Friday, March 2, 2007
PIRATES' WEEKEND
SATURDAY: Manchester Monarchs at Pirates,7:05 p.m.
SUNDAY: Norfolk Admirals at Pirates, 4:05 p.m.
The Portland Pirates will start their stretch drive for a Calder Cup playoff berth by playing five of their next six games at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
After playing nine of their 12 February games on the road, the Pirates will stay home for much of the next two weeks before venturing on another extended trip.
"We've been on the road and now we're home and we have to take advantage of it," Coach Kevin Dineen said.
With 23 games left, the Pirates trail both Lowell and Worcester by four points for the fourth and final playoff spot in the seven-team Atlantic Division.
Portland has earned at least one point in nine of its last 10 games. To remain in contention for a postseason berth, it must continue that trend.
"Every game is a playoff game and that's the way it's been for us for a while," Dineen said. "You can't worry about anybody else. You've got to take care of business."
Thursday was clear day in the AHL. Each of the league's 27 clubs had to submit final team rosters.
The league will release those rosters today.
"The roster is essentially frozen for the rest of the season and the playoffs," Dineen said. "In case of an injury, you can have emergency recalls, and junior players can be signed to an amateur tryout."
Dineen won't be behind the Portland bench Saturday night when the Pirates play Manchester at the Civic Center.
He will serve a one-game suspension for a gross game misconduct penalty he received following an incident involving game officials after his team's 3-2 overtime loss to Lowell last Sunday.
Earlier this week a league spokesman labeled the coach's actions as "verbal abuse."
On Thursday, Dineen declined to divulge his plans for Saturday night.
"We're much more worried about the game than what the framework of the bench is," he said.
"It comes down to big performances on the ice. That's what counts."
During the game, assistant coach Bruce Crowder is expected to run the Portland bench.
This week, for the first time in nearly a month, the Pirates were able to practice on four consecutive days.
"We haven't had this kind of break since the all-star break," Dineen said. The AHL All-Star Game was held Jan. 28-29 in Toronto and the league shut down for four days.
"We got into some flow and worked on some strategy stuff," Dineen said. "(The players) got an off-ice workout in. It was a good, productive week."
Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 725-8795 or at:
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A quoted lesson in leadership.
"Resonance comes naturally to emotionally intelligent leaders. Their passion and energy resounds throughout the group. Even so, leaders might sometimes project a more serious mood, when appropriate, using empathy to attune to the emotional register of the people they lead. If everyone feels angry or sad the leader not only empathizes with those emotions but also expresses them for the group. That kind of resonance reinforces synchrony just as much as enthusiasm does, because it leaves people feeling understood and cared for.
On the other hand, if a leader lacks resonance, people may be going through the motions of their work but doing merely a good enough job rather than giving their best. Without a healthy dose of heart, a supposed “leader” may manage—but he does not lead."
Our suspended coach has resonance.
GO PIRATES!report abuse
If the Pirates want to prove they are playoff capable a strong showing this weekend will be a must. The boys need to prove they can play and beat the big boys.
I'm not too concerned about Kevin though, because Bruce and the boys know that he did what he did because as a coach that's his job. He argued a bad call, and was willing to stand up for his team in lieu of it (much the same way a baseball skipper goes when he wishes to argue an umpire's call). And this can serve as an effective motivation for the crew during this weekend's homestand.
GO PIRATES!report abuse
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