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Pirates Now Unbeaten in Eight Games

January 5, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Portland Pirates News Release


PORTLAND, ME – For the first time in four seasons, the Portland Pirates have played eight games without a loss. They kept that string alive last week with a win against Worcester and a tie against Hershey in the final two games of a season-high four-game home stand. The Pirates are now 5-0-3-0 in their last eight games and will face a stiff challenge to keep that streak alive this week. The Pirates visit the Lowell Lock Monsters on Wednesday before returning home to host another Atlantic Division foe, the Manchester Monarchs on Friday. The Pirates will finish the week by hosting the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Saturday night. The Pirates are in fifth place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 14-14-4-3, good for 35 points. They trail the fourth-place Worcester IceCats by just four points with one game in hand and the third-place Monarchs by six points with two games in hand.

LAST WEEK:

Wednesday, December 31: Pirates 4, Worcester 0

Rastislav Stana earned his third shutout in the last five games, and the Pirates bid adieu to 2003 with a 4-0 win over the Worcester IceCats at the Cumberland County Civic Center.The Pirates got the only goal they would need on their first powerplay of the game. Jason Ulmer knocked a bouncing puck past Curtis Sanford at 11:23 for his third goal of the year. They doubled that lead in the second period when Graham Mink took a feed from Brad Parsons, walked down the right wing and beat Sanford from an odd angle for his team-leading 13th goal of the year. The IceCats began the third period with good pressure, but Stana stopped all eight shots as he took advantage of strong team play in the Pirates' zone. Brian Sutherby added his third goal of the season off a two-on-one rush, and Mike Souza scored into an empty net for the 4-0 final score. Stana finished with 31 saves for his fourth shutout of the year.

Saturday, January 3, 2004: Pirates 0, Hershey 0 OT

For just the second time in their history, the Pirates skated to a scoreless tie. They and the Hershey Bears posted goose eggs at the Civic Center. The Pirates were missing several players on recall to the Washington Capitals and were also without Colin Forbes who must clear waivers early this week before he can play with the Pirates. He was re-assigned by Washington on New Year's Day. The Bears are a high-powered offensive team, ranking seventh in the league in goals per game. Still, the Pirates held them to just four shots in each of the first two periods. The game opened up in the third when Hershey outshot the Pirates 13-12, but both Stana and Hershey's Tom Lawson were superb. Stana's best save in the overtime came with just 58 seconds remaining when the Bears forced a turnover at the Pirates' blueline. Steve Brule set up Sheldon Keefe whose one-time shot was smothered. The Pirates finished a four-game home stand, their longest of the year, with a record of 3-0-1-0.

PIRATES NOMINATE STANA AS SHER-WOOD/AHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

The Portland Pirates nominated goaltender Rastislav Stana as the Sher-Wood/AHL Player of the Week for the week ending January 4, 2004. In two games last week, Stana went 1-0-1, posting a goals-against average of 0.00 and a save percentage of 1.000. On Wednesday, he made 31 saves and allowed 0 goals in a 4-0 shutout of the Worcester IceCats. He followed that up with 0 goals against and 22 saves in a 0-0 tie with the Hershey Bears on Saturday. He has a current shutout streak of 133:31. Since returning from the Washington Capitals on December 14th, Stana has posted a goals against average of 1.18 and a save percentage of .962. He has also taken over the AHL lead in shutouts with five, posting four in his last six games. He has been in goal for all eight games of the Pirates' unbeaten streak.

THE WEEK AHEAD:

DAY DATE EVENT TIME BROADCAST

Monday Jan. 5 Practice at CCCC 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Tuesday Jan. 6 Practice at CCCC 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Wednesday Jan. 7 Morning Skate at CCCC 10:00 – 11:00 AM

Game at Lowell 7:00 PM PRN

Thursday Jan. 8 Practice at CCCC 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Friday Jan. 9 Morning Skate at CCCC 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Game vs. Manchester 7:05 PM PRN

Saturday Jan. 10 Morning Skate at CCCC 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Game vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 7:05 PM PRN

Sunday Jan. 11 DAY OFF

PRN: Pirates Radio Network

PIRATES PICK UP THE PACE WITH THREE GAMES THIS WEEK

- Wednesday, January 7, 2004 at Lowell, 7:00 PM

The Pirates and the Lowell Lock Monsters square off for the third time this season and the third time in Lowell. In all, the two teams will play each other 12 times, the most the Pirates face any opponent. So far, the teams have split a pair of games with each decided by just a goal. The Lock Monsters won the season opener for both teams, 2-1 on October 10th. The Pirates prevailed in the last meeting 3-2 on December 12th. This is the first of four games between the two teams this month. The Pirates trail the all-time series 22-25-7 but are 11-11-6 all-time in Lowell. The Lock Monsters start the week in sixth place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 13-16-3-2, good for 31 points, four behind the Pirates with one game in hand. Lowell is winless in its last three games and is 3-5-1-1 in its last ten. Pavel Brendl leads the team in scoring with 16 goals and 31 points. The goal total is also a team high. Mike Zigomanis is second in team scoring with 26 points including a team-high 21 assists. The Lock Monsters have had five different goalies this season. Patrick DesRochers has played 22 games, posting a record of 9-11-1 and a goals-against average of 3.10.

