NORFOLK, VA – The Norfolk Admirals will drop the puck on the final homestand of the season as they begin a stretch of seven straight home games.
Last week, the Admirals closed out a five-game road trip. Wednesday night, the Albany River Rats scored five goals in the third period to upend the Admirals 5-3 at the Times-Union Center. Friday night, the Binghamton Senators scored goals on four consecutive shots in the second period as they handed the Admirals a 6-2 loss at the Broome County Veteran’s Memorial Arena. In the Saturday night rematch, the Admirals netted three goals in the first two minutes of the third period to surge past the Senators 5-2 in Binghamton. Sunday, Zenon Konopka and Pete Zingoni scored but the Admirals fell 3-2 to the Philadelphia Phantoms at the Wachovia Spectrum.
The Admirals return to Scope for three games this week. They welcome the Binghamton Senators to Scope on Wednesday and Friday before squaring off against their rivals the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Saturday night at Scope. There are special ticket offers, giveaways and community fundraisers coming up this week. Please see below for more information.
EAST DIVISION STANDINGS At 27-34-3-5 (62 points), the Admirals are in seventh place in the East Division. The division is led by the Hershey Bears (42-18-1-6, 91 points). They are followed by the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (41-20-3-5, 90 points), Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (42-22-2-2, 88 points), Binghamton Senators (36-24-5-3, 80 points), Philadelphia Phantoms (34-27-2-2, 72 points) and Albany River Rats (29-31-3-3, 64 points). Click here for the complete, up-to-the-minute AHL standings.
THE ADMIRALS’ WEEK AHEAD Wed., Mar. 18 … vs. Binghamton Senators (Ottawa Senators) … 7:15 p.m. | CLICK HERE TO GET TICKETS Fri., Mar. 20 … vs. Binghamton Senators (Ottawa Senators) … 7:15 p.m. | CLICK HERE TO GET TICKETS Sat., Mar. 21 … vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh Penguins) … 7:15 p.m. | CLICK HERE TO GET TICKETS
ADMIRALS LOG
The Admirals will drop the puck on a seven-game homestand on Wednesday versus Binghamton at Scope. They are the final seven home games of the regular season for Norfolk.
Defenseman Richard Petiot registered his first two NHL points – including an assist on the game-tying goal late in the third period – on Saturday night with a pair of assists in Tampa Bay’s 4-3 shootout victory at Florida.
The home team won each game of the season series between Albany and Norfolk with both teams claiming four victories on home ice.
Norfolk’s three goals 0:59 apart to start the third period on Saturday in Binghamton were the fastest three goals scored by the team this season and were the fastest trio of goals scored by Norfolk since the 2004-05 season.
The Admirals are 12-8-1-1 (.591) on Saturdays this season. They are 15-26-2-4 (.383) on all other days.
Zenon Konopka is on a seven-game point streak (2G, 7A) and has points in 11 of his last 13 games (3G, 12A). Konopka now leads Norfolk with 51 points this season.
Brock Hooton has points in three straight games for the Admirals (1G, 2A).
Pete Zingoni has points in three of his last four games for Norfolk (2G, 1A). He netted a goal against his former team on Sunday evening in Philadelphia.
Former Admirals defenseman Matt Smaby has registered an average of 18:07 of ice time with the Lightning in 31 games this season – the sixth highest average for a rookie defenseman with over 20 NHL games this season.
AHL All-Star Defenseman Matt Lashoff made his Admirals debut on Saturday in Binghamton. Lashoff was acquired by Tampa Bay in a trade with Boston on deadline day and had missed several games due to a lower body injury. He was recalled by Tampa Bay earlier today.
ADMIRALS RBK/AHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINEE Zenon Konopka: 4GP, 2G, 4A, 6 PTS Admirals captain Zenon Konopka led Norfolk with six points in four games last week. Wednesday in Albany, he notched a goal and an assist in a 5-3 loss to the River Rats. As the Admirals picked up a split of a Friday-Saturday set of games in Binghamton, Konopka registered three assists between the games to extend his assist streak to six games. Sunday in Philadelphia, Konopka opened scoring with a power play goal to extend his point streak to seven games.
Konopka now leads Norfolk in points and assists. In 64 games, he has registered 14 goals and 37 assists for 51 points. His six-game assist streak will go down as tied for the third-longest such streak in AHL Admirals history. Should he register a point on Wednesday versus Binghamton, he will tie the longest point streak of the season for Norfolk. Konopka is just four points away from matching his AHL career high of 55 points in a single season.
– Family Fun Packs offer four Red Level tickets, four hot dogs, four popcorns and four sodas for just $48 – that’s a savings of $37! Family Fun Packs are available at the Scope Box Office and online at ticketmaster.com. Click here to purchase a Family Fun Pack for March 18.
Student Rush Night – High school and college students with a valid school ID can get $8 White Level tickets only at the Scope Box Office after 2:00 p.m. on the day of the game.
