Norfolk Admirals Weekly Release #5

Four games in five days loom as Norfolk ends road trip

NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk Admirals came up short at home last Tuesday to the Elmira Jackals, then headed to New York to redeem themselves on Friday night in their first road win of the season. Over the weekend, the Reading Royals swept the Admirals in back-to-back games. Norfolk is still tied for fourth in the East Division, and face the number one and number three teams in the division this week, the Adirondack Thunder and Manchester Monarchs, respectively.

The Elmira Jackals defeated the Admirals at Scope Arena last Tuesday night, for their first home loss since opening night. Norfolk hit the back of the net first, but allowed two consecutive goals from the Jackals and trailed, 2-1, going to the third. Tommy Mele tied it for the Admirals, but a two-goal third period was just enough for Reading to hold on for the 4-3 victory.

Norfolk challenged Elmira three nights later in New York on Friday, and acquired their first road win of the 2015-2016 season. Jordan Hill and Mele scored in the first frame, leading Norfolk to a 2-0 advantage after one period. Alexandre Ranger and Steven Whitney widened the gap to 4-0 in the third period before Elmira forward Tyler Currier answered with the final goal of the game. Norfolk goaltenders Ty Rimmer and Nic Ropel saved 36 out of 37 shots on net to combine for the 4-1 win.

The Admirals continued their excursion to Reading, Pennsylvania to compete against the Royals for a two-game matchup this past weekend. The Admirals ended the weekend falling to the Royals on Saturday, 3-2, and Sunday, 4-2. Rimmer denied 74 out of 80 attempts, while Connor Knapp and Martin Ouellette teamed up for Reading to save 44 out of 48. Norfolk struck first in both contests, and were outshot, 118-65, but scraped together a 1-2 record on the weekend.

ON THE RADIO/INTERNETAll regular-season games will air live on 1650 AM WHKT "The Answer" and online at 1650theanswer.com. ECHL.TV 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 ECHL.TV's online audio and video features at ECHL.TV. Also, Buffalo Wild Wings on Monticello Avenue in Norfolk and Laskin Road in Virginia Beach will show Norfolk Admirals away games during the 2015-16 season.

STANDINGS UPDATEAt 5-8-0-0 (10 points), the Admirals are tied for 4th place in the East Division and are tied for 12th place in the Eastern Conference. Below are the current ECHL Eastern Conference standings:

Click here for league standings

Eight teams in each conference shall qualify for the 2016 Kelly Cup Playoffs. Following the conclusion of each team's 72-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 AHEADWed., Nov. 18 … at Adirondack Thunder (Calgary Flames) … 10 a.m.Fri., Nov. 20 ... at Manchester Monarchs (Los Angeles Kings) ... 7 p.m.Sat., Nov. 21 ... at Manchester Monarchs (Los Angeles Kings) ... 7 p.m.Sun., Nov. 22 ... at Manchester Monarchs (Los Angeles Kings) ... 3 p.m.

ADMIRALS SPOTLIGHT• Forwards Greg Chase and Marco Roy joined former Admiral Alexis Loiseau in Bakersfield last week upon receiving their first career recalls to the AHL. Both made their AHL debut on Saturday in a 3-0 Condors win over the Ontario Reign. Both went scoreless, but Chase finished a plus-1 as Roy had an even rating while on the ice. Loiseau now has five appearances for Bakersfield with an assist and is a plus-3.

ADMIRALS’ LOG• The Admirals signed two players over the weekend, including Tommy Mele's brother, Steve. Steve joined the roster from the Huntsville Havoc, a member of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The younger Mele has 73 ECHL appearances with Greenville, South Carolina, Utah, Tulsa, Kalamazoo and now Norfolk.• After Nic Riopel left Friday's game in Elmira due to injury, the Admirals picked up goaltender Brent Troyanas an emergency backup to Ty Rimmer. Riopel and Philippe Cadorette, another Norfolk goalie, are both sidelined with injuries. Interestingly enough, Troyan's experience as an emergency backup goes all the way back to 2009-10. While he's never seen any regular season action, the Johnstown, Pa. native has filled in as a reserve goaltender for 10 ECHL teams: Gwinnett, Johnstown, Kalamazoo, Reading, Florida, Cincinnati, Utah, Greenville, Evansville and Norfolk.

NORFOLK LEADERSGoals: Josh Currie (6)Assists: Charles-Olivier Roussel (7)Points: Josh Currie (12)Games: Several players tied (13)PP Goals: Alexandre Ranger (2)SH Goals: Josh Currie, Michael Pelech, Alexandre Ranger (1)+/- Rating: Ben Betker (2)PIM: Gabriel Verpaelst (32)GAA: Nic Riopel (2.94)Spct: Ty Rimmer (.920)Wins: Ty Rimmer (4)Losses: Ty Rimmer (7)GPl: Ty Rimmer (12)Minutes: Ty Rimmer (650)

ABOUT THIS WEEKEND’S MATCHUPSThe Admirals (4-6-0-0) have four games remaining on this season-long road trip, and all four are against two teams in the East Division. The Adirondack Thunder (9-2-0-0) host Norfolk on Wednesday at 10 a.m. Adirondack is the top-ranked team in the East Division and the second ranked team in the Eastern Conference. The Admirals offense will need to solve a stingy Thunder netminder, rookie Ken Appleby, who is 7-2 in the nine games he’s played. Appleby is ranked seventh out of the top goalies in the league in goals-against average (GAA) with a 1.89 mark and has a save percentage (SV%) of .934.

ADIRONDACK LEADERSGoals: Michael Kirkpatrick, Louick Marcotte (5)Assists: Ryan Constant (9)Points: Ryan Constant, Kyle Flanagan (10)Games: Several players tied (11)PP Goals: Mathieu Brodeur, Mitchell Heard, Louick Marcotte (2)SH Goals: N/A+/- Rating: Ryan Constant, David Shields (8)PIM: Mitchell Heard (26)GAA: Ken Appleby (1.89)Spct: Ken Appleby (.934)Wins: Ken Appleby (7)Losses: Ken Appleby (2)GPl: Ken Appleby (9)Minutes: Ken Appleby (541)

The Admirals stay in the New England area for a three-game series against the Manchester Monarchs (6-5-0-0) in New Hampshire spanning Friday to Sunday. Manchester is ninth in the Eastern Conference, and forward Matt White has scored seven goals in 11 games played, tied for third-most in the league. Norfolk leads the conference in penalty minutes with 242, and will take a physical approach on White and the rest of the Monarchs to hopefully stymie their offense that consists of three double-digit scorers. Puck drops on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. at Verizon Wireless Arena.

MANCHESTER LEADERSGoals: Matt White (7)Assists: Matt Leitner (9)Points: Matt White (13)Games: Several players tied (11)PP Goals: Four players tied (1)SH Goals: Troy Power (1)+/- Rating: Maxim Kitsyn (10)PIM: Michael Boivin (22)GAA: Michael Houser (2.59)Spct: Michael Houser (.910)Wins: Michael Houser (5)Losses: Michael Houser, Colin Stevens (2)GPI: Michael Houser (7)Minutes: Michael Houser (417)

**UPCOMING EVENTS AND PROMOTIONS**

Tuesday, November 25 vs. Greenville Swamp Rabbits - Family Fun Pack, Student Rush NightMidweek games mean savings for you! Bring the family or three friends and get four Red Level tickets, four sodas, four hot dogs, and four popcorns for just $54. Students can purchase a $10 White Level seat when they present a valid high school or college ID.

TICKETSIndividual 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.