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Portland Pirates Down Wolf Pack 7-4

February 15, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Connecticut Whale News Release


Portland, ME, February 15, 2010 - Kyle Wanvig had two goals and two assists, and Tyler Ennis added a goal and two assists, to power the Portland Pirates to a 7-4, holiday-matinee victory over the Hartford Wolf Pack Monday afternoon at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

Travis Turnbull, Felix Schutz and Jeff Cowan had a goal and an assist each for Portland, and Mike Kostka chipped in a pair of assists. Defenseman Nigel Williams had a goal and an assist for the Wolf Pack, and Derek Couture had two assists.

Chad Johnson, in his second start in goal since returning to the Wolf Pack from the New York Rangers, had a nightmarish start to the game and was lifted at the 5:32 mark of the first period after giving up three goals on four shots.

Turnbull opened the scoring 53 seconds into the game, off of a three-on-two. Turnbull deflected Ennis' feed through Johnson from the left-wing side.

The next two goals were both into open nets, as a result of puckhandling misfortune for Johnson.

At 3:42, Johnson left his net to play the puck and handed it right to Wanvig in the right-wing corner, and Wanvig found Schutz, who put the puck just inside the post before Johnson was able to get back in position.

Then, 1:51 later, at 5:32, Johnson attempted to play Ennis' dump-in behind the net, only to have the puck take a carom off the end boards and right in front to Cody McCormick, who had an empty net in which to deposit the puck.

Miika Wiikman replaced Johnson at that point, and he was able to hold Portland at bay for the rest of the period.

The Wolf Pack got on the scoreboard only 2:05 into the second period, as Williams put the puck off of Pirate defender Mike Weber and past goaltender Jhonas Enroth (26 saves).

The momentum from that goal did not last, however, as the Pirates would reel off the next three.

Jeff Cowan scored at 7:37 off of a good forechecking shift by the Pirates. Kostka snuck down from his point position to grab a loose puck at the bottom of the right circle, and he fed it front to Cowan, who jammed it into the goal.

Ennis made it a 5-1 Portland lead on a power play at 10:12 with his 18th goal of the season. Ennis has six goals and three assists for nine points in four games against the Wolf Pack this year.

At 13:02 Wanvig scored his first of two in the game, after a neutral-zone turnover by the Wolf Pack. Cowan moved over the Hartford line down left wing and centered to Wanvig, and Wanvig snapped it under the crossbar behind Wiikman.

Kenny Roche got that goal back for the Wolf Pack only 21 seconds later at 13:23, with his fourth goal in nine games with Hartford, burying a centering feed from Evgeny Grachev.

Another Wanvig goal, though, made it 7-2 at 19:08 on a power play. With Couture off for tripping, T.J. Brennan sent a pinpoint pass from the right point to Wanvig at the left side of the crease, and Wanvig again put it into the top shelf of the Wolf Pack net.

The Wolf Pack controlled play in the third period, outshooting the Pirates 10-4, and were able to shave two goals off the final margin, as Dane Byers and Justin Soryal scored 15 seconds apart starting at 4:45.

Byers' linemates, Corey Locke and Dale Weise, set up his goal with strong work down low in the Portland end. Byers scored from Enroth's right, slipping the puck underneath the Pirate goaltender off a Locke pass from below the goal line.

Then Soryal got his third of the year at the five-minute mark, after the Wolf Pack won an offensive-zone faceoff. Soryal went hard to the net and deflected in a shot from the left point by Williams.

The loss was the Wolf Pack's third straight and kept them tied with Bridgeport and Providence for fifth place in the Atlantic Division. The Wolf Pack (25-23-3-4, 57 pts.) return to action on Wednesday at the XL Center, hosting the Norfolk Admirals at 7:00 PM.



American Hockey League Stories from February 15, 2010


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