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AHL Norfolk Admirals

Norfolk Admirals Weekly

March 24, 2015 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Norfolk Admirals News Release


NORFOLK, Va. - The Norfolk Admirals skated away with one win and two losses in their last three games of the season-long seven-game road trip.

Their first and only win of the final three games came from a midweek matchup with the Albany Devils. The Admirals only needed one goal to claim victory, and Stefan Noesen supplied the marker. Defenseman Jaycob Megna held the puck behind his own net and sent an errant pass all the way down to the opposite end of the ice. Noesen beat out Albany to cancel the icing call before stuffing a wraparound chance past Scott Clemmensen. The 1-0 victory snapped the team's eight-game losing streak as they headed to Binghamton for a Friday night contest.

Binghamton bested Norfolk for the third time in the month of March on Friday night. The Admirals scored two early goals for a first-period lead. Nathan McIver's presence in front of the net and a hard shot from Jaycob Megna led to the first goal at 3:09 of the first period. The 2-0 lead was from a two-on-one composed of Mike Sgarbossa and Noesen. Sgarbossa's wrist shot doubled the lead at 16:04 of the first. Just before the period ended, Binghamton cut the deficit in half, making it a 2-1 game after 20 minutes. A two-goal lead was once again in the Admirals hands at 6:25 of the second period. Max Friberg sent a slapper whizzing by the netminder to put the Admirals up 3-1. The Senators roared back to score three unanswered goals for a 4-3 come-from-behind win.

For the last away game the Admirals headed back to Albany for the second meeting of the season with the Devils. It was another three-goal game for Norfolk, but once again their opponents would one-up them with four. Albany scored first then a Chris Wagner tally tied the game, and with less than three minutes to go in the first, Jaycob Megna sent a rocket to the back of the net. The Admirals went into the first intermission up 2-1. Three more goals came in the second frame, two from Albany and one from Norfolk's John Kurtz. The Devils secured their 4-3 victory on the power play at 14:39 of the last period to split the first two meetings between Albany and Norfolk so far this season.

The Admirals will begin a six-game homestand by hosting the Charlotte Checkers on Wednesday night at 7:15 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 23-34-5-3 (52 points), the Admirals are in 5th place in the East Division and are 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., Mar. 25 ... vs. Charlotte Checkers (Carolina Hurricanes) ... 7:15 p.m.

Fri., Mar. 27 ... vs. Albany Devils (New Jersey Devils) ... 7:30 p.m.

Sat., Mar. 28 ... vs. Albany Devils (New Jersey Devils) ... 7:15 p.m.

ADMIRALS SPOTLIGHT

- Former Admiral and Ducks defenseman Sami Vatanen returned to the Anaheim lineup over the weekend after a month-long absence in which he missed 15 games due to a lower-body injury. The native of Finland played a full season with Norfolk in 2012-13 and parts of last season before receiving the full-time assignment with the NHL club. Vatanen has 12 goals and 24 assists for 36 points this season, and is tied for second among NHL defenseman with seven power-play goals.

ADMIRALS LOG

Robbie Czarnik and Brandon Montour each made their Admirals debut on the road this past weekend. Montour, a University of Massachusetts-Amherst product, earned two assists and leads the team as a plus-3 on the ice in three games. Czarnik debuted on Saturday and is a minus-1 with two penalty minutes in one game for Norfolk up from ECHL Ontario. Two other recent additions, Rocco Carzo and Mike Sgarbossa, have chipped in since becoming an Admiral. Carzo picked up his first point for Norfolk last Wednesday versus Albany when he assisted on the lone goal of the evening. Sgarbossa has three goals and an assist in nine games for the Admirals since arriving in Hampton Roads at the trade deadline in a transaction that sent defenseman Mat Clark to Lake Erie.

NORFOLK LEADERS

Goals: Chris Wagner (15)

Assists: Mike Sgarbossa (20)

Points: Max Friberg (29)

Games: Dave Steckel (65)

PP Goals: Louis Leblanc (5)

SH Goals: Max Friberg, Chris Wagner (2)

+/- Rating: Brandon Montour (3)

PIM: John Kurtz, Nathan McIver (162)

GAA: Jason LaBarbera (2.50)

Spct: Jason LaBarbera (.917)

Wins: Jason LaBarbera (8)

Losses: Jason LaBarbera (20; 6 in OT)

GPl: Jason LaBarbera (30)

Minutes: Jason LaBarbera (1705:41)

ABOUT THIS WEEK ' S MATCHUPS

As the 2014-15 season winds down, the Admirals find themselves facing foes Charlotte and Albany for the final times this year. Norfolk holds a slim record over the Checkers, 4-3, with three of the clubs ' matchups requiring overtime or a shootout to conclude. The Admirals and Devils are well-acquainted of recent, and just finished a set in New York last week in which each team skated home with one win apiece.

