. Both games face off at 7:30 p.m.
The Admirals are sixth in the East Division with record of 17-24-4-5 (43 points). They trail Philadelphia (27-14-4-1, 59 points), Bridgeport (25-11-5-3, 58 points), Hershey (22-17-8-3, 55 points), Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (19-16-5-4, 47 points) and Binghamton (19-19-4-2, 44 points), and are followed by Albany (13-19-5-5, 36 points).
THE WEEK AHEAD
Friday, January 30 ... Norfolk vs. Providence Bruins ... 7:30 p.m.
The Admirals are 2-1-0-1 all-time against the Bruins, including a 1-0-1-0 mark at Scope. Providence is second in the Atlantic Division (21-13-10-1, 53 points) and leads the AHL in ties. Boston's farm team has the fourth-most PIM in the League (1,058 PIM). The P-Bruins' special teams are sixth in the AHL on the power play (16.5) and 17th on the penalty kill (85.9). They average the fewest shots per game of any League club (25.44). Andre Savage is atop the Bruins' scoring list with 12+20=32 points, 31 of which have come since being loaned by Philadelphia (NHL) on October 29. Matt Herr has the highest rating on the squad at plus-10, while Mike Gellard 's minus-7 rating is currently the lowest on the team. Brendan Walsh and Colton Orr have seen the most time in the penalty box with 140 PIM and 136 PIM, respectively. Orr is second only to Syracuse's Brandon Sugden (159 PIM) in PIM by a rookie, and Orr and Walsh are both among the top 10 PIM leaders in the AHL. In net, Tim Thomas is 11-6-5 with a 2.07 GAA and a .938 spct. in 23 games, and Hannu Toivonen is 9-7-4 with a 2.23 GAA and a .926 spct. in 21 outings. Thomas is fifth in the League in save percentage.
Saturday, January 31 ... Norfolk vs. Hartford Wolf Pack ... 7:30 p.m.
Norfolk is 2-3-3-0 all-time versus Hartford, including a 1-1-2-0 record in Hampton Roads. The Admirals lost their previous match up with the Wolf Pack, 5-2 on January 4 in Connecticut. Hartford is atop the Atlantic Division (25-14-7-1, 58 points) and has allowed the second-fewest goals in the Eastern Conference (Bridgeport - 74 goals allowed). The Wolf Pack are 21st in the League with the man-advantage (12.77) and 12th when shorthanded (86.67). Chad Wiseman is first on the squad with 13+15=28 points. He shares the team-lead in goals with Layne Ulmer, while Cory Larose's 19 assists are most on Hartford. The Wolf Pack have a number of players among the League-leaders in plus/minus rating including Lawrence Nycholat (plus-16), Ken Gernander (plus-15), Matt Kinch (plus-14) and Jason MacDonald (plus-13). Craig Weller's minus-1 rating is the only negative one of current Hartford players. Garth Murray has 101 PIM to lead the club in that category. Minding the cage, Phil Osaer is 8-9-2 with a 2.06 GAA and a .917 spct. in 19 games. Recently recalled Scott Meyer has not yet appeared in net for the Wolf Pack this season.
UPCOMING GAMES/PROMOTIONS
Friday, January 30 (Providence Bruins)
* Autograph Book giveaway. The first 4,000 fans will receive a 2003-04 Admirals Autograph Book, courtesy of the American Diabetes Association.
Saturday, January 31 (Hartford Wolf Pack)
* The New York Rangers' AHL affiliate makes its lone appearance of the season at Scope.
* Issue Two of the Admirals' Official Game Program debuts. It may be purchased for $3.00 at the Souvenir Stand.
TEAM NOTEBOOK
* The Admirals are tied with the Hershey Bears for most games played thus far this season with 50 each.
* Of the Blue and Gold's 30 remaining contests, only 10 are at opposing venues.
* Norfolk is second only to Philadelphia in PIM (NOR - 1,095; PHI - 1,393), minor penalties (NOR - 340; PHI - 359), and total shorthanded situations (NOR - 259; PHI - 266). However, four teams are averaging more PIM per game than the Admirals' 21.90 (Philadelphia - 30.28, Binghamton - 24.32, Providence - 23.51, St. John's - 22.91).
* With a 1-1 tie against Wilkes-Barre on January 25, G Michael Leighton ended a three-game losing skid (January 17-24) since being reassigned to Norfolk on January 15.
* When Leighton was credited with an assist on Igor' Radulov's goal at Wilkes-Barre yesterday, he became the first Norfolk goaltender to register a helper in 99 regular season games. Leighton was also the last Admirals' netminder to pick up an assist, March 17, 2002 against Chicago.
* D Michal Barinka snapped a team-high seven-game PIM streak (November 15 - January 23, 22 PIM) when he stayed clear of the penalty box on January 24 versus Springfield. The franchise record for longest PIM streak belongs to D Johnathan Aitken when he picked up PIM in 11 straight games from October 18 - November 9, 2002 (45 PIM).
ON THE RADIO
All games are broadcast on the Admirals' Flagship Station, AM-1230 WJOI. 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 15 minutes prior to game starting time.
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. Pro-rated season tickets and group tickets are available through the Admirals' office. For more information, visit the club's website at www.norfolkadmirals.com or call the Admirals at (757) 363-1900.
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