Paul Betit: Pirates' coach suspended after blowup

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By PAUL BETIT, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

The American Hockey League suspended Portland Pirates Coach Kevin Dineen for one game after he received a gross misconduct penalty for his actions following the Pirates' 3-2 overtime loss to Lowell Sunday at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

An AHL spokesman said Dineen was cited for "verbal abuse" when he complained to referee David Banfield and linesmen Jeremy Lovett and Joe Andrews outside the officials' room at the Civic Center.

Dineen will not coach Saturday night when the Pirates play Manchester at the Civic Center. Dineen, who also received a gross misconduct penalty for throwing a clipboard on the ice during a Jan. 12 game at Manchester, declined to comment about the suspension.

LEFT WING Trevor Gillies, one of the Pirates' most popular players, is back in town with a new lease on his hockey life.

Gillies had a goal and two assists last weekend in his first two games with the Pirates after spending more than two weeks playing in the ECHL with the Augusta Lynx. They were his first three points of the season.

"Getting sent down there was kind of a wake-up call for me," he said. "I got to play a ton. I've never played that much in my career. It was a lot of fun."

Gillies, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound forward, hasn't had a lot of ice time during his 11/2 seasons with the Pirates. His role primarily has been that of an enforcer. In 86 games with Portland, he has received 35 fighting major penalties.

In order to get more ice time, Gillies has to show he can do more than just fight. Last weekend was a good start.

"I knew the games were huge this (past) weekend, and I wanted to prove I can play the game as well as fight," Gillies said. "Pretty much, I just didn't think about fighting.

"I'm just going to let that come to me from now until the end of the year. I'll just sort of focus more on my playing. Instead of chipping (the puck) into the corner, maybe (I'll) take a shot on net like I did."

Gillies returned from his trip to Georgia with a whole new attitude.

"The guys down there were great," he said. "I learned to have fun again, just loosen up and not be so uptight."

The Lynx won 5 of 7 games with Gillies.

"I couldn't buy a goal down there, but I got a couple of (assists)," he said.

The arrival of Mike Hoffman, a 6-5, 245-pound forward/defenseman who had 16 fighting penalties in 35 games with Manchester before signing a two-year deal with Anaheim last week, should help remove some of the pressure on Gillies to mix it up.

"Now, we've got big boys, and we've got a bunch of other guys who are willing to step up for their teammates," Gillies said.

"I've battled (Hoffman) a lot. He's a great man. He's a big, gentle giant. I really like him, and we're going to be good friends."

OMAHA GOALIE Curtis McElhinney was named AHL player of the week after he stopped 94 of 97 shots and posted two shutouts to lead the Knights to three road wins. Portland right wing Joe Motzko, who had three goals in four games, also was nominated. Other nominees included former Portland goaltenders Dov Grumet-Morris of the Hamilton Bulldogs and Maxime Daigneault of the Hershey Bears, as well as former Lewiston Maineiac forward Alexandre Picard of the Syracuse Crunch.

FORWARD J.B. BITTNER is back in the Anaheim system, playing for the Augusta Lynx. Bittner, was has played 21 games for the Pirates in the last 11/2 seasons, was returned to the Ducks as the future consideration in a recent trade sending center Shane Endicott to the Dallas Stars.

THE PIRATES PRACTICED with only 15 skaters Tuesday morning. Injuries limited defenseman Joe Rullier (groin) and rookie forward Petteri Wirtanen (lower body) to prepractice skates. Right wing Matt Keith was unable to practice because of illness.

AN EVENING with the Pirates will held from 6-10 p.m. Tuesday, March 13, at the Holiday Inn By The Bay to benefit the Maine Children's Cancer Program and the Portland Pirates Foundation. For ticket or donation information, visit www.portlandpirates.com/EWP or call 828-4665, extension 301.

Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 725-8795 or at: pbetit@pressherald.com

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