Greensboro, NC - Back at it in North Carolina, the Norfolk Admirals faced off against their division rival, the Greensboro Gargoyles, in a Friday night matchup. In a back-and-forth affair, the Gargoyles scored the final two goals of the game to hand Norfolk its second consecutive loss.
Christian Propp made his 11th appearance of the season, finishing the night with 23 saves on 28 shots faced in the loss.
Andre Sutter got the scoring started in the opening two minutes, ripping a shot from the slot off an offensive-zone draw to give Norfolk a 1-0 lead, marking his second goal of the season. Five minutes later, Trevor Zins answered for Greensboro with a shot that beat Propp to even the score at one. The first two-period tallies were the only goals of the frame, and the game remained tied 1-1 after twenty minutes.
Just over a minute into the second period, Kristof Papp hammered home a one-timer for his 17th goal of the season to restore Norfolk’s lead at 2-1. The advantage held through the first half of the period, but Greensboro responded with back-to-back goals in 64 seconds to take its first lead of the night. Blake Biondi knotted the game at two before Deni Goure followed with the go-ahead tally, giving the Gargoyles a 3-2 edge heading into the third.
Norfolk wasted little time finding an answer. Just 99 seconds into the final frame, and on an Admirals power play, recently acquired forward James Hardie, who joined the team in Greensboro shortly before puck drop after being claimed off waivers earlier that afternoon, fired a shot from the left circle through the five-hole to tie the game at three.
From there, however, Greensboro seized control. Just two minutes after the equalizer, Ryan Richardson scored what proved to be the game-winner to put the Gargoyles back in front, 4-3. Later in the period, Patrick Newell lifted a shot over Propp’s shoulder to extend the lead to 5-3, sealing the victory for Greensboro.
Sentara Three Stars of the Game
1. GSO - P. Newell (1 goal, 1 assist, +2)
2. GSO - L. Nelson (3 assists, +2)
3. GSO - R. Richardson (1 goal, -1)
Next Up
The Norfolk Admirals and Greensboro Gargoyles will square off once more tomorrow night at First Horizon Coliseum for a 7 p.m. puck drop, as Norfolk looks to avoid the weekend series sweep.
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