Saturday, April 14, 2007
TODAY'S GAME
WHO: Portland Pirates vs. Lowell Devils
WHEN: 7:05 p.m.
WHERE: Cumberland County Civic Center
TELEVISION: Channel 22
LOWELL, Mass. - The Lowell Devils kept their American Hockey League playoff hopes alive Friday night with a 2-0 victory against the Portland Pirates before a crowd of 3,206 at Tsongas Arena.
The Devils, needing a win to remain in the three-team race for the final two playoff berths in the Atlantic Division, turned in a strong defensive performance to beat the Pirates for the fourth time in nine games this season.
The season series ends tonight at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
The season ends Sunday for the Pirates at home against Hartford.
Portland's playoff drive ended Tuesday night when it lost at home to Manchester, 3-1.
With two games left in the regular season, Lowell trails Providence by three points and Worcester by four in the race for a playoff berth.
Manchester and Hartford already have clinched playoff berths.
Defenseman Eric Weinrich, right wing Mike Hoffman and left wing Bjorn Melin did not make the trip to Lowell.
Instead, right wing Garett Bembridge and defenseman Nathan Saunders, back from the Augusta Lynx following their elimination from the ECHL playoffs, and Pierre Luc O'Brien, a center from Sacred Heart University who was signed to a professional tryout contract, were in the lineup.
"Obviously we want to put on a good performance for our home fans these last two games," Portland Coach Kevin Dineen said.
"We have some players here, we felt we'd give them a look, but we're going out to win the last two (games)."
Lowell got the only goal it needed 10:12 into the second period when Chris Minard turned Grant Marshall's centering pass from the boards behind the right side of the net into his team-high 31st goal of the season by lifting a shot from the slot past goalie Gerald Coleman.
Until Minard's goal, Coleman was sensational, making 18 of his 37 saves during the first 32 minutes of the game.
"Our goalie sure had a real good game," Dineen said. "He was ready and willing and wanted to put another (win) in his win column before the season wraps up."
Goalie Jordan Parise, who played three seasons at the University of North Dakota, made 21 saves to post his second shutout of the season.
Late in the second period, a strong penalty kill enabled the Devils to keep Portland off the scoreboard.
The Pirates were on the power play for nearly 4 minutes, including a segment totaling 1 minute, 32 seconds when they had a two-man advantage, and managed only five shots on goal.
David Clarkson completed the scoring 2:12 into the third period, putting in his 19th goal on a breakaway while sliding into the left side of the crease after he was knocked to the ice by a Portland defender who had scrambled back to break up the play.
NOTES: Former UNH playter Darren Haydar of the Chicago Wolves was named winner of the Wes Cunningham Award as the AHL's most valuable player Friday.
In 70 games, Haydar, who started the season by registering a point in a record 39 consecutive games, has 39 goals and a league-high 77 assists.
PROVIDENCE 4, WORCESTER 3: David Krejci, Sean Curry, Marco Rosa and Nate DiCasimirro as the Bruins won at home.
Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 725-8795 or at:
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