Monarchs Spoil Pirates Hall of Fame Night

Published on March 10, 2012 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Portland Pirates News Release


Portland, Maine - Justin Azevedo factored in all five Manchester goals, scoring four of them himself, to lead the Manchester Monarchs to a 5-2 victory over the Portland Pirates in front of 6,251 fans at the Cumberland County Civic Center. Manchester goalie Martin Jones also made 40 saves lead the Monarchs (31-28-0-3, 65 points, 7th place Eastern Conference) into a playoff position. The Pirates (27-27-3-3, 60 points, 13th place Eastern Conference) slid three places in the standings with the defeat after Adirondack, Springfield, and Providence all recorded victories to move one point ahead of Portland.

The Pirates struck first on at 4:55 in the first period. Evan Bloodoff fired a shot at Jones, which Brett Hextall scooped up and put in the back of the net for his sixth goal of the season. Nick Ross and Bloodoff picked up the helpers on the goal.

The rest of the scoring in the first period came all from the Monarchs. David Kolomatis sent in a pass to a waiting Stefan Legein in front of the net, who deflected the puck through the legs of Portland goalie Justin Pogge. Azevedo also picked up an assist on Legein's eleventh goal of the season. The Manchester goal tied the game at 1 at 7:28.

Azevedo was rewarded with his first goal of the game just minutes later, at 10:52. He received a breakout pass from Andrew Campbell and lifted a wrist shot over Pogge's left shoulder. Jake Muzzin also received an assist.

Azevedo scored again with just 1:03 left in the first after Jones hit a streaking Legein to start a rush up ice. After Legein beat Maxim Goncharov, he slid a pass to a waiting Azevedo for a tip-in from the doorstep.

After a scoreless second period, Azevedo completed a natural hat trick just 33 seconds into the third period. On the Monarchs only power play of the night, Azevedo worked a give-and-go with Trent Hunter in the left circle. Azevedo got the return pass in the slot and beat Pogge through traffic for his 18th of the season. Kolomatis also picked up his second assist of the game.

But, Azevedo was not done. He would score his fourth goal of the night on a slapshot from the right circle just below the crossbar with 6:39 to go. Patrick Mullen picked up the only assist on Azevedo's 19th goal of the season. It's the most goals scored by one player against the Pirates since Jarkko Immonen of the Hartford Wolf Pack scored five against Portland on February 4, 2006.

The Pirates did get one back at the 16:46 when Evan Bloodoff scored his fifth of the year off a rebound. Ethan Werek and Mark Louis got the assists on Bloodoff's second goal in as many games.

Azevedo's effort spoiled a celebratory evening, as Pirates captain Dean Arsene played in his 500th career AHL game. Brad Church also became the 16th inductee into the Portland Pirates Hall of Fame, presented by UNUM, during a ceremony in the first intermission.

Portland outshot Manchester 42-17 for the game. Jones improves to 14-15-1 on the season. Pogge made 12 saves and drops to 13-13-3 on the season. Manchester was 1-for-1 on the power play while Portland went 0-for-2.

The Fairway Mortgage Three Stars of the Game were all from Manchester: 1. Azevedo; 2. Jones; 3. Legein.

The Pirates are back in action at home tomorrow when they face the Providence Bruins at 4:00 p.m. The game will be preceded by a charity game at 1:00 p.m., between the Southern Maine Law Enforcement All-Stars and Sebago Brewing Company, with proceeds to benefit Maine Relay and the Maine Center on Deafness on Hearing Loss Awareness Day. The first 4,000 fans in attendance will receive a Portland Pirates camouflage hat, courtesy of Time Warner Cable. To get your tickets, stop by the Civic Center Box Office or visit portlandpirates.com.

Portland Pirates 20th Anniversary Season Tickets are now on sale! You can secure your seats for as low as $50! Season tickets include plenty of great perks! To find out more, call the Pirates Tickets Office at 828-4665, EXT 350 today!

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American Hockey League Stories from March 10, 2012


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