Bruins Hold On For 6-5 Shootout Win Over Pirates

February 14, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Portland Pirates News Release


Portland, Maine - The Pirates fought the Bruins to the end, but took a 6-5 shootout loss at the Cumberland County Civic Center. Mikko Lehtonen scored a hat trick for Providence.

As part of the Pirates game, Mark Beaudoin of Old Orchard Beach, Maine and Leroy Graham of Windham, Maine each won $500 in the NAPA Chuck-a-Puck contest during the Pirates game at the Cumberland County Civic Center. The contest was sponsored by NAPA Auto Parts. Beaudoin and Graham won the money by tossing their pucks, along with thousands of other fans, from the stands onto a bulls-eye of the NAPA Auto Parts logo at center ice. Fans can purchase pucks for Napa Chuck-A-Puck at each home game during the regular season. Pucks can be purchased at all Pirates home games behind sections K and Q. For your chance to win NAPA Chuck-a-Puck, come to any Pirates home game. Tickets can be purchased by calling 775-3458.

The Pirates struck first 2:39 into the first period on a power play when Mark Mancari collected a rebound and put it home on the backhand for his 21st goal of the season. Mathieu Darche and Mike Weber picked up the assists. The Portland lead was short lived though, as Brad Marchand tallied his 12th goal of the season less than two minutes later from Mikko Lehtonen and Zach Hamill. Providence surged ahead at the 8:35 mark of the first period as Matt Lashoff picked up his fifth goal of the year and Zach Hamill grabbed his second assist of the night. Providence took a 2-1 lead into the second period.

The Pirates didn't let that deficit last long though, as Marc-Andre Gragnani scored his fifth goal of the season on a blast from the left point. Mike Kostka and Tim Kennedy grabbed assists on the equalizer :29 into the second period. Providence then moved ahead late in the second when Mikko Lehtonen tallied his seventeenth goal of the season on a wristshot from the left circle that he put under the crossbar. The goal came on a power play at the 14:23 mark with Johnny BOychuk and Zach Hamill picking up the assists. Providence added a late tally as Lehtonen scored again at the 19:59 mark of the period from Brad Marchand. Lehtonen took a cross ice pass on the right wing and jammed it into an open net with less than a second on the clock. In the third period, the Pirates cut it down to a 4-3 game just 4:25 into the frame when Mathieu Darche scored his 16th goal of the season by jamming a loose puck inside the near post. Tim Kennedy and Mark Mancari got the assists. Providence stretched the lead back to 5-3 at the 13:00 mark of the third period when Mikko Lehtonen beat Jhonas Enroth from the right circle for his 19th goal of the season. Lehtonen's goal finished off a hat trick, with the assists going to Brad Machand and Zach Hamill. Portland still wouldn't go away, with Tim Kennedy cutting the deficit back down to one goal with a wrist shot from the right circle on the power play at the 15:21 mark of the third period. Gragnani and Darche got the assists. It went into the waning moments with the Bruins on top 5-4, but Matt Macdonald picked a good time to score his first goal of the season, beating Nastiuk with a slap shot from the left point at the 18:50 mark of the third period. Tim Kennedy and Aaron Slattengren earned helpers on the play. With things tied at 5, the Pirates and Bruins played a scoreless overtime, sending the game to a shootout. Mikko Lehtonen scored in the second round for the Bruins, but Mark Mancari answered back in the third round. In the fourth round Wacey Rabbit scored the game winner for the Bruins, as Felix Schutz and Aaron Slattengren were denied in the last two chances for the Pirates.

Portland goaltender Jhonas Enroth stopped 29 of 34 shots in taking the loss. Kevin Nastiuk played all three periods and overtime, stopping 34 of 39 shots sent his way. Nastiuk yielded way to Tuukka Rask in the shootout, and Rask stopped 4 of 5 shots to pick up the win.



American Hockey League Stories from February 14, 2009


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