AHL Norfolk Admirals

Norfolk Admirals Weekly - Admirals Return to Scope

March 5, 2013 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Norfolk Admirals News Release


NORFOLK - Winners of seven of their past 11 games, the Norfolk Admirals look to continue their drive for the playoffs with games against the Charlotte Checkers and Hershey Bears this week at Norfolk Scope Arena.

The Admirals won two out of three games last week. They started the week Wednesday night in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, as they defeated the Penguins, 2-1, after Josh Brittain broke a 1-1 tie midway through the third period. They returned to Scope on Friday and tied their season high for goals scored in a game with six as they downed the Charlotte Checkers, 6-2. Peter Holland recorded a hat trick in the contest while Brandon McMillan scored twice. The Admirals finished the week up by dropping a close decision, 3-2, against the Bears in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on Saturday night.

The Admirals play three games in four nights this week at Scope. First they take on the Charlotte Checkers on Wednesday night at 7:15 in game six of the GEICO Challenge Cup. Wednesday's game is also an Admirals Value Night with Family Fun Packs and Student Rush Night tickets available. The Admirals then welcome the Hershey Bears to Norfolk for a Friday-Saturday set of games. Friday night is American Cancer Society Night and the first 2,000 fans through the gates will receive the third set of Admirals trading cards courtesy of JPM Financial Services/John's Tax Service. Saturday is Khedive Shrine Night and the fourth post-game skate of the 2012-13 season. For more details on these promotions, please continue reading below.

STANDINGS UPDATE

At 25-26-3-1 (54 points), the Admirals are in 5th place in the East Division and tied for 12th place in the Eastern Conference. The Admirals are seven points of the eighth and final playoff spot in the AHL's Eastern Conference with 21 games remaining in the regular season. Rank Team GP W L OTL SL PTS PCT

1 * Springfield Falcons 55 34 14 4 3 75 0.682

2 * Syracuse Crunch 57 34 16 3 4 75 0.658

3 * Providence Bruins 56 33 18 0 5 71 0.634

4 Binghamton Senators 56 33 17 1 5 72 0.643

5 Portland Pirates 55 32 20 1 2 67 0.609

6 Hershey Bears 57 28 21 3 5 64 0.561

7 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 57 30 24 2 1 63 0.553

8 Connecticut Whale 57 27 23 5 2 61 0.535

9 Albany Devils 54 24 19 1 10 59 0.546

10 Worcester Sharks 55 26 23 1 5 58 0.527

11 Manchester Monarchs 56 26 24 3 3 58 0.518

12 Bridgeport Sound Tigers 55 23 24 4 4 54 0.491

13 Norfolk Admirals 55 25 26 3 1 54 0.491

14 St. John's IceCaps 58 23 31 1 3 50 0.431

15 Adirondack Phantoms 55 21 30 2 2 46 0.418

*Division Leaders

Eight teams in each conference shall qualify for the 2013 Calder Cup Playoffs. Following the conclusion of each team's 76-game regular season, the three division winners in each conference will be seeded 1-3 (in order of regular-season points) and the next five best teams (in order of regular-season points) will be seeded 4-8.

THE ADMIRALS' WEEK AHEAD

Wed., Mar. 6 ... vs. Charlotte Checkers (Carolina Hurricanes) ... 7:15 p.m.

Fri., Mar. 8 ... vs. Hershey Bears (Washington Capitals) ... 7:30 p.m.

Sat., Mar. 9 ... vs. Hershey Bears (Washington Capitals) ... 7:15 p.m.

