NORFOLK, Va. – Tom Kostopoulos scored his eighth goal of the season three minutes into overtime to claim a 3-2 win for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton over Norfolk at Scope Arena on Saturday night.
Just 6:45 into the first period, William Karlsson stole the puck behind the Penguins’ net and skated it to the right of goaltender Matt Murray. Karlsson dished a pass to Emerson Etem in front of the net, who backhanded a one-timer past Murray. The tally put the Admirals up 1-0 over the Penguins. 
Minutes later, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton tied up the game. Tom Kuhnhackl threw the puck on net, which Admirals netminder Jason LaBarbera initially denied, and traffic convened in the paint. Jayson Megna grabbed the rebound, and scooped it over a sprawled LaBarbera at 9:35. Scott Harrington recorded the secondary helper and the teams were tied, 1-1.
The stalemate lasted until the middle of the third frame. Bryan Rust came out of the corner with the puck and fed Scott Wilson at the right dot. Wilson wristed the puck above LaBarbera’s glove at 10:55, and the visitors gained the 2-1 lead.
The Admirals found the back of the net with five minutes remaining in the third period to tie the game. With Norfolk on a 4-on-3 advantage, Brendan Bell blasted a shot from the point. Stationed in front, Nic Kerdiles used his hand-eye coordination to tip it above the glove of Murray. Emerson Etem also earned an assist on the play at 14:47, and the clubs would head into overtime tied 2-2.
The game-winner required a video review to determine, but ultimately went in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s favor. Nick Drazenovic took a shot from the left circle, which LaBarbera stopped. However, Kostopoulos slid the puck through LaBarbera’s legs on the second effort to light the lamp. The secondary assist went to Andrew Ebbett at 3:08 of overtime and the Penguins skated home with a 3-2 victory.
Murray saved 23 of 25 Admirals shots, while LaBarbera turned aside 27 of 30 attempts. Norfolk was perfect again on the penalty kill, holding Wilkes-Barre/Scranton scoreless on six opportunities. Norfolk went 1-for-4 on the man-advantage. The Admirals set out on a three-game road trip with stops to Binghamton and Hershey beginning next weekend.
Three Stars: 1) WBS #29 Tom Kostopoulos (GWG) 2) WBS #23 Scott Wilson (1 G) 3) NOR #8 Nic Kerdiles (1 G)
With Norfolk Press Release
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