A full postgameblog late tonight off the sixth regulation loss in a row and 13th game in a row without a regulation win. With the win, Norfolk moved up to 50 points; Bridgeport remains stuck at 48, now 15th and last in the Eastern Conference, after being first on the morning of Nov. 16.
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So, yeah, last place, another loss. It ties the third-longest losing streak and the second-longest regulation-losing streak (record for both is nine) and is halfway to the longest winless streak (12 near the end of last season).
“I don’t think when we’ve lost games, at least since I’ve been here, it’s been for lack of effort,” Matt Lashoff said.
Not here, either. They worked hard. Chuck’s line of questioning for the team site, as you’ll surely see when he posts the video, was in part about the team’s intensity, including a Johan Sundstrom fight tonight against Joseph Cramarossa. He said he was happy to bring a little edge, though fighting’s not something he intends to bring every night (at least he got both gloves off this time).
There’s a temptation to throw the old Art Howe line in now: They battled.
“I believe we beat ourselves,” Thompson said. The second Norfolk goal, where the young defensemen turn it over, and Thompson didn’t like the urgency or the response to that turnover, and bing-bang, it’s in the back of the net.
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Matt Carkner’s biggest worry this weekend: The six and a half hour bus ride home last night through the snow from Hershey. “I felt pretty good and I felt a little better today,” Carkner said. He felt like he was getting back toward game shape. He and Lashoff had a pretty good day as a pair and sometimes separately on the penalty kill, blocking shots and setting an example. (They weren’t as thrilled with the game-winner, but that was an oddball play with O’Brien breaking his stick on the initial shot.)
The power play didn’t do much with six minutes in the first period. It actually did more in the second period’s first 25 seconds, and then the third line kept the pressure up and scored. And then that turnover, and Norfolk scores 45 seconds later. It had fallen out of first in the league after last night, and now tonight it’s down to third.
From earlier, if you missed it: a little farewell to the Admirals. There were no ties between the teams back in the day, so counting overtime and shootout games simply as wins and losses, Norfolk won the all-time season series 45-35, including 26-14 down in Virginia; Bridgeport won 21-19 here.
They’ll be the San Diego Gulls next year.
Mike Cornell, let go by Springfield, signs with Charlotte. Sean Escobedo to Hartford on a PTO.
Prescout, back-to-back games up there next weekend. Things got a little messy at the end of that one, it appears.
A Dylan McIlrath hit on Bobby Farnham drew some attention, though no penalty.
Bill Ballou, in Florida for spring training, is on Twitter. Holy cro. (H/T: Darryl Hunt.)
Team’s practicing tomorrow, so more then.