Norfolk Admirals secure second place with sweep against Providence Bruins - Norfolk Norfolk Admirals on Astini News
This weekend's Admirals were a far cry from the team that was brought down by Charlotte on Wednesday. The Admirals stormed back into full throttle Friday night against the Providence Bruins and continued their efforts on Saturday night.
The Admirals are now second in the East Division standings with 25 points. Hershey slipped to third place with 23 points and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton holds first place with 27 points. The Admirals are tied for fourth in the Eastern Conference.
The Admirals skated faster, passed more accurately and checked harder to lead the scoring against Providence. The returning all-time top scorer, Blair Jones, scored the opening goal for the Admirals Friday and Ondrej Palat scored his first professional goal.
Also scoring goals was Radko Gudas, J. T. Wyman and Pierre-Cedric Labrie. Labrie's goal was a beauty, as he took the puck from a Bruins defender and made the shot. The puck bounced off the leg of the Bruins goalie, Michael Hutchinson, and Labrie caught the rebound with a backhanded shot on goal as he fell to the ice.
Labrie has been a strong standout in recent games, proving to be a powerful and versatile player. He has scored five goals this season, with 9 assists. And of course, he can hold his own in the fist-to-fist battles. A strong skater and heavy on the boards, Labrie is a force armed and ready for action.
The scoring was rounded out Saturday night with a long-awaited goal from James Wright, who ended his drought of 21 games without a goal. Richard Panik notched a goal and Labrie scored his fifth of the season.
Rookie forward Cory Conacher ran a streak of points for nine games, ending Saturday. He was one point shy of the record for the longest point streak by an AHL Admirals rookie and for the AHL record this season. He continues to press hard throughout the games and, along with Carter Ashton, is one to watch. Ashton is the Norfolk goal leader with 12 to date.
Admirals' goaltender Dustin Tokarski had a great night in net Saturday. He was quick at hand and stopped 26 of 28 shots. He also had the support he needed from his defenders. Jean-Philippe Cote, newest Admiral defenseman, is quickly meshing with the team and making a strong showing. D-man Radko Gudas leads in defense scoring with 4 goals and continues to chase the net as he storms his way aggressively across the ice. He is a great one to watch for powerful body checks.
The Admirals continue their home stand tonight with a game against rival Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Adirondack Phantoms will be at the Scope Friday and Saturday night. Former Admiral Michael Leighton is currently in net for the Phantoms. He is 8-5-0 this season.
Tonight's game against the Penguins should be a tense match-up. Come out and join the excitement of one of the hottest tickets in town….Norfolk Admirals hockey….Armed and Ready.
