Crane nets OT winner as Norfolk downs Atlanta

DULUTH, GA – Chris Crane’s goal at 2:30 of overtime lifted the Norfolk Admirals to a 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Gladiators at the Infinite Energy Arena Friday night. With the win, the Admirals (6-2-0-0, 12 pts) now sit in first place of the South Division.

Norfolk once again managed to grab the game’s first goal. Patrick D’Amico received the puck at the left wing circle and flexed a shot past Atlanta goaltender Miroslav Svoboda for the goal at 3:22 of the period.

The Gladiators countered right back on a great individual effort by Tyler Deresky. Deresky skated the puck out of his own end and used his speed to slip past the Norfolk defense to create a scoring chance. Deresky wristed a shot that clipped past Ty Reichenbach for the tying marker.

Atlanta grabbed the lead just two minutes later when Carl Persson finished off a wrap-around attempt that put the Gladiators in front 2-1 on their first two shots of the game.

The Admirals tied the game back up at 1:38 of the middle frame. Taylor Cammarata floated a pass to the top of the crease that was hit into the net by Connor Hurley who was tied up by an Atlanta defender. It appeared that the puck hit off the shaft of Hurley’s stick and then into the net for the goal.

The two teams went into the third period tied at 2-2, and the Admirals were relentless with scoring chances, posting a 16-9 shots advantage in the period. However, Svoboda was stellar, and continued to turn aside quality scoring chances to eventually force overtime.

In the extra session, both teams exchanged chances, but Norfolk finally broke through with a wild scramble in front of the Atlanta net. Following a D’Amico shot, Chris Crane scooped up the loose puck in the crease and backhanded it into the back of the net for the game-winning tally. Crane’s sixth tally of the season secured the 3-2 Admirals win.

Despite allowing goals on the first two shots of the game, Reichenbach made 29 consecutive saves to help lead his team to their third straight victory. Svoboda suffered his first loss of the season out in a stellar outing, stopping 41 of 43 shots on the night.

Three Stars
1. Chris Crane (NOR) – 1 goal (GWG-OT)
2. Carl Persson (ATL) – 1 goal
3. Miroslav Svoboda (ATL) – 43 saves

The two teams will meet again at Infinite Energy Center on Sunday afternoon at 3:05 p.m.