Following an overtime defeat last night in Reading, the Norfolk Admirals returned home to Norfolk Scope for the final game of their weekend series against the Royals. In front of their best crowd in four years, Norfolk scored a 4-1 win over the Royals and improved their winning streak at home to eight games.
Oskari Salminen made his return to the cage and showcased a stellar performance. He finished the night with 13 saves off of 14 shots in the Admirals’ victory.
The opening 20 minutes of the game saw the Admirals emerge from the jump with a dominant performance. The team effectively capitalized on the energy emanating from the crowd at the Scope, exhibiting a strong forecheck that created several key chances to break the game open. Despite these opportunities, the score remained scoreless until a little past the halfway point in the period.
Andrew McLean netted his sixth goal of the season in the first period with a shot that eluded the Royals goalie, Anson Thornton, effectively giving Norfolk a 1-0 advantage. After the goal, some hostilities began to pick up, but nothing serious as both teams continued to compete. Norfolk had other opportunities to extend their lead in the latter part of the first period. However, the score remained 1-0 as the Admirals outshot the Royals 14-0 in the opening period.
During the second period, the Admirals managed to maintain a dominant forecheck, preventing the Royals from having any significant offensive opportunities early on. Darick Louis-Jean and Keegan Iverson were both instrumental in this effort, delivering impactful hits on the opposing team. At the midway point of the game, Norfolk scored another goal, increasing their lead.
On the penalty kill, the Admirals had an opportunity with Stepan Timofeyev and Keaton Jameson in a two-on-one play, where Jameson scored his ninth goal for the Norfolk team this season, extending their lead to 2-0. The Royals managed to put up seven shots on goal in the second period, with Norfolk having 12 on goal. Going into the final 20 minutes, the Admirals had a 2-0 advantage.
In the final 20 minutes of the game, Reading managed to reduce Norfolk’s lead as Ryan Cox scored at the four-minute mark, making it 2-1. However, just 28 seconds later, the Admirals regained their two-goal advantage as Gehrett Sargis scored his seventh goal of the season, firing a one-timer off the pass from Timofeyev.
The score remained the same until the end of the game, which became more intense as time went by. Mark Liwiski scored another goal for the Admirals, taking advantage of a breakaway opportunity. As the game came to a close, the sellout crowd stood up and cheered, celebrating their team’s eighth consecutive victory at home.
Following the defeat, Norfolk’s record goes to 34-19-4-1 on the year, and the team remains in second place in the ECHL North Division with 73 points.
