Norfolk Admirals Weekly Release #13

NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk Admirals finished the week with a sweep of the Cincinnati Cyclones at Scope Arena, but fell 1-0 to Adirondack at the first stop on the current four-game road trip.

A week ago, the Orlando Solar Bears defeated the Admirals on Wednesday night after scoring four consecutive goals. Just 2:19 into the game, forward Erik Bradford notched the first one before two more unanswered goals followed in the opening frame. At 3:04, Rylan Schwartz collected the loose puck and scored after T.J. Foster’s shot from the right circle went wide. Foster then widened the margin to 3-0, after he stuffed the puck in at 14:55 in the first period. Nic Riopel replaced Rimmer after another Solar Bears' goal, which came at 3:05 in the second frame by Zach Bell. One minute and 41 seconds later, Norfolk answered when Jonathan Lessard scored his 10th goal of the season, making it 4-1 at 4:46 of the second. The Admirals scored the final goal of the night as Samuel Noreau’s wrister shaved Orlando’s lead in half at 8:28 in the middle frame.

Norfolk faced the Cincinnati Cyclones for the first and last time this season at Scope Arena where they locked in back-to-back wins on Friday and Saturday night. The first contest resulted in a 3-1 win for the Admirals after they scored three goals in a row. Forward Andrew Yogan scored the only goal for the Cyclones at 3:41 in the opening period. In the second period, Devin Mantha evened the score at 17:42 after rebounding Steven Whitney’s shot. During a power play, Scott Allen put the Admirals in the lead at 9:12 in the final frame, earning him the number one star of the night. Cincinnati pulled their netminder Brandon Whitney to add an extra attacker, and Alexander Ranger’s empty-netter at 18:21 sealed the win.

The Cyclones looked to redeem themselves the next night, but came up short in a 3-2 overtime defeat against Norfolk. Forward Jack Downing’s quick shot from the slot during a Cincinnati power play gave the Cyclones the first lead at 9:55 in the first period. At 8:18 of the middle frame, center Dean Ouellettied it with his first goal as an Admiral. The score remained 1-1 until 5:05 in the final period when Downing scored again for the 2-1 Cincinnati lead. After Riopel left the ice for a 6-on-5 Norfolk man advantage, Ouellet finished off the loose puck in front of the crease to send the game into overtime with just 58.4 seconds remaining in regulation time. In the extra session, Gabriel Verpaelst’s wrister found the back of B. Whitney’s net at 3:29, securing a 3-2 overtime victory for Norfolk.

Momentum stalled a bit for the Admirals on Tuesday at Adirondack. The Thunder scored at 10:37 of the first with a goal from Peter MacArthur, the lone goal in a 1-0 shutout loss for Norfolk.

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 14-23-1-1 (30 points), the Admirals are 5th in the East Division and are tied for 13th 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 AHEADThu., Jan. 14 ... at Elmira Jackals (Buffalo Sabres) ... 7:05 p.m.Sat., Jan. 16 ... at Manchester Monarchs (Los Angeles Kings) ... 7 p.m.Sun., Jan. 17 ... at Manchester Monarchs (Los Angeles Kings) ... 3 p.m.

ADMIRALS SPOTLIGHT• A few notable former Admirals were involved in trades this past week, including one that featured one former Norfolk skater for another former Norfolk goaltender. Anaheim dealt winger Max Friberg to the Montreal Canadiens for goaltender Dustin Tokarski. Friberg made his pro debut with the Admirals and played in Hampton Roads from 2012-15. Tokarski won the 2012 Calder Cup with the Admirals. Emerson Etem was also moved as the New York Rangers sent him to Vancouver for Nicklas Jensen and a draft pick.

ADMIRALS’ LOG• Dean Ouellet made his Admirals debut this week after arriving in Norfolk as part of a trade with the Fort Wayne Komets. Ouellet started his Admirals tenure in style with two goals on Saturday in a 3-2 overtime win over Cincinnati.• The Edmonton Oilers reassigned Greg Chase from AHL Bakersfield to the Admirals on Monday. Chase, a rookie from Sherwood Park, AB, scored a goal and recorded six assists in 19 AHL games with the Condors from Nov. 14 to Jan. 9.

