Admirals Conclude Roadtrip With A Victory Against Reading Royals

Reading, PA - The Norfolk Admirals played their final game of a three-game road trip on Saturday night against the Reading Royals. After losing to the Royals in an OT thriller on Wednesday with a score of 6-5, the Admirals bounced back and won on Saturday night with a score of 2-1 thanks to a late breakaway goal from Brian Bowen.

With the victory, the Admirals managed to score five out of six points during their road trip.

In the opening two minutes of the first period, Justin Robidas scored his fourth goal of the season with a wrist shot that went over Will Cranley's left shoulder, giving the Admirals an early lead. However, the Royals quickly equalized as Yvan Mongo received a one-timer pass from Brendan Hoffmann and fired it past Yaniv Perets, near the four-minute mark of the period.

Both teams committed tripping penalties in the first period, but the game was tied after 20 minutes. The pace of the second period slowed down as both teams found it challenging to get through the neutral zone. Despite numerous shots on both ends of the ice, Perets saved all 11 shots in the period, while the Admirals failed to convert on any of their 12 shots on goal. As a result, the score remained tied heading into the final period.

In the final frame, Norfolk increased their offensive pressure, managing to take ten shots on Cranley and maintaining puck control for most of the period. The Admirals had several close chances to get ahead, but the Royals' defense held firm, preventing them from capitalizing. At the halfway point of the period, Perets defended a breakaway opportunity to keep the game tied, while Reading tried to gain the lead.

As time ran down, Darick Louis-Jean breathed new life into the Admirals with a big left uppercut, landing in his altercation with Hoffman after a boarding penalty. In the final two minutes of the game, Norfolk moved the puck up the ice, where Keegan Iverson backhanded his pass to an open Brian Bowen, who scored on a breakaway, giving the Admirals the late advantage.

Perets and the Norfolk defense withstood the pressure from Reading in the final two minutes of play but managed to hold on for a 2-1 victory. Perets made 23 saves off of 24 shots, while the Admirals outshot the Royals 28-24 in the contest.

Sentara Health Three Stars of the Game

1. NOR Yaniv Perets (23 saves on 24 shots)
2. NOR Brian Bowen (1 goal, Game-Winning Goal)
3. REA Will Cranley (26 saves on 28 shots)

What’s Next

The Norfolk Admirals return to Norfolk Scope this weekend for a pair of North division contests as Adirondack Thunder come into town. Game one is slated for Friday evening at 7:05 p.m.