Game Day: Admirals and Icemen Face-Off on Valentines Day

Game #50

Admirals (18-25-5-1) vs. Jacksonville (17-27-3-3)

Scope Arena

7:00 pm

Last Time Out:

The Admirals scored first on Sunday afternoon, but Adirondack scored three straight goals to help the Thunder take a 5-2 victory. Sunday’s victory also ensured the Thunder a victory in the seven-game season series, having won four of the first five.

After Adirondack scored twice in the final five minutes of the first period to take a 2-1 lead into the locker room the Thunder scored just about half-way through the second to double the lead. Norfolk’s Michael Young, who has points in four of his last six games, brought Norfolk within one with just over five minutes left in the period. In the third, Adirondack would get the only goals as Austin Orszulak and Brian Ward pushed the game out of reach. Jamie Murray stopped 37 of 41 shots in his 15th start of the season.

Head-to-Head:

Norfolk and Jacksonville have each won two of the first four games of the season series, yet both teams have garnered a point in each game. The home team is yet to win any of the four games this season.

Brodie Dupont has led all skaters through the first four games tallying ten points (2g, 8a). Darik Angeli ranks second in points, but leads all skaters with five goals. Patrick D’Amico (2g) and Chase Harrison (2g) are the only other Admirals with multiple goals against the Icemen.

Jacksonville’s Jimmy Lodge leads the Icemen with five points (3g, 2a) against the Admirals. Teammate Elgin Pearce has four points (3g, 1a) and is one of six Icemen who’ve scored more than once against the Admirals.

Scouting the Icemen:

Offensively Jacksonville is led by a trio of rookies this season. Elgin Pearce leads the team with 36 points (14g, 22a), while Jimmy Lodge is second on the team with 30 points (12g, 18a). Cameron Kritchlow sits third on the team with 26 points (10g, 16a). With Austin Lotz and Jamie Phillips recalled to Manitoba, Colton Phinney has seen the most game time of either Icemen goaltender. Phinney has appeared in 17 games for the Icemen posting a record of3-7-1-2 paired with a 3.19 goals against average and a .884 save percentage.

Jacksonville has won two of their last three games and now sits two points back from the Admirals, and eight points back from Orlando for the final playoff spot.

Overtime Warriors:

Each of the first four games between the Admirals and Icemen have gone past regulation. Two games have been decided in the extra period, while two have gone into a shootout. The road team has been victorious in each game.

Jacksonville is one of three teams to have played in a league-high 27 overtime games through the first 50 games of the season. The Icemen go past regulation 54% of the time. In addition to the overtime games the Icemen have played in an additional 21 one-goal games.

No Love Lost:

Heading into Wednesday’s game the Icemen are the fifth most penalized team in the ECHL, averaging 18.62 penalty minutes a game. Through the first four games of the season series between Jacksonville and Norfolk the teams have combined for 114 penalty minutes. In the previous two games, each team racked up 19 penalty minutes, including a pair of fighting majors.

Rookie Leaders:

With Cincinnati’s Justin Danforth recalled to the AHL on Tuesday night Grant Besse is now the league’s points leader among active rookies. Besse’s 45 points (21g, 24a) is once better than Wheeling’s Cam Brown, who ranks second among active rookies. The Plymouth, MN native currents sits second on the Admirals only five points back from Brodie Dupont (50 pts). Besse’s 21 goals are first on the team this season.