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McKegg Scores Hat Trick in Pirates 4-2 Win

October 24, 2015 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Portland Pirates News Release


Portland, ME - The Portland Pirates (3-1-0-0) beat the Albany Devils (1-2-1-0) 4-2 thanks to four unanswered goals, the majority of which were scored by Greg McKegg who scored his first hat trick of his professional career. It was the Pirates third win in a row, and they maintained their status of being undefeated at home at the Cross Insurance Arena. In addition to McKegg's, defenseman Cameron Gaunce also had a notable night with three assists.

Down two goals to one after the first period, the Pirates were able to correct their mistakes and come back from behind. "We didn't tweak any things system-wise, we just addressed what we thought was a sup-par performance [in the first period]," said assistant coach Scott Allen.

Paul Thompson scored the first goal of the night for Albany at 8:10 in the first stanza, assisted by Jim O'Brien and Vojtech Mozik. The Devils made it 2-0 towards the end of the period at 19:15 on an unassisted breakaway goal from Blake Pietela.

The Pirates launched their come-from-behind campaign with a goal from John McFarland at 12:05 of the second period, assisted by MacKenzie Weegar and Gaunce. McKegg netted his first of the game at 15:14, assisted by Garrett Wilson.

McKegg stormed onto the ice in the third period, scoring the go-ahead goal just 28 seconds into the frame. He was assisted on the goal by Rocco Grimaldi and Gaunce. McKegg completed the hat trick with an empty netter power play goal at 19:14, assisted by Wayne Simpson and Gaunce. It was the first hat trick for a Pirates player since Lucas Lessio scored one on April 4, 2014 at Manchester.

The Pirates' penalty kill played a significant factor in the game, as they were able to kill off each of the five penalties they faced. Pirates' net-minder Mike McKenna (2-1-0) had 26 saves on 28 chances from the Devils. McKenna's save total at home is now tallied at 50, bringing his Gorham Savings Bank Saves for Charity total to $500. Doug Carr (0-1-0) was in net for Albany, saving 23 of 26 Pirates' shots.

The Pirates are back in action tomorrow at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY to take on the Devils for the second game of the home-and-home series. The puck drops at 5:05 p.m., be sure to tune in to the voice of the Pirates, Jeff Mannix, on 95.9 FM to catch all the action or watch on AHL Live. The Pirates will travel to Providence next Friday, October 30, to play the Bruins at 7:05 p.m. at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. They will then return home for Hat-Trick-or-Treat on Halloween, October 31, when they play the Rochester Americans at 3:00 p.m. For tickets and more information, call 207-PIRATES!

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