Admirals show they still have fight

NORFOLK

On Friday, the Norfolk Admirals performed as though they’d put a stamp on the 2007-08 season. But on Saturday, they proved they still haven’t mailed it in.

The depleted Admirals chased Manchester goalie Jonathan Quick with a four-goal barrage and hung on to upend the Monarchs 4-3 before 4,087 at Scope in a surprisingly rousing finale of an eight-game homestand.

The victory came 24 hours after a lifeless Admirals effort in a 4-0 loss to these same Monarchs. The defeat was Norfolk’s third straight and seventh in nine games.

The difference in the Admirals’ play Saturday was striking. Bracken Kearns, the hard-working center whose contributions typically don’t show up on a stat sheet, scored the first of his two power-play goals before the contest was three minutes old.

Fights by Jay Rosehill and David Koci kept the crowd – and perhaps the team itself – energized. And shortly after Koci went off, Chris Lawrence one-timed a behind-the-net feed from Rob Klinkhammer past Quick for a 2-0 Norfolk advantage.

Early in the second period, a steal by newcomer Jamie Bates set up Radek Smolenak’s 15th goal of the season. About six minutes later, Kearns redirected a David Schneider drive to give the Admirals four goals on 12 shots.

It was the first multi-goal game of Kearns’ AHL career.

Teddy Purcell and Marc-Andre Cliche answered for Manchester with second-period goals go cut the Monarchs’ deficit in half. Then with just over five minutes left in the game, David Meckler added a power-play goal to pull the Monarchs to within one.

But goalie Ryan Munce came up big in the final minutes, and the Admirals (26-41-2-5) closed their homestand in style.

Munce, who has spent most of the season at ECHL Mississippi, earned the victory in his first Admirals start since Nov. 9.

The Admirals travel to Philadelphia on Wednesday before closing their 2007-08 home schedule against Albany on Friday and Saturday .

Notes: Bates, who signed an amateur tryout contract Saturday, became the franchise-record 50th player to appear in a game for Norfolk this season. The previous record was 44 in 2006-07 ... The Monarchs outshot Norfolk 38-24, marking the 19th straight game in which the Admirals have been outshot ... Defenseman Kevin Quick, who did not play in the game, celebrated his 20th birthday Saturday.