NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- With a playoff appearance still fresh in their minds, the Admirals will drop the puck on a new slate Friday night.
14 players who were part of last spring's playoff showing return to this year's roster. They'll take the stage at a Scope that features new ice, new boards and new glass. Now they'll get to work on adding a new banner.
"We're back to 0-0 and it's a new year so we're going to take baby steps into the year, but there's a lot of motivated guys in that dressing room ready to go," head coach Jeff Carr said. "There's a huge dividing line right now. We're not quite on the right side of that. We're going to have to prove that throughout the course of the year."
"Having all those guys and all the experience goes a long way," added forward Brady Fleurent. "We should kind of hit the ground running and I think it helps when you have a majority of your team back from the year before."
Norfolk will welcome Adirondack to open things up in a two game series Friday and Saturday night. The Thunder ended the Admirals' playoff run last season and the players have been eager to get another crack at their ECHL North Division foes. Sure, it's only game one, but starting the campaign with a victory over the team who sent them home last year is an opportunity that has the guys a little more amped up.
"We've definitely circled this game since the end of last year," said forward Brandon Osmundson, a Chesapeake native. "We've definitely been waiting for the chance to get a little payback and there's no better feeling than starting off right the first game of the season, especially in our barn. We use the fans' energy and just get back to playing Norfolk Admirals hockey."
"I don't know how you don't have it circled," added Fleurent. "Our home games, we kind of let them slip away here in the playoffs, so to have them at home first weekend I think is going to be a little revenge here for us for sure."
Norfolk finished second in the ECHL North Division last season and topped Trois-Rivieres in the first round of the playoffs. The Admirals would take the first two games of their series with Adirondack, before the Thunder got hot and rattled off four straight victories to send Carr and company home for the offseason.
Puck drops Friday night at the Scope at 7:05 PM. WGNT is your official home for the Norfolk Admirals during the 2024-2025 season, airing nine home games beginning November 16. Click here for a full schedule of which games are airing on WGNT.
