AHL Norfolk Admirals

Norfolk Admirals Weekly

Published on March 17, 2015 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Norfolk Admirals News Release


NORFOLK, Va. - The Norfolk Admirals continued to get the short end of the stick in their eight-game losing streak as their away trip extended. Two of their last three losses came against the Portland Pirates at the Cross Insurance Arena, and the other defeat came from the Providence Bruins at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.

The Admirals dropped their first game 2-1 in overtime against the Pirates on Friday night. Norfolk held the advantage for most of the final 30 minutes from a Louis Leblanc tally a little over halfway through the second period. It looked as if the Admirals would take home two points, but the Pirates scored with less than two minutes in regulation to send the game into extra time. The supplementary period didn't last long as Portland notched a goal at 2:28 to capture a 2-1 decision.

Saturday night's game wasn't any easier for the visiting team. Portland netminder, Mike McKenna blanked the Admirals by posting a 31-save shutout. Pirates' rookie, Henrik Samuelsson, and Brendan Shinnimin drew onto the scoresheet with goals to give the hosts a 2-0 win and four points in their back-to-back series against the Admirals.

Norfolk went straight from Portland to Providence for a Sunday matinee against the Bruins. Two goals within five minutes in the first frame would put the Admirals in a hole they couldn't dig themselves out of. Max Friberg narrowed a 2-0 Bruin lead on a shorthanded goal with 51 seconds left in the first. The 2-1 score lasted deep into the third period until another Providence goal at 14:27 put a Norfolk comeback out of reach, and an empty-netter sealed the 4-1 Bruin victory.

The Admirals look to snap their eight-game losing streak as the team heads to Albany on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.

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 22-32-5-3 (52 points), the Admirals are in 5th place in the East Division and are 14th 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., Mar. 18 ... at Albany Devils (New Jersey Devils) ... 7 p.m.

Fri., Mar. 20 ... at Binghamton Senators (Ottawa Senators) ... 7:05 p.m.

Sat., Mar. 21 ... at Albany Devils (New Jersey Devils) ... 5 p.m.

ADMIRALS SPOTLIGHT

- Former Admiral and Ducks goaltender John Gibson continues to roll for Anaheim. He's won five of his last six and eight of his last 10 in net as a Duck with crucial points on the line that will go a long way in determining Anaheim's seed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Gibson is 11-6-0 on the year and has a .919 save percentage and 2.51 goals-against average.

- Another former Admiral in James Wisniewski appeared in four games since Anaheim traded for him at the NHL Trade Deadline on March 2. Wisniewski notched his first point, an assist for the Ducks this season in the win versus Nashville two nights ago.

ADMIRALS LOG

The Admirals Hall of Fame grew by one today when a committee consisting of former Admirals and four season-ticket holders voted forward Randy Pearce as the 17th member of the fraternity. Pearce played parts of three seasons for the Hampton Roads Admirals, winning two ECHL championships in that time. He led the team as a rookie in goals, assists and points in 1991-92.

NORFOLK LEADERS

Goals: Chris Wagner (14)

Assists: Mike Sgarbossa (20)

Points: Chris Wagner (27)

Games: Dave Steckel (62)

PP Goals: Louis Leblanc (5)

SH Goals: Max Friberg, Chris Wagner (2)

+/- Rating: Mark Fistric (0)

PIM: John Kurtz (153)

GAA: Jason LaBarbera (2.47)

Spct: Jason LaBarbera (.916)

Wins: Jason LaBarbera (7)

Losses: Jason LaBarbera (18; 6 in OT)

GPl: Jason LaBarbera (27)

Minutes: Jason LaBarbera (1530:03)

ABOUT THIS WEEK ' S MATCHUPS

The Admirals approach the week ahead facing a familiar opponent in Binghamton, and an unfamiliar one in Albany. Battling one another four times in 10 days, however, will certainly stir up some unfriendly antics between the Admirals and Devils, who each took two games in last year ' s series. The Senators wrapped up Norfolk ' s latest homestand, a set in which the visitors prevailed by a 7-3 goals-scored margin. The two teams have one more meeting in 2014-15, slated for April 7.