- Friday, January 9, 2004 vs. Manchester, 7:05 PM

The Pirates and the Manchester Monarchs renew acquaintances for the first time since November 8th. This is meeting number four of ten this season. So far, the Monarchs hold the lead in the season series, 2-0-0-1 and lead the all-time series 11-8-4. This game is the first of three games in eight days between the two division rivals. Manchester begins the week in third place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 18-14-2-3, good for 41 points. The Monarchs lead the Pirates by six points but have also played two more games. They have won their last two games and are 5-4-0-1 in their last ten. Pavel Rosa leads the Monarchs in scoring with 17 goals and 26 assists for 43 points. He is the leading scorer in the AHL. His 17 goals are also a team best. Steve Kelly is second in team scoring with 37 points and is tied with Rosa for the team lead in assists. The Monarchs have used a whopping six goaltenders this season. Manchester hosts Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Wednesday before visiting the Pirates.

- Saturday, January 10, 2004 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 7:05 PM

The Pirates and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hook up in the weekend finale. The Pirates and the Penguins have split a pair of games so far this season. The Pirates won 4-0 on November 15th while the Penguins prevailed 2-1 on November 26th. The Pirates will visit the Penguins again on February 13th in the final game of the season series. All time, the Pirates are 4-2-0 against the Penguins including a mark of 3-0-0 at home. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is currently in fourth place in the East Division with a record of 15-14-4-3, good for 37 points. The Penguins have lost their last two games but are still 5-3-1-1 in their last ten. Former Washington draft pick Kris Beech leads the Penguins in scoring with ten goals and 15 assists for 25 points. The assist total is also a team high. Rookie Michel Ouellet leads the Pens with 16 goals and is third in team scoring with 20 points. The Penguins visit Manchester on Wednesday and Lowell on Friday before paddling North to Portland.

SHIP'S LOG:

· The Pirates extended their unbeaten streak to eight games with a win and a tie last week. The Pirates are now (5-0-3-0), their longest unbeaten streak since the 1999-2000 season and the longest current streak in the AHL.

· Saturday's 0-0 tie with the Hershey Bears was just the second scoreless deadlock in Pirates' history. The Pirates and the Springfield Falcons skated to the same score on November 22, 1998, also in Portland.

· Following the shutout of Hershey, the Pirates took the lead in AHL shutouts with eight.

· The Pirates posted their first sell-out crowd of the season when 6,709 attended the game on December 31, 2003. The game was a sellout because some seats had been reserved for a band that played during the game.

TRANSACTIONS:

12/30/03 DELETE Chris Hajt (D), recalled from loan by Washington (NHL)

1/1/04 DELETE Brian Sutherby (C), recalled from loan by Washington (NHL)

1/1/04 DELETE Darcy Verot (C), recalled from loan by Washington (NHL)

1/1/04 ADD Colin Forbes (LW), reassigned on loan from Washington (NHL)

1/2/04 DELETE Matt Libby (D), reassigned by Washington (NHL) to Quad City (UHL)

IN THE COMMUNITY:

Pirates' defenseman Tim Branham, Junior Pirates' forward Steve Jones and broadcaster Dave Ahlers will appear at the Manchester School in Windham on Monday as part of the team's Goals For Success aspirations program. Head coach Tim Army will appear on WJAB's "Morning JAB" program at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning. Ahlers will appear on the "Morning JAB" on Thursday at 8:00 a.m. For a complete list of upcoming community appearances, check out the "In The Community" section of the Pirates' web site, portlandpirates.com.

ON THE AIR:

Once again this season, all the action of the Portland Pirates' hockey may be heard on Flagship Station WJAB, AM-1440 and FM-95.5 in Portland and on network affiliates WKTQ AM-1450, South Paris; WTME AM-790 Rumford and 1220 AM, ESPN Radio in Sanford. All games may also be heard on the Pirates' web site, www.portlandpirates.com.

GAME HOTLINE:

Members of the media and fans can receive a recap of each Pirates' game, home or away, by calling the Pirates' office at (207) 828-4665 and dialing 3-2-2 when the automated attendant picks up. Recaps will include scoring, goaltenders, shots, powerplays, attendance and any records or notables. Game recaps and other Pirates' news is also available at www.portlandpirates.com. Official AHL box scores are available at the AHL's official web site, www.theahl.com.



American Hockey League Stories from January 5, 2004


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