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Monday, May 29, 2006
Pirates get reinforcements
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Dustin Penner, Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf could not help the Anaheim Mighty Ducks win a Stanley Cup, but they are coming back to the AHL in time to help the Portland Pirates make a run at a Calder Cup. A spokesman for the Ducks confirmed Sunday all three NHL rookies will be in Hershey, Pa., in time to play for the Pirates Tuesday night against the Bears for the Eastern Conference champ- ionship. The best-of-seven series is tied after six games, and the series winner will play the Milwaukee Admirals in the Calder Cup finals. That best-of-seven series is scheduled to start Friday. The three players were re-assigned to Portland following the Ducks' elimination from the Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday night. The Edmonton Oilers won 2-1 at Anaheim to clinch the Western Conference title in five games. The Pirates were traveling to Pennsylvania Sunday and didn't get the official word until after they arrived in Hershey. "We're all pretty excited about this," said Portland center Geoff Peters. "It just gives us a boost." After falling behind 3-1 in the series against the Bears, the Pirates returned to the Cumberland County Civic Center early last week to win Games 5 and 6 and set up a Game 7 at Hershey. "They're not strangers," Peters said. "They've been with us before. It's not a like we're getting new blood in our locker room. We know these guys." Penner, Perry and Getzlaf were included on a 22-man playoff roster the Pirates submitted to the AHL in March. "Every other AHL team has gotten guys who have played in the NHL for the playoffs," Peters said. "Why not us?" All three spent time with the Pirates during the regular season. Penner, a 23-year-old forward in his second professional season, scored a team-high 39 goals with 45 assists in 57 games. In four AHL playoff games before being called up to Anaheim for the third time, he had two goals and three assists. A former University of Maine player, Penner had four goals and three assists in two tours with the Ducks during the regular season. In 12 Stanley Cup games, he had three goals and six assists. Perry and Getzlaf, first-round draft picks by the Ducks in 2003, spent the bulk of their first pro season in the NHL. However, both averaged nearly two points a game during brief stays in Portland in the first half of the season. Perry, a 21-year-old right wing who spent his last four seasons playing junior hockey in London, Ontario, had 16 goals and 18 assists in 19 games with Portland. Getzlaf, a 21-year-old center who spent his last four seasons in junior hockey in Calgary, Alberta, had eight goals and 25 assists in 17 games with the Pirates. Perry had 13 goals and 12 assists in 56 games with Anaheim. Slowed by a knee injury that kept him out of six Stanley Cup games, Perry had three assists in 10 playoff games. Getzlaf had 14 goals and 25 assists in 56 regular-season games with the Ducks. While playing in 16 Stanley Cup games, he had three goals and four assists. "These players are young, and it's important to have these young kids in a position to win a championship, no matter what level it's at," Peters said. Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 725-8795 or at:
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