AHL Norfolk Admirals

Admirals Sweep Three on the Road

January 6, 2003 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Norfolk Admirals News Release


VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Blue and Gold extended their winning streak (and road winning streak) to four games as they won all three road contests last week. On New Year's Eve, the Syracuse Crunch scored three times in the first period for a 3-0 lead. But the Admirals answered with six unanswered goals of their own to win 6-3. In Cleveland on January 2, Marty Wilford had the game-winning goal plus an assist as Norfolk edged the Barons 2-1. The following night, the Admirals returned to Syracuse, where Craig Andersson stopped all 20 shots he faced to shut out the Crunch 3-0.

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh Penguins) return to Scope for their final match up in Norfolk this year on Wednesday, January 8 at 7:15 p.m. The Admirals host the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (New York Islanders) for the first time on Friday, January 10. Game time is 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, January 12, the Blue and Gold face off in Philadelphia against the Phantoms (Philadelphia Flyers) at 5:05 p.m.

Norfolk remains in first place in the South Division with 49 points (22-12-2-3). Hershey is second (18-11-7-1, 44 points) followed by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (16-16-2-3, 37 points) and Philadelphia (15-15-1-2, 33 points).

THE WEEK AHEAD

Wednesday, January 8...Norfolk vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins...7:15 p.m.

The Baby Pens hold a 4-3 edge in the season series, including a 3-1 mark at Scope. Wilkes-Barre is coming off a 6-3 victory over Albany in which Tomas Surovy netted a hat trick and Tom Kostopoulos chipped in with four points (1+3) of his own. Kostopoulos is the Penguins' scoring leader is 13+21=34 points. Surovy has 23 points (10+13) in 20 games this season. Ross Lupaschuk's 12 goals place him second among AHL blueliners, and his seven power play tallies lead all League defensemen as well as all Wilkes-Barre skaters. Shane Endicott has the best plus/minus rating on the squad at plus-3, while Toby Peterson and Milan Kraft are at the other end of the spectrum at minus-16 and minus-15, respectively. Jason MacDonald's 99 penalty minutes are most on the Pens. Between the pipes, Robbie Tallas is 5-4-1 with a 3.25 goals against average and a .901 save percentage. Sebastien Caron is 11-14-1 with a 3.12 GAA and .904 spct. He ranks among the League leaders in losses, minutes (1,499) and saves (734).

Friday, January 10...Norfolk vs. Bridgeport Sound Tigers...7:30 p.m.

The Admirals defeated the defending Eastern Conference champions in their first-ever meeting, 4-2 on October 12 at Bridgeport. The Sound Tigers, along with Rochester, have the most ties in the AHL, with eight apiece. Bridgeport is ranked fourth in penalty killing situations (88.03), but just 22nd when on the power play (14.09). The club is the third least-penalized one in the League, averaging 17 PIM per game. The Islanders' farm club has been outscored 36-27 in the third period this year. Trent Hunter tops the Sound Tigers in goals (15), assists (18), points (33) and power play goals (six). Former Admiral Mike Souza has 13 points (3+10), 27 PIM and a plus-2 rating in 28 games for Bridgeport. Alan Letang is the highest-scoring defenseman on the team with 3+15=18 points. Fellow blueliner Tomi Pattinen has a plus-8 rating to lead the Sound Tigers, while Matt Higgins and Sven Butenschon have the lowest ratings at minus-12 each. In net, Steve Valiquette is 8-5-1 with a 2.70 GAA and .910 spct. Former Boston University standout and first selection in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, Rick DiPietro has posted a 10-8-7 record, 2.29 GAA and .919 spct. in 25 games. He is seventh in GAA among AHL goalies.

Sunday, January 12...Norfolk @ Philadelphia Phantoms...5:05 p.m.

This is the fifth meeting between the clubs, with Norfolk holding a 3-1 advantage, including a 2-1 record at the First Union Spectrum. Philadelphia 's 11 home wins are the most of any South Division team this year. The Phantoms' special teams are ranked 19th on the power play (14.41) and 16th in penalty killing (83.89). They are the third most-penalized team in the AHL with a 28 PIM average per game. Peter White has the most points on the Phantoms' roster (15+20=35 points) and has posted 9+10=19 points since being reassigned to Philadelphia on November 13. Mark Greig has 15 goals and 19 assists (34 points) in 29 games. Among League defensemen, John Slaney's 22 assists place him second and his 25 points (three goals) tie him for third in scoring with Houston's Curtis Murphy. Peter Vandermeer leads the club with 142 PIM and is third overall in the AHL in PIM. Mike Siklenka's 99 PIM are the second-most of all League rookies. Antero Niittymaki has appeared in 19 games in the cage for the Phantoms, registering an 8-10-0 record, 2.80 GAA and .898 spct. In 15 games, Neil Little is 6-7-1 with a 2.29 GAA and a .913 spct. He is ranked eighth in the League in GAA.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS

Friday, January 10 (Bridgeport Sound Tigers)

*20/20 Night - to mark the Admirals 20th home game of the season, 20 prizes will be awarded at random to lucky ticket holders throughout the game.

* Family Four Pack Night - fans can receive four Blue Level tickets, four hot dogs and four soft drinks for $44.00. Available through the Scope Box Office and all TicketMaster outlets. (Not available for purchase day of the game.)

Wednesday, January 15 (Syracuse Crunch)

* Player portrait giveaway featuring D Marty Wilford to the first 3,000 fans, courtesy of the Tobacco Use Control Project (TUCP) (Player portrait #4 of eight).

* Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipbuilding Night - employees of NNS who show proper ID at the Scope Box Office or any TicketMaster outlet receive $2.00 off any ticket purchased.

Friday, January 17 (Syracuse Crunch)

* Rally Towel giveaway to the first 2,000 fans, courtesy of ACS Systems and Engineering.

Friday, January 24 (Philadelphia Phantoms)

* AJ Gator's pre-game party at the 244 Granby Street location in downtown Norfolk. Tickets are available through the Scope Box Office and all TicketMaster outlets.

TEAM NOTEBOOK

* D Marty Wilford has five points (2+3) over his last four games, and leads all Norfolk defensemen with 24 points on the year (seven goals, 17 assists). His plus-13 rating is highest on the squad.

* The Admirals are riding a four-game winning streak and four-game road winning streak (since December 29 at Hershey), their longest such streaks this season.

* With two wins over Syracuse and one over Cleveland last week, Norfolk improved to 5-3-0-1 against Central Division clubs this year, including a 4-1-0-0 mark at Central teams' barns.

* Norfolk's 14 road victories in 2002-2003 are the most in the Western Conference and the second most in the AHL (Hamilton - 16).

* In his first start since being reassigned from the Chicago Blackhawks on January 1, G Craig Andersson blanked Syracuse 3-0 on January 3 for his first shutout of the season. Andersson had been called up to Chicago on November 26, and made his NHL debut November 30 at Los Angeles in relief of G Jocelyn Thibault.

* D Burke Henry has 1+4=5 points over his last five games. His 18 helpers tie him with C Brett McLean for the second most assists on the Admirals.

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 9 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., when Pete Michaud welcomes Travis Moen and Quintin Laing as his 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.

Check out the Norfolk Admirals Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from January 6, 2003


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.

OurSports Central