RECAP | Admirals Knock Off Top-Seeded Thunder in Sunday Thriller

Glens Falls, NY - The Norfolk Admirals concluded their weekend road trip with an afternoon matchup against the Adirondack Thunder. The game was characterized by various events, and the Admirals managed to knock off the Thunder with a 5-4 shootout victory.

Yaniv Perets made his 19th appearance between the pipes. He made 8 saves out of 12 shots before being replaced by Kristian Stead after conceding the fourth goal. Stead, who took over for Perets, finished the game with 11 saves on 11 shots, paving the way for Norfolk's hard-fought victory.

During the opening period, the Thunder had an early opportunity to gain an advantage by capitalizing on a power play, however, Norfolk managed to regain full strength before any damage could be done. Both teams have been working hard this season, and Sunday's game was no exception. The Admirals had a strong presence on the forecheck and would find themselves with several opportunities to score on a power-play.

With only four minutes left in the first period, Norfolk was able to take advantage of their second power-play of the afternoon. Sean Montgomery deflected the puck into the back of the cage off of a slapshot from Simon Kubicek, giving Norfolk a 1-0 lead. That was his first goal as an Admiral. Following the goal, the Admirals continued their effort to increase their lead, but the score remained the same after the first 20 minutes of play, with Norfolk outshooting Adirondack 11-5.

During the second period of play, the game proved to be a back-and-forth affair between the two teams. 

Mark Liwiski and Kamerin Nault were involved in a post-whistle altercation in the opening two minutes of the period, leading to a series of penalties for both teams. With both teams down to four players on the ice, Ryan Smith scored the tying goal for Adirondack, his 17th of the season, through a deflection. Following this, the Thunder took the lead with Tristan Ashbrook scoring his 11th goal of the year.

However, the momentum shifted back towards Norfolk after Darick Louis-Jean scored his fourth goal of the season, with a shot from the slot. At the halfway point of the period, Ashbrook scored his second goal of the game, once again giving the Thunder the lead. Four minutes later, Montgomery scored his second goal of the afternoon to tie the game back up at three.

Adirondack regained the lead shortly after, with Travis Broughman scoring his eighth goal of the season. This prompted head coach Jeff Carr to make a change in the net, bringing in Stead. With only two seconds left in the period, Andrew McLean scored the tying goal for Norfolk, as Stepan Timofeyev made a critical pass to McLean, who struck it past the Adirondack goalie, Tyler Brennan.

The third period of the game was markedly different from the second period, which had been eventful. During the period, neither team scored any goals, and the score remained tied at four after sixty minutes of play. As a result, the game went into overtime.

With three minutes remaining in overtime, Norfolk found itself on the penalty kill but was able to successfully fend off the Adirondack Thunder power play. After the seven-minute overtime period, the score remained unchanged and a shootout was needed to determine the winner. 

This was the second shootout of the season for Norfolk.

In the shootout, Andrew McLean scored for Norfolk in the second round, giving the team an advantage. Stead made a crucial save in the following round on Ashbrook, securing the victory for the team with a final score of 5-4. With the victory, the Admirals retain their second-place position in the ECHL North Division.

Sentara Health Three Stars of the Game

1. NOR - A. McLean (1 goal, +1)

2. ADK - T. Ashbrook (2 goals)

3. NOR - S. Montgomery (2 goals, +2)

What’s Next

Norfolk will return home for a few days before hitting the road once again for a three-game series against the Toledo Walleye. Game one is scheduled for Friday at 7:15 p.m. from Huntington Center.