Norfolk, VA – With a shutout win last night, the Norfolk Admirals returned to the ice inside Scope for a final time this weekend against Maine. The late comeback efforts came up short for Norfolk as they fell 3-2 against the Mariners.
Talor Joseph made his Admirals debut in between the pipes and registered one save off of three shots faced. Kristian Stead finished the contest after subbing in for Joseph with 13 saves made off 14 shots faced.
The Admirals encountered a significant challenge early in the contest, finding themselves short-handed. Consequently, Maine capitalized on this, scoring the opening goal on their second shot of the game through the effort by Wyllum Deveaux. Shortly thereafter, the Mariners extended their lead with an additional goal from Sebastian Vidmar. In response to this early deficit, Kristian Stead entered the game to replace Joseph in-goal.
Following these initial goals, the Admirals intensified their forechecking strategy and maintained aggressive offensive pressure throughout the remainder of the first period, which concluded with a score of 2-0 in favor of Maine.
In the second period, Norfolk continued to apply pressure and generated several key scoring opportunities, including a power play chance; however, they were unable to penetrate the formidable defense of Mariners goaltender Brad Arvanitis, resulting in no change to the score at the end of the second period.
Six minutes into the third period, Norfolk reduced the deficit to 2-1 with a goal from Josh McDougall, who executed a top-shelf shot. This marked McDougall's sixth goal of the season and invigorated both the crowd at the Scope and the Admirals' bench. As the game progressed, a sense of urgency developed for Norfolk.
Despite having a power play opportunity that could have potentially tied the game, Maine countered with a short-handed goal from Sebastian Vidmar, effectively securing the victory. With two minutes remaining, Filip Fornåå Svensson scored his 21st goal of the season, beating Arvanitis with a top-shelf shot, thereby narrowing the gap to 3-2.
In the final moments, the Mariners' defense tightened significantly, allowing them to secure the victory on Sunday.
Sentara Health Three Stars of the Game
1. MNE - S. Vidmar (2 goals, +1)
2. MNE - B. Arvanitis (32 saves off 34 shots faced)
3. NOR - J. McDougall (1 goal)
What’s Next
Norfolk will hit the road up north to Quebec, Canada for a three-game series against the top-seeded Trois-Rivières Lions. Puck drop for game one is on Friday at 7 p.m. from Colisée Vidéotron.
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