Admirals Insider 2.0 - Onwards To March

NORFOLK, VA. – February’s portion of the schedule has passed by and the Admirals finished the month 5-8.

THIS PAST WEEK IN ADMIRALS HOCKEY: (February 20-27)

7-4 L vs. Florida

5-3 W vs. Greenville

5-3 L vs. Greenville

Wednesday: 7-4 L vs. Florida

The Admirals hadn’t seen the Everblades in over three whole months and things had changed quite drastically for both sides. A coaching change and a near 90% roster turnover for the Admirals put them up against a team that had skyrocketed to the top of the standings, claiming the number one spot in the Eastern Conference.

Despite being a huge underdog, the Admirals burst out of the gate with two goals in the first period, coming in the form of a T.J. Foster power play tally and Paul Rodrigues’ first of the night.

Rodrigues recorded another in the second but Brant Harris of Florida was able to beat Philippe Desrosiers both shorthanded and on the power play to pull his team back within one.

It was a 3-2 game entering the third period in favor of the Admirals, but the wheels completely came off the wagon defensively and the Everblades made them pay. Led by four points in 15 minutes from Curt Gogol, Florida scored five times and headed out of town with a 7-4 victory.

Friday: 5-3 W vs. Greenville

Prior to Friday’s game the Admirals roster took a substantial blow, as the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League called up both Zach Pochiro and captain Brodie Dupont, two-thirds of the team’s top line. In return, steady defenseman Ben Betker was coming back east for his first action in two months due to an illness he was bothered by in California.

For the second consecutive game the Admirals got off to a hot start, scoring three times in the first eight minutes. Mikael Tam, the aforementioned Betker and T.J. Foster rocked Mackenzie Skapski, forcing Greenville to yank the New York Rangers prospect after just six shots.

In the middle period Paul Rodrigues continued his dazzling week, recording his third goal in just four periods of hockey. Greenville concluded the frame with two goals just 22 seconds apart and took all the momentum heading into the third.

The two teams traded goals in the third, capping a 5-3 win for the home team.

Despite the three goals, in which two could be directly attributed to lapses by the team defense, Philippe Desrosiers was very sharp along the way. Stopping 39 of 42 shots placed upon on him, the Dallas Stars draft selection was named the number one star of the evening.

Saturday: 5-3 L vs. Greenville

Brandon Anderson was in net for the final game of the week, avoiding three starts in four nights for Desrosiers.

Unfortunately Anderson’s appearance didn’t come along with the same strong first period that “Rosie” was given and Greenville jumped out to a 1-0 lead.

T.J. Foster scored for the fourth consecutive game to tie the game at one in the second but high-scoring forwards Michael Joly (17 goals in 26 games this season) and Brandon Alderson (18 goals in 30 games) were able to beat Anderson, extending the visiting sides lead 3-1.

Domenic Alberga cut that lead back down to one on a breakaway early in the third but the Swamp Rabbits once again had the response of a pair, putting them ahead 5-2. A garbage time goal for John Dunbar snapped his nine-game scoring streak but it wasn’t enough as Greenville had earned the 5-3 win.

LOOKING AHEAD: (February 28 – March 6)

Friday vs. Elmira – 7:30 EST

Saturday vs. Elmira – 7:15 EST

Sunday @ Reading – 5:00 EST

The Admirals have three games in three days once again this weekend. On a positive note the team starts at home with two of them. Additionally, the team was able to beat Reading twice in a row up in Pennsylvania following an overnight travel as well.

Elmira is one of the few teams in the ECHL that has had a tougher season than the Admirals, struggling both on and off the ice.

The Jackals just snapped a 16-game losing streak over the weekend, taking down the Florida Everblades (of all teams) at home.   That’s right, the best team in the east lost to the worst. Additionally, in their rematch on Saturday, Elmira took them to overtime again. That’s a positive sign for the upcoming visitors and another reason to not take them lightly.

On a favorable note for the Admirals, Elmira played three games last weekend and have games on Tuesday at home and Wednesday in Manchester before coming down to Norfolk. That’s quite a bit of work for a group in 72 hours.

Reading will await the Admirals at home after hosting the Manchester Monarchs on Friday and Saturday.   The Royals also played 13 games in the month of February and went 6-7. After starting the month in second place in their division, the Pennsylvania bunch has fallen all the way to fourth in their division, just barely hanging on to their playoff spot. Wheeling is just five points back, so every game matters from here on out for Reading.

PROMOTIONS:

Saturday is our Ninth Annual Guns & Hoses Game, placing the most talented Hampton Roads Police Officers against those of the Fire Department for a 3 P.M. faceoff. Fans only need one ticket to come to both games and support the good cause.

ADMIRALS LEADERS (SKATERS):Games Played: Gabriel Verpaelst (54)Goals: T.J. Foster (14 w/ Norfolk; 16 total)Assists: T.J. Foster (19 w/ Norfolk; 22 total)Points: T.J. Foster (33 w/Norfolk; 38 total)Power Play Goals: Domenic Alberga (5)Shorthanded Goals: Nick MacNeil (2)+/-: Ben Murphy (+2 w/Norfolk; +4 total)Penalty Minutes: Gabriel Verpaelst (139)

ADMIRALS LEADERS (GOALIES):Games Played: Brandon Anderson (20) & Philippe Desrosiers (20 total; 7 w/ Norfolk)Wins: Brandon Anderson (11)Losses (Most): Eetu Laurikainen (10)Minutes: Brandon Anderson (1136)Goals Against Average: Philippe Desrosiers (3.51 total; 2.99 w/ Norfolk)Save Percentage: Philippe Desrosiers (.905 total; .923 w/ Norfolk)Shutouts: Brandon Anderson (3)

SOMETHING YOU DIDN’T KNOW:

For those of you who attended last week’s games at Scope, you likely saw many scoreboard messages and heard in-game announcements regarding our game on St. Hat Trick’s Day, March 17.

In honor of the holiday, we will be doing drink specials that night!  While we are unable to promote the price of the specials outside of our venue, we can tell you that you won’t want to miss this.

What we can say is that Admirals defenseman Dmitrii Sergeev wears #2 and we'll let you put two and two together.

Whether you’re Irish or not, come join us for an extra happy hour on Friday, March 17!