ECHL READING 4, NORFOLK 1 (LATE FRIDAY)
Four fights enliven second of 3-game series
Stuffed animals came raining down after Norfolk scored in Friday night’s first period at Scope, but not too much else went the Admirals’ way as the Reading Royals beat them 4-1 in a chippy game.
The Royals earned their second victory in the three-game ECHL series.
The game was billed as “Teddy Bear Toss (Part 1),” and some of the 3,873 fans made sure it lived up to its billing. The Admirals (14-8-2-1), who lost in overtime Wednesday to Reading (9-12-1-1), hoped to avoid a sweep Saturday night in “Teddy Bear Toss (Part 2)”.
The Admirals’ Carson Golder scored his 12th goal of the season off assists from Mathieu Roy and Denis Smirnov 7 minute, 34 seconds into the game, and fans threw their gifts for local children’s hospital patients onto the ice. It necessitated a sought-for delay.
After the teddy bears and other items were collected, Reading was in control. The Royals blocked numerous shots, and goalie Nolan Maier made 24 saves for the victory, their fourth in a row.
Reading’s first two goals came on power plays, eventually dealing goalie Jimmy Poreda a defeat in his Admirals debut. Adam
Brubacher scored 6:27 into the middle period, and Devon Paliani put the Royals ahead 2-1 at 15:30. Then at 17:29 Matt Brown scored at even strength for a 3-1 edge.
In the third period Joseph Nardi — named the night’s No. 1 star — added a goal at 10:52 to his two previous assists.
Poreda, a 27-year-old from Tonawanda, New York, already had played this season for two teams in Georgia: the Southern Professional Hockey League’s Macon Mayhem and the ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates. He was trying to replace the two goalies who helped Norfolk end years of ECHL woes and get off to a good start.
Rookie Yaniv Perets, who went 5-5-1 with a 2.38 goals-against average with the Admirals, was promoted last Sunday to the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. Soon after that, Thomas Milic was called up to the American Hockey League’s Manitoba Moose.
Fans who like fights got their wish Friday in a game that included 50 penalty minutes per team.
In the first period the Admirals’ Darick Louis-Jean fought Koletrane Wilson. Less than four minutes later Norfolk’s Simon Kubicek squared off with Brayden Guy.
In the final period the Admirals’ Mark Liwiski fought Tag Bertuzzi. Just 63 seconds later Golder and Kenny Johnson exchanged blows.