NORFOLK, VA – Luke Nogard scored twice and added an assist, while Brad Barone stopped 25 of 26 shots to lead the Norfolk Admirals to a 4-1 victory over the Atlanta Gladiators Friday night at Scope. The Admirals (8-3-0-0, 16 points) now hold sole possession of first place in the South Division.
The Admirals got on the board first thanks to a five-on-three powerplay goal from Darik Angeli. The Admirals won the faceoff, kept the puck in and cycled the puck around the net. Kevin Klima fed the puck from behind the net, found T.J. Melancon at the right point, who passed it back down to Kevin Klima in the right circle, and found an open Angeli back door to give the Admirals a 1-0 lead at 5:09 of the first period.
The Admirals would strike again to claim a 2-0 lead at 12:55 of the first period. Luke Nogard skated into the Atlanta zone on the left-hand side, and as Domenic Alberga drew the defender into following him into the low slot, that led to a wide-open chance for Jacob Graves in the high slot. Graves then fired the puck over Colton Phinney’s left shoulder to extend the lead for Norfolk.
Norfolk added another goal at 4:02 of the second period. The Admirals sustained zone pressure in the Atlanta zone for a long period of time. Matt McMorrow found Domenic Alberga in the circle who shot the puck and Colton Phinney made the initial save. The initial save led to a big rebound and Luke Nogard buried it to extend the Admirals lead to 3-0.
Atlanta got on the board as Brett McKenzie played the puck from along the left wall in the Admirals zone. The pass intended for Branden Troock took a bit of a deflection before finding his stick. Troock spun around and shot the puck, which beat Barone between the legs to make the score 3-1 at 5:02 of the third period.
Norfolk added another goal with 11:04 remaining in the third period. Matt McMorrow won the faceoff, fed the puck to Jacob Graves at the left point, who then found Jalen Smereck. Smereck shot the puck from the point, which was tipped in the air by Nogard as it found the back of the net. Norfolk extended its lead to 4-1.
Barone made 25 saves on 26 shots to earn his first ECHL win, while Phinney made 28 saves on 32 shots on goal. The two teams will meet again on Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
Three Stars
1. Brad Barone (25 saves)
2. Luke Nogard (2 goals, 1 assist)
3. Jacob Graves (1 goal, 1 assist)
The Admirals will once again host the Gladiators Saturday night at the Scope. Game time is set for 7 p.m. Saturday is Marvel Super Hero Night and the team will be wearing special Black Panther jerseys during the game and the jerseys will be auctioned off in the concourse during the game.
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