Pirates and Monarchs to Battle for VIP Cup in Decisive 12th Game

April 5, 2013 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Portland Pirates News Release


Portland, ME - The Portland Pirates, winners of their last 2 games, look to win the inaugural VIP Cup Series, presented by VIP Parts, Tires & Service, when they face the Manchester Monarchs tonight at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester.. The Pirates are 6-4-1-0 in the season series against the Monarchs, holding a 13-12 point advantage. A Pirates win or any result in extra time will lead to Portland winning the VIP Cup Series. The Pirates will also look to improve their playoff standing, as they sit just 1 point ahead of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the 5th spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Pirates are coming off a 5-4 shootout win against the Albany Devils last Saturday night. Pirates forward Andy Miele tallied two goals in the showdown, while Nick Johnson continued his hot streak, running his point streak to 6 games by contributing a goal. Ethan Werek scored the game winner in the 5th round of the shootout for the Pirates. Goaltender Mike Lee won his third shootout of the year in relief of Mark Visentin.

The Manchester Monarchs last played on Friday at the Cumberland County Civic Center, where they were defeated by the Pirates 6-3. Pirates goaltender Mark Visentin was on top of his game, facing 45 shots and stopping 42 of them, while Monarchs goaltender Martin Jones allowed 5 goals on 35 shots. The Pirates received goals from five different skaters, with Chris Brown, Chris Conner, Brendan Shinnimin, Evan Brophey, and Nick Johnson all registering tallies. Pirates forward Andy Miele had 2 assists in the game, while Jordan Martinook also tallied an assist. Manchester forward Linden Vey, who leads the Monarchs in points with 61, scored two goals for Manchester in the loss, while rookie winger Tanner Pearson tallied 3 points with a goal and two assists.

Tonight's game will decide the winner of the first ever VIP Cup. The VIP Cup series is presented by VIP Parts, Tire & Service and is a season long series between the Portland Pirates and the Manchester Monarchs. Portland holds a 13-12 point lead in the season series, and can clinch the VIP Cup with a win, or any result in extra time (overtime win, overtime loss, shootout win, or shootout loss) due to goal differential.

Tonight's game can be heard exclusively on portlandpiratesradio.com and AHL live. The pregame show starts at 6:40 with Jeff Mannix.



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