ADMIRALS' LOG

Norfolk is 7-3-1-0 in its last 11 games. Dan Sexton (2g, 6a) and Sami Vatanen (0g, 8a) lead the team with eight points in that stretch, while Peter Holland's five goals in only six games lead the team in that category. Frederik Andersen leads the way with a 4-0-0 record with a 1.51 goals-against average (GAA) and .944 save percentage (SV%). Frederik Andersen is on a six-game winning streak, which is the longest streak for an Admirals goaltender this season. In his last seven games, Andersen is 6-0-0 with a 1.21 GAA, .957 SV% and one shutout. Andersen currently sports a .931 SV%, which is good for third in the league and first among all active players in the AHL. His 2.16 GAA ranks fifth in the league and is second among active players. Sami Vatanen is on a four-game assist streak (5a) and has assists in seven of 10 games (8a) since returning from the NHL's Anaheim Ducks. Vatanen has four goals and 27 assists for 31 points in 44 games with Norfolk this season. He is tied for 6th in scoring by a defenseman, tied for 20th in the league in assists and tied for 14th in the league for scoring by a rookie. Dan Sexton has points and assists in four straight (1g, 5a) and five out of the last six games (1g, 6a). Peter Holland (3g) and Brandon McMillan (2g) were two of the five Admirals players with multiple-point games in Friday's 6-2 victory over Charlotte. Holland netted the second hat trick of the season for Norfolk (Corey Elkins, 10/19 vs. Connecticut). McMillan, who netted four goals in eight games after returning from injury, was recalled by the parent Anaheim Ducks yesterday and played in Anaheim's 5-4 shootout setback at Phoenix. It was McMillan's first NHL game since December 14, 2011. Norfolk has a strong penalty kill, killing 84.6% of penalties. This percentage is good for 10th in the AHL.

SCOPING THE COMPETITION - SCOUTING REPORT FOR UPCOMING HOME GAMES

Charlotte (33-19-2-3, 71 points) is second in the South Division and fourth in the Western Conference. Wednesday's game is the sixth of eight meetings in the GEICO Challenge Cup. Charlotte leads the season series, 3-2-0-0. Charlotte and Norfolk met last Friday at Scope. Charlotte took a 2-0 lead in the first period before the Admirals scored six straight goals to win the game, 6-2. Peter Holland scored a hat trick, while Brandon McMillan netted two goals for the Admirals. Charlotte's Chris Terry has 21 goals this season to lead the team and rank 10th in the league, as well. Charlotte is second in the league in penalty killing. They kill 86.6% of opponents' power plays this season. Hershey (28-21-3-5, 64 points) is third in the East Division and sixth in the Eastern Conference. Hershey's Jeff Taffe leads the league in assists (36) and is tied for fourth in points (51). Since being acquired on January 31st, Casey Wellman has 14 points in 14 games for the Bears.

ADMIRALS VALUE NIGHTS

The Admirals return to Scope on Wednesday as they face off against the Charlotte Checkers in another Weekday Value Night. The game will feature Family Fun Packs and Student Rush Nights.

Family Fun Packs include four discounted Red Level Tickets for just $54 plus four free hot dogs, four free popcorns and four free sodas. Fans get all of that for just $48 - that's a savings of $37.

Student Rush Nights provide $9 White Level Tickets (normally $17 on game days) for high school and college students with a valid current high school or college ID. In addition, when you buy a Student Rush Night Ticket, you get a buy-one get-one free offer for the next Student Rush Night.

Family Fun Packs are available at the Scope Box Office, all Ticketmaster Outlets, charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000 or online at Ticketmaster.com. Student Rush Night Tickets are available ONLY at the Scope Box Office after 2:00 p.m. on the day of the game.

AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY HOCKEY NIGHT 2013 IS FRIDAY

Join us on Friday for American Cancer Society Hockey Night 2013 as your Norfolk Admirals play the Hershey Bears at 7:30 p.m. at Norfolk Scope Arena. Red Level tickets for this game are available for just $11. If you were to buy these tickets at the Scope Box Office on game night, they'd be $19 - you save 42%! A portion of ticket sales go back to the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. Plus, the top-two selling teams will compete in an intermission broomball game.

This special offer is only good online at norfolkadmirals.com/groups and only through 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday . The order form will automatically expire at that time. After this time, only regular-priced tickets will be available through the standard ticket outlets (Scope Box Office, any Ticketmaster Outlet, charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000 or online at ticketmaster.com). To purchase tickets, enter the promo code ACS2013 in the box at norfolkadmirals.com/groups.

