If the Norfolk Admirals aimed to keep heat off their goaltender, they did that to a large degree Friday night.
Still, though, their frustration continued with a 3-2 loss to Worcester before 2,024 at DCU Center in Massachusetts. The Railers (12-10-1-1) will try for a three-game series sweep Saturday night against the Admirals (6-17-2-0), who have lost four games in a row and 15 of 17.
Norfolk, coming off two playoff seasons under coach Jeff Carr, is last in the 30-team ECHL with 14 points.
Goalie Isaac Poulter, in his second game back with the Admirals since being returned to Norfolk from the American Hockey League’s Manitoba Moose, faced only 15 shots in 60 minutes. The Admirals, meanwhile, put 27 on Parker Gahagen.
Nathan Noel scored his first goal as an Admiral 13:33 into the game, beating Gahagen short-handed off a Jack O’Leary assist. The lead held until the Railers’ Anthony Repaci scored 10:53 into the middle period for a 1-1 tie.
The third period — less than three minutes of it, in fact — featured a trio of power-play goals. Cole Donhauser put Worcester ahead 2-1 at 5:42, but the Admirals’ Dawson Barteaux replied at 8:03 off assists from Kevin Conley and Ben Zloty.
As has been the case so often in the last month-plus for the Admirals, though, a foe’s goal came at the wrong time. The door literally opened when Jack Jaunich, 28 — playing his first game for Norfolk after being acquired Friday from the Kalamazoo Wings for future considerations — was whistled for interference just 25 seconds after Barteaux’s goal.
Surely enough, just 13 seconds into Worcester’s man advantage, Drew Callin netted what proved to be the night’s final goal.
Saturday’s 6:05 p.m. series finale will be Norfolk’s fifth of 10 consecutive road games.
