Gritty Work Paves The Way For Norfolk
Photo Credit: Norfolk AdmiralsThe Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins got the short end of the stick Friday in downtown Norfolk as the Admirals skated away with a 4-1 victory. Admirals goalie Jeff Deslauriers stopped 31 of 32 shots en route to his first victory of the season. Penguins tendy Brad Thiessen saved 23 out of Norfolk’s 27 shots.
Three of the Admirals goals came by two unsung heroes Jay Rosehill and Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond. Rosehill kicked started the offensive scoring in the first period. Letourneau-Leblond sauced a pass to Rosehill who was parked in front of Thiessen. Rosehill backhanded his shot past Thiessen tallying his third goal of the season.
The Admirals second goal came by way of Josh Brittian who has been on fire lately scoring eight points in the last fifteen games since summoned from the ECHL. Devante Smith-Pelly found Brittain streaking down his wing. Smith-Pelly sailed the puck to Brittain who rifled a wrist shot past Thiessen at the 3:02 mark of the third period.
The Admirals last two goals came by Letourneau-Leblond and Rosehill. Oddly enough Letourneau-Leblond assisted on both of Rosehill’s goals. To further his point streak, Rosehill picked up an assist on Letourneau-Leblond’s goal. To cap off his star-studded performance Rosehill collected a “Gordie Howe Hat Trick” which includes a goal, assist, and a fight. He dropped the mitts with Penguin Bobby Farnham in the third to complete the trick. Norfolk head coach Trent Yawney hit the nail on the head commenting about his enforcers saying, “A team can’t function without them.”
Norfolk tough guy Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond shared his thoughts on the win declaring the team was doing the right things at the right time. Letourneau-Leblond later commented on playing with Rosehill saying, “We are the same type of players. We played against each other for seven or eight years now. It’s not rocket science. We get the puck deep and go to work. Good things happen.”
Admirals enforcer Jay Rosehill’s last “Gordie Howe Hat Trick” and multiple point tilt fell on November 7, 2010 against the OKC Barons when he played for the Toronto Marlies. Rosehill shared his thoughts on this accomplishment saying, “They don’t come too often. The first two (goals) were the toughest to get.”
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s lone goal came from Warren Peters at the 17:42 mark of the second period. Neither team scored on the P.P. The clubs square off in a rematch Saturday night at 7:15 in downtown Norfolk. With this win, the Admirals improved their record to 19-23-2-1.
Follow Ted on Twitter @bauerhockeydude