Norfolk Admirals Weekly Release #9

Successful road trip rewards Admirals with three straight at home

NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk Admirals concluded a five-game road trip this past week ending with an overtime win.

The Admirals came up short against Elmira on Wednesday night at First Arena. The Jackals kept a 2-0 lead until 15:16 in the second frame when Tommy Mele knocked it past Elmira netminder Niklas Lundstrom. Jackal forward Allan McPherson answered with a shorthanded goal just 1:50 later. Alexandre Ranger then tightened Elmira’s lead to 3-2 at 1:19 in the final period. The Jackals answered again 1:26 later, as Mike Seidel stuffed one between Norfolk goalie Philippe Cadorette's pads. With 1:36 to play in regulation, Admiral Nick MacNeil scored the final goal during a power play, but the Jackals hung on for the 4-3 decision.

After a scoreless first period on Friday against the Adirondack Thunder, Norfolk netted their first of 6 goals at 1:04 when Jonathan Lessard’s shot found its way through Adirondack goaltender Ken Appleby’s legs. The Thunder made it a tie game at 9:55 when defenseman Jeff Silengo found the back of the Admirals net on a shot that looked to be redirected at the goal front. Michael Pelech was the last to score in the second frame with 3 minutes to go for a 2-1 advantage going to the third. Norfolk exploded for four more goals in the third period while shutting out Adirondack for the final 20 minutes. Alexis Loiseau, Scott Allen, Radoslav Illo, and Tommy Mele were among the Admirals to carve out a 6-1 demise for the Thunder.

Norfolk headed back to Elmira to face the Jackals for the second time last week on Saturday. Elmira netminder Lundstrom shut out all 46 shots on his net, while Norfolk backup Adam Courchaine saved 19 out of 22 attempts. The Jackals scored a goal at 10:49 in the first and 17:53 in the second period. Elmira hit their target again with 8:29 left in regulation making it a 3-0 game. Courchaine was pulled with just under five minutes to go to add an extra man for Norfolk, but Kevin Clare scored an empty-netter at 15:53 to seal the Jackals' third win versus the Admirals in four tries this season.

On Sunday, the Admirals concluded their five-game road trip with an overtime win against the Brampton Beast. Mele was first to light the lamp in the first frame as he redirected Alexis Loiseau’s shot at 5:44. Brampton answered with three consecutive goals to lead 3-1 after the first frame. Norfolk dominated the second period by scoring three goals of their own. Mele notched one at 3:58, Allen scored during a power play 1:49 later, and Loiseau converted on a shorthanded goal with 2:31 left in second period to regain the lead, 4-3, before the third period. It wasn’t until 6:57 in the final period when Jeff Brown evened the score to 4-4, but during a Norfolk power play, Pelech slid the puck across the goal line to put the Admirals back in front 5-4 at 17:24. Brown scored the last goal of the game during a Beast power play at 19:06, which lead to a 5-5 score and overtime. It only took 25 seconds for Norfolk to beat Brampton as Loiseau had a quick shot in the slot, giving the Admirals the victory.

The Admirals head back home to Norfolk for three contests. The Admirals will compete against the Reading Royals on Wednesday and back-to-back games against Adirondack Thunder on Friday and Saturday.

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 9-16-0-1 (19 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. 16 … vs. Reading Royals (Philadelphia Flyers) … 7:05 p.m.Fri., Dec. 18 ... vs. Adirondack Thunder (Calgary Flames) ... 7:30 p.m.Sat., Dec. 19 ... vs. Adirondack Thunder (Calgary Flames) ... 7:15 p.m.

ADMIRALS SPOTLIGHT• Goaltender Yann Danis played 11 games in the Admirals' net last season after being signed to a professional tryout contract as a free agent. Danis had two shutouts and five wins on a team that finished second-to-last in the AHL's Eastern Conference before he posted two more shutouts and 12 more wins as the backstop for the Hartford Wolf Pack later that season. He saw the Wolf Pack through to the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2015 Calder Cup Playoffs with a 7-7-0 record in 14 games. Now, Danis is first in the AHL in minutes (1211), tied for the AHL lead in wins (14) and shutouts (4), second in GAA (1.78), and is seventh in save percentage (.927) and saves (458) for the Albany Devils. Not bad for a guy who was without a job to begin last season.

ADMIRALS’ LOG• Tommy Mele is your new Admirals goals leader with 10 on the season. Mele was sensational on the last road trip as he recorded goals in four of the five games, including two in Sunday's victory over the Brampton Beast. In all, the Bronx native had five goals and an assist for six points during the road trip. For the last 11 contests, Mele has eight goals and three assists to average a point per game.• Alexis Loiseau has returned to the Admirals' lineup in a big way since joining the team on the road in Adirondack. On Friday, the rookie from Quebec participated in his first game for Norfolk since the day before Halloween, and registered a goal and an assist during a 6-1 victory over the Thunder. Two days later, Loiseau posted two goals and one helper, including the game-winning goal 25 seconds into overtime to lift Norfolk to a 6-5 overtime win in Brampton. For the year, Loiseau now has five goals and four assists for nine points in nine games as an Admiral.

