NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- When the Admirals return to the Scope Friday night to open a six-game homestand, fans will see one of the hottest teams in the ECHL.
Norfolk's 4-3 overtime win at Worcester this past Sunday extended the club's winning streak to seven games, good enough for a franchise record since the team returned to the ECHL prior to the 2015-2016 season.
"You love it for the guys because they're the ones paying the price doing it," said head coach Jeff Carr. "It's a good staff and it's a morale."
"When you win seven in a row, it's obviously a good feeling," forward Brady Fleurent added. "The moods are high and we're playing well hockey. We're scoring some goals, playing good [defense], got good goaltending right now, so I just think they're all clicking right now."
The Admirals enter Friday night's game 13-4-3, two points behind Wheeling for the top spot in the North Division. The Nailers are on a 14-game unbeaten streak and will meet Norfolk next month. Carr and company will spend the weekend hosting Cincinnati, a Cyclones team that is 3-12-3 on the season and occupies the cellar of the ECHL with just nine points.
"When you have [momentum], you've got to ride it and I think if we just keep playing the right way and everything, we can keep this momentum going," noted Fleurent.
Fleurent has been a steady stream of contributions for the Admirals. He currently leads the team with 25 points (7 goals, 18 assists), good enough for fifth in the league. Chesapeake's Brandon Osmundson has 16 points on the year (7 goals, 9 assists), along with Stepan Timofeyev (5 goals, 11 assists).
This will mark the first time since February of 2022 the Admirals and Cyclones will meet and Carr says that, despite Cincinnati's struggles, his team will need to be locked in as it has throughout their current streak.
"This is a good test to not be complacent," the head coach pointed out, adding that the home crowd at the Scope is one of the best in the ECHL. "Sleeping in our own beds, distractions of people wanting tickets, all those things that you kind of spend your day doing and then you come to the rink and forget about the focus. When you're on the road it's easy. You're together and you just have to win a game, so that was another message that we had this week."
The Admirals and Cincinnati open their series Friday night at 7:05. The game will be broadcast live on WGNT.