Friday, March 20 (vs. Binghamton Senators)
Team Poster Giveaway Night – The first 2,500 fans through the gates will receive a 2008-09 Norfolk Admirals Team Poster, courtesy of Pariser Dermatology, Virginia Clinical Research, and Fox43.
Saturday, March 21 (vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins)
MDA Jersey Auction, Presented by PAPCO – The Norfolk Admirals’ Annual MDA Jersey Auction, presented by PAPCO, will take place immediately following the game. The Admirals will don one-of-a-kind jerseys with the Admirals’ 20th anniversary logo during the game. Immediately following the conclusion of the game on Saturday, a live auction will take place on the ice with the jerseys being sold right off the players’ backs. All proceeds go to the local chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
THIS WEEK ON THE ADMIRALS HOUR Tune in to the Admirals Hour on Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m. on ESPN Radio 1310 WGH-AM. “The Voice of the Admirals” Pete Michaud will be joined in the studio by Admirals forward Brandon Bochenski. If you have a question for the show, please call (757) 497-1310 during the show or email keith@norfolkadmirals.com prior to 2:00 on Thursday afternoon.
ADMIRALS STREAKS AND TRENDS
Zenon Konopka, Points in seven straight games (2G, 7A since 03/06 vs. LOW)
Brock Hooton, Points in three straight games (1G, 2A since 03/13 at BNG)
Pete Zingoni, Goals/points in back-to-back games (2G, 0A since 03/14 at BNG)
Brandon Bochenski, Points in back-to-back games (1G, 1A since 03/14 at BNG)
Justin Keller, Points in ten straight home games (9G, 5A since 01/23 vs. LE)
Justin Keller, Goals in six straight home games (7G since 02/07 vs. BRI)
Zenon Konopka, Points in 11 of his last 13 games (3G, 12A since 02/21 vs. BNG)
Pete Zingoni, Points in three of his last four games (2G, 1A since 03/11 at ALB)
Juraj Simek, Points in two of his last three games (1G, 2A since 03/13 at BNG)
Chris Lawrence, Points in two of his last three games (1G, 1A since 03/13 at BNG)
Blair Jones, Points in five of his last eight games (6G, 3A since 03/04 at PHI)
Brandon Bochenski, Points in eight of his last 13 games (6G, 5A since 02/20 vs. BNG)
TRANSACTIONS OF THE PAST WEEK March 10, 2009 DELETE D Richard Petiot – Recalled from loan by Tampa Bay (NHL)
DELETE F Jay Rosehill – Traded to Toronto (AHL)
March 16, 2009 ADD D Josef Melichar – Returned on loan from Tampa Bay (NHL)
March 17, 2009 DELETE D Matt Lashoff – Recalled from loan by Tampa Bay (NHL)
THIS WEEK IN ADMIRALS HISTORY (MARCH 9 – 15) March 16, 1993 … Admirals 9 vs. Roanoke Valley Rampage 4
In the 1992-93 regular season finale, the Admirals pull off a rare “Triple-Triple” as three players score three goals each in a 9-4 win over the Roanoke Valley Rampage at Scope. Kurt Kabat, Victor Gervais and Brian Martin each claim hat tricks. It’s the only time in club history three men have scored hat tricks in the same game. Martin’s hat trick is his club record 16th and final hat trick as an Admiral.
March 17, 1990 … Admirals 5 at Erie Panthers 4 – OVERTIME
Dennis McEwen carries the Admirals to their first playoff victory, a 5-4 overtime verdict versus the Erie Panthers at the Erie Civic Center. McEwen sets an ECHL record with four goals in the decision. McEwen’s mark has been matched several times, but never broken. McEwen’s showing also marks the first playoff hat trick in league history.
March 18, 2005 … Admirals 4 vs. Portland Pirates 0
The Admirals move within a point of the East Division lead with a 4-0 victory over the Portland Pirates at Scope. Adam Munro makes 19 saves to claim his third shutout victory for Norfolk. Brandin Cote, Marty Wilford, Matt Keith and Eric Nickulas tally goals for the Red & Black. Matt Ellison adds two assists in the win.
TICKETS Don’t miss a minute of the action by purchasing your 2009-10 season tickets today. Packages are on sale now with special monthly rates available. For more details, please visit norfolkadmirals.com or call (757) 640-1212.
To purchase tickets to any Admirals game, you may visit the Scope Box Office weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., visit any Ticketmaster outlet, call Ticketmaster at (757) 671-8100 or visit Ticketmaster online at www.ticketmaster.com. Stop by the Admirals’ Administrative Offices at Scope, call (757) 640-1212 weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or visit norfolkadmirals.com anytime!
ON THE RADIO/INTERNET All games are broadcast on ESPN Radio 1310 WGH-AM. The games are also cybercast at SportsJuice.com. Go to SportsJuice.com, or click on the link at norfolkadmirals.com. Broadcasts begin 15 minutes prior to game time.
Games are also viewable through the Internet on a pay-per-view basis through AHL Live. Visit norfolkadmirals.com and click the AHL Live banner on the left side of the site to view all Admirals’ home and away games.
