Norfolk Admirals Weekly Release #11

Admirals move forward to remaining two games on road trip

NORFOLK, Va. – East Division opponent the South Carolina Stingrays swept the Norfolk Admirals in a two-game series over the weekend after returning from Christmas break. The Admirals fell 5-2 last Saturday and were shut out, 3-0, on Sunday afternoon.

On Saturday night, the Stingrays defeated the Admirals at North Charleston Coliseum. Just 3:05 into the game, South Carolina forward Jared Staal scored first, then 3:11 later, Stephan Vigier’s shot found the back of the net giving the Stingrays a 2-0 lead at the end of the opening frame. At 3:13 in the middle period, South Carolina gained a three-goal advantage on the power play when Vigier got another one past Norfolk netminder Adam Courchaine, who was then replaced by Nic Riopel. It wasn’t until 11:19 of the second when Alexandre Ranger answered for Norfolk, finally putting the Admirals on the board with a power-play goal. At the 18-minute mark, Jonathan Lessard tightened the margin to 3-2, which remained the score as the teams left the ice for the second intermission. For the majority of the third frame the 3-2 score did not change until Marcus Perrier interrupted a scoreless 17:36, widening the gap to 4-2. As the Admirals pulled Riopel to add an attacker, Andrew Rowe filled the empty net to make the final count 5-2.

The following day, the Admirals looked to avenge Saturday’s loss with a victory against the Stingrays in Charleston, but came up short. First to light the lamp at 18:33 was defenseman Nick Jones after a penalty was called on Admirals' captain Jordan Hill at 17:37. The game remained 1-0 after the second period, until Paul Rodrigues tipped in a shot at 7:36 in the final frame putting South Carolina up 2-0. The last goal of the afternoon was an unassisted empty-netter made by Perrier at 18:36, as South Carolina shut out Norfolk 3-0.

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 10-20-0-1 (21 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 AHEADTue., Dec. 29 ... at Atlanta Gladiators (Boston Bruins) ... 7:05 p.m.Wed., Dec. 30 ... at Atlanta Gladiators (Boston Bruins) ... 7:05 p.m.

ADMIRALS SPOTLIGHT• Former Admirals netminder Ty Rimmer recorded his second career AHL win the day after Christmas in a 5-3 victory for Bakersfield over the Stockton Heat. Rimmer made 21 saves in his first appearance of the year for the Condors.

ADMIRALS’ LOG• Nic Riopel finally made his return to the Admirals' crease on Dec. 26 against South Carolina. Though it was in relief of Adam Courchaine, Riopel turned aside 17 shots on 18 attempts in a little more than 35 minutes of action. He started the following afternoon versus the Stingrays and certainly kept Norfolk in the game with 22 saves on 24 shots, a 3-0 loss.

NORFOLK LEADERSGoals: Tommy Mele (10)Assists: Charles-Olivier Roussel (17)Points: Michael Pelech, Charles-Olivier Roussel, Steven Whitney (19)Games: Five players tied (31)PP Goals: Nick MacNeil, Alexandre Ranger (3)SH Goals: Four players tied (1)+/- Rating: Radoslav Illo (1)PIM: Samuel Noreau (100)GAA: Nic Riopel (2.63)Spct: Nic Riopel (.909)Wins: Adam Courchaine (3)Losses: Adam Courchaine, Nic Riopel (4)GPl: Adam Courchaine (7)Minutes: Adam Courchaine (356)

ABOUT THIS WEEKEND’S MATCHUPSNorfolk will finish their four-game road trip on Tuesday and Wednesday, December 29 and 30 when they face the Atlanta Gladiators (17-10-2-0) for the first time this season at the Infinite Energy Arena. The Admirals will then return home to take on the Gladiators again on Saturday night, January 2. Derek Nesbitt leads Atlanta in goals, points, and power-play goals, so the Admirals must keep a close eye on him at even strength and on special teams. Earlier this season, Nesbitt scored seven goals and three assists during a six-game streak, and has been a consistent producer for the Gladiators. The Admirals forwards will most likely face Atlanta’s netminder Kent Patterson who has 10 wins on the year in 14 appearances. Norfolk will continue to try and assert their physical style that's reflected by the 585 penalty minutes, tops in the Eastern Conference. Despite a top-10 penalty-killing unit, the Admirals must eliminate power-play opportunities for Atlanta to help their own cause.

ATLANTA LEADERSGoals: Derek Nesbitt (14)Assists: Garry Nunn (15)Points: Derek Nesbitt (27)Games: Five players tied (29)PP Goals: Five players tied (6)SH Goals: Six players tied (1)+/- Rating: Max Everson (5)PIM: Ian Barteaux (65)GAA: Kent Patterson (2.88)Spct: Kent Patterson (.902)Wins: Kent Patterson (10)Losses: Matt Ginn (5)GPl: Kent Patterson (14)Minutes: Kent Patterson (812)

The Admirals will finish the weekend in West Virginia against the Wheeling Nailers (14-12-1-2) at WesBanco Arena. This will be the fourth time that Norfolk will compete against Wheeling. The Admirals have won the last two games against the Nailers as Wheeling defeated Norfolk at home on opening night. The Nailers are ranked 10th in the Eastern Conference, and will be without the services of forward Riley Brace, the team's leading scorer. It will be a matchup of two teams that have struggled lately. Norfolk has lost back-to-back games and Wheeling has dropped its last three in a row, partially due to eight key players currently skating in the AHL including Brace.

WHEELING LEADERSGoals: Jarrett Burton (11)Assists: Jarrett Burton (14)Points: Jarrett Burton (25)Games: Four players tied (29)PP Goals: Derek Army (4)SH Goals: John McCarron (1)+/- Rating: Joey Leach (6)PIM: Patrick McGrath (73)GAA: Franky Palazzese (2.95)Spct: Franky Palazzese (.901)Wins: Franky Palazzese (8)Losses: Franky Palazzese (7)GPl: Franky Palazzese (16)Minutes: Franky Palazzese (937)

*UPCOMING EVENTS AND PROMOTIONS**

January 2 - Health and Wellness NightMake this the year you stick to your New Year's resolution. We help you get started by bringing local clinics and fitness centers to Scope so you can decide which is the best fit for you.

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.