River Rats Need Shootout to Beat Pirates 3-2

February 7, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Portland Pirates News Release


Glens Falls, NY - The Albany River Rats Mark Flood scored in the third period to force overtime, and the River Rats won 3-2 over the Pirates in a shootout. Jhonas Enroth stopped an AHL career high 44 shots in the defeat.

The first period remained scoreless for the first 15:59, before Casey Borer scored on a shot from the left wing that beat Pirates netminder Jhonas Enroth up high. Borer's fourth goal of the season was assisted by Mark Flood and Nick Dodge. The tally opened and closed first period scoring, as the River Rats took a 1-0 lead into the second period.

Portland came roaring back in the second, as it took the Pirates just 1:48 to even the game. Colton Fretter stepped out from behind the net and beat Albany goaltender Justin Peters with a backhander along the ice. Fretter's 15th goal of the season was assisted by Jimmy Bonneau and Marek Zagrapan. Portland continued to battle through the middle frame, and finally edged ahead on a power play. Nathan Gerbe held the puck on the right halfwall and chipped it out to the center point for Marc-Andre Gragnani. The defenseman faked a shot and fed it across to the left circle for Mark Mancari. The Pirates leading scorer put a laser under the crossbar to give Portland a 2-1 lead. Mancari's 19th goal of the season was assisted by Gragnani and Gerbe at the 17:15 mark of the second period. Portland took its 2-1 lead into the third.

In the third period, Mark Flood tied the game for the River Rats with a shot from the left wing. His fourth goal of the year came on a power play at the 5:01 mark of the third, with Dwight Helminen and Nick Dodge earning assists. The final 15 minutes couldn't solve it, nor could five minutes of overtime so the Pirates and River Rats headed to a shootout. The Pirates failed to score in the shootout, while Pat Dwyer and Jonathan Paiement scored to give the River Rats a 3-2 shootout win.

Portland goaltender Jhonas Enroth took the loss, despite stopping 44 of 46 shots. Albany netminder Justin Peters made 27 saves on 29 shots to grab the win.

Allied Home Mortgage Three Stars of the Game: 1. Jonathan Paiement (ALB) 2. Casey Borer (ALB) 3. Jhonas Enroth (POR)

Notes: Tim Kennedy saw his point streak end at 5 straight games...Jhonas Enroth stopped 44 of 46 shots to set a new career high and a season high for the Pirates in saves in a game...Nathan Gerbe returned to the lineup after missing seven games and notched an assist. Attendance: 5,462.

The Pirates will be back in action tomorrow, Sunday February 8th at 5:00 in Hershey, PA when they take on the Hershey Bears. The Pirates next home game at the Cumberland County Civic Center is Friday, February 13th at 7:00 pm against the Worcester Sharks. Be sure to get to the game early, as the Pirates will give away Trevor Gillies bobbleheads, sponsored by Bath Savings Institution, to the first 2,000 fans in attendance. It is also L.L. Bean Night. LL Bean provides their customers with a 100% guarantee on their quality products. On this one night only special, the Pirates will offer the same satisfaction guarantee. If fans are not satisfied with the quality of the hockey game or their overall experience, then the Pirates will replace their tickets with tickets to an upcoming game! No questions asked. It's that simple. It's a Pirates guarantee!

Fans can follow the Pirates on U.S. Cellular Pirates Radio Network or watch the game LIVE on the internet courtesy of AHL Live by clicking the icon on the left side of the home page. The U.S. Cellular Pirates Radio Network includes the Pirates flagship station, the Bay 1400AM and 1490AM (Portland) and affiliates WEZR 1240 AM (Lewiston-Auburn), WTME 780AM (Rumford) and WKTQ 1450AM (South Paris).



American Hockey League Stories from February 7, 2009


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