After losing in overtime on Wednesday, the Norfolk Admirals played their second game of the week against the Reading Royals at home. This was the first night of their final City Series weekend, which was dedicated to the city of Virginia Beach. The Admirals secured a 5-1 victory with an impressive five-goal second period, during which Sean Montgomery scored twice.
Oskari Salminen returned to the cage for Norfolk and proved his worth once again at the Scope, finishing the night with 22 saves off 23 shots. His record at the Scope now stands at an impressive 7-0.
During the opening five minutes of the game, the Admirals demonstrated a suffocating forecheck, unleashing a flurry of shots on the net. However, the Royals’ goaltender, Parker Gahagen, stood firm to keep the game scoreless. As the opening period progressed, Reading began to find its rhythm, impeding the Admirals’ forecheck and dictating the pace of play.
Salminen’s tenacity in the crease kept the game level, preventing the Admirals from capitalizing on their nine shots on net. Although they were outshot 12-9 in the first 20 minutes, the Royals managed to prevent any goals from being scored.
43 seconds into the second period, the Royals opened the scoring, capitalizing on a power play opportunity. Jacques Bouquot scored his first professional goal, taking advantage of a late penalty on Gehrett Sargis to end the first period. The Admirals needed to re-energize their offense to avoid a deficit.
It took six minutes for the Admirals to equalize the game with a power play goal from Sean Montgomery. Montgomery capitalized on a rebound from Stepan Timofeyev’s initial shot, slotting the puck in the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season. The game remained tied until the latter half of the period as tensions rose on both sides.
With eight minutes left in the period, Timofeyev’s shot from the point gave the Admirals their first lead of the game. The puck went wide, bounced off the backboards, and found its way into the cage for his 20th goal of the season. Over the next two minutes, Norfolk added another pair of goals to their lead, with Montgomery scoring his second goal of the night by going five-hole, followed by a slot shot from Carson Musser, his 8th goal of the season.
With only a minute left in the period, Brady Fleurent continued to impress offensively, scoring his 13th goal of the season by putting away the rebound. After conceding the opening goal, the Admirals responded with five unanswered goals, ending the second period with a comfortable 5-1 lead.
During the third period of the game, the Royals were determined to make a big comeback as their chances of making the postseason were at stake. As the period progressed, it was evident that Reading was becoming increasingly frustrated, but Norfolk remained focused on their game plan. The game saw a total of 248 penalty minutes, with 156 of them being called in the final 20 minutes alone. In the end, the Admirals emerged victorious with a decisive 5-1 win, and the score remained unchanged throughout the third period.
Following their defeat, Norfolk’s record dropped to 40-21-6-1. They are currently in second place in the ECHL North Division with 87 points, trailing behind the Adirondack Thunder.
