Monday, February 26, 2007
COMING UP
SATURDAY: Manchester Monarchs at Pirates,7:05 p.m.
SUNDAY: Norfolk Admirals at Pirates, 4:05 p.m.
The Portland Pirates were unable to hang on to a two-goal lead for the second consecutive game Sunday, and it cost them.
Chris Menard scored a power-play goal 2:39 into overtime to lift Lowell to a 3-2 victory before 5,364 fans at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
On Saturday night, Albany rallied to win 4-3 in a shootout after the Pirates took a 2-0 lead in the first period.
Sunday's loss was especially disappointing. During the past two weeks, the Pirates had been closing in on the teams ahead of them in the AHL's seven-team Atlantic Division. The Devils entered the game one point ahead of Portland and tied for fourth with Worcester. The top four teams qualify for the playoffs.
Portland did salvage a point because the game went into overtime, and that was one positive the Pirates tried to emphasize after the game.
"Travel has killed us, but we're still getting points, and that's the most important thing right now," center Geoff Peters said.
The Pirates have played 10 of their last 13 games on the road, and they've earned at least one point in nine of their last 10.
"I don't think we're playing bad hockey right now," Peters said. "We're making mistakes at the wrong time."
Minard's winning score, his team-high 23rd goal of the season, came 27 seconds after Peters was sent off for holding after Minard broke in alone on goalie Sebastien Caron, who was making his third start in as many nights for the Pirates.
After the game, Portland Coach Kevin Dineen received his second 10-minute gross misconduct penalty of the season after he had to be restrained by security personnel near the officials' room at the north end of the arena.
"I have no comment," he said.
The Pirates, playing just their third home game during February, took a 2-0 lead in the second period.
Garett Bembridge, on his third call-up of the season from the ECHL's Augusta Lynx, was awarded a penalty shot at 6:17 of the period after he was grabbed from behind by Lowell defenseman Olivier Magnan during a breakaway.
Going one-on-one against goalie Frank Doyle, Bembridge put a backhander inside the left post for his fourth goal with the Pirates. It was Portland's first penalty shot of the season.
Mike Hoffman, in his fourth game with the Pirates since being signed to a two-year contract by Anaheim, scored his first goal at 13:30. Finishing off a breakout started by goalie Caron's clearing pass, he tipped in Trevor Gillies' blast from the right point.
It was the third point in two games for Gillies, who returned to Portland four days ago after spending the past three weeks with Augusta.
The Devils got two third-period goals from Tuomas Pihlman to send the game into overtime.
Pihlman put in a shot from the slot at 4:52 after Grant Marshall sent him a centering pass from the bottom of the left circle.
With 4:33 left, Pihlman's blast from center point went in off the crossbar on Caron's glove side for his sixth goal of the season.
NOTES: The Ducks could make another move before Tuesday night's trading deadline after sending former Portland defenseman Shane O'Brien to the Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday night for goalie Gerald Coleman.
Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 725-8795 or at:
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Reader comments
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We still are within striking distance of fourth place but we have to be able to seal the victory.
Two notes
Voros was ejected when officials saw the tape he placed over his hand, which is an instant no-no. I didn't hear it get called on the PA, but a friend asked Greg Amadio (Voros's sparing partner) during the post-game skate about the call and he confirmed it.
Kevin's misconduct (and subsequent attempt to storm the officials dressing room) came as a result of a very questionable no-offsides call. I didn't see it, but guys from the pressbox said that a Devil was at least a foot or so over the line as he received a pass. The linesman (Andrews) didn't call it, and Kevin let loose his opinion from the moment the puck crossed the line, and more-so after the Devils got the goal.
GO PIRATES!report abuse
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