AHL Norfolk Admirals

Norfolk wins three of four on the road

February 23, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Norfolk Admirals News Release


VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Playing in four different cities last week, the Blue and Gold won three games to reach .500 and fourth place in the East Division. The Admirals began the week with a 3-1 win at Providence on Monday, February 16. At Albany on February 18, three second period goals lifted the Blue and Gold to a 4-2 victory over the River Rats. Norfolk saw its five-game winning streak come to an end with a 3-2 loss at Lowell on February 20. The team bounced back the next night with a 2-1 win at Bridgeport.

The Binghamton Senators (Ottawa Senators) make their first appearances of the season at Scope on Friday, February 27 and Saturday, February 28. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. each night.

The Admirals are fourth in the East Division with a record of 26-26-4-5 (61 points). They trail Bridgeport (30-15-8-3, 71 points), Philadelphia (32-18-5-1, 70 points) and Hershey (26-23-8-4, 64 points), and are followed by Binghamton (26-23-6-2, 60 points), Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (22-21-7-5, 56 points) and Albany (15-25-10-6, 46 points).

THE WEEK AHEAD

Friday, February 27 ... Norfolk vs. Binghamton Senators ... 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, February 28 ... Norfolk vs. Binghamton Senators ... 7:30 p.m.

The Admirals are 1-2-0-0 against the Senators this year, with all three previous contests having being played in Binghamton. The B-Sens' 157 goals scored are most in the Eastern Conference. Only Albany's six road victories are fewer than the Senators' eight road wins in the East Division. Binghamton is the second-most penalized team in the AHL with 1,475 PIM and a 25.88 PIM average per game (Philadelphia - 1,639 PIM, 29.27 PIM per game). The squad's power play unit is ninth in the League (15.8) and its penalty killers are 13th (86.2). Denis Hamel tops the club in goals (21), assists (28) and points (49) and shorthanded tallies (three). He is tied with Albany 's Craig Darby for eighth in the League in scoring. Alexandre Giroux is second on the B-Sens with 16+21=37 points, and his plus-17 rating is best on the team and places him 10th in the AHL in that category. David Hymovitz owns the lowest rating on Binghamton at minus-15. Brian McGrattan leads the B-Sens and is second in the League with 244 PIM. (Peter Vandermeer, PHI - 298 PIM). Minding the cage, Ray Emery is 18-14-5 with a 2.30 GAA and a .925 spct. in 38 appearances. He is tied with Marc Lamothe (GRA) and Travis Scott (SAN) for third in the AHL in wins. Billy Thompson is 8-11-1 with a 2.86 GAA and a .902 spct. in 23 games.

UPCOMING GAMES/PROMOTIONS

Friday, February 27 (Binghamton Senators)

* Chick-Fil-A Night. Chick-Fil-A will be handing out coupons at the doors and the ever-popular cows will appear on the concourse and during the intermissions. As always, flying cows will parachute into the stands.

Saturday, February 28 (Binghamton Senators)

* The Admirals take on the B-Sens once again in a key East Division match up.

Wednesday, March 3 (Philadelphia Phantoms)

* Chick-Fil-A Night. Chick-Fil-A will be handing out coupons at the doors and the ever-popular cows will appear on the concourse and during the intermissions. As always, flying cows will parachute into the stands.

Friday, March 5 (Albany River Rats)

* Reader Rewards Night. Subscribers to The Virginian-Pilot who present their Reader Rewards KeyCard at the Scope Box Office will receive an adult Blue or White level ticket for just $8.00.

Sunday, March 7 (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins)

* Family Fun Pack Night. Receive a Blue level ticket, hot dog and soft drink for just $11.00. Available at the Scope Box Office and all TicketMaster outlets.

* Post-Game Autograph Session. The Admirals will be available for a special autograph session following the game.

TEAM NOTEBOOK

* Norfolk is 10-3-1-0 over its last 14 games (since January 23 vs. Springfield). The Blue and Gold have out-scored the opposition 42-26 over that span, and have held their foes to two goals or less in 11 of those contests.
* The Admirals' 2-1 win at Bridgeport on February 21 improved their record to 3-1-0-1 against the East Division leaders this season, and 5-1-0-1 all-time against the Sound Tigers.
* C Ajay Baines had an eight-game point streak snapped at Bridgeport on February 21. He netted 11 points (three goals, seven assists) and a plus-11 rating from February 6 through February 20.
* G Michael Leighton appeared in his 100th AHL game and 100th as an Admiral on February 20 at Lowell
* LW Quintin Laing skated in his 200th AHL contest and 200th with the Blue and Gold on February 21 at Bridgeport.
* C Brandin Cote saw action in his 100th AHL match and 100th with Norfolk at Bridgeport on February 21.
* D Marty Wilford played in his 250th game with the Admirals on February 21 at Bridgeport.
* D Burke Henry recorded his 100th AHL point with an assist at Bridgeport on February 21.
* The Chicago Blackhawks recalled RW Shawn Thornton on Saturday, February 21.
* Today, the Blackhawks recalled G Michael Leighton and reassigned G Adam Munro to the Admirals.

ON THE RADIO

All games are broadcast on the Admirals' Flagship Station, AM-1230 WJOI. The games are also cybercast on the World Wide Web at SportsJuice.com. Go to www.SportsJuice.com, or click on the link at www.norfolkadmirals.com. Pre-game broadcasts begin 15 minutes prior to game starting time.

TICKET INFORMATION

Individual tickets for all remaining contests on the Admirals' home schedule are available at the Scope Box Office, all TicketMaster outlets, charge-by-phone at (757) 671-8100 and online at www.ticketmaster.com. Group tickets are available through the Admirals' office. For more information, visit the club's website at www.norfolkadmirals.com or call the Admirals at (757) 363-1900.

Check out the Norfolk Admirals Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from February 23, 2004


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