Glens Falls, NY (Courtesy of the Norfolk Admirals) – The Norfolk Admirals emerged victorious in a crucial weekend series, securing a resounding 6-2 win over the Adirondack Thunder. Norfolk dominated the first period, scoring five goals and setting the tone for the remainder of the game.
Yaniv Perets made his second start of the weekend and continued to shine for his team. He finished the afternoon with 29 saves off 31 shots faced in the Norfolk win.
During the first 20 minutes of play, the Admirals were in control, scoring five goals to take a commanding lead. Danny Katic, who had scored a hat-trick on Saturday, put the Admirals on the board three minutes into the game with his 24th goal of the season. Only 12 seconds later, Denis Smirnov scored the second goal for Norfolk, taking advantage of a back-door tap-in from Brady Fleurent’s pass in what appeared to be a tic-tac-toe play.
Adirondack managed to get on the board a minute later with a goal from Mac Welsher, his first professional goal. Welsher’s shot squeaked by Perets. A few minutes later, the Admirals quickly regained control of the game when Stepan Timofeyev scored the third goal of the game, his 15th of the season, by putting away the goal from out front of the crease following a pass from Fleurent from behind the net.
The score remained 3-1 until the latter part of the period when Kamerin Nault deflected the puck into the goal off the pass from Keaton Jameson to make it 4-1 Admirals. It was Nault’s 13th goal of the season. 23 seconds later, Sean Montgomery scored his fourth goal of the season from the slot, making it a five-goal opening period and leading to a goalie change from the Thunder.
Norfolk maintained a 5-1 advantage, with shots tied at ten in the opening period with Adirondack.
During the second period, the Thunder found themselves in need of a significant performance to stay in the game. However, the Admirals continued to apply pressure and extended their lead through effective forechecking. Despite the period only producing 13 shots, in favor of Norfolk 7-6, the Admirals’ play appeared to create a more significant disparity on the scoreboard.
Eleven minutes into the period, Mark Liwiski engaged with an Adirondack player, resulting in the game’s first penalty. After this, the score remained unchanged until four minutes left on the clock, when Smirnov scored his second goal of the game. Timofeyev passed the puck to Smirnov, who originally intended to score with a forehand shot but switched to his backhand, successfully netting his 14th goal of the season. The goal extended the Admirals’ lead to 6-1, which remained the score at the end of the period. The Admirals looked poised to close out the game in the third period.
Although the third period saw mostly penalties, the Admirals held on to their five-goal lead. The final 20 minutes of play saw some hostility on the ice as frustration set in for the Adirondack team. However, the Admirals remained undeterred, and the score remained 6-1 until the final three minutes of play. Tristan Ashbrook scored his 25th goal of the season, beating Perets with a shot that went five-hole. This goal secured the Admirals’ victory and sealed the weekend series.
Thanks to the strong opening period, the Admirals earned four out of six points in Glens Falls, bringing their record to 37-20-5-1. They remain in second place in the ECHL North Division with 80 points, only four points behind the Thunder.
Sentara Health Three Stars of the Game
1. NOR – D. Smirnov (2 goals, +3)
2. NOR – Y. Perets (29 saves off of 31 shots faced)
3. NOR – D. Katic (1 goal, 1 assist, +2)
What’s Next
The Admirals are back at Norfolk Scope for their last set of home games during the regular season later this week. They have five games left to play and are striving to make it to the postseason for the first time in over a decade. This upcoming weekend, Norfolk is hosting the Atlanta Gladiators for two games. The first game is scheduled for Friday night and the puck will drop at 7:05 p.m.