Norfolk Admirals down Toronto Marlies 6-1, win first ever Calder Cup championship -AHL Update
Norfolk Admirals of Virginia made history on Saturday, June 9, 2012, by downing Toronto Marlies, 6-1, to win their first ever American Hockey League (AHL) Calder Cup championship by completing a four-game sweep of the Canadian club.
Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL) will definitely be excited to seeing their affiliate squad in winning the cup as they have been looking for top level prospects the entire season.
"We played hard, got the bounces and it's just unbelievable to finish it out this way," Tyler Johnson said.
"The guys got so much character, heart, discipline and passion for the game," said goalie, Dustin Tokarski, who finished the playoffs with a 1.46 goals-against average, a .944 save percentage and three shutouts. "It's been a wonderful year. I'm lucky to
be on this team."
Norfolk stayed consistent throughout the three-period contest and steadily built up their momentum.
Alex Picard of the team was also extremely happy to finally have been able to hoist the cup above his shoulders since being unable to make a significant contribution in the regular season but coming out strong in the playoffs by scoring nine goals in 18
games.
"I had a tough year with a lot of injuries. It took me a little bit to come back. But I look back at it and it's the best year of my life. ... We got the prize tonight," Picard said, who will also take home the MVP award of the postseason.
Mike Kostka continued with his Game 3 momentum in which he scored the surprise overtime goal and scored the opening goal in round-one of the contest.
Admirals definitely came a long way above the St. John’s IceCaps along with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins while Toronto Marlies had overcome the Western Conference to fight for glory in the finals.
Toronto failed to see any breakthrough success throughout the series while Norfolk just outright dominated. Being it their first Calder Cup in franchise history, the team definitely has something to look forward to next season as they go in to defend the
cup.
The AHL will now be going into sleep mode as teams rest up and prepare to battle it out in the upcoming season.
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