NORFOLK — It was another game the Norfolk Admirals might wish they have back if they fall short of a playoff spot at the end of the season.
Drew Callin smacked in a slap shot off a dish from Jesse Pulkkinen to put the Worcester Railers (18-17-2-1) up for good a little more than six minutes into the final period — their only lead in a 3-2 victory Sunday afternoon at Scope.
“It’s tough,” Admirals assistant coach C.J. D’Alimonte said. “They’re a well-coached team and they manage to hang around games and make things competitive.”
It was the 10th one-goal loss of the season for the Admirals (14-21-2-0) — and third since Dec. 31.
With 1:42 remaining, Norfolk’s Kristóf Papp got his stick onto a centering pass and deflected the puck on target, but Worcester goalie Parker Gahagen was able to get his pads down and cover the right post.
Justin Young had a couple of jab attempts at the loose puck before he was wrapped up by a Worcester defender and the two toppled over onto Gahagen, who was able to cover the puck. Admirals players celebrated as though the puck had crossed the line, but after a stoppage for review, officials determined there was no goal.
Less than a minute later, Grant Hebert hit a one-timer out front off a pass from Papp that Gahagen snared with his left glove.“I thought we responded well, not only tonight, but throughout the series,” D’Alimonte said. “I thought we carried play for the majority of the series, but unfortunately, a couple of timely goals were the difference for them.”
The Admirals, who also lost to Worcester 6-5 Saturday, had jumped out to a 1-0 lead early in the first period on a power-play goal by Chase Yoder. He corralled a pass from Brady Fleurent, then slipped past a pair of converging defenders in the left circle and slotted home the puck past Gahagen.
Khristian Acosta pulled Worcester level at 1 with a little less than two minutes remaining in the opening stanza during a patch of 4-on-4 hockey after penalties by teammate Adam Samuelsson and Yoder.
The Admirals came out of the first intermission swarming around the Worcester cage, with Yoder snapping off a pair of shots on goal and Cole Beamin adding a third.
Fleurent played distributor again to give the Admirals a 2-1 lead midway through the second period. His pass this time freed up Papp, who deked the puck back and forth a couple times before flipping a backhand shot in high past Gahagen.
Less than four minutes later, Acosta blasted in his second goal to knot the score at 2 and quiet the modest crowd of 3,176.
The Admirals were stymied on a power-play chance with a little more than three minutes remaining in the second stanza, with Yoder sending in a one-timer that clanged off the right post. But they seemingly went into the intermission on a high after goaltender Isaac Poulter made a point-blank save in the crease, pouncing to nab a puck off the stick of a driving Callin at the buzzer.
The Admirals, who had won previously won seven straight games, next host the Trois-Rivières Lions at 7:05 p.m. Friday to start a two-game series.
“There’s a lot to be positive about,” D’Alimonte said, “our ability to be resilient here despite the struggles we had in November and December. We’ve stuck with it, and all that credit belongs to our group in there. They know the type of hockey and identity that we need to be successful here. It’s just being consistent, doing it night in, night out, and we’ve done that for the last four weeks.”