FIRST 2,000 FANS WILL RECEIVE THE FINAL SET OF ADMIRALS TRADING CARDS ON FRIDAY

The first 2,000 fans through the gates will receive the third and final set of 2012-13 Admirals trading cards, courtesy of JPM Financial Services/John's Tax Service.

POST-GAME SKATE AFTER SATURDAY'S ADMIRALS GAME

The Admirals will hold their fourth post-game skate of the season where fans can skate at Scope with their favorite Admirals following the game. A limited number of skates will be available or fans may bring their own skates.

ASSOCIATE COACH MIKE HAVILAND IS THIS WEEK'S ADMIRALS HOUR GUEST

The Admirals Hour, presented by Michael and Son, airs on Tuesdays from 4-5 p.m. on 102.1-FM, 1490-AM and 1021TheGame.com. This week, Admirals Assistant Coach Mike Haviland will join "The Voice of the Admirals" Pete Michaud and "The Original Admiral" Dennis McEwen. To join in the conversation, call (757) 490-2750.

DUCKS SITTING IN SECOND

The Anaheim Ducks (15-3-2, 32 points) are 7-1-2 in their last ten games, are currently leading the Pacific Division and are second place in the Western Conference. Last Wednesday, former Admiral Kyle Palmieri became the second-youngest player in Ducks history to record a hat-trick. Palmieri's three goals led Anaheim to a 5-1 victory over Nashville.

NORFOLK LEADERS

Goals :

Peter Holland (19)

Assists :

Sami Vatanen (27)

Points :

Peter Holland (38)

Games :

Mat Clark (52)

PP goals :

Patrick Maroon, Kyle Palmieri (7)

SH goals :

Troy Bodie, Emerson Etem, Peter Holland, Chris Wagner (1)

+/- Rating :

Chris Wagner (+10)

PIM :

Patrick Maroon (108)

GAA :

Frederik Andersen (2.16)

Spct :

Frederik Andersen (.931)

Wins :

Frederik Andersen (13)

Losses :

Igor Bobkov (16)

GPI :

Frederik Andersen (28)

Minutes :

Frederik Andersen (1582)

CHARLOTTE LEADERS

Goals :

Chris Terry (21)

Assists :

Riley Nash (24)

Points :

Chris Terry (44)

Games :

Brett Bellemore (56)

PP goals :

Chris Terry (8)

SH goals :

Zac Dalpe (3)

+/- Rating :

Zac Dalpe (+15)

PIM :

Nicolas Blanchard (94)

GAA :

Justin Peters (2.29)

Spct :

Dan Ellis (.922)

Wins :

Justin Peters (22)

Losses :

Justin Peters (12)

GPI :

Justin Peters (37)

Minutes :

Justin Peters (2072)

HERSHEY LEADERS

Goals :

Jon DiSalvatore, Jeff Taffe (15)

Assists :

Jeff Taffe (36)

Points :

Jeff Taffe (51)

Games :

Garrett Mitchell (57)

PP goals :

Jon DiSalvatore (8)

SH goals :

Garrett Mitchell (2)

+/- Rating :

Boyd Kane, Garrett Mitchell (+11)

PIM :

Steve Oleksy (151)

GAA :

Philipp Grubauer (1.99)

Spct :

Braden Holtby (.932)

Wins :

Braden Holtby (12)

Losses :

Braden Holtby(12)

GPI :

Braden Holtby (25)

Minutes :

Braden Holtby (1458)

TICKETS

Individual tickets are on sale now at the Scope Box Office, all Ticketmaster Outlets, charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000 and online at ticketmaster.com. Don't miss a minute of Admirals action by purchasing your season tickets today. Stop by the Admirals' Administrative Offices at Scope, call (757) 640-1212 weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or visit norfolkadmirals.com anytime.

ON THE RADIO/INTERNET

All regular season games will air live on "The Game" 102.1-FM, 1490-AM and online at 1021TheGame.com. AHL Live will also carry online video of every Admirals game on a pay-per-view or season pass basis. Fans can log in to watch, listen or get more information about AHL Live's online audio and video features at ahllive.com.

Check out the Norfolk Admirals Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from March 5, 2013


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