Whale Outmuscle the Pirates in Overtime

Published on February 21, 2011 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Portland Pirates News Release


Portland, ME ‚¬" Wade Redden scored 1:27 into the extra overtime