Wathier Wins it for Portland in Dramatic Fashion
April 26, 2015 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Portland Pirates News Release
Portland, Me. - The Portland Pirates (1-2) refused to quit and kept the intensity up in a dramatic 3-2 win to force a fourth game of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Manchester Monarchs (2-1). Francis Wathier scored the game winner with just 2.9 seconds remaining in the third period to break the tie and give the Pirates their first win of the series.
The Pirates drew first blood when Phil Lane scored at 14:32 in the first period, assisted by Klas Dahlbeck and Philip Samuelsson. It was the first lead the Pirates had held in the series. The Monarchs tied it up in the waning seconds of the frame when Michael Mersch scored a power play goal at 19:34 assisted by Colin Miller.
Jordan Weal gave the Monarchs a 2-1 lead at 5:28 in the second period with assists from Sean Backman and Zach O'Brien. The Pirates were able to tie it back up at two when Eric Selleck netted one at 12:50, assisted by Lucas Lessio and Dylan Reese.
The third period was filled with intensity, and the tie held until less than three seconds remained on the clock. Wathier scored with 2.9 seconds remaining on the clock, assisted by Brandon Gormley and Brendan Shinnimin.
Jean-Francois Berube (2-1) was credited with his first loss of the 2015 Calder Cup Playoffs, and saved 20 of 23 shots taken by the Pirates. Louis Domingue (1-1) got the start in goal for Portland, saving 31 of 33 shots.
Game Four will be held at the Cross Insurance Arena on Thursday, April 30, at 7 p.m. If necessary, the series will travel back to Manchester for Game Five on Saturday, May 2, at 7 p.m. Tickets for Game Four are BOGO-Half-Off when you call 207-PIRATES.
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