The Norfolk Admirals and Wheeling Nailers met for Game 5 of the North Division Semifinals on Saturday Night. Wheeling once again looked to keep their season alive with a win. For Wheeling, they would start their third different goaltender of the series on Saturday in Taylor Gauthier. Norfolk also made a change between the pipes, going to Domenic DiVincentiis after Thomas Milic started the first three games. The action would start before the puck even dropped as German Yavash and Cole Tymkin would get tied up, and Phip Waugh and Chase Pietila would join in on the fun. Those penalties came at the 0:00 mark of the first period, something you don’t see every day.
Wheeling would get into penalty trouble early, giving the Norfolk Admirals a five-on-three less than five minutes in. Denis Smirnov would pick us his third of the series to give the Admirals a 1-0 lead. Norfolk continued to jump on the Nailers as Brandon Osmundson would put home a rebound 50 seconds after the Smirnov goal. Down 2-0, the Nailers would wake up as Pietila fed David Jankowski for a wide-open tip-in to make it a one-goal game. Wheeling, after being outshot 11-1 early in the period, would outshoot the Nailers 13-1 to end the period. In the second, both teams would have their chances as Colton Young got a chance alone on Gauthier, who made the save. Logan Pietila also got a golden chance for Wheeling with less than a minute left in the second, but DiVicentiis made the save to secure the lead.
In the third, Young gave Norfolk a two-goal lead on the team’s first shot on net of the period. Jack Beck would get the Nailers back into the game as he found the back of the net at 10:42. The Nailers would dominate the third period, doing everything they could to keep their season alive. Young would get a breakaway less than two minutes after the Beck goal. Norfolk scored on each of their first two shots in the third. Darick Louis-Jean put the nail in the coffin for the Nailers with a PP goal at 17:20. Domenic DiVincentiis finished the night with 29 saves for his first win in the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Norfolk will now face the Trois-Rivieres Lions in the North Division Finals. Game 1 is Friday Night in Trois-Rivieres.
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