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Pirates Weekly

October 14, 2002 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Portland Pirates News Release


PORTLAND, ME - The Portland Pirates split the first two games of their tenth anniversary season with a home loss and a rare win in Springfield. The 4-2 loss to the Norfolk Admirals was just the third time in ten seasons that the Pirates have opened the season at home. Following the game, the team headed to Springfield for a Saturday evening contest with longtime rivals the Springfield Falcons. The Pirates had just eight wins in 34 previous games at the Springfield Civic Center but came away with a resounding 6-2 victory. The Pirates begin the second week of the 2002-03 season with a 1-1-0-0 record, 1-0-0-0 against Eastern Conference teams.

LAST WEEK:

Friday, October 11, 2002: Norfolk 4, Pirates 2

The Pirates struck first as center Chris Ferraro proved there was no rust after his lengthy layoff from pro hockey. Ferraro, who missed a majority of the 2001-02 season due to an illness in the family, brought a raucous home crowd of 4,733 to their feet with his power-play tally just 4:52 into the young season with D Todd Rohloff and RW Peter Ferraro picking up the assists. The 1-0 lead held until 3:49 into the second when Norfolk managed to slip one past Pirates netminder Rastislav Stana as former Pirate Mike Peluso picked up his first of the season on the power-play. Mel Angelstad put the Pirates ahead yet again at 5:47 of the third period with his even-strength effort, but from that point on it was all Norfolk as the Admirals rattled off three straight goals in the third period. Former Pirate Casey Hankinson's short-handed goal at 8:08 of the final stanza proved to be the eventual game-winner as the visiting Admirals skated out of the Cumberland County Civic Center with their first win of the new season, 4-2.

Saturday, October 12, 2002: Pirates 6, Springfield 2

The visiting Pirates took advantage of hospitable hosts by rattling off three goals in the second period and sealing the deal with three more in the third for a resounding 6-2 win. The host Falcons got on the board first as Nikita Alexeev scored on a wrist shot at the mid-point of the first period on the power play. Portland took command in the second period, out-shooting Springfield 17-4. LW Roman Tvrdon sparked the second period rally, knotting the score at 1-1 at the 4:07 mark before picking up his second of the night/season, a power-play tally, just two and a half minutes later. Saco, Maine-native D Matt Libby picked up his first point of the season on the goal. Veteran LW Colin Forbes capped off Portland's second period rally with an even-strength goal from D Nolan Yonkman and C Trent Whitfield at 10:58. The Falcons came out hard in the third as Goran Bezina got Springfield back on the board and within one at the 1:23 mark. Portland yet again took control, however, sealing the Falcons fate with three in the final session from RW Peter Ferraro, Forbes again (SHG) and Chris Ferraro (SHG).

Pirates Nominate Peter Ferraro as Sher-Wood/AHL Player of the Week

The Portland Pirates nominated right wing Peter Ferraro as the Sher-Wood/AHL Player of the Week for the week ending October 13, 2002. In two games last week, Ferraro scored a goal and added three assists for four points. On Friday, October 11th, Ferraro assisted on both Pirates' goals in a 4-2 loss to the Norfolk Admirals. On Saturday, October 12th, he assisted on the Pirates' first goal and scored their fourth in a 6-2 win over the Springfield Falcons.

TWO ON ROAD, ONE AT HOME THIS WEEK IN THE FIRST OF 13 THREE-IN-THREE STRINGS

The Pirates begin the first of 13 three-games-in-three-nights sets this season, squaring off against at the Manchester Monarchs on Friday, October 18 at 7:35 PM before traveling to Worcester for a 7:05 PM contest on Saturday, October 19 vs. the IceCats. The Pirates will then return home on Sunday, October 20 to complete the set with their first-ever match up with the Manitoba Moose at 4:05 PM. Sunday's game will be the first afternoon game for the Pirates this season and will feature a Skate with the Pirates promotion following the game. Sunday is also Kids' Opening Day with the Pirates, sponsored by Jokers Family Fun and Games. The Pirates split the 2001-02 season series with the Monarchs 4-4-2 while they captured the series vs. the IceCats 5-3-0.

SHIP'S LOG:

· Chris Ferraro scored the Pirates first goal of the season at 4:52 of the first period of their game against Norfolk on Friday. It was also the first goal of the game. The Pirates have scored first in each season opener for four straight years.

· Roman Tvrdon had two goals and an assist in Saturday's 6-2 win at Springfield. It was his first multiple-point game as a professional and his first three-point game.

· Libby made his Pirate's debut on Saturday against Springfield. He became just the third Maine native to play for the Pirates and the first since the team's inaugural season of 1993-94. The defenseman had two assists in the game.

· Saturday's 6-2 win at Springfield was just the ninth for the Pirates in 35 games vs. the Falcons at Springfield. It also marked new Head Coach Tim Army's first AHL win.

TRANSACTIONS:

10/11/02 Sebastien Charpentier (G) received on loan from Washington Capitals (NHL)
10/11/02 Craig Billington (G), recalled from loan by Washington Capitals (NHL)
10/11/02 Garret Stroshein (RW), signed to an AHL contract
10/11/02 Mel Angelstad (LW), signed to an AHL contract
10/11/02 Brad Parsons (RW), signed to a PTO
10/11/02 Matt Libby (D), signed to a PTO

ON THE AIR:

All Pirates' games can be heard live on the Pirates Radio Network. Sports Radio, WJAB, am-1440 and fm-95.5 serve as the flagship stations. Games may also be heard on WKTQ am-1450, South Paris; WTME am-790 Rumford and 1220 AM, ESPN Radio in Sanford.

GAME HOTLINE:

Members of the media can receive a recap of each Pirate 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. Up to date Pirates' news is also available at www.portlandpirates.com.



American Hockey League Stories from October 14, 2002


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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