RECAP | Admirals Capture Weekend Series with Sunday Victory Over Iowa

Coralville, IA– In their final road game of the regular season, the Norfolk Admirals faced the Iowa Heartlanders in an afternoon contest, serving as the decisive contest for the weekend series. Brady Fleurent led the team with two goals, contributing significantly to the Admirals' 5-3 victory over the Heartlanders, securing the series victory and concluding their road trip with five out of six points.

This game represented Ian Shane's fourth start as the Admirals' goaltender. He exhibited outstanding performance by making 33 saves on 36 shots faced, contributing to the team's win.

Both teams struggled with their passing and had difficulty controlling the puck during the first period, leading to a high number of turnovers. This hindered their ability to establish an effective forecheck. As a result, the opening twenty minutes ended in a scoreless tie, with each team recording seven shots on goal, showing no clear advantage for either side.

At the beginning of the second period, Parker Gavlas received a penalty for high-sticking, placing the team on the penalty kill. Fortunately, Norfolk successfully defended against the Heartlanders’ offensive attempts and returned to full strength without allowing a goal. Following this successful penalty kill, Hank Crone broke the scoreless tie by netting his 19th goal of the season, assisted by Denis Smirnov, who intercepted the puck and passed it to Crone for a one-timer that resulted in a 1-0 lead.

Merely twenty seconds later, Jack O'Leary advanced into the offensive zone and maneuvered towards the net, where he assisted Matt Crasa in scoring his second goal of the season, extending the Admirals' lead to two goals. With under two minutes remaining in the period, the Heartlanders managed to breach Norfolk's onslaught with a goal from Jonny Sorenson.

Concluding the second period with a power play opportunity, Norfolk capitalized on their man advantage when Fleurent found the net with an assist from Josh McDougall. This goal marked Fleurent's 27th of the season, allowing the Admirals to take a 3-1 lead into the second intermission.

Past the halfway point in the third period, the Admirals found themselves on the power play once again. Fleurent would redirect the shot from McDougall as he scored his second goal of the afternoon, and 28th of the season, to make it 4-1. With six minutes left in the period, Iowa cut the margin to 4-2 off a goal from Sorenson, who also scored his second goal of the game.

From there, Norfolk maintained their two-goal lead until Connor Fedorek blasted his 4th goal of the season to extend the Admirals' lead to 5-2. Iowa added another goal in the final minute of action, coming from Matt Hubbarde. Norfolk managed to secure five of six points on their final road trip of the regular season.

Sentara Health Three Stars of the Game

1. NOR - B. Fleurent (2 goals)

2. IA - J. Sorenson (2 goals, +1)

3. NOR - I. Shane (33 saves off of 36 shots faced)

What’s Next

Norfolk is set to return to Norfolk Scope for their final three games of the regular season. They will face off against the Reading Royals in their last divisional matchup of the season on Wednesday night during 'Hockey Happy Hour.' The puck will drop at 7:05 p.m.