Portland wins see-saw battle with Monsters, 5-4
April 12, 2006 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany Devils News Release
David Gove scores twice in shootout loss
Lowell, Mass. - The Portland Pirates (51-19-5-3) scored twice in the third period to come from behind and edged the Lowell Lock Monsters (28-35-6-8) in the shootout, 5-4 at the Tsongas Arena on Wednesday night.
The Pirates jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening period, en route to pelting Monsters G Craig Kowalski with 17 shots in the frame. Dustin Penner made it 1-0 6:46 into the game, and Curtis Glencross knocked in his 15th of the season with just 15 seconds left in the period to give the visitors the 20-minute advantage.
In a complete reversal of fortune, the Monsters roared back with four straight tallies in the second period. David Gove led the way with his two lamplighters, just 1:43 seconds apart, in the early moments of the stanza. Keith Aucoin assisted on both goals, pushing him past the 80-point barrier on the season. Gove now has 19 markers this year. Jeff Finger gave Lowell the lead at 9:05 on the power play, and Ryan Steeves added his ninth of the year with just over a minute to play in the period. The Monsters outshot Portland 19-11 in the second.
Lowell couldn't hold the lead in the third, however. Aaron Gavey scored at 5:07 on the power play, and added his second of the night at 11:48 to pull the Pirates even. The Monsters were on their heels for the majority of the third, and ended up being outshot 16-7 in the third frame, but Kowalski held it together to force extra time. Neither club could end it in overtime, despite 10 total shots and a Lock Monsters power play. Janne Hurme ended up with 39 saves between the pipes for Portland, while Kowalski stopped 44. The combined total of 92 shots on goal was a season high for a Lock Monsters game.
In the shootout, Hurme slammed the door on four Lowell shooters, while only Aucoin was able to score. Meanwhile, Penner and Ryan Shannon scored to lift Portland to their 26th road victory of the season, tying an AHL record.
The Monsters have a home-and-home series with the Manchester Monarchs on Friday and Saturday, with Saturday's home game starting at 7:35 p.m. Sunday's game against the Providence Bruins will be the final game of the 2005-06 season, set for a 4:05 p.m. start. The Monsters are offering a "2-for-1" special for the final weekend of the season, Fan Appreciation Weekend on April 15-16. Individual tickets start at $10 and are now on sale at the Tsongas Arena box office, which is open from 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10:00 - 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays. Contact the Lock Monsters ticket office at (978) 458-PUCK (7825) for more information.
All games can be heard live on 980 WCAP, and viewed through B2 Networks, the official broadband provider of the AHL, with the "Voice of the Lock Monsters" Ryan Johnston. Log on to www.lockmonsters.com to watch or listen online.
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