Admirals Top Steelheads 5-3

BOISE, ID.- Three consecutive goals and a 40 save performance from rookie Ty Reichenbach propelled the Admirals to a 5-3 victory Saturday night in Boise.

Norfolk took an early lead in the opening frame thanks to Erik Bradford’s first goal as an Admiral. The forward chipped the puck past the defenseman and sprinted into the offensive end. Gathering the loose puck along the left half wall Bradford cut toward the net, tucking the puck through the five-hole of Braden Komm to give Norfolk a 1-0 lead 4:56 into the game. Bradford’s marker would be the only one in the first.

In the second it took less than two minutes for the Admirals to double the lead. Cutting wide, Ben Murphy left a drop pass for Alex Pompeo who put a wrist shot on Komm. The Steelhead netminder made the initial save, but Domenic Alberga collected the rebound and put it into the net giving Norfolk a 2-0 lead. With the lead still at 2-0 late in the period, the Admirals turned an Idaho scoring chance turned into one of their own. After the Steelheads put a shot squarely off the post the Admirals went back the other way. Ben Murphy stepped out from behind the net and put the back-hand wrap around between the legs of Komm, extending the lead to 3-0.

Norfolk and Idaho combined for five goals in the last seven minutes of regulation. The Steelheads got a pair of goals within less than two minutes of each other cutting the lead to 3-2 with 5:09 to play in the third. Down by one the Steelheads pulled the goalie late in the period and the Admirals capitalized. Brodie Dupont connected with Trevor Mingoia twice in a 0:16 span for the empty net goals, giving Norfolk a 5-2 lead. Idaho would get a late goal with ten seconds remaining to round out the scoring.

The Admirals defeated the Steelheads 5-3, claiming their first win of the season. Rookie goaltender Ty Reichenbach made 40 saves on 43 shots in his first career ECHL start. Braden Komm made 25 saves on 28 shots in the loss for the Steelheads.

Norfolk finished the night 0-for-3 on the power play while Idaho was 0-for-4. Idaho managed to outshoot the Admirals 43-30.

Notable: Ty Reichenbach recorded his first ECHL win in his ECHL debut… Four Admirals recorded multipoint nights (Alberga, Murphy, Mingoia, Dupont)…Trevor Mingoia has now scored in each of his last four games dating back to last season

Full, partial season tickets, and individual tickets are on sale now. Call 757-640-1212 or visit NorfolkAdmirals.com to purchase today.