Charlotte remains at 13th in the Western Conference and 10 points out of the eighth and final playoff position. Though they suffered 6-1 and 9-3 blowouts to Oklahoma City and San Antonio, the Checkers ' two straight wins over Iowa give them seven in their last 11 contests. Only 20 years old, Trevor Carrick ' s 26 points are good for third on the team and first among defensemen. The blueliner has tallied five multi-point outings this season, four of which occurred during the month of March, and he is third among AHL rookie defensemen in scoring. Justin Shugg commandeered Charlotte ' s leaderboard in goals (19) and points (36), efforts which place him sixth on the franchise ' s all-time points list with 108 in 202 games. The Checkers ' power play is operating at an alarming rate, converting in 10 of Charlotte ' s last 14 games at a 22.5% clip (13-for-51). Six of the last eight games have seen goaltender Drew MacIntyre start, and his 2,544 minutes played are fourth in the AHL, supplementing his second-place 1,265 saves.

CHARLOTTE LEADERS

Justin Shugg (19)

Assists: Trevor Carrick (20)

Points: Justin Shugg (36)

Games: Trevor Carrick, Phil Di Giuseppe (66)

PP Goals: Zach Boychuk, Chad LaRose, Justin Shugg (6)

SH Goals: Greg Nemisz, Brendan Woods (2)

+/- Rating: Greg Nemisz (1)

PIM: Kyle Hagel (149)

GAA: John Muse (2.71)

Spct: John Muse (.916)

Wins: Drew MacIntyre (18)

Losses: Drew MacIntyre (26; 4 in OT)

GPl: Drew MacIntyre (44)

Minutes: Drew MacIntyre (2544:40)

Following their 1-0 defeat to Norfolk, Albany went on to even the series with a 4-3 victory, and then overwhelm the Hartford Wolf Pack with a franchise record-tying five goals in the third period to win it, 5-3. Three of the Devils ' goals came on the power play, a unit which had gone 1-for-28 over the previous seven games. Albany currently sits at 10th in the Eastern Conference, six points behind Springfield for a playoff spot and desperate to make up the difference. Raman Hrabarenka added to his two-point night against the Admirals with a goal on Sunday to bring the blueliner to four points in his last five outings and pass Reece Scarlett for second among Devils defensemen. Winger Paul Thompson broke a tie for team leader with a goal and assist against Hartford, bringing his total to 26 goals and 46 points. Scott Wedgewood ' s win over the Admirals improved his March record to 3-1-1 with a 1.51 goals-against average and a .942 save percentage, which will perhaps prompt Albany to start him at Scope this weekend.

After suffering offensively for a while, Norfolk found its scoring touch with consecutive three-goal matches against Binghamton and Albany, though both came in losses. Max Friberg overtook Chris Wagner for the team points lead during the Admirals ' road trip, offering five points in the seven games and recording two consecutive multi-point contests. Despite being sent up to Anaheim for a few stretches, Friberg ' s .62 points-per-game this season is well above his .54 points-per-game output from last year, setting him on pace for 36 points in 58 games. Wagner may not be around to provide competition this week, as the Ducks recalled him on Monday to aid their injured roster. With just one point in 18 games entering last weekend, Jaycob Megna is on a three-game point streak and scored his first goal on Saturday. Three games into his amateur tryout contract, Brandon Montour has assists in back-to-back games, one of which came on the power play, and owns a plus-minus rating of +3 over that timespan. Although the Admirals capitalized on the man-advantage on Saturday, they are just 1-for-26 dating back to March 8.

ALBANY LEADERS

Paul Thompson (26)

Assists: Joe Whitney (27)

Points: Paul Thompson (46)

Games: Corbin McPherson (65)

PP Goals: Paul Thompson (8)

SH Goals: Five players tied (1)

+/- Rating: Graham Black (11)

PIM: Dan Kelly (123)

GAA: Scott Clemmenson (2.53)

Spct: Scott Clemmenson (.906)

Wins: Scott Wedgewood (10)

Losses: Scott Wedgewood (19; 6 in OT)

GPl: Scott Wedgewood (32)

Minutes: Scott Wedgewood (1761:56)

**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)

Buy one (1) $9 Student Rush ticket after 2 p.m. on game day at the Scope Box Office and receive one coupon for a free Student Rush ticket for next Wednesday's game versus Lehigh Valley on April 1. Offer available only on March 25 at the Scope Box Office.

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 24, 2015


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