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Pirates 2005-06 journey going well

November 7, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL) News Release


SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... With a new affiliation in tow, the Portland Pirates have begun a new era in 2005-06, and so far are rewarding their loyal fans with a first-place team.

The Pirates are now the top development club for the NHL's Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, beginning a new chapter following their 12-year relationship with the Washington Capitals. With players like Sergei Gonchar, Jason Allison, Olaf Kolzig, Andrew Brunette, Anson Carter and Richard Zednik coming through downeast Maine, Portland was a perennial title contender, winning the Calder Cup in 1994 and returning to the Finals in 1996. (Seven members of Portland's 1994 title team are still active in the NHL, as is head coach Barry Trotz.)

After some lean years - Portland has won just one playoff series over the last seven seasons - the Pirates have turned the page, and a crop of future Ducks has them sitting in a tie for first in the Atlantic Division, winners of eight of their first 11 games this season.

Ryan Shannon has emerged as the Pirates' top offensive threat early on, leading the club with seven goals and 12 points in 11 games and ranking third among all AHL rookies in scoring. Shannon, a former captain at Boston College, was named the RBK Hockey/AHL Rookie of the Month for October.

Dustin Penner, who spent the 2003-04 season at the nearby University of Maine, has scored five goals (half of his total from all of last year) and added five assists, and his plus-8 rating is good for a share of the team lead with Zenon Konopka, who is currently on his first career NHL recall to Anaheim. Tim Brent, after recording five goals in 46 games a year ago, has struck four times already in 2005-06.

Nineteen-year-old Ladislav Smid, the ninth overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, has six assists in 10 games to start his North American career. Fellow rookie defenseman Jordan Smith was a second-round pick by Anaheim in 2004.

In goal, Nathan Marsters has won his first five career AHL decisions, ranking second in the AHL with a 1.60 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage.

On Wednesday night, rookie head coach Kevin Dineen leads his Pirates into the Hartford Civic Center to face the Wolf Pack, Portland's co-leaders atop the Atlantic Division. Dineen spent parts of 10 seasons at the Civic Center starring for the NHL's Hartford Whalers (1984-92, 95-97).

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MUNRO COMES UP BIG ... Norfolk goaltender Adam Munro preserved a pair of Admirals victories over the weekend with two impressive individual performances.

On Saturday in Manchester, with his team clinging to a 3-2 lead at the 5:34 mark of the third period, Munro denied the Monarchs' Konstantin Pushkarev on a penalty shot attempt; Norfolk went on to a 4-2 victory. A day later in Lowell, Munro changed the script slightly, waiting until overtime to stop a penalty shot from Vince Bellissimo, then rejecting two of four shootout attempts to allow the Admirals to earn a 3-2 win. Norfolk goaltenders have now stopped all seven penalty shots faced in franchise history.

AHL shooters have converted 69 of 218 attempts (31.7 percent) in 19 shootouts league-wide this season, but are just 1-for-12 on actual penalty shots.

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HONOR FOR STARS' DIGS ... The Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines was named the Best New Sports Facility at the fifth annual Horizon Awards for Sports Business last week. The awards, created by the Atlanta Sports Council, honor the thought-leaders and innovators in the sports business industry.

The Best New Sports Facility award recognizes the best sports-use facility that showcased significant progress in design, development, construction and use of technology. Wells Fargo Arena opened in July and is the home of the AHL's first-year Iowa Stars.

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AL'S CAMPAIGN PUT ON ICE ... Al the Ice Gorilla, beloved mascot of the Syracuse Crunch, announced last week that he was withdrawing from the race for mayor in the city of Syracuse and endorsing Joanie Mahoney, the leading challenger to incumbent Matt Driscoll.

Citing work commitments, Al brought an end to his write-in candidacy campaign just days before the Nov. 8 election. Al was running on a platform of revitalization and rejuvenation of Syracuse's downtown area, which includes the Onondaga County War Memorial at Oncenter.

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ETC. ... With Trevor Gillies (Anaheim), Jay Leach (Boston), Martin St. Pierre (Chicago), Danny Syvret (Edmonton), Jeff Giuliano (Los Angeles), Cam Janssen (New Jersey), Steve Bernier (San Jose), Tomas Fleischmann (Washington) and Jakub Klepis (Washington) all making their National Hockey League debuts last week, 87 AHL players have already been recalled to the NHL in 2005-06... Springfield ended Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's nine-game winning streak with a 4-3 overtime win on Friday, despite being outshot 40-15... One night later, the Falcons' Jonathan Boutin broke Manny Legace's franchise record with 50 saves - and recorded an assist - in his AHL debut, a 3-2 shootout loss to Hershey... Peoria ran its shutout streak to 204:43 before Tomi Maki's goal in the first period of Omaha's 3-2 win over the Rivermen on Saturday... Darren Haydar registered four assists in Saturday's 5-4 shootout win over Chicago, the Admirals' fourth straight win after an 0-3-0-1 start... Hamilton forward Brad Winchester has four goals in his last three games... Hershey captain Boyd Kane, who wore the "C" for Philadelphia last year, received his Calder Cup ring prior to the Bears game in Philly on Friday night; the Bears won, 2-1, ending an 11-game losing streak at the Wachovia Spectrum... Sunday's 5-3 win in Springfield, sealed by an empty-net goal in the final minute, was the first of Hartford's 11 games this season to be decided by a margin of more than one goal... Despite Saturday's 5-4 shootout victory, Rochester has not earned a regulation win in 12 visits to Binghamton during the Senators era... Manchester recorded 31 shots in the second period of Friday's 7-5 win at Bridgeport, the most in an AHL period since Rochester took 31 shots in one frame against Providence on Nov. 17, 1996.

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