Game Day: Weekend Set with Thunder Continues

Game #48

Admirals (18-23-5-1) vs. Adirondack (26-19-2-2)

Scope Arena

7:00 pm

Last Time Out:

Darik Angeli netted his second hat trick of the season as the Admirals cruised past the Thunder 7-4 on Friday night at the Scope.

Leading 3-2 after the second period the Admiral offense sprung to life in the third period scoring four times on 14 shots. Grant Besse scored twice in the period to record his fourth two-goal game of the season. After Darik Angeli capped off his hat trick midway through the period Christian Horn added his sixth of the season to wrap up the Norfolk scoring for the night.

Six different players (Angeli, Besse, D’Amico, Dupont, Schutt, and Young) recorded more than one point in the victory. Ty Reichenbach, making his 30th appearance of the season, stopped 37 of 41 Adirondack shots in the victory.

Scouting the Thunder:

After last nights’ defeat the Thunder remain in a tie for third place in the North Division with 56 points. Adirondack, tied with Wheeling, has a game in hand on the Nailers, who have Saturday night off.

James Henry leads Adirondack in points (41) and assists (27) through the first 49 games of the season. Henry along with Pierre-Luc Mercier are the only two players to have skated in all 49 games this season. Henry notched an assist in Friday’s matchup. Shane Conacher, who was held scoreless on Friday, is second with 37 points.

Both Adirondack netminders saw time on Friday night. Norfolk chased Drew Fielding midway through the third period, after scoring six goals on 37 shots. Fielding has played 22 games for the Thunder this season. The goaltender has posted a record of 12-7-1-0 paired with a 3.33 goals against average and a 0.893 save percentage. Rookie Tomas Sholl, who stopped seven of the eight shots he faced, has played in two games for the Thunder, recording a 2.54 goals against average, and a .935 save percentage.

Hat Tricks Pt. Six:

Darik Angeli’s second hat trick of the season on Friday was the sixth hat trick scored by an Admiral this season. In addition to being the Ohio State graduate’s second hat trick of the season, it was also Angeli’s second professional hat trick.

Norfolk’s six hat tricks leads the ECHL this season. The Admirals have also surpassed the total of hat tricks scored in each of the last two seasons. In the first two seasons since rejoining the ECHL the Admirals had recorded two hat tricks in each season (four total).

Out of Retirement:

Friday night Sam Ftorek, making his Admirals debut, recorded an assist on Grant Besse’s third period tally. In his return to the ice after a two-year retirement, Ftorek, put four shots on net, and saw time on the power play and even strength. The assist was the 359th of his ECHL career.

Snapping The Skid:

Michael Young’s power play tally late in the second period snapped a five-game scoreless streak for the Admirals power play. During the five-game slide the Admirals power play had been held scoreless on each of the last 20 opportunities. Young’s four power play goals this season is one off the league lead among defensemen.

High-Powered:

The Admirals set season highs for goals (7), shots (45) and goals in a period (4) for home games in Fridays victory. Friday marked the fourth time this season that Norfolk has scored at least seven goals this season, and the ninth time the team has surpassed five goals. Both totals surpass last years’ marks.