Falcons Claw Their Way Past Admirals 3-2
By Ted Warren
Oct 27, 2011; St. Paul, MN, USA; Anaheim Ducks forward Patrick Maroon (62) against the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center. The Ducks defeated the Wild 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE
The Springfield Falcons clawed their way past the Norfolk Admirals Friday night 3-2. Patrick Maroon netted his 6th tally of the season just 38 seconds into the game. Admirals’ skipper Nate Guenin and rookie forward Chris Wagner picked up points assisting on the Maroon goal. Just minutes after the Maroon tally, Falcons forward Sean Collins whistled the puck past 1st year rookie goalie Frederik Andersen which tied the tilt. Norfolk’s Captain Nate Guenin helped put the Admirals back in the driver’s seat sniping the twine on the power play for his 1st goal of the season at the 15:17 mark. Norfolk outshot Springfield by a narrow margin of 9-8 during the first.
Falcons Cam Atkinson dictated scoring in the 2nd period. His first goal came on the man advantage as he rifled the puck past Andersen piling up his 5th goal of the season. Atkinson pulled his club out in front at 15:22 mark as he shoveled the puck past Andersen for his 2nd goal of the night while his team was a man down. This pushed his goal total to 6 on the season. Springfield had the edge in shots outshooting Norfolk 13-9. Despite having multiple opportunities on the power play, Norfolk could not muster a goal. Norfolk head coach Trent Yawney stated his concerns about the Admirals power play woes in the 2nd period saying, “I think we had 2 shots on net in 10 minutes with 2 full power plays.” Norfolk Captain Nate Guenin gave his thoughts on the power play declaring, “The power play is a weapon. It’s a tool and you need to be quick. It’s not a 2 minute thing where you float around like you’re playing summer hockey.”
During the 3rd period, Norfolk lit up Springfield’s goalie Curtis McElhinney like a Christmas tree peppering 20 shots to Springfield’s 10. Even with Norfolk’s efforts, they could not dig out of the 1 goal deficit. After defeating the Admirals tonight, the Falcons improved their record to 9 wins and 2 losses. Norfolk scored once on 9 power play chances while Springfield tallied a goal on 6 power plays.
The Falcons and Admirals square off again today at 7:15 in downtown Norfolk. The three Stars of the Game were Cam Atkinson, Nate Guenin, and Curtis McElhinney.
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