Norfolk Admirals Weekly
Published on January 20, 2015 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Norfolk Admirals News Release
NORFOLK, Va. - The Admirals took on a lighter load this week with only two games to start a five-game homestand.
Norfolk spent the weekend with back-to-back games against the fifth-place Hartford Wolf Pack. The two games were the last two that they would play against one another this season, completing the four-game season series. Entering the weekend the series was split 1-1, but the Wolf Pack ultimately grabbed all four possible points while the Admirals managed one point.
Hartford would take their second win in the series and their first of the weekend on Friday evening. The Wolf Pack got on the board first at 10:55 when a wrister from Danny Kristo beat Norfolk netminder Jason LaBarbera. The second goal of the period also came from Hartford as Ryan Bourque lit the lamp less than seven minutes later to put Norfolk in a two-goal hole at the end of the first period.
Admirals captain Dave Steckel chopped the lead in half as he slapped one right between the legs of Hartford goaltender Yann Danis from a tight angle along the half wall. The third period proved to be what the Admirals needed. Emerson Etem blasted a loose puck over a fallen Danis to tie it up at 18:40 and send the two teams to sudden-death overtime. Hartford's Ryan Haggerty scooped a rebound off the rear boards over LaBarbera at 4:10 of the extra skate to snatch two points from Friday night.
The two teams met again a little less than 24 hours later on Saturday night for Scope's Pink in the Rink Night. The Wolf Pack posted a shutout victory behind goalie Mackenzie Skapski. Their defense held Norfolk to only 19 shots as LaBarbera stopped 24 of 26 shots for the Admirals at the other end. No goals were scored until 13:06 of the second period when Chris Bourque zipped a puck past LaBarbera on the power play. A two-goal deficit occurred when Marek Hrivik capped off a rush into Norfolk territory by placing a shot top shelf from high in the slot at 1:47 of the third period. Chris Mueller bulls-eyed an empty-netter at 18:46, handing the Wolf Pack a 3-0 result, four points on the weekend, and a 3-1 season-series victory.
The Admirals continue their homestand Wednesday against the Charlotte Checkers at 7:15 p.m. ahead of hosting the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins this weekend in back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday.
ON THE RADIO/INTERNET
All regular-season games will air live on 1650 AM WHKT "The Answer" and online at 1650theanswer.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.
Tune in live to 1650 AM "The Answer" every Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. for the "Admirals Hour" with the "Voice of the Admirals" Pete Michaud and the "Original Admiral" Dennis McEwen. Michaud and McEwen discuss the latest in Norfolk Admirals hockey, speak with guests, update you on the Anaheim Ducks, as well as answer any calls during the show. Ask Pete and Dennis your questions by calling in to the studio at 757-454-1650.
STANDINGS UPDATE
At 15-21-2-2 (34 points), the Admirals are in 5th place in the East Division and are in 15th place in the Eastern Conference.
Eight teams in each conference shall qualify for the 2015 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., Jan. 21 ... vs. Charlotte Checkers (Carolina Hurricanes) ... 7:15 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 23 ... vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh Penguins) ... 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 24 ... vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh Penguins) ... 7:15 p.m.
ADMIRALS SPOTLIGHT
- Former Admiral defenseman Hampus Lindholm is tied for the Anaheim team lead in the plus-minus category. He and winger Matt Beleskey are 13 points up while on the ice this season, each of them through 45 games played. Lindholm's line reads five goals and 19 points, one goal shy of his 2013-14 total and 11 points short of the 30 he accrued in 78 games last year. Also, Hampus turns 21 years old today and is the youngest member on the Ducks current roster.
ADMIRALS LOG
Forward Emerson Etem is lighting up scoresheets lately. He has five goals in seven games this month and a total of nine points in that span. In all but one contest he's scored in this season, Etem recorded multi-point efforts, including four in January. The hottest player on the roster went without a point last Saturday, yet still has three goals and five points in his last three appearances. Etem is operating at a point-per-game pace with 12 in 12 games this year with Norfolk. A 2-2-2 record is not indicative of the way goaltender Jason LaBarbera is playing this month. The British Columbia native is averaging a cool 1.80 goals-against per game and stopping 94% of pucks that reach him. He booked his first AHL shutout since the 2006-07 season at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on January 9. LaBarbera is 5-6-2 overall this season.
NORFOLK LEADERS
Goals: Louis Leblanc (11)
Assists: Brendan Bell (19)
Points: Brendan Bell, Nic Kerdiles (20)
Games: Brendan Bell, Nic Kerdiles, Dave Steckel (40)
PP Goals: Emerson Etem, Louis Leblanc (5)
SH Goals: Chris Wagner (2)
+/- Rating: Jared Nightingale (3)
PIM: Nathan McIver (109)
GAA: Jason LaBarbera (2.34)
Spct: John Gibson (.928)
Wins: Jason LaBarbera (5)
Losses: Jason LaBarbera (6; 2 in OT)
GPl: Jason LaBarbera (14)
Minutes: Jason LaBarbera (793:41)
ABOUT THIS WEEK ' S MATCHUPS
The Admirals continue their five-game homestand with a mid-week matchup against Charlotte on Wednesday, and finish up with a back-to-back against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this weekend. The foes are familiar opponents: the Admirals and Checkers have faced off four times this season, while the Admirals and Penguins have clashed five times. Norfolk should feel confident heading into the trio of games, as they hold a combined 7-2 record against their opponents.
