Norfolk, VA - On night two of the Portsmouth City Series weekend, the Admirals welcomed their largest crowd of the season at the Norfolk Scope. A lone goal in the third period propelled the Fuel past the Admirals in a physically competitive contest.
Thomas Milic made his 15th appearance for the Admirals and displayed a good effort. He made 23 saves off of 25 shots in the setback.
The game started slow but it was the visitors who scored first. Cameron Hillis netted his fifth goal of the season off a rebound, giving the Fuel a 1-0 lead. However, the Admirals quickly responded and tied the game only 39 seconds later. Darick Louis-Jean made a spectacular effort to get into the offensive zone and passed the puck to Mathieu Roy, who scored his 12th goal of the season to tie the game at one.
Both teams had their chances, but the Fuel had the advantage in shots, outshooting Norfolk 8-3 in the first period. Despite this, the score remained tied at one after the opening 20 minutes.
The pace of play slowed down in the second period, with both teams struggling to find the back of the net. Norfolk had several chances in the offensive zone but was unable to capitalize. The Admirals managed to put up eight shots on goal, while the Fuel had nine. Both teams faced penalty trouble, but the score remained the same throughout the middle frame.
During the third period, the pace of play was slow, similar to the second period. However, the score remained even until the latter part of the period. Hillis was the star for the Fuel, scoring his second goal of the evening, giving the visitors an advantage.
Despite the Admirals doing everything in their power to try to tie the game late in the closing minutes of play, the Fuel held onto the one-goal victory. Unfortunately, with this defeat, the Admirals have now lost four consecutive games.
Sentara Health Three Stars of the Game
1. IND - C. Hillis (2 goals, +2)
2. IND - Z. Driscoll (16 saves off of 17 shots)
3. NOR - M. Roy (1 goal, +1)
What’s Next
Norfolk will conclude their three-game series with the Fuel tomorrow afternoon in a rubber band matchup at 3:05pm.
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