Admirals’ skid hits 3 games

Representing Portsmouth in the City Series this weekend, the Norfolk Admirals began a three-game weekend set with a 3-2 loss Friday night to the Indy Fuel before 4,916 at Scope.

The Admirals (15-12-2-1), dealing with roster call-ups, have lost three consecutive games and six of their past seven. Indy (14-12-4-0) has won two games in a row.

Admirals goalie Yaniv Perets, back from the Carolina Hurricanes, where he served as a backup but didn’t get into a game, took the loss. He made 17 saves.

Winning goalie Zach Driscoll made 26 saves, including several difficult stops late in the third period as the Admirals tried to pull even. They outshot Indy 10-3 in the final 20 minutes.

The Fuel’s Ross MacDougall opened the scoring 6:40 into the game by deflecting a shot from Bryan Lemos into the net — they finished the night as the Nos. 2 and 1 stars, respectively.

The No. 3 star, Mark Liwiski, pulled the Admirals even at 1 just 36 seconds into the middle period. Mathieu Roy and Josh McDougall got assists on the play.

A goal by Brandon Schultz at 6:41 into the second period, which came on the Fuel’s only power play of the evening, put Indy ahead 2-1. He played three games for the Admirals last season.

The Fuel, an affiliate of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, expanded the margin to 3-1 when Lemos scored off a MacDougall assist.

The Admirals’ Danny Katic scored from a Keegan Iverson assist 1:43 into the final period, but despite a late power play and Perets’ removal in the final 50 seconds for an extra attacker, the Fuel held on.

The teams were to play again Saturday night and at 3:05 p.m. today.