Sports stats



AHL Norfolk Admirals

Gibson Victorious in Return as Admirals Defeat Monarchs 3-2

October 17, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Norfolk Admirals News Release


NORFOLK, Va. - With John Gibson back between the pipes, the scene was awfully familiar to last year's first round Calder Cup Playoff matchup between Norfolk and Manchester. Gibson, who was re-assigned from the Anaheim Ducks to the Admirals on Wednesday, looked rock solid in his return to the Scope.

The ill will from last year's playoff upset courtesy of Norfolk carried over to tonight's game. Nic Kerdiles took exception after a borderline check from Manchester's Scott Sabourin. The two dropped the gloves in a spirited bout just 3:52 into the first period. The physical play in the opening 20 minutes was not done there. Moments later, Norfolk's John Kurtz took on heavyweight Kevin Raine as the center ice attraction. Kurtz landed several heavy rights, to the delight of the Admirals fans.

Unfortunately the fights outnumbered the goals in the first period. Seconds into an Admirals power play, Manchester's David Van der Gulik raced in alone on a breakaway and beat John Gibson between the legs to give the Monarchs a 1-0 lead at 16:08. The first period came to end with that same score.

Norfolk killed off an early penalty in the second period thanks to a smooth right pad stop by Gibson. The beauty of Gibson's save was matched at the other end of the ice. Nic Kerdiles pulled off a spin move to spring Antoine Laganiere unimpeded towards the Manchester net. Laganiere slipped the backhand past Jean-Francois Berube to tie the game at 1-1.

With Gibson standing tall between the pipes, the Admirals offense had finally awoken. Less than three minutes after Laganiere's tally, Norfolk forward Matt Bailey's shot somehow found its way to the back of the net, putting the Admirals up 2-1.

The back-and-forth affair continued throughout the second period with both teams trading chances and power plays. Just when it appeared that the Admirals would enter the final 20 minutes with the lead, Manchester's Nick Shore tapped in a loose puck to tie the game at 2-2 with no time remaining in the second period.

Any momentum that Manchester may have gained, vanished quickly in the third period. Stefan Noesen walked in alone and roofed it over Berube's glove. All of a sudden Norfolk was back on top, leading 3-2, 4:09 into the third period.

The chippy play was not finished, though. Norfolk's Nathan McIver got involved in his second bout of the night, this time with Scott Sabourin as tempers continued to flare. McIver and Sabourin were both slapped with game misconducts for fighting a second time.

From there, Norfolk clamped down defensively in front of Gibson. With an empty net, Manchester put the pressure on in the Norfolk zone. The goalie once again stood tall under heavy pursuit late. Gibson made a sprawling post to post save with less than 30 seconds remaining, ensuring the win for the Admirals by a final score of 3-2.

It is Gibson's first win in an Admirals jersey this season. He stopped 32 shots while his counterpart Berube turned aside 21. Berube suffers his first setback of the season.

The Admirals host the Monarchs once again tomorrow night. Tickets are still available at the Scope Box Office, Ticketmaster outlets, and ticketmaster.com. Faceoff is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.

Check out the Norfolk Admirals Statistics

• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...

American Hockey League Stories from October 17, 2014


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.

Other Recent Norfolk Admirals Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central