Helenius starts first ever AHL game and earns a shutout with 41 saves
February 6, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Bridgeport Islanders News Release
Norfolk, VA - In only the first AHL start of his professional career, Norfolk Admirals' goaltender Riku Helenius stopped all 41 shots he faced to earn a shutout and beat the Sound Tigers 3-0. Brandon Bochenski tallied two goals in the contest and Brandon Segal added the third goal for the Admirals. Nathan Lawson was in goal for the Sound Tigers and played well, keeping his team in the game with 40 saves on 43 shots. The Sound Tigers' record drops to 27-16-3-2 and leaves them with 59 points.
Just over the halfway mark of the first period, Bochenski would open the scoring in the game with his 17th goal of the season. Justin Keller dumped the puck deep into the Sound Tigers' right corner where Norfolk captain Zenon Konopka beat a defenseman and threw a pass in front. Bochenski parked in the slot, redirected the feed past Lawson for the 1-0 Admirals' lead.
The Sound Tigers appeared to tie the score halfway through the middle frame. Sean Bentivoglio made a great play behind the Admirals' net to beat a Norfolk defender. Bentivoglio came out from the left post and hit Pascal Morency with a pass in front. The team's leader in penalty minutes caught the pass and snapped a shot over Helenius' glove that appeared to hit the back cross-bar but was ruled no goal, keeping the score at 1-0 in favor of the Admirals.
Bochenski would add to the Admirals' lead in the third when he wristed a shot from the left circle over Lawson's glove for the 2-0 lead. Radek Smolenak and Mike Lundin had the assists on Bochenski's second goal of the game and 18th this season coming 4:43 into the final period of regulation. Segal, the Admirals' All-Star representative, closed out the scoring with 4:22 remaining in the period. Smolenak fed a pass to Segal who cut in along the left-wing boards, beat Lawson in front and slid the puck into an open net for his 13th tally this season. Chris Gratton also had an assist on Segal's goal to give Norfolk the 3-0 shutout victory.
Helenius stopped all 41 shots he faced to earn the win and improve the Admirals' record to 19-22-2-5 to give them 45 points. Lawson finished with 40 saves on 43 shots. Both teams were unsuccessful on their man-advantages. The Sound Tigers were 0-for-8 and Norfolk was 0-for-4.
These two teams will take the ice once again tomorrow night against one another at 7:15 p.m. The Sound Tigers will conclude their three-game road trip, Sunday when they take on the Philadelphia Phantoms at 5:05 p.m. The team's next home game is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. when the Sound Tigers face-off against the San Antonio Rampage. For tickets or information on how you can receive group discounted prices, contact the Sound Tigers' front office at (203) 334-GOAL or e-mail info@soundtigers.com.
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