AHL Norfolk Admirals

Admirals stave off Bears' comebacks

Published on February 8, 2006 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Norfolk Admirals News Release


Mark Cullen's second goal of the game with 2:21 remaining was the difference in the game, and Pavel Vorobiev also netted two tallies, as the Admirals defeated the Bears 5-4 on Wednesday night in Hershey.

The Bears scored twice in the opening twenty minutes. Jakub Klepis entered the Norfolk zone, deked around a defenseman at the bottom of the left face-off circle and sent a backhander from the slot past netminder Corey Crawford at 8:58. Ten minutes later, Boyd Kane sent a pass from behind the goal line to Boyd Gordon in the low slot. Gordon one-timed the puck past Crawford at 18:54. For the first time in fifteen games, the Admirals were unable to get on the score sheet in the first period, as Hershey took a two-goal lead into the first intermission.

The Norfolk offense came alive in the second stanza as the Admirals sailed into the lead with three goals. The first goal came on the power play, as Martin St. Pierre sent a pass toward the slot from the half-boards to the left of Hershey netminder Frederic Cassivi. Nathan Barrett re-directed the pass behind the Bears' backstop at 4:00. Norfolk tied the game off a highlight-reel goal from Pavel Vorobiev. The Admirals' winger skated the puck into the attack zone, spun 360-degrees to elude two checking defenders and sent a wrister toward the net that deflected off the skate of Hershey defender Lawrence Nycholat past Cassivi at 7:29. Vorobiev gave the visitors the lead just under ten minutes later on a two-on-one break with Jason Morgan. Morgan skated into the Bears' zone with Hershey defenseman Mike Green in the slot between he and Vorobiev. Morgan waited for Green to go down to block the shot before sliding a backhanded pass from the bottom edge of the left face-off circle to Vorobiev at the top of the crease. Vorobiev converted the feed into a goal at 16:18. The Admirals led 3-2 heading into the third period.

Hershey tied the game at three goals apiece just under three minutes into the final frame, as Klepis scored a power play tally at 2:40. Mark Cullen answered four minutes later. Carl Corazzini's shot from the left face-off dot was stopped, but Cassivi juggled the rebound before losing it in the crease. Cullen located the loose puck and stuffed it home at 6:25. It appeared as if the Bears might force overtime late in the third, as Tomas Fleischmann's wrister from the slot beat Crawford with just 2:49 left in regulation. However, Norfolk took the lead for good just 28 seconds later. Quintin Laing sent a shot on Cassivi that was blocked back into the slot. Cullen skated from the corner, picked up the rebound and stashed it into the back of the net at 17:39. The tally proved to be the game winner as Norfolk defeated Hershey 5-4.

Corey Crawford earned the win and made 28 saves on 32 shots. Frederic Cassivi picked up the loss as he stopped 37 of 42 Admirals' shots.

Both teams were 1-2 on the power play.

Check out the Norfolk Admirals Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from February 8, 2006


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