NORFOLK — The Norfolk Admirals continued their tough stretch to start the season during Sunday’s matinée at Scope.
Logan Will and Ben Brar each had first-period goals en route to giving the Florida Everblades a 6-2 victory and sweep of the three-game weekend series.
It was the seventh straight loss for the Admirals (5-13-2-0), who are in the cellar of the ECHL North Division. They have just one win in their last 12 games and have been outscored 60-27 during that stretch. Their last win came on Nov. 21 — a 4-2 decision over the Trois-Rivières Lions.
“It’s been tough, but it’s also a building point for us too,” Admirals defenseman Connor Fedorek. “We’re slowly getting back to where our identity is and everything, so sometimes you’ve got to go through some hardship to get to the promised land.”
Florida (15-5-1-1), which leads the South Division, started on the front foot early as Oliver Chau clanged a shot off the crossbar that Admirals goalie Jaxon Castor had to quickly pounce on to keep it from crossing the red line. Unfortunately, during a stoppage while the opportunity was reviewed by officials to concur that the “no-goal” call was upheld, Castor left the game and was replaced by Alex Worthington.
Craig Needham fed the puck to Will out front for Florida’s opening goal on a power-play opportunity less than four minutes in.
Five minutes later, Brar fired in a snap shot past Worthington’s stick to double the lead at 2-0. Chau sent in another blast that rang off the post with less than three minutes remaining until the first intermission.
Zach Berzolla fired home another goal early into the second stanza to give Florida a 3-0 lead, but an Admirals goal 66 seconds later injected some life into the announced crowd of 3,664. Defender Ben Zloty slid a pass down toward the left side that Dawson Barteaux blasted in to cut the deficit to 3-1.
The pair got into a scuffle while celebrating the goal, giving the Admirals a man advantage, but the hosts were unable to capitalize on that chance and a subsequent power play minutes later.
Flared out to the right side of the cage, Kyle Penney one-timed a rolling puck high past Worthington’s glove to push the advantage to 4-1. Anthony Romano added another tally midway through the third period to extend the visitors’ lead to four goals.
Brandon Osmundson, a Chesapeake native, knocked in a consolation goal for the Admirals with 3:46 remaining, but Hudson Elynuik put in the ultimate goal 74 seconds later for Florida.
The Admirals, who finished with a 31-23 shot advantage and 6-1 edge in power plays, next host the Reading Royals at 7:05 p.m. Friday.
“We need to shoot more,” said Fedorek, who left the game with a leg injury following a scuffle in the second period. “I think a lot of shots, just whenever we can, and stop passing up those Grade A opportunities to try and make another play. Just get into the zone and crash the net.
“And I think a big thing is working on that zone entry and really not doing it solo. Kind of using each other while you enter the zone and generate those chances for ourselves.”
