Sunday, April 1, 2007
TODAY'S GAME
WHO: Springfield Falcons at Portland Pirates
WHEN: 4:05 p.m.
WHERE: Cumberland County Civic Center
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - After setting the AHL record for most road wins in a season last year, the Portland Pirates had turned into one of the league's worst road teams this year. Until last weekend, the Pirates were tied for the second-fewest road wins in the league.
But with a 5-1 win Saturday night against Springfield at the MassMutual Center, the Pirates picked up their fourth straight road win to remain in the playoff hunt in the Atlantic Division.
The Pirates were able to take an early lead when Joe Motzko, who set the AHL record for most unassisted goals in a season with 11, scored twice in the opening 11 minutes of the game.
"Our big guns are getting it done right now," Pirates Coach Kevin Dineen said. "Motzko and (Mark) Hartigan really turned it up a notch. They're skilled players and they recognize the moment right now."
With seven games remaining, the Pirates (80 points) are within five points of the fourth and final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. But at this point, Portland would need to jump past Lowell and Worcester to earn a spot.
Beating Springfield was a must for the Pirates. The Falcons have lost six straight and are already eliminated from the playoffs.
Portland's final six games of the season are against Hartford, Lowell and Manchester, all teams that are battling to make the playoffs.
"We're playing with a sense of urgency," Motzko said. "It's win-or-go-home, you could say."
The Pirates, who have killed off 24 straight power plays, scored a short-handed goal 5:58 into the game to take a 1-0 lead.
Motzko picked up the puck at the blue line after intercepting a pass and broke in alone on Falcons goalie Jonathan Boutin, beating him between the pads in what might as well have been a penalty shot. There wasn't a player within 40 feet of Motzko.
He added a power-play goal at 10:40 when he took a pass out of the far corner from Drew Miller and fired a shot from the top left circle.
Justin Fletcher scored 5:33 into the second for Springfield, but Ryan Carter restored Portland's two-goal lead with a power-play goal at 15:02.
Portland took a 5-1 lead with a pair of goals in the first seven minutes of the third period. Sean Blanchard scored his third of the season at 5:29 before Miller slid a low shot under Boutin's glove just over a minute later.
Bobby Ryan, Anaheim's top pick in the 2005 NHL draft, picked up an assist on both goals.
Ryan, who played with Portland during its playoff run last year, joined the Pirates after his junior hockey team was eliminated from the Ontario Hockey League playoffs.
"I think it took him about a period to get comfortable, but as the game wore on he looked more solid," Dineen said.
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Reader comments
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I happened to be in the area with my family visiting friends, and some of us went to the MassMutual Center to watch the game Saturday night...
The boys played like they had something to prove... They played a physical, aggressive style from the get-go... They played hard, played 60 minutes, and did not relent... Joe's two first-period goals, including a stolen pass that led to his short-handed talley, made the start all the more impressive... Graham made the saves he had to make, although the 36 saves was a little misleading because only a quarter of them were honest scoring chances...
I do have to admit I feel bad for Falcons fans... They've had it worse than the Pirates during the last few years of the Cap's affiliation, as we were not in the cellar for several years... Hopefully the new affiliation with the Oilers can raise the spirits of the downtrodden franchise...report abuse
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