NORFOLK LEADERSGoals: Tommy Mele (10)Assists: Charles-Olivier Roussel (17)Points: Charles-Olivier Roussel (19)Games: Five players tied (26)PP Goals: Nick MacNeil (3)SH Goals: Alexis Loiseau, Michael Pelech, Alexandre Ranger (1)+/- Rating: Steven Whitney (3)PIM: Samuel Noreau (78)GAA: Adam Courchaine (2.30)Spct: Adam Courchaine (.919)Wins: Adam Courchaine (2)Losses: Ty Rimmer (10)GPl: Philippe Cadorette, Nic Riopel (4)Minutes: Nic Riopel (224)

ABOUT THIS WEEKEND’S MATCHUPSNorfolk will play its eleventh home game of the season when it faces the Reading Royals on Wednesday night. The Royals (11-10-1-2) are ranked tenth in the Eastern Conference. Reading do not compete well on the road; they won 3 out of the 12 away games played. The Royals have a higher shooting percentage of .521 record whereas the Admirals have a .365 record. Norfolk will continue to play their physical game as they are ranked second in penalty infraction minutes (PIM) with 482 PIM compared to Reading’s 267 PIM. The Admirals netminder Adam Courchaine will expect Royal rookie Justin Crandall to shoot often as he is ranked the tenth top scorer in all conferences.

READING LEADERSGoals: Mike Pereira (12)Assists: Justin Crandall (17)Points: Justin Crandall (24)Games: Four players tied (24)PP Goals: Robbie Czarnik (20)SH Goals: Matt Hatch, Mike Pereira (1)+/- Rating: Mike Pereira (13)PIM: Ian Watters (49)GAA: Martin Ouellette (2.10)Spct: Connor Knapp (.904)Wins: Connor Knapp (6)Losses: Connor Knapp, Adam Morrison (5)GPl: Connor Knapp (13)Minutes: Connor Knapp (709)

The Adirondack Thunder will compete against the Admirals for back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday night. This will be the third and fourth time the Admirals and the Thunder meet this season, but the first time at Scope. Adirondack is ranked fourth in the Eastern Conference and have an impressive 9-2-0-1 record on the road to along with the best win percentage in the conference at .800. The Admirals rolled to a big 6-1 win over Adirondack last Friday, so it is safe to assume some residual effects may play a part in determining a winner this coming Friday. Contrasting styles will clash as the weekend begins and the prevailing style of play will most likely go a long way on the scoreboard. The Thunder own the second-fewest penalty minutes in the Eastern Conference while Norfolk has sat in the box for the second-longest period of time with 482. Adirondack rookie goalie Ken Appleby has been between the pipes both games versus the Admirals. Appleby is ranked 11th in the league in goals-against average (2.21) and has a save percentage of .925, good for eighth in the ECHL. His record of 10-3-1-1 consists of the second-most wins by an ECHL goaltender this year.

ADIRONDACK LEADERSGoals: Michael Kirkpatrick (9)Assists: Ryan Constant (12)Points: Michael Kirkpatrick (17)Games: Mike Bergin, Ryan Constant, Michael Kirkpatrick (20)PP Goals: Mitchell Heard (3)SH Goals: Ryan Lomberg (1)+/- Rating: Ryan Constant (11)PIM: Mitchell Heard (71)GAA: Drew Fielding (0.46)Spct: Drew Fielding (.985)Wins: Ken Appleby (10)Losses: Ken Appleby (3)GPI: Ken Appleby (15)Minutes: Ken Appleby (895)

**UPCOMING EVENTS AND PROMOTIONS**

December 16 - 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.

December 18 - Annual Toy Toss benefiting Toys for Tots, Boy Scout NightThe Admirals and U.S. Marine Corps team up for a night to benefit Toys for Tots. Fans should bring a new plush toy to throw on the ice after the Admirals' first goal of the game, which will then be collected by local Marines for donation to Toys for Tots. Fans can also donate stuffed toys at the Gwaltney Information Booth located at Gate 14.

It's also Boy Scout Night, which means members of the Tidewater Council ofBoy Scouts of America will be in the house to support the Admirals! The scouts will help Marines pick up donated stuffed toys on the ice once the Admirals score.

December 19 - Operation Smile Night, Post-Game Skate with the AdmiralsA night to support Operation Smile. Fans can benefit a meaningful cause while also enjoying a Post-Game Skate with the Admirals following the conclusion of the game.

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.