Pirates Outlast Scrappy Sharks

Published on April 7, 2012 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Portland Pirates News Release


Portland, Maine - Marc-Antoine Pouliot and Brett Sterling both scored in the shootout and goalie Peter Mannino stopped all four shots he faced as the Portland Pirates (34-30-4-5, 77 points, 9th Eastern Conference) defeat the Worcester Sharks (29-31-4-8, 70 points, 14th Eastern Conference) by a score 5-4 in front of 5,907 fans at the Cumberland County Civic Center. With the win Portland is now tied with Manchester Monarchs for the eighth and final playoff spot. However the tiebreaker goes to Manchester because they have more non-shootout wins. Nick Ross had a goal and two assists and Ethan Werek had two goals for the Pirates.

The Sharks struck first just 46 second into the game when Ben Guite made a pass from the right corner to a wide open Nathan Moon in front of the net for his 12th goal of the season. Brandon Mashinter was also credited with an assist.

The Pirates tied it up when Werek came off the bench on a line change and skated straight to the net and received a pass from Ross. He slid the puck past Sharks goalie Harri Sateri for his ninth goal of the season at 4:43 of the first period. Nathan Oystrick also picked up an assist on the goal.

The Sharks took a 2-1 lead on the power play when Mike Moore made a pass from the right circle to Sena Acolatse in front of the net who then fired a shot past Mannino with 12:48 left in the first period. Guite also was credited with an assist on Acolatse sixth goal of the season.

The Pirates took advantage of a five-on-three power play to tie the score after the Sharks failed on a clear attempt and ended up with a two-on-one opportunity. Sterling skated with the puck before he passed it across to Ross, who found the back of the net for his fourth goal of the season with 9:25 left in the first period.

The Sharks answered right back with a goal of their own with 7:06 left in the first, when Curt Gogol scored his sixth of the season with assists going to Tony Lucia and Brian O'Haley to give the Sharks a 3-2 lead.

The Pirates scored the only goal in the second period on the power play when defenseman David Rundblad made a pass from the center of the blue line to Andy Miele in the right circle. Miele then fired a pass across the ice to Tyler Eckford, who took a shot from the top of the left circle beating Sateri top shelf at 4:37. It was Eckford 10th goal of the season.

Portland took its first lead of the game 53 seconds into the third period when Ross passed the puck to Oystrick just inside the blue line. Oystrick's shot was stopped, but Werek was there to put in his second goal of the game and 10th goal of the season on the rebound. It was the second assist of the night for both Oystrick and Ross.

But, Worcester pulled even at 10:26 with a power play goal from Matt Tennyson, his first professional goal. Matt Irwin and Tim Kennedy picked up the assists.

The game went to overtime, and the Pirates had an opportunity to win at the end when they were on the power play for the final 1:53. David Rundblad scored what appeared to be the game-winner with just 14 seconds left, but referee Marc Lemelin disallowed the goal because Sterling was ruled in the crease and interfering with the play. After Portland failed to score again, the game proceeded to a shootout.

In the shootout, both teams failed on their first two attempts. Pouliot scored the first goal Round 3, then Mannino stopped Sebastien Stalberg's attempt to give Pirates a 1-0 lead heading to Round 4. Sterling beat Sateri between the legs on the backhand, putting the pressure on Worcester's Acolatse to keep the game going. But, Mannino denied his shot to secure the win for Portland.

As the Pirates celebrated the win, a few Worcester players got into the middle of it, causing a rather large melee. Worcester's Matt Pelech was assessed a five-minute major and game misconduct for spearing. Jimmy Bonneau was also assessed a five minute fighting major and a game misconduct for fighting after the game had ended.

Portland outshot Worcester 33-25. Mannino made 21 saves and improves to 10-10-1 on the season. Sateri made 28 saves and dropped to 13-19-1 on the season. Portland was 2-for-4 on the power play while Worcester was 2-for-2.

The Fairway Mortgage Three Stars of the Game were: 1. Ross, POR; 2. Guite WOR; 3. Werek POR.

Prior to the game the Pirates welcomed their 4 millionth fan in team history. Christyen Totaro of Worcester, Massachusetts became the 4 millionth person to watch Portland Pirates hockey in their 19 history at the CCCC. The Civic Center, built in 1977, has welcomed more than 17,250 patrons for sporting events, concerts, and community gatherings.

The Pirates continue their final regular season homestand as they face the Connecticut Whale on Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. It's Autism Awareness Night, and the Pirates will wear special autism-themed jerseys, which will be auctioned off later to help the cause.

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 incentives! To find out more, call the Pirates Tickets Office at 828-4665, EXT 350 today!

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American Hockey League Stories from April 7, 2012


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