No doubt, Norfolk ' s biggest concern is the lack of offense. During the current eight-game skid, the Admirals have sunk three goals just once, and a combined two goals in the last three games. Of particular note is the dry spell from the team ' s leading scorers in Max Friberg, Louis Leblanc and Chris Wagner. The former two capitalized over the weekend, but in their last four games the trio shares just three markers, and five in the month of March. New to Norfolk at the NHL trade deadline, Mike Sgarbossa has also been quiet: a promising three-point effort against Binghamton and Charlotte was put on hold, as the center hasn ' t scored since. With his 2.51 goals-against average and .916 save percentage, Jason LaBarbera remains the go-to goaltender for the Admirals, and in two of his last four games he helped Norfolk earn a point by taking the match past 60 minutes. Among these was the series against Binghamton earlier this month, wherein he saved 63 of 69 total shots.

With 14 games left on the docket and eight points back of a playoff spot, Albany is desperate for points to make a postseason push. The road has been bumpy of late, sending the Devils to a record of 5-5 in their last 10, including three tilts that went to overtime or a shootout. Like the Admirals, Albany struggles to score. Right-winger Paul Thompson, in possession of 25 goals and 44 points, chipped in a tally on Friday but has only two points in his last eight games. For his part, Whitney is scoreless in five straight and has only six points dating all the way back to January 30. Friday ended Stefan Matteau ' s six-game, six-point streak, which saw him contribute to a third of his team ' s goals during that timespan. Cam Janssen is available for this week ' s games after serving a five-game suspension for an illegal check to the head. Despite Albany ' s relative drought, they are an impeccable 21-2-1-3 when registering three goals, and 20-5-2-3 when allowing two or fewer goals.

ALBANY LEADERS

Paul Thompson (25)

Assists: Joe Whitney (26)

Points: Paul Thompson, Joe Whitney (44)

Games: Corbin McPherson (62)

PP Goals: Four players tied (7)

SH Goals: Five players tied (1)

+/- Rating: Graham Black (9)

PIM: Dan Kelly (98)

GAA: Scott Clemmenson (2.58)

Spct: Scott Clemmenson (.906)

Wins: Scott Wedgewood (9)

Losses: Scott Wedgewood (19; 6 in OT)

GPl: Scott Wedgewood (31)

Minutes: Scott Wedgewood (1702:00)

Sunday proved to be Binghamton ' s biggest offensive output of the season. Both Cole Schneider and Shane Prince had three-point nights for the Senators in their club ' s 8-7 overtime victory, which came on the heels of two consecutive one-goal losses to Hershey and Hartford. Prince ' s performance added to his two-point night on Saturday, and secured his 10th-ranked spot among the AHL ' s best. Defenseman Chris Wideman is six places below but no less helpful to the Senators, and looks for his seventh-straight game with a point. Look for John Kurtz (153 penalty minutes) and Darren Kramer (league-leading 225 penalty minutes) to go toe-to-toe with pride on the line for two clubs who are at least 13 points out of a playoff spot with 14 games left apiece. Given that the clubs are tied at 3-3 when facing off in 2014-15, bragging rights are up for grabs in the last two matchups of the year; Binghamton took last season by a convincing 6-2 margin. Norfolk knows 14th-ranked Scott Greenham ' s prowess well, having held the Admirals to seven goals in four games, although Norfolk may oppose Peter Mannino this time, who filed away the 8-7 win against Adirondack.

BINGHAMTON LEADERS

Cole Schneider (22)

Assists: Chris Wideman (33)

Points: Shane Prince (51)

Games: Carter Camper, Fredrik Claesson (62)

PP Goals: Derek Grant (8)

SH Goals: Buddy Robinson (2)

+/- Rating: Buddy Robinson (13)

PIM: Darren Kramer (225)

GAA: Scott Greenham (2.59)

Spct: Scott Greenham (.921)

Wins: Scott Greenham (12)

Losses: Andrew Hammond (15; 2 in OT)

GPl: Andrew Hammond (25)

Minutes: Jeremy Smith (1318:39)

**UPCOMING EVENTS AND PROMOTIONS**

Wednesday, March 25 vs. Charlotte Checkers

- Family Fun Pack (4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 popcorns, 4 sodas for $54!)

- $9 Student Rush Tickets (with valid high school or college student ID)

Friday, March 27 vs. Albany Devils

- BB&T Hat Giveaway to the first 2,000 fans through the gates at Scope! Doors open at 6 p.m.

Saturday, March 28 vs. Albany Devils

- Muscular Dystrophy Association Jersey Auction

Immediately following the game versus Albany, bid on special edition, game-worn jerseys auctioned off right on the ice. Total sales will go to the MDA.

- Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society Night

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.

Check out the Norfolk Admirals Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from March 17, 2015


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