1 Shea Theodore played Friday in his first game since Nov 8, 2014, ending the game with no points, no shots on goal, and plus-1. Theordore has five points (3G, 2A) this season. He was the lone Norfolk player to score in the shoot-out loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Philadelphia Flyers).
2 Antoine Laganiere potted two goals Tuesday night, his first multi-point game of the season. Laganiere has four goals through five games in April and 17 points this season (12G, 5A).
3 Max Friberg (3A), Mike Sgarbossa (2G, 1A), and Ty Loney (1G, 2A) each had three points in Norfolk’s 7-4 win over the Binghamton Senators (Ottawa Senators) Tuesday night.
4 Center Robbie Czarnik put up two assists in two games this week. Through eight games since being signed to a PTO contract, Czarnik has four points (1G, 3A).
5 Norfolk's 7-4 win Tuesday was the third time this season Norfolk scored five or more goals.
6 Even Captain Dave Steckel got in to the action on Tuesday with two points, scoring his sixth goal and adding his 15th assist of the season.
7 Last Saturday’s loss to the Hershey Bears (Washington Capitals) was the seventh time the Admirals were shut out by their opponents.
8 Charlie Sarault scored his second goal through five games in April and his eighth of the season Tuesday night. Sarault’s 15 points (8G, 7A) breaks his previous professional personal high of 14 points set last season.
9 Defenseman Josh Manson tallied his ninth assist of the season Tuesday night against the Senators, his third assist in five games in April.
10 Matt Bailey scored his sixth goal of the season on Friday night, the lone goal in the Admirals’ 2-1 shootout loss to the Phantoms. Bailey now has ten points (6G, 4A) through 53 games played.
–On the injury front, forward Joseph Cramarossa returned Friday night after missing 11 straight games due to injury. He was the last injury hold out I expect to see in the line-up for the Admirals (though I’ve been surprised before). As I’ve said in the past, I believe Nic Kerdiles is done for the season–with only three games remaining it doesn’t make sense to push him to come back.
—Ryan Faragher earned a back-to-back start last Saturday night after pitching a 4-0 shutout of the Hershey Bears the night before. Faragher put in another excellent performance, giving up just one goal on 26 shots, but the offense his team showed the night before failed to find the twine for him.
Through three games in April, Faragher has put up some respectable numbers: 1-1-1, 2 GA, 83 saves, 0.65 Goals Against Average and a .976 Save Percentage.
–As I alluded to in the headline and addressed in the stats up top, the Admirals came out of nowhere with seven goals Tuesday night. To see seven goals out of Norfolk this season would have normally required at least four games worth of scoring. With Stefan Noesen recalled to Anaheim and out of the line-up for Norfolk, the cupboard was just about bare. Norfolk was on the road as well, which suffice it to say wasn't a friendly place for the Admirals this season. Just 71 goals were scored on the road this season prior to Tuesday, and the added seven accounts for 9% of the 78 total. Eleven different players tallied points in the game, six of them with multi-point games, three of those with three point nights, and five different goal scorers. Of course, their offense "woke up" when it doesn't matter and against a Binghamton team that also has no playoff aspirations. Still, any victory, and any amount of goals more than two can be seen as somewhat of a moral victory.
–The Admirals have posted five points in their last four games, and to put things in perspective, up until last weekend Norfolk had just seven points through 17 games. Again, another small victory.
–Norfolk has just three games remaining and plays its last home game next Friday. I've made it a point to ask players about their feelings towards the fans. To a man, every player has said they want nothing more than to repay them for being loyal and standing by them through the season. Through these last few games, with nothing in the standings to play for and really every player having to look out for themselves, the Admirals have at least appeared to still give a damn. Fights. Blocking shots. Diving for pucks. Hustle. It's all there, and with a 4-0 win and a 7-4 win just a few days later it's clear the players aren't done yet, despite the standings.
Fans are hoping their last AHL game at Scope is a win. The players are hoping to give that to them. I just want to see some good hockey, maybe even another seven goal game.
Follow me on Twitter: @VAPuckhead