Admirals’ winning streak ends at four

The Norfolk Admirals’ good times were briefly interrupted Sunday afternoon as Maine salvaged one victory from a threegame series with a 3-2 triumph before a crowd of 4,726 in Portland. Wyllum Deveaux scored twice for the Mariners.

The Admirals’ four-game winning streak ended, but they are solidly in second place in the Eastern Conference’s seven-team North Division, which has four playoff spots available for Norfolk (27-19-3-1) to make its first postseason appearance since rejoining the ECHL in 2015.

The early first period was a flurry of action, with the Mariners (20-22-5-0) going ahead 2-0 on goals by Deveaux and Ethan Ritchie just 5:05 into the game. Norfolk’s Kamerin Nault answered 7:20 into the game, cutting Maine’s lead to 2-1.

That score held until the 10:08 mark of the third period, when Dmitry Kuzmin’s power-play goal pulled the Admirals even at 2. Brandon Osmundson, who grew up in Chesapeake and as part of the Hampton Roads Whalers’ youth program, and Simon Kubicek assisted that goal.

Deveaux broke the tie at 14:40 of the third, leaving the Admirals just more than five minutes to answer. But Maine goalie Shane Starrett got the victory with 30 saves.

Saturday, the Admirals clinched the series victory with a 4-2 win. Osmundson had two assists and Carson Golder scored twice.

The Admirals’ revolving door of goalies continued, with Finland’s Oskari Salminen gaining the victory Saturday via 24 saves but taking the loss Sunday despite 30 saves. Salminen has played 50 games, including this season, with the American Hockey League’s

Manitoba Moose, which is affiliated with the Admirals and the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets.

Golder’s goal 3:32 into the final period tied the score at 2. Stepan Timofeyev then put the Admirals ahead with 4:11 left in regulation off assists by Osmundson and Golder.

Maine pulled goalie Brad Arvanitis for an extra attacker, but Golder foiled the strategy with an empty-net goal with 11 seconds remaining.

The Admirals will return to action at 7:05 p.m. Friday at Scope to begin a two-game series against the South Carolina Stingrays.