NORFOLK LEADERSGoals: Alexandre Ranger (11)Assists: Michael Pelech (18)Points: Steven Whitney (24)Games: Five players tied (39)PP Goals: Scott Allen (4)SH Goals: Alexis Loiseau, Michael Pelech, Alexandre Ranger (1)+/- Rating: Ben Betker (5)PIM: Samuel Noreau (115)GAA: Nic Riopel (2.29)Spct: Nic Riopel (.921)Wins: Ty Rimmer (8)Losses: Ty Rimmer (11)GPl: Ty Rimmer (21)Minutes: Ty Rimmer (1124)

ABOUT THIS WEEKEND’S MATCHUPSThis will be the fifth meeting between the Admirals and the Elmira Jackals (20-15-0-0). The Jackals, who are eighth in the Eastern Conference, play a physical style as illustrated by their total of 608 penalty minutes, second in the conference behind league-leading Norfolk with 693 PIMs. Elmira enters Thursday on a three-game slide, and are winners of just four of the last 10 games. In that span the Jackals have averaged less than 2.5 goals per game and were shut out twice. Offense, or lack thereof, is certainly the culprit of the recent struggles. Elmira scored three goals combined over the last three games, and has allowed four or more goals in each of the previous five contests. The Jackals host the Admirals for the first of four straight games at home, and look to get back on track to climb safely into playoff contention.

ELMIRA LEADERSGoals: Mike Seidel (11)Assists: Cason Hohmann, Chris Langkow (15)Points: Cason Hohmann (25)Games: Jacob MacDonald, Zach Tolkinen (35)PP Goals: Justin Bernhardt, Mike Seidel (3)SH Goals: Jacob MacDonald (3)+/- Rating: Tyler Currier, Jacob MacDonald (8)PIM: Colin Jacobs (112)GAA: C.J. Motte (2.84)Spct: Niklas Lundstrom (.929)Wins: C.J. Motte (9)Losses: C.J. Motte (11)GPl: C.J. Motte (23)Minutes: C.J. Motte (1184)

The Manchester Monarchs (22-12-0-3) are ranked first in the East Division and went 5-3-0-2 for their last 10 games played. With a total of 47 points, they will look to continue their winning ways at Verizon Wireless Arena against the Admirals on Saturday and Sunday this week. Manchester is 10-5-0-2 at home. The Monarchs will have the week off, as Norfolk will be the first team they compete against since last Saturday, January 9. Forwards Matt Leitner and Maxim Kitsyn are the offensive leaders. Kitysn has 13 goals this season and the rookie Leitner is tied for first in assists and second in points in the league among first-year players.

MANCHESTER LEADERSGoals: Maxim Kitsyn (13)Assists: Matt Leitner (25)Points: Matt Leitner (33)Games: Maxim Kitsyn, Matt Leitner (37)PP Goals: David Kolomatis (4)SH Goals: Danick Paquette, Troy Power (1)+/- Rating: Maxim Kitsyn (18)PIM: Matt MacKenzie, Danick Paquette (66)GAA: Doug Carr (1.45)Spct: Doug Carr (.957)Wins: Colin Stevens (7)Losses: Colin Stevens (5)GPl: Colin Stevens (13)Minutes: Colin Stevens (715)

**UPCOMING EVENTS AND PROMOTIONS**

January 22 - Faith and Family NightCatch the pregame party in the Exhibition Hall with live Christian music and finish your night by meeting Admirals players! Players will give testimonials on the role faith has in their lives and how they use it today. Discounts are available to all church groups interested in attending. Contact Sami Hamad at 757-640-1212 ext. 24 for more information.

January 23 - Pink in the RinkAnother fan favorite, the pink ice returns to Scope for Pink in the Rink to benefit the Susan G. Komen Tidewater Chapter and raise awareness for the fight against breast cancer. Be sure to secure your tickets well in advance as tickets to this event are among the most popular of the home schedule.

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.