Wednesday, March 28, 2007
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David McKee
After carrying the Augusta Lynx of the ECHL on his back for the past few months, rookie goalie David McKee has been rewarded with a trip to the AHL to play for the Portland Pirates.
The promotion came Saturday after Sebastien Caron was called up to the NHL by Anaheim to serve as a backup when J.S. Giguere, the Ducks' top goalie, goes on paternity leave.
In helping the Lynx remain in contention for the fourth and final playoff spot in the South Division, McKee set a team record for wins (29).
"(McKee) played very well for us, a lot of times under adverse conditions," Augusta Coach Bob Ferguson said. "Because of an injury to our other goalie, he had to make every start for a month, sometimes playing four games in five nights."
McKee won all eight of his January starts, compiling an 2.74 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage, and was named ECHL rookie of the month.
McKee seems ready to take the next step,
"I was (in Augusta) for almost the entire year so it was a great development year for me," he said. "I knew I had weaknesses and I got to work on a lot of things. There's always stuff to work on, and it gave me a chance to refine some things."
Last spring, after signing a two-year, entry-level contract with the Ducks following his junior year at Cornell, McKee spent his first month as a professional with Anaheim during its run to the Western Conference finals in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
"He had a good start last (spring) by being able to spend a month in Anaheim and get acclimated to the pro game there and watch how these guys shoot the puck and face that every day," Portland Coach Kevin Dineen said.
While with Augusta, McKee, who broke many of NHL Hall of Fame goalie Ken Dryden's team records during his three seasons with Cornell, started 52 games.
"Like us, (the Lynx) play a lot of games in a short amount of time, sometimes four in five nights, and that's tough on a goaltender," Dineen said. "With a schedule like that, sometimes it's a step forward or back. But in the big picture the more hockey these guys play the better off they are."
The busy schedule didn't seem to bother McKee.
"It gave me confidence knowing I was being successful," he said.
"Hopefully that will carry over to the next level."
In his AHL debut Sunday, McKee stopped 23 of 25 shots during a 5-2 victory at Bridgeport.
"The guys played really well in front of me," he said. "It wasn't a terribly difficult game, so it was a good game to get my feet wet and get used to what's going on."
WORCESTER GOALIE Thomas Greiss was named the AHL player of the week after winning three games for the Sharks while compiling a 1.67 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage.
Portland forward Mark Hartigan, who had five assists to help the Pirates earn four points in four games, also was nominated.
In Sunday's victory at Bridgeport, Hartigan became the first Pirates since Tent Whitfield more than four years ago to collect four assists.
THE PIRATES signed University of Denver forward Ryan Dingle to an amateur tryout contract Tuesday.
The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Dingle, who led the Pioneers with 22 goals this past season, is expected to participate in this morning's skate at the Cumberland County Civic Center. But Dineen wasn't sure whether Dingle would suit up for the Pirates at Manchester tonight.
"It will be a game-time decision," Dineen said. "It depends on his conditioning."
Forwards Geoff Peters and Mike Hoffman didn't participate in Tuesday morning's practice.
TODD NELSON will become the 10th member of the Portland Pirates Hall of Fame in ceremonies during the intermission of Sunday's game against Springfield at the Civic Center.
Nelson, an original Pirate, helped the team cap its inaugural season by winning the Calder Cup in 1994.
A veteran of 12 professional seasons, Nelson currently serves as an assistance coach for the Chicago Wolves.
ON-LINE BALLOTING begins today for the Pirates' year-end player awards.
Fans can visit www.portlandpirates.com and vote for the team's most valuable player, unsung hero and most popular player. Voting will end at midnight April 11.
The awards will be presented following the Pirates' final regular-season home game April 15 against Hartford.
Fans also will be able to vote at the customer service booth in the main lobby at the Civic Center during games against Springfield on April 1 and then against Manchester on April 10.
THE BOOSTERS CLUB will hold its end-of-the-year awards banquet for Pirates players next Wednesday night at the Holiday Inn By The Bay in Portland.
Tickets can be purchased during the Springfield-Portland game Saturday at the Civic Center.
Proceeds will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 725-8795 or at:
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But for now we can just sit back and see what David can do against AHL-level talent during the last month of the season, and if he is as good as his college numbers indicate.
Best of luck tonight in Manchester guys. While the Monarchs have been so-so recently, they've still had our number as of late. Now would be a good time to head into the Granite State looking to reverse our fortunes against the Monarchs and get us into a position to clinch a playoff birth...
GO PIRATES!report abuse
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