JACKSONVILLE, FL – Thursday night at the Veterans Memorial Arena, the Jacksonville Icemen went in search of their second straight win of the week. The Icemen fought hard, erasing a two goal and a one goal deficit but came up just short as the visiting Norfolk Admirals found a way to pull out a 4-3 shootout victory over Jacksonville in front of an announced crowd of 2,898.
Two Jacksonville Icemen (white) and two Norfolk Admirals fight for the puck (PHN Photo by Trina Kirk)
The two teams battled hard in the first period but thanks to Admials goalie Jamie Murray and Icemen netminder Colton Phinney, the game was scoreless after one. Jacksonville had the better of the play in the frame as it outshot Norfolk 13-5. Murray’s best stop of the period came when he denied Chase Harrison on back-to-back chances that came off of an odd-man rush. At the other end, Phinney actually saw two shots get past him but neither lit the goal light as a drive by Brodie Dupont early in the frame and one by Tommy Shutt rang the post and stayed out.
The Admirals opened the scoring 5:44 into the second when Grant Besse broke in alone and beat Phinney for his ninth goal of the season. The Admirals lead jumped to two at the 9:09 mark when a shot by John Rey hit an Icemen defender and skidded into the net. The goal was Rey’s first of the season.
Jacksonville’s offense brought the fans to their feet when a give and go between Everett Clark and Scott Savage ended with Savage netting his third of the season with a shot that beat Murray on the catching glove side. Phinney kept it a one-goal game with a sharp glove save late in the period. Norfolk had the advantage on the shot clock in the frame at 12-9 but Jacksonville held a 22-17 edge at the intermission.
Down 2-1 entering the final period, the Icemen quickly pulled even when Alexandre Goulet set up Emerson Clark for his eighth goal of the season just 57 seconds into the stanza. That score was answered by Norfolk when T.J. Melancon netted his second of the year at the 3:09 mark to put the Admirals back in front at 3-2.
The Icemen pushed hard to get the equalizer and finally did so when Elgin Pearce converted the rebound of a shot by Emerson Clark with four minutes left in regulation. The goal, which came out of a scramble in front, was Pearce’s third.
Jacksonville goalie Colton Phinney made 28 saves in Thursday night’s game (PHN Photo by Trina Kirk)
Neither team could find the game winner before the third period ran out so on to overtime the teams went. Norfolk had a decided advantage as the Admirals put nine shots on Phinney but the Jacksonville goalie held tight to force the first ever shootout in Icemen history and the first this season for Norfolk.
After Jimmy Lodge was stopped on the first shot of the first round, Norfolk’s Besse beat Phinney to the glove side to give the visitors the advantage. Neither Jacksonville’s Ryan Graham nor the Admirals Dupont scored in round two, setting up a do-or-die opportunity in round three for Jacksonville’s Brendan Currier. Currier skated the puck in but his shot was turned away by Murray to give the Admirals the extra point.
Notes: Both Murray and Phinney were solid in net, each coming up with 28 saves in regulation and overtime… The teams finished even in shots at 31 with Norfolk picking up an extra shot for wining the shootout… Neither team was successful on the power play as Norfolk went 0-for-1 and Jacksonville was 0-for-2… The two teams will meet again on Saturday night in Jacksonville at 7:30 p.m.
Follow us on Twitter @prohockeynews
You must be logged in to post a comment.