WILKES-BARRE TOWNSHIP, Penn. – Josh Brittain broke a 1-1 tie with 6:20 left in regulation and Frederik Andersen made 26 saves as the Norfolk Admirals (24-25-3-1) defeated the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (29-23-2-1), 2-1, on Wednesday night at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Norfolk has standings points in five straight road games (4-0-1-0) and has closed to within five points of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Brandon McMillan also scored for the Admirals, while Andersen (12-10-1) won his fifth consecutive game for Norfolk. He has a 1.17 goals-against average and .960 save percentage in his last five games.
The Admirals host the Charlotte Checkers on Friday night at Scope in M.S. Awareness Night.
After a scoreless first period, the Penguins opened scoring 7:33 into the second stanza with a power play goal. Tom Kostopoulos found the rebound of a Chad Kolarik shot and put it past Andersen for a 1-0 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton lead.
Norfolk knotted the score at 1-1 with a power play goal of their own in the final minute of the second period. Sami Vatanen sent a shot that was blocked in the low slot. The puck came back into the high slot, and McMillan sent a shot through traffic and past a prone Penguins goaltender Jeff Zatkoff at 19:09.
Norfolk took the lead with 6:20 remaining in regulation. Dan Sexton sent a backhand feed from the right corner towards the net. Brittain redirected the feed past Zatkoff to put the Admirals head, 2-1.
Andersen made nine saves in the third period to make Brittain’s goal stand as the game-winner, as Norfolk won its eighth consecutive game in Wilkes-Barre.
Jeff Zatkoff (17-16-0) stopped 31 of 33 shots in the setback.
Both teams were 1-for-7 on the power play.
The Admirals return to Scope to host the Charlotte Checkers on Friday night at Scope at 7:30 p.m. in M.S. Awareness Night.
Don’t miss a minute of Admirals action by purchasing your season tickets today. 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.
Three Stars:
1. Frederik Andersen – NOR
2. Josh Brittain – NOR
3. Tom Kostopoulos – WBS
Box Score
Pronunciation Guide:
Josh Brittain (BRIH-tihn)
Dan Sexton (SEHKS-tuhn)
Sami Vatanen (VAH-tah-nihn)
