TORONTO, Ont. – The Norfolk Admirals have won the 2012 Calder Cup Championship after defeating the Toronto Marlies in the best-of-seven Calder Cup Finals, four games to zero. Norfolk earned its first ever American Hockey League championship this afternoon at the Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, after a 6-1 victory over the Marlies in Game 4. The Admirals, who won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as the AHL’s regular season champions with a 55-18-1-2 record, reached the Calder Cup Finals after defeating the Manchester Monarchs in four games in the best-of-five Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, the Connecticut Whale in six games in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Semifinals and the St. John’s IceCaps in four games in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals. Norfolk, the AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning, won its last 28 regular season games to establish a North American professional hockey record. The Admirals then went 15-3 in the 2012 Calder Cup Playoffs en route to the first Calder Cup Championship in Virginia history. Norfolk brings a professional hockey championship back to Hampton Roads 14 years after the Hampton Roads Admirals of the ECHL won their third championship (1991 and 1992 Riley Cup, 1998 Kelly Cup). Norfolk becomes the 28th different city to win the Calder Cup in the 76-season history of the American Hockey League’s championship trophy. The Admirals recorded the 17th sweep in Calder Cup Finals history (15th in a best-of-seven format). Two players on the Norfolk roster recorded their second Calder Cup Championships: Brandon Segal (2004 Milwaukee Admirals) and Jean-Philippe Cote (2007 Hamilton Bulldogs). All other players and coaches won their first Calder Cup championship. Alexandre Picard, who scored nine goals and added seven assists and totaled 16 points in the Calder Cup Finals, was awarded the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as Most Valuable Player of the 2012 Calder Cup Playoffs as voted by the coaches. The Jack A. Butterfield Trophy is named after the former President and Treasurer of the American Hockey League. Mr. Butterfield served the longest tenure of any American Hockey League President (28 years) and served as Chairman of the Board until his passing in October 2010.
 
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NORFOLK, Va. — Cory Conacher and Tyler Johnson each tallied a goal and an assist and the Norfolk Admirals killed off all 10 power plays they faced on the way to a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Marlies in Game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals Friday night at Norfolk Scope Arena. 
 
Dustin Tokarski (9-2) stopped 23 of 24 shots for his fifth straight win. His shutout streak ended at 202:06 after former Admiral Carter Ashton netted Toronto’s lone goal early in the third period. Brandon Segal added an empty netter. Toronto’s Ben Scrivens (11-3) turned aside 39 of 41 shots in defeat.
 
Conacher scored Norfolk’s first goal of the game at 12:21 of the first period. Tyler Johnson had the puck in the right circle when Conacher criss-crossed behind him into the slot. As Conacher became open, Johnson passed the puck to the AHL regular season MVP, who one-timed it past Scrivens, glove-side. 
 
Conacher and Johnson were also involved in the second Norfolk goal 10:03 in the second period. On a Norfolk power play, Conacher passed the puck from the right circle to Mark Barberio, who was waiting the high-slot. Barberio spotted Johnson in the left circle and passed to him. Johnson one-timed the puck past Scrivens for a 2-0 Admirals lead.
 
Carter Ashton, who was a linemate of Johnson and Conacher early in the season, got the Marlies on the scoreboard at 3:57 of the third period. After taking a pass from Greg Scott, Ashton beat Dustin Tokarski from the left circle, putting the puck in the bottom-right corner of the net. Ashton’s goal made the score 2-1.
 
The third period saw Toronto go on five power plays. With less than two minutes remaining in regulation, Scrivens was pulled for an extra skater to give the Marlies a six-on-four skater advantage.  After the puck was cleared from the Norfolk defensive zone, Segal skated past a Toronto defender and shot the puck into the empty net, securing the 3-1 Norfolk win at 19:41.
 
The teams meet tonight in Norfolk for game two of the Calder Cup Finals. 
 
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ST. JOHN’S, Newfoundland – Pierre-Cedric Labrie scored on a breakaway 1:37 into overtime and Dustin Tokarski stopped all 25 shots he faced as the Norfolk Admirals claimed Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals over the St. John’s IceCaps, 1-0, on Monday night at the Mile One Centre. The Admirals lead the best-of-seven series, three games to none, with Game 4 set for tonight at 6:00 p.m. EDT from Mile One Centre. Tokarski (7-2) earned his first shutout of the playoffs to out-duel St. John’s netminder Eddie Pasquale (7-7), who turned aside 26 of 27 shots. Neither team scored on the power play, as the Admirals went 0-for-7 and the IceCaps were 0-for-6. The only goal of the game came early in overtime. Labrie took possession of the puck after a neutral zone turnover and broke in alone on Pasquale. The second-year Admiral sent a wrist shot from between the hashmarks in the slot that eluded Pasquale’s glove for his fourth goal of the playoffs. Game 4 takes place tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m. EDT from Mile One Centre. Big Woody’s Bar and Grill will show the game at their Chesapeake Square Mall location. The Chesapeake Square Mall location of Big Woody’s Bar and Grill is located at 4200 Portsmouth Boulevard in Chesapeake, Virginia. All playoff games will air on 102.1-FM, 1490-AM, 1021TheGame.com and AHLLive.com. Reserve your 2012-13 season tickets with a deposit of as little as $100 per seat 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. Eddie Pasquale – STJ 2. Pierre-Cedric Labrie – NOR 3. Dustin Tokarski – NOR
 
