RECAP | Admirals Drop St. Patrick’s Day Matchup Against Grizzlies

West Valley City, UT- The Norfolk Admirals resumed their road trip out west against the Utah Grizzlies after suffering a devastating defeat on Saturday night. Norfolk conceded the opening two goals but managed to equalize the score at two. However, they were unable to maintain the momentum and ultimately lost 5-2, with Utah scoring three unanswered goals.

Yaniv Perets, the Admirals' goaltender, played his 29th game of the season and made 23 saves off of 28 shots.

The Grizzlies gained momentum from their previous game and scored two goals against Perets in the first half of the opening 20 minutes. Five minutes into the game, Dylan Fitze scored his 17th goal of the season on a power play that beat Perets past the shoulder. At the halfway mark in the period, Brandon Cutler netted his 29th goal of the year with a shot past Perets' on the glove side.

Only 55 seconds later, Stepan Timofeyev scored his 12th goal of the season on a rebound from a shot made by Keaton Jameson to put Norfolk on the board. Although the Admirals outshot Utah 10-8 in the opening period, the Grizzlies maintained their 2-1 lead going into the break.

Just 76 seconds into the second period, Thomas Caron gained possession off the face-off and shot the puck past Will Cranley glove-side for a power-play goal in his return to the ice after being gone with an injury to tie the game at two. The first half of the period was in the Admirals' favor, but momentum began to shift back to the home side as penalties hindered Norfolk.

Eleven minutes into the game, Cole Gallant netted his 11th goal of the season with a shot that beat Perets to the blocker side. Only 34 seconds later, Fitze added his second goal of the game to extend the Utah lead back to two goals. The back half of the middle frame was a frustrating ten minutes for Norfolk as they could not catch a break. Denis Smirnov initially scored the third goal for the Admirals to make it 4-3, but the call on the ice was reversed, and it remained 4-2 for the rest of the period as both teams had ten shots on goal in the second 20 minutes.

During the final 20 minutes of the game, the Admirals exhibited a strong forecheck in the opening half of the period. Despite their relentless efforts to battle back from their two-goal deficit, Cranley remained resolute and denied their attempts. As the game progressed, hostilities began to pick up, leading to an escalation of tensions on both sides.

With less than five minutes left on the clock, Utah solidified their lead by scoring another goal, courtesy of Adam Berg, his tenth of the season, making it 5-2. The game concluded with this score, marking Norfolk's first loss in regulation in a month.

Norfolk's record falls to 34-20-5-1 on the year, and the team remains in second place in the ECHL North Division with 74 points.

Sentara Health Three Stars of the Game

1. UTA - D. Fitze (2 goals, +2)

2. UTA - B. Cutler (1 goal, 1 assist, +2)

3. UTA - W. Cranley (28 saves off of 30 shots faced)

What’s Next

The Norfolk Admirals will play their third game against the Grizzlies tomorrow at 9:10 p.m. EST to conclude their western road trip.