The Generals split the weekend series against the Norwich Sea Captains, defeating Norwich on the road 4-2 on Friday, Feb. 2, before falling at home to the same squad 4-3 on Saturday, Feb. 3. This was the final regular season match up between these two teams.
Game one saw the Generals jump ahead early against the Sea Captains, with Defensemen Ryan Solari finding the twine a little under eight minutes into the first, before newly acquired forward Blake Hasenauer found his first goal in orange and blue with a little over four minutes remaining in the period to make it 2-0. Forward Carson Zugec then scored less than three-and-a-half minutes into the second to make it three straight unanswered for the Generals, before Norwich finally responded 12 minutes into the second to make it 3-1. It stood as a quiet third period in terms of scoring, with neither team being able to find the net once more, keeping the final score at 3-1 in favor of Northeast.
Goaltender Danny Antal got the start after being called up to the NAHL for a short time for injury replacement, stopping 24 of 25 shots for his 17th victory of the year. Eight different Generals recorded a point in the contest.
Saturday night saw Northeast return home, with Solari starting off the scoring once more between the two sides, scoring his second goal in as many games, this time only 40 seconds into the game. Norwich responded half way through the second to make it 1-1, before Forward Michael Locke potted his 11th with a backhander a minute later to make it 2-1 Generals. Norwich then responded again late in the second with a powerplay goal, before starting the third with back-to-back goals to make it 4-2 in the blink of an eye. Forward Nicholas Summers attempted to mount the comeback with a goal eight-and-a-half minutes into the third, but even with the several chances, the Generals were unable to bring it back, falling 4-3 for the first time at home all season.
Antal made 23 saves on the 27 shots he faced in his second straight start, while Locke and Solari both recorded multi-point nights with a goal and an assist for both.
The Generals will enjoy staying at home once more this weekend, as Northeast will host the Long Beach Sharks on Saturday, Feb. 10 and Sunday, Feb. 11 in the final matchup against one another this year. Those games will be at 7:30 PM EST and 12:30 PM EST respectively.