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HARTFORD, Conn. —  Alex Killorn, Trevor Smith and Mike Angelidis scored in the second period and Dustin Tokarski made 27 saves as the Norfolk Admirals edged the Connecticut Whale, 4-3, on Sunday night at the XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum  and took a  two-games-to-one lead in the AHL Eastern Conference Semifinals series . Game 4 will be played Monday night in Hartford.
 
Ondrej Palat scored in the first period for the Admirals, who won their 16^th consecutive road game dating back to Feb . 12 at Charlotte.
 
Connecticut took a 1-0 lead just 5:20 into the contest on the power play. Casey Wellman intercepted a Norfolk clearing attempt in the slot between the hashmarks. He sent a slap shot past Tokarski’s blocker and into the net.
 
The game’s next score also came on a Whale power play. However, this time, it was Palat finding the back of the net for the second time in as many games. He intercepted a Connecticut pass at the blue line in the Norfolk zone and sped toward Whale goaltender Cameron Talbot on a shorthanded breakaway. He deked to his forehand before stretching to slip a backhand shot past Talbot’s left leg at 8:01 for his second goal of the playoffs.
 
Connecticut re-claimed the lead late in the opening frame. Marek Hrivik sped past a Norfolk defender in the right wing before cutting towards the net and attempting a shot. The puck bounced off traffic in the crease before being knocked into the net by Andre Deveaux at 17:12 for a 2-1 Whale lead.
 
The Whale came out strong to begin the second stanza, out-shooting the Admirals 11-1 midway through the frame. However, Tokarski stood tall, and the second half of the period belonged to Norfolk. Killorn tied the game at 2-2 on the power play. He sent a shot through a screen from the right half-wall that beat Talbot at 11:31 for his third goal of the post-season.
 
Norfolk took  its  first lead of the game less than one minute later on Smith’s third goal of the playoffs. Mark Barberio sent a shot from the right point. Smith deflected the shot from the slot past Talbot at 12:16 to give the visitors a 3-2 lead.
 
Norfolk’s captain doubled his team’s lead late in the second period with his first goal of the playoffs. Radko Gudas sent a shot from the right point that Michel Ouellet deflected on goal. Angelidis found the rebound on top of the crease and swept it past Talbot’s right leg at 17:40 for a 4-2 lead.
 
Connecticut trimmed Norfolk’s lead to one goal early in the third period with a five-on-three power play goal. Kris Newbury sent a pass from the right corner to Wellman at the top of the right circle. Wellman one-timed the puck past Tokarski at 1:06 to cut the Admirals’ lead to 4-3.
 
However, Norfolk’s defense was stingy and Tokarski thwarted the remaining four Connecticut shot attempts in the final frame as Norfolk held on for the one-goal victory.
 
Norfolk was 1-for-4 on the power play while Connecticut was 2-for-5.
 
Dustin Tokarski (4-1) stopped 27 of 30 shots for the win. Cameron Talbot (4-2) made 18 saves on 22 shots for the setback.
 
