RECAP | Admirals Edge Out Grizzlies In Overtime

West Valley City, UT - The Norfolk Admirals aimed to secure a win against the Utah Grizzlies after losing their first two games during their road trip out West. In their Monday night matchup, the Admirals managed to secure a 5-4 overtime victory, with Stepan Timofeyev scoring the winning goal. The win allowed the Admirals to end their trip on a positive note, having achieved their goal of earning another two points.

Oskari Salminen, the Admirals' starting goaltender, made his ninth appearance in the cage during the match. He made only seven saves out of the ten shots he faced to contribute to the win. Yaniv Perets finished the night in relief with 16 saves out of 17 shots. Overall, the Admirals' victory was a testament to their resilience and teamwork, as they overcame a challenging start to their road trip and secured a crucial win.

During the opening 20-minute period, Utah and Norfolk saw numerous penalties, commendable goaltending, and several offensive opportunities. Utah was the first to score, just three minutes into the period, following a holding penalty by Mark Liwiski. Brett Stapley scored a power-play goal off the faceoff to give Utah a 1-0 lead. Although the Grizzlies demonstrated physicality, the Admirals exhibited an aggressive forecheck.

In the period, Utah incurred four different penalties, while Norfolk had two. However, the opening goal was the only one scored off the man advantage. Meanwhile, the Admirals had several chances to tie the game. Will Cranley, the Utah goaltender, had an excellent start in the opening period. However, with a few minutes left in the period, Liwiski shot a curveball past Cranley, finally solving the puzzle of Cranley in the cage to even the game at one.

Despite being outshot 18-8 by Norfolk in the opening period, Utah managed to keep the score tied at one.

Just three minutes into the second period, Utah scored two goals, taking a 3-1 lead. Kyle Mayhew scored his 12th goal of the season 36 seconds into the middle frame. Brandon Cutler added his 30th goal this season at the three-minute mark, leading to a goaltending change for Norfolk, as Perets replaced Salminen following the goal.

Two minutes later, Norfolk cut the Utah advantage to one as Gehrett Sargis gained possession of the puck off the faceoff and fired his shot from the left point past Cranley for his eighth goal of the season. After conceding the first two goals of the period, the Admirals outplayed the home team for the remainder of the game.

With nine minutes left in the second frame, Connor Fedorek made a crucial block off a Grizzly shot, then skated down the ice on a three-on-one situation and fired his shot top-side to tie the game back up at three. In the final minute of the period, Liwiski capitalized on a pass from Sargis and scored his second goal of the night, which led to Norfolk gaining their first lead of the game after a three-goal comeback.

The Admirals overcame the early two goals and returned the favor with three of their own, leading 4-3 after 40 minutes, having outshot Utah in the middle frame, 16-8.

The third period was a tense affair, as the Admirals sought to maintain their one-goal lead. The team was able to hold on thanks in large part to the efforts of Perets. However, with just eight minutes remaining in the game, the Grizzlies were able to tie things up once again, courtesy of a second goal from Stapley. The remaining minutes of the game were marked by a palpable sense of tension as both teams vied for control. Despite their best efforts, neither side was able to secure a victory in regulation time, and the game headed into overtime.

It was in this extra period that Denis Smirnov took the puck into the offensive zone, passing it off to Stepan Timofeyev. Timofeyev waited for Smirnov to make his move before returning the puck to him, creating open space in front of the net. Smirnov hesitated briefly before firing off a shot, which Timofeyev was able to rebound and convert into the game-winning goal. The Admirals' bench erupted in exuberant celebration.

With the victory, Norfolk's record for the season improved to 35-20-5-1. The team captured three points on their recent road trip in Utah, and they remain in second place in the ECHL North Division with a total of 76 points.

Sentara Health Three Stars of the Game

1. NOR - M. Liwiski (2 goals, +4)

2. UTA - B. Stapley (2 goals, 2 assists)

3. NOR - S. Timofeyev (Game-winning goal, +1)

What’s Next

The Norfolk Admirals will be returning home for a few days before embarking on a crucial series against the top-seeded Adirondack Thunder in Glens Falls, NY. The Admirals currently trail the Thunder by four points in the ECHL North division, making this weekend's games pivotal in determining the outcome for the one seed. The first game is scheduled for Friday night at Cool Insuring Arena, with the puck drop at 7:05 p.m.