One of the Norfolk Admirals’ feistiest moments of the ECHL season preceded one of their most exciting victories.
In a Friday night game at Scope with a big altercation in the middle, Brady Fleurent tied the score with 27 seconds left in regulation and Jack O’Leary netted the winning goal in overtime for a 6-5 triumph over the Fort Wayne Komets.
With 9:32 left in the second period, the teams squared off in a brouhaha that resulted in 70 penalty minutes — 35 per team. Three Komets and Norfolk’s Connor Fedorek, Brandon Osmundson and Andre Sutter received game misconducts for secondary altercations. There was only one more penalty all night, and it came just 1:18 later.
Norfolk evened the three-game, four-day series at a victory apiece. The teams will settle it at 7:05 Saturday night.
The teams went back and forth all night, with the Admirals (19-26-2-0) leading 3-2 after one period via goals from Nathan Noel, Chase Yoder and Fleurent, the latter two on power plays.
After the Edmonton Oilers-affiliated Komets scored twice in the second period to move ahead 4-3, Kristof Papp’s goal at 13:11 of the second tied the game at 4 and made the Admirals 3 for 3 with man advantages.
Trevor Janicke’s goal with 5:18 left in regulation put Fort Wayne (28-13-8-0) ahead 5-4. But Fleurent made his 19th goal of the season perhaps his timeliest, forcing a tie as Jaydon Dureau gained his third assist of the evening.
O’Leary was named the night’s No. 1 star after scoring the game-ender off a Josh McDougall assist, making a winner of Admirals goalie Alex Worthington and a loser of Fort Wayne’s Nathaniel Day, who made 29 saves.
Worthington had 21 saves to help end the Komets’ four-game winning streak.
Norfolk Admirals forward Brady Fleurent (94) celebrates after scoring the game tying goal late in the third period against the Fort Wayne Kometsat Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va., on Feb. 20, 2026. (Peter Casey / The Virginian-Pilot)