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MANCHESTER, N.H. – Alex Killorn scored on a rebound 13:27 into overtime as the Norfolk Admirals defeated the Manchester Monarchs, 4-3, on Friday night at the Verizon Wireless Arena. With the win, Norfolk won the best-of-five Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series against Manchester, three games to one, and advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Connecticut Whale beginning Wednesday night at Norfolk Scope Arena. Evan Oberg, Mark Barberio and Trevor Smith also scored for the Admirals, who erased 1-0 and 3-1 deficits for the win. Norfolk netminder Dustin Tokarski (2-0) stopped 22 of 25 shots for the win. The Monarchs opened scoring just 38 seconds into the contest. A Manchester defenseman caused a turnover in the left corner of the Norfolk zone. Justin Azevedo found the puck in the high slot and sent a slap shot off the crossbar and into the net to give the home team a 1-0 lead. Norfolk knotted the score at 1-1 midway through the second stanza. Oberg sent a shot from the left point through traffic that glanced off Zatkoff. While the goaltender slowed the puck, he did not stop it, as it trickled between his legs and into the net at 7:18. However, the Monarchs restored their lead exactly four minutes later on a four-on-four play. Brandon Kozun and Patrick Mullen executed a crossover play at the Norfolk blue line, with Kozun dropping a pass to Mullen in the high slot. Mullen skated a few strides toward the net before sending a shot past Tokarski’s glove at 11:18 for a 2-1 Manchester lead. The Monarchs doubled their lead just over four minutes later with their first power play goal of the series. Thomas Hickey sent a slap shot from the high slot. Andy Andreoff changed the path of the puck from high to low with a deflection from the center slot, and the shot eluded Tokarski at 15:37 for a 3-1 Manchester lead. However, that lead evaporated less than two minutes later with a pair of Norfolk goals. Cory Conacher set up the visitors’ second goal when he spotted Barberio in the left circle. The AHL’s Outstanding Defenseman waited for a Manchester defender to commit to a block before shuffling to his left in the faceoff circle and sending a wrist shot top-shelf at 16:58. The Admirals tied the game at 3-3 just 16 seconds later. Smith entered the attacking zone along the right wing with speed. He sent a shot from the right circle that Zatkoff blocked. However, Smith found his own rebound and backhanded a shot past Zatkoff’s left leg at 17:14 for his second goal of the post-season. The Admirals out-shot the Monarchs, 10-3, in the third period but could not solve Zatkoff as the game required overtime. Norfolk sustained the pressure in the overtime session, out-shooting Manchester, 9-2, before finding the back of the net with their tenth shot of the extra session. Alexandre Picard sent a shot that Zatkoff stopped. However, Killorn found the rebound in the right circle as traffic was encroaching on Zatkoff. He fired a shot over a prone Zatkoff for his first professional playoff goal and the series-clincher at 17:14. Jeff Zatkoff (1-1) stopped 35 of 39 shots for the loss. Both teams were 1-for-5 on the power play. Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Admirals and Connecticut Whale will take place on Wednesday night at Norfolk Scope Arena at 7:15 p.m. A complete series schedule is available at norfolkadmirals.com.
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MANCHESTER, N.H. —  Brandon Segal scored twice against his former tea, Dustin Tokarski made 25 saves in his first game of the series and the Norfolk Admirals’ penalty kill remained perfect as the AHL’s regular season champions defeated the Manchester Monarchs, 5-2, in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Wednesday night at Verizon Wireless Arena. The Admirals now lead the best-of-five series, 2-1, and have a chance to close out the Monarchs Friday night in Manchester.   Pierre-Cedric Labrie and Philip-Michael Devos each scored their first career playoff goals while Alexandre Picard netted his team-leading fourth goal of the postseason. Norfolk also got three assists from Trevor Smith and two helpers each from Alex Killorn and Cory Conacher.   The Admirals killed off all six Manchester power play opportunities to improve to 20-for-20 on the penalty kill in the series, while Tokarski (1-0) earned his third career playoff victory in his first game of the series.   Norfolk took a 1-0 lead just 35 seconds into the contest when Killorn carried the puck into the attacking zone along the right wing before sending it to Evan Oberg in the right circle. Oberg slipped past a defenseman before shuffling the puck to his left. Segal, who played for Manchester in 2009-2010, took the puck between the hashmarks and fired the puck past Manchester goaltender Martin Jones.   Norfolk doubled the lead just over seven minutes later. Smith sent a feed from the left corner to Labrie in the left faceoff circle, and Labrie sent a shot over Jones’ blocker at 7:40.   Manchester cut Norfolk’s lead to one goal less than four minutes later. Linden Vey spotted Robbie Czarnik in the slot, and Czarnik sent a quick backhand shot through the leg pads of Tokarski at 11:06.   The Admirals struck back at 4:31 of the second period when Mike Kostka sent a shot from the high slot that Jones stopped. However, Devos found the rebound in the low slot and sent a shot through Jones’ to make the score 3-1. Manchester again closed the gap less than nine minutes later, when Vey intercepted a puck at the right point of the Norfolk zone and cut towards the slot. He dropped a pass in the high slot to Stefan Legein, who sent a slap shot over the glove of Tokarski at 12:51 to cut the visitors’ lead to 3-2.   Norfolk iced the game in the second half of the final period after Legein was whistled for boarding, giving Norfolk a five-minute, major power play. Picard scored at 14:45 off a rebound opportunity to put Norfolk ahead, 4-2. Segal then sealed the victory at 18:32 with an empty-net goal.   Jones (1-1) stopped 28 of 32 shots for the Monarchs.    Comment@prohockeynews.com