For the final time in the 2024-25 ECHL regular season, the Adirondack Thunder (13-19-1-1) and Norfolk Admirals (23-12-3-0) go head-to-head in a three-game series. The series begins Saturday, Jan. 25, and concludes Wednesday, Jan. 29. While points will be crucial for both teams, the Thunder are on the desperate side as they sit in seventh in the North Division, 10 points back of fourth place Worcester Railers. The Admirals are in a pretty good spot as they sit nine points clear for third place and five points back of the Trois-Rivieres Lions for second place in the North.
Where to Watch and Listen
Adirondack: Hits 95.9
Norfolk: Norfolk Admirals Mixlr
FloHockey:
A Look Back at the Last Week
Over the last week, the Admirals have certainly been the busier team. Adirondack’s lone game this past week came against the Railers on Jan. 17. The Thunder dropped that contest by a narrow 4-3 score line. Ryan Conroy (1g, 1a) and Kevin O’Neil (2g) picked up the goals for the Thunder. Goaltender Jeremy Brodeur was a busy customer as he made 37 saves on 41 shots. However, Brodeur was recently called up to the Utica Comets.
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After the last week the Admirals had, I am sure they are ready for a new opponent to face. Since Jan. 17, the Admirals have seen the aforementioned Lions four times. After taking the first game 5-2 on Jan. 17 on home ice, the Admirals seemingly could not find a way to beat the Lions again. The Admirals went on to be shutout in a 3-0 loss on Jan. 18 and lost 4-3 on Jan. 19. The Lions would head back home to host the final game of the four-game series week. The Admirals took that final game by a 5-4 final in a shootout.
Season Series Up to This Point
Meeting with the Thunder on five occasions so far this season, the Admirals are 2-2-1 against their North Division rivals.
The opening weekend did not treat the Admirals kindly. Thanks to two games of blowing leads, the Admirals found themselves losing the first two games by 2-1 and 6-3 final scores. Game one saw the Thunder score the game-tying and game-winning goals in the final minute and 40 seconds of the third period. Game two saw an Admirals’ two-goal lead evaporate after one period of play. The Thunder went on to score five-straight goals. Since then, the Admirals have held a 2-0-1 record over the Thunder, taking five of a possible six points from three meetings since the disaster of the first two games.
Players to Watch
Kevin O’Neil (ADK) – O’Neil has had a solid season so far on the scoresheet. In 30 games with Adirondack, he has eight goals and 27 points. His 27 points are the most among all players. Three goals and three assists have come on the powerplay while also tallying three shorthanded assists. In the last eight games he has seen action since their New Year’s Eve meeting with the Railers, he has tallied three goals and five assists, including two multi-point games.
Darian Skeoch (ADK) – The 6’4 defenseman from New Liskeard, ON, has done a solid job in his role this season. Not known for getting many points, Skeoch contributes in other ways, most noticeably in his physical play. In 29 games this season, he has 57 penalty minutes, 25 of which have come from fighting majors. The Admirals are well aware of what Skeoch is used for in the Thunder’s lineup, but still finds new ways to get under the skin of their players to throw them off their game.
Brady Fleurent (NOR) – A participant in the 2024-25 ECHL All-Star weekend, Fleurent has had another sensational season dawning the navy and gold. In 37 games, he has 15 goals and 46 points, including four goals and eight assists coming on the man advantage. His +22 is good enough for joint second on the team with defenseman Josh McDougall, who sits behind Darick Louis-Jean with a +23. Over his last 10 games, Fleurent has five goals and six assists, which includes a four-point night in the Admirals’ 9-3 win over the Wheeling Nailers.
Domenic DiVincentiis (NOR) – In his first season with Norfolk, DiVincentiis has been sensational between the pipes. He holds a 15-4-0-0 record with a 2.81 goals against average and a .899 save percentage. His 15 wins has him tied for second-most with three other goaltenders. In his first game seeing the Thunder, he was near perfect as he stopped 27 of the 28 shots he faced. He was just under 14 minutes away from shutting out one of the more dominating teams in the North Division over the last few seasons.
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