Admirals earn key series victory

Win against Thunder has Norfolk four points behind division lead

The Norfolk Admirals just might be in contention for the ECHL’s North Division title after all.

Denis Smirnov scored twice as they rolled to a 6-2 victory Sunday at Adirondack before 4,408 fans, giving them two wins in a threegame series against the first-place Thunder in Glens Falls, New York.

Chesapeake native Brandon Osmundson had two assists during a five-goal first period for Norfolk, which all but sealed the game.

The Admirals (37-21-5-1), who have eight games remaining, are all but certain of gaining their first playoff berth since returning to the ECHL in 2015. Now they’ve cut Adirondack’s lead to four points as the regular season hits the homestretch.

Yaniv Perets made 29 saves for the victory. Danny Katic, coming off Saturday’s hat trick, scored 3:15 into the game. Just 12 seconds later, Smirnov scored for a 2-0 lead.

The Thunder (38-17-5-3) answered on Mac Welsher’s first goal of the season at 4:43, but Norfolk’s Stepan Timofeyev (8:52), Kamerin Nault (17:32) and Sean Montgomery (17:57) provided goals for a 5-1 lead. At that point, Adirondack coach Peter MacArthur pulled out goalie Vinnie Purpura and replaced him with Jeremy Brodeur.

Smirnov beat Brodeur at 13:34 of the second period, and the Thunder’s Tristan Ashbrook scored a relatively meaningless goal on a power play at 17:03 of the third.

■ Saturday, the Admirals won 4-1 before 5,170 fans as Katic netted three goals. Denis Smirnov had three assists, and Perets made 26 saves for the victory.

Brodeur, who played seven games for the Admirals in 2018-19, made 25 saves but took the loss; he’s the son of Martin Brodeur, a three-time Stanley Cup-winning goalie with the New Jersey Devils, the Thunder’s NHL affiliate.

The game was scoreless until the final minute of the first period, when the Admirals took control with a pair of power-play goals.

Katic scored at 19:04 off assists from Smirnov and Brady Fleurent. Just 43 seconds later, Timofeyev made it 2-0 with assists from Smirnov and Katic.

In the second period, Katic netted another power-play goal at 7:02 off assists from Smirnov and Timofeyev. The Thunder pulled to 3-1 on Ryan Wheeler’s goal into the second period, but Perets allowed nothing else.

The third period remained 3-1 until MacArthur pulled Brodeur for an extra attacker. Katic capitalized with a puck into an empty net.

The Admirals will return to Scope for a Friday-Saturday night series against Atlanta as Norfolk starts its final homestand of the season.