After racking up a 3-1 run on their four-game road trip and getting balanced scoring from the team, Norfolk has since put together two straight losses to Hartford at home, including a 3-0 shutout. Despite the unfortunate outcomes, the Admirals have had plenty of bright spots. Most notable is Emerson Etem, whose tying goal on Friday was his seventh point in four games. Captain Dave Steckel strung together a streak of his own when he netted three goals in as many games coming into Saturday ' s outing. Brendan Bell crept up on Nic Kerdiles for the team lead in points, which they now share at 20 apiece. Bell ' s 19 assists have him tied for fifth in the AHL in that category among defensemen. Although he has played in 13 fewer games, Chris Wagner is just one point away from that same team points lead, and has three points so far in January. Max Friberg has also been proficient lately, notching five points in eight games this month. As usual, Norfolk will undoubtedly be comfortable either a man-up or a man-down at home: they rank third in the league on the power play (21.9%) and first on the penalty kill (88.5%).
Charlotte is currently in 13th place in the Western Conference and fourth in the West Division with 35 points in 40 games. They come into Norfolk on a hot streak, however, rattling off a 4-2-1 record over their last seven games. Zach Boychuk set a Checkers record on Friday, when his empty netter made him the franchise ' s all-time goals leader with 105. Chad LaRose has not wavered from his top spot in Charlotte ' s scoring and became the first Checkers player to record 20 points on the season. Ten of LaRose ' s points have been registered in his last 13 games, and he rides a two-game point streak. Preventing Greg Nemisz from getting looks at the net will be crucial, as he ranks third in the league in shooting percentage (25.0%). Expect the Checkers to give a strong effort if Drew MacIntyre is between the pipes: the club has come away with points in all but one of MacIntyre ' s last seven starts. In the Admirals ' favor is Charlotte ' s struggle to score goals, as they have an average of just 2.23 per game, as well as their power play, which comes in at a league-low 9.4%.
CHARLOTTE LEADERS
Goals: Justin Shugg (13)
Assists: Ryan Murphy (17)
Points: Chad LaRose (21)
Games: Danny Biega, Trevor Carrick, Rasmus Rissanen (40)
PP Goals: Chad LaRose, Justin Shugg (4)
SH Goals: Greg Nemisz, Brendan Woods (1)
+/- Rating: Zach Boychuk, Dennis Robertson (3)
PIM: Kyle Hagel (87)
GAA: Drew MacIntyre (2.50)
Spct: Drew MacIntyre (.919)
Wins: Drew MacIntyre (12)
Losses: Drew MacIntyre (12; 3 in OT)
GPl: Drew MacIntyre (27)
Minutes: Drew MacIntyre (1536:09)
The Penguins ' enthusiasm will be high coming into the back-to-back, as a win would put them in sole possession of seventh place in the Eastern Conference. To their misfortune is a recent string of losses: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has now lost six in a row, having not emerged victorious since January 2. However, the Penguins have gotten some of their most dangerous weapons back from Pittsburgh, including Derrick Pouliot. The defenseman maintains his team points lead with 21, despite playing in 14 fewer games this season. Jean-Sebastien Dea could be a factor. Although he is second in team points, he has only put up one in his last 11 outings. Jayson Megna has been responsible for some of the Penguins ' recent scoring, amassing three points in his last three games on just five shots. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton should have no doubts when it comes to goaltending, as both Matt Murray and Jeff Zatkoff have nearly-identical and impressive stats. Where Wilkes-Barre/Scranton suffers most as the visitor is on special teams: they rank 25th in the league on the power play and penalty kill, operating at a clip of just 11.4% and 79.8%, respectively.
WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON LEADERS
Goals: Jayson Megna (11)
Assists: Derrick Pouliot (14)
Points: Derrick Pouliot (21)
Games: Dominick Uher (39)
PP Goals: Jean-Sebastien Dea (6)
SH Goals: None
+/- Rating: Brian Dumoulin (12)
PIM: Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond (79)
GAA: Matt Murray (2.04)
Spct: Matt Murray (.920)
Wins: Jeff Zatkoff (11)
Losses: Jeff Zatkoff (12; 2 in OT)
GPl: Jeff Zatkoff (23)
Minutes: Jeff Zatkoff (1329:32)
**UPCOMING EVENTS AND PROMOTIONS**
Wednesday, January 21 vs. Charlotte Checkers
- Family Fun Packs (4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 popcorn, and 4 sodas for just $54)
- Student Rush Night (Purchase $9 tickets with a valid high school or college ID)
Friday, January 23 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Norfolk Public Schools Night
The Admirals are supporting the local public schools of Norfolk. $5 tickets are available through the school system. Contact Norfolk Public Schools for more information.
Saturday, January 24 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Khedive Shrine Night
A portion of ticket sales will be donated to the Khedive Shriners.
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.
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