NORFOLK, Va. — The Admirals put up six goals in the first period and never looked back, as Norfolk beat the division leading Wheeling Nailers 9-3 on Saturday in their second regular-season match up.
Dom DiVincentiis made his 15th appearance as the goaltender and displayed another exceptional performance with 32 saves made off 35 shots faced in the Admirals' win.
The initial period of the contest witnessed a remarkable display of offensive prowess by the Admirals, who energized their second-largest audience of the season with an impressive tally of six goals. Stepan Timofeyev initiated the scoring with a goal arising from a turnover by Wheeling, establishing an early lead of 1-0 and marking his ninth goal of the season. Following that, just two minutes later, Darick Louis-Jean contributed his third goal of the season with a shot from near the front, elevating the score to 2-0.
Midway through the period, Pavel Padakin further extended the lead to 3-0 with a precise shot from the left-wing circle, recording his eighth goal of the season. Less than a minute later, Brady Fleurent increased the margin to 4-0 by capitalizing on a rebound from Brandon Osmundson's initial attempt, marking his eleventh goal of the season. Ninety seconds afterward, Denis Smirnov executed a backhand shot during his drive to the net, resulting in his twelfth goal of the season and expanding the lead to 5-0.
Thirty seconds later, Justin Young concluded the outstanding period with a wrap-around goal, raising the score to 6-0, which also represented his sixth goal of the season.
Consequently, the Admirals maintained their elevated level of play, carrying the six-goal advantage into the intermission while outshooting the Nailers 12-11 during the period.
The second period continued in a similar vein, with the Admirals adding to their lead, while Wheeling responded with late goals to diminish the deficit. Fleurent secured his second goal of the evening with an empty-net shot, marking his twelfth goal of the season and advancing the score to 7-0. The Nailers broke the shutout bid made by goaltender DiVincentiis with a goal from Gabe Klassen, which brought the score to 7-1.
With less than five minutes remaining in the period, Osmundson contributed the eighth goal of the night for Norfolk with a shot from in front of the net, eliciting a significant response from the audience, particularly given his local ties as a Chesapeake native. Wheeling responded with two goals near the end of the period; one from Sam Houde, which brought the score to 8-2, and another from Matt Koopman, which narrowed the margin to 8-3. This marked the score heading into the third period.
Four minutes into the third period, Timofeyev recorded his second goal of the evening with a shot from the front, thereby extending the Admirals' lead to 9-3. Subsequently, Norfolk maintained control throughout the remainder of the third period, upholding their six-goal advantage as they ultimately triumphed over Wheeling, securing a vital two points in the standings.
