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Pirates Look to Take VIP Cup Advantage vs. Monarch

December 7, 2013 - American Hockey League (AHL) - Portland Pirates News Release

Lewiston, ME - The Pirates will look to snap their 4 game losing streak and take a 2-1 series lead in the VIP Cup Series when they face the Manchester Monarchs on Saturday night. Puck drop is at 7 PM as the Pirates and Monarchs meet at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee for the third time this season.

The Pirates dropped an 8-2 decision to the Worcester Sharks last night in Worcester. Gilbert Brule extended his goal scoring streak to 5 games, tying him with Luke Adam and Reid Boucher for the longest goal scoring streak in the AHL this season, but Worcester scored 5 straight goals to open the game. Both Mark Visentin and Mike Lee allowed 4 goals on the night. Matt Neito tied a Sharks record with 5 points on the night for Worcester, while Brendan Shinnimin had the second Pirates goal.

Manchester also dropped their game on Friday night, a 7-2 defeat at the hands of the Providence Bruins. Matt Fraser had a hat trick for the Bruins as the Monarchs allowed 5 goals in the third period. Jean-Francois Berube took the loss for the Monarchs, allowing 7 goals on 33 shots.

The Pirates tied the VIP Cup series in their last meeting with Manchester, a 4-1 win on November 15th at the Colisee. Gilbert Brule, Randy Jones, Tobias Rieder, and Chris Summers supplied the scoring for the Pirates while Mark Visentin made 24 saves for the victory. Brule's goal was the third game of his current 5 game goal scoring streak.

The VIP Cup Series is currently tied at one game apiece. The Pirates have hosted all three VIP Cup games so far this season, with Manchester hosting their first game on December 20th. The Pirates are 2-1 all time in VIP Cup games at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee.

KeyBank Key to the Game

Zone Defense: The Pirates need to support their goaltenders with strong defense and shot blocking. Pirates opponents have outshot the Pirates in each of their last 4 games, so shot blocking and strong defense will go a long way towards ending the Pirates' four game skid.

Throughout the month of December, the Pirates will be collecting donations of non-perishable and canned food at all home games at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee. Pirates fans who donate will receive 2 tickets to an upcoming January Pirates game, based on availability. All food will be donated to the Good Shepherd Food Bank.

Tonight's game can be heard on the Pirates flagship stations WPEI 95.5/95.9 FM as well as WEZR AM 1240 in the Lewiston/Auburn area and WTME AM 780/1450 in Oxford County. The game can also be heard online at portlandpirates.com by clicking "Listen Live" and can be seen live on AHL Live at ahllive.com. The pregame show starts at 6:40 with Jeff Mannix. Tickets are available by calling the Colisee Box Office at (207) 783-2009 or online at thecolisee.com.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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