GAME RECAP | Admirals Finish Off Spectacular Week with Series Sweep of Trois-Rivières

Trois-Rivières, QC- The Norfolk Admirals completed their three-game trip to Canada with a 4-1 victory over Trois-Rivières, securing their series sweep on Saturday afternoon. Three goals in the third period helped the Admirals maintain their position in first place in the ECHL North Division.

Thomas Milic returned to the cage for his 12th appearance this season, delivering an impressive display. He made 39 saves out of 40 shots, earning his ninth victory of the year, which is his career-high performance.

The game started with a close chance for Keaton Jameson, whose shot hit the post in the opening 20 seconds of the match. From then on, the pace slowed down, with both teams struggling to gain an advantage. Jameson and Mathieu Roy also had close chances in the first period, but their shots were saved by Lions goalie Joe Vrbetic, who made 13 saves in the frame.

Towards the end of the period, a scuffle between Mark Liwiski and Nicolas Lariviere resulted in multiple minor penalties and ten-minute misconducts. After the first period, the game remained scoreless, with Norfolk outshooting the Lions 13-10.

In the middle frame, the Admirals had a great effort offensively, putting 15 shots on goal. Almost five minutes into the second period, Andrew McLean made a diving effort to prevent a breakaway chance from Miguël Tourigny, resulting in a penalty shot.

Milic stood firm in the crease and Tourigny missed the shot wide. Just three minutes later, Carson Golder and Roy played the puck in the offensive zone before finding Justing Robidas out front, who made a spin-o-rama effort that found the back of the net. It was his ninth goal of the season.

The Admirals continued to maintain pressure in the offensive zone, while Milic played well in the crease. Late in the period, the Lions were penalized for tripping, and Norfolk went on the man advantage, but the score remained 1-0 after 40 minutes of play.

In the third period, the Admirals fired three goals past Vrbetic to secure their advantage. Just two minutes into the final period, Mark Liwiski deflected Josh McDougall's shot to score his fourth goal of the year, making it 2-0. Six minutes later, Keegan Iverson extended the lead to 3-0 by grabbing the rebound off of Vrbetic and netting his fourth goal of the year.

The score remained the same until the latter part of the frame, where the Lions emptied their net in hopes of finding a spark of life. After winning the faceoff, Thomas Caron gained possession of the puck in the neutral zone and fired it into the open goal, making it 4-0. Milic's shutout bid would be broken in the final two minutes of the game, but the Admirals went on to win the game decisively.

With this win, the Admirals earned the series sweep and improved their record to 14-7-1-1 on the year, concluding a spectacular week for the Norfolk Admirals.

Sentara Health Three Stars of the Game

1. NOR - T. Milic (39 saves off of 40 shots)

2. NOR - J. Robidas (1 goal, +1)

3. TR - J. Parker-Jones (1 goal)

What’s Next

The Norfolk Admirals will face the Reading Royals in a three-game North division series at Norfolk Scope starting on Wednesday night, with puck drop at 7:05 p.m.