Tyrell, Dana

Five straight wins at home for the Admirals.

ALB-2
NOR-3 (SO)

Jaroslav Janus allowed 2 goals on 28 shots before stopping 2 out of 4 shooters in the penalty shot session for the shootout win. Janus moved his record to above .500 for the season at 7-6-0 with the win, and he's riding a personal 5 game winning streak.

First Period
ALB Terry, (14) (FitzGerald), 3:47

Second Period
NOR Hall, (12) (Tyrell, Craig), 9:59
NOR Keller, (13) (Mihalik, Tyrell), 16:07 (PP)

Third Period
ALB McBain, (6) , 0:26

Overtime
NO SCORING

Shootout
ALB- Terry, McBain
NOR- Keller, Jones, Fornataro, Fadden

Adam Hall, Janus, and Justin Keller were the game's three stars.

In a stunning development, Juraj Simek, the Don of the Presov Mafia, was stopped for the first time all season in the shootout. He was the one and only Admiral to fail to convert on Justin Pogge. With a pair of assists, Dana Tyrell had his 5th multi-point game in his last 11 games, and he's on a 3-game point streak. Vladimir Mihalik notched his 6th point in his last 12 games and has matched his season total for point from a year ago and is 1 point shy of his career best AHL season. Paul Szczechura is about to be recalled to Tampa Bay and did not play tonight.

The win moves the Admirals to within 1 point of Albany for 2nd place in the East Division with the Rats holding 1 game in hand. The Admirals will give the Rats a rematch tomorrow night at The Scope, and a regulation win could move Norfolk into 2nd place all by themselves in the division. Fourth place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is losing 4-1 to Syracuse in the third period. If that holds up, Norfolk will move 7 points up on the Penguins with the Pens holding 3 games in hand. 5th place Adirondack lost to Rochester 5-2 and, if the Crunch's score holds up, they'll be tied with Syracuse at 12 points behind the Admirals with each team holding 3 games in hand on Norfolk. Bolt Prospects has declared the Binghamton Senators deceased.

In the crossover, Bridgeport beat Portland 5-4, Providence fell to Manchester 2-1, and the Hartford Wolf Pack were idle. So, the Admirals remain 5 points up on the 5th place team in the Atlantic (Bridgeport), move 7 points up on the 6th place team (Providence) with the Bruins holding 2 games in hand, and the Admirals move 11 points up on 7th place Hartford with the Pack holding 3 games in hand. If the Admirals were to fall to 4th in the East Division, they would have to finish ahead of the 5th place team in the Atlantic to make the postseason.

It's an epic clash tomorrow between the Admirals and the Rats with 2nd place in the division potentially up for grabs.

Box score from TheAHL.com.

Adirondack stays in the fight in the East Division.

NOR-2
ADK-3

Dustin Tokarski allowed 3 goals on 21 shots for the loss.

First Period
ADK Laliberte, (14) (Ross, Pyorala), 3:03 (PP)
NOR Tyrell, (4) (Mihalik, Tarkir), 7:38

Second Period
ADK Ward, (11) (Kalinski, Nodl), 4:37
ADK Matsumoto, (21) (Lehtivuori, Ward), 14:17 (PP)

Third Period
NOR Fadden, (5) (Wishart, Bochenski), 12:58 (PP)

Dana Tyrell was named the game's third star.

Norfolk outshot Adirondack 38-21 in the game, but the Phantoms got a big 36 save performance from first star Johan Backlund to pull out a win.

The loss drops Norfolk to 3rd in the East Division, 2 points back of Albany, which defeated Portland tonight. The Rats hold 1 game in hand. Wilkes-Barre Scranton remains 6 points back in 4th, now with 3 games in hand. Adirondack pulls even with Syracuse at 8 points back, each with 2 games in hand.

In the crossover, Norfolk remains 3 points ahead of 5th place Atlantic team Bridgeport, 5 points ahead of 6th place Providence with the Bruins holding 2 games in hand, and 6 points ahead of 7th place Hartford with the Pack holding 1 game in hand. If Norfolk falls to 4th in the East Division, they must finish ahead of the Atlantic's 5th place team to make the postseason.

Norfolk travels back to Binghamton for tomorrow's game. The Sens are circling the drain after losing to Providence 6-4 tonight, and are 17 points behind the Admirals in the standings. The interesting angle, though, is whether Norfolk will choose to start PTO Matt Lundin against the last place team in the division, or if they'll run Tokarski into nets with another 4-point game against Syracuse looming on Sunday. It all depends on whether Jaroslav Janus will be returning from Tampa Bay for Sunday's game, I presume.

Box score from TheAHL.com.

Forget the airy questions about mirroring NHL superstars, or making casual comparisons - Norfolk Admirals forward Dana Tyrell follows his own compass.

However, the Tampa Bay Lightning prospect questioned himself and his future after a right knee injury sidelined him for six months last year.

Tyrell was on a fast track to success, earning a spot on Team Canada while leading the Prince George Cougars squad in scoring, piling up 19 goals and 21 assists in 30 games.

Then, his world would drastically change in the ensuing months.

Another successful hit for the Presov Mafia.

NOR-4
BNG-3

Dustin Tokarski allowed 3 goals on 37 shots for the win.

First Period
NOR Fadden, (4) (Jones, Szczechura), 7:51
NOR Bochenski, (20) (Parrish, Wishart), 19:11

Second Period
BNG Smith, (9) (Bass, Condra), 16:32

Third Period
NOR Craig, (19) (Tyrell, Hall), 7:28
BNG O'Brien, (4) (St. Pierre, Hennessy), 8:54 (PP)
BNG Smith, (10) (Condra), 9:46
NOR Mihalik, (2) (Hall, Tyrell), 17:28

Vladimir Mihalik and Ryan Craig were the game's first and third stars. Mihalik, the Luca Brasi of the Presov Mafia, has 2 goals in his last 6 games after going 51 games without a marker. More to the point, though, Mihalik is +9 so far in the month of February with 4 games with a +2 rating or better.

Dana Tyrell posted his 4th multi-point game in the past 6 outings. Ty Wishart continued to inch toward the 30 point plateau with his 27th point of the season. Brandon Bochenski became the first Admiral to hit 20 goals this season, with Craig 1 back at 19.

It's a tribute to the veteran leadership of the team that they got the young players prepared and ready to go tonight, and congratulations to Interim Head Coach Leigh Mendelson on his first AHL victory.

The win is critical, as Norfolk is now tied for 2nd place in the East Division at 66 points with Albany with the Rats holding 1 game in hand. They extended their lead to 6 points over 4th place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with the Pens having 2 games in hand and 10 points over 5th/6th place Adirondack and Syracuse with each of those teams also holding 2 games in hand. The win also might've been the final nail in Binghamton's coffin, as they are now 17 points behind Norfolk, and not even 5 games in hand seem likely to save them.

In the crossover, Bridgeport fell to Abbotsford in regulation tonight, so Norfolk opened a 3 point lead on the 5th place team in the Atlantic, and a 7 point lead on 6th/7th place Providence and Hartford with the Bruins and Pack holding 2 and 1 game in hand, respectively. If Norfolk were to fall to 4th in the East Division, they would need to finish ahead of the 5th place team in the Atlantic to make the postseason.

Now things get interesting starting Friday with the Admirals having back-to-back-to-back games. They can really damage Adirondack's chances in a big 4-point contest to start the marathon, followed by another game in Binghamton on Saturday, and then concluding with a game against Syracuse that could further winnow the field of playoff contenders in the East Division. If Norfolk were to win at least those two big 4-point games, they might be able to narrow the playoff field in the division down to 4 teams effectively fighting for 3 spots: Albany, Norfolk, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and whoever ends up being the 5th place team in the Atlantic Division. Will Norfolk's coaching situation be sorted out in the next 45 or so hours? And, with Jaroslav Janus serving as practice netminder in Tampa, will PTO Matt Lundin have to make his AHL debut in one of the weekend's three contests?

Box score from TheAHL.com.