Norfolk Admirals Weekly Release #7

Norfolk with two opportunities to end slide this week

NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk Admirals hosted three games and two different opponents during the week of Thanksgiving. The four-game homestand began on Wednesday with a blowout loss to Greenville that ended with a final score of 6-0. The next two games were both defeats as well, but Norfolk fell to the Manchester Monarchs by two combined goals in a two-game sweep on Friday and Saturday.

Greenville stormed into Norfolk for the second time this season looking to avenge a loss earlier in November at Scope. The Swamp Rabbits emphatically got their revenge by potting three goals in the second and third periods to win, 6-0, in a game that heated up with 12 penalties called in the final frame alone. A total of 54 penalty minutes were dished out, and the Admirals received 37 of them while allowing a goal on seven Greenville power plays.

A day after Thanksgiving, Norfolk and Manchester met for the first of two back-to-back games and for the fourth and fifth times in the last nine days. The Monarchs swept a three-game series with Norfolk the previous weekend, and did the same for the second weekend in a row. Friday's tilt featured a shootout in more than one sense of the word, as the two sides were tied, 5-5, at the end of regulation and overtime. The shootout lasted seven rounds and included a third round that saw Norfolk's Scott Allen score before Manchester's David Kolomatis answered to keep the Monarchs alive. Michael Boivin eventually found a way past Admirals goalie Ty Rimmer to clinch the 6-5 shootout victory.

On Saturday, Manchester edged the Admirals yet again, this time in regulation. Ben Betker put Norfolk on the board first, but it took less than 11 minutes for the Monarchs to tie then take the lead. Nicolas Blanchardtallied the equalizer with under four to play in the second, arranging a deadlock before the third period. Zac Larraza lit the lamp just 1:22 into the third to take a 3-2 Manchester lead, and the dagger followed with 3:13 to go on a goal from Matt Leitner for a 4-2 advantage. Scott Allen scored with 53 seconds left to narrow the margin to 4-3, but it was too little, too late, and the Monarchs escaped with a 4-3 win and two-game sweep.

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 5-14-0-1 (11 points), the Admirals are 5th in the East Division and are in 14th 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., Dec. 2 … vs. South Carolina Stingrays (Washington Capitals) … 7:15 p.m.Sat., Dec. 5 ... at Greenville Swamp Rabbits (New York Rangers) ... 7 p.m.

ADMIRALS SPOTLIGHT• Former Admiral forward Greg Chase notched his first career AHL point on Friday for Bakersfield when the Condors beat Stockton 6-5 on Friday night. Chase picked up an assist on the first goal of the game just 2:04 into the first period when he helped Kyle Platzer give the Condors a 1-0 lead.

ADMIRALS’ LOG• Norfolk's Charles-Olivier Roussel keeps rolling onto the scoresheet on what seems like a nightly basis. The defenseman from St. Eustache, QC had five assists this weekend and six helpers in the last three games. Once he finished the first month of the season with a goal and two assists in six games, Roussel erupted for a two-point night in the second game of November, which was part of a 12-point month that he averaged a point per game. He leads the team in points with two goals and 13 assists for 15 points in 18 games so far this season.

NORFOLK LEADERSGoals: Alexandre Ranger (6)Assists: Charles-Olivier Roussel (13)Points: Charles-Olivier Roussel (15)Games: Five players tied (20)PP Goals: Alexandre Ranger, Steven Whitney (2)SH Goals: Michael Pelech, Alexandre Ranger (1)+/- Rating: Scott Allen (2)PIM: Samuel Noreau (56)GAA: Nic Riopel (2.94)Spct: Ty Rimmer (.909)Wins: Ty Rimmer (4)Losses: Ty Rimmer (10)GPl: Ty Rimmer (16)Minutes: Ty Rimmer (861)

ABOUT THIS WEEKEND’S MATCHUPSThe Norfolk Admirals welcome the South Carolina Stingrays to Scope with the hope of snapping a nine-game winless streak. On Nov. 8 in Charleston, Norfolk only made 18 attempts on the Stingrays' net and goaltender Vitek Vanecek saved 17 of them, pitching a shutout through the first 45 minutes while his team built a 3-0 lead. Though the rookie Vanecek allowed six goals in his pro debut, he has not allowed more than three in each of his 11 appearances since then, and gave up more than one goal just once in his last five starts. Volume does not seem to be the answer when solving Vanecek, who faced an average of 23 shots in his six losses so far this year, so generating quality chances on the youngster could be the best way to beat him. He ranks eighth in the ECHL in GAA (2.00) and 10th in total minutes (691). The Stingrays don't give up much on the penalty kill, either, ranking just one spot ahead of the Admirals in the league with the seventh-best PK unit.

SOUTH CAROLINA LEADERSGoals: Brett Cameron (6)Assists: Joe Devin (10)Points: Joe Devin (14)Games: Four players tied (19)PP Goals: Joe Devin, Andrew Rowe (2)SH Goals: David Pacan (2)+/- Rating: Joe Devin, David Pacan, Andrew Rowe (8)PIM: Marcus Perrier (45)GAA: Branden Komm (1.50)Spct: Branden Komm (.935)Wins: Vitek Vanecek (5)Losses: Vitek Vanecek (5)GPl: Vitek Vanecek (5)Minutes: Vitek Vanecek (691)

The last time these two clubs got together sparks flew, and it wasn't in the warm and fuzzy sense. Greenville rolled to a 6-0 blowout win at Scope last Wednesday, and the two teams combined for 12 penalties in the third period, or 42 total minutes. Several players tangled after the whistle right in front of the Swamp Rabbits' bench, which led to two double-minors, two roughing minors, a 10-minute misconduct, and an unsportsmanlike conduct from that fracas alone. Thirty seconds after play finally resumed, Norfolk's Sam Noreau and Greenville's Darian Dziurzynski dropped the gloves. If there is any hangover from the pre-Thanksgiving matchup, you can count on a heavy dose of penalties and special teams play. As for what this game means, the Swamp Rabbits have struggled recently as well, so both sides will be looking to establish some sort of consistency with a win Saturday night in South Carolina.

GREENVILLE LEADERSGoals: Jack Combs (9)Assists: Jack Combs (11)Points: Jack Combs (20)Games: Sean Escobedo, Josh Nicholls, Ryan Rashid (20)PP Goals: Four players tied (2)SH Goals: N/A+/- Rating: Scott Fleming (6)PIM: Bretton Cameron (49)GAA: P.J. Musico (2.32)Spct: Jeff Malcolm (.920)Wins: P.J. Musico (4)Losses: Allen York (4)GPI: P.J. Musico (6)Minutes: P.J. Musico (361)

**UPCOMING EVENTS AND PROMOTIONS**

December 2 - Family Fun Pack, Student Rush NightFamily Fun Pack: four hot dogs, four sodas, four popcorns, and four tickets for just $54 to all midweek games this season.

Student Rush: With a college or high school student id you can purchase a white level ticket for just $10 on the day of games starting at 2:00. Plus you will receive a buy one get one ticket for a future student rush night. Head to Scope Box Office for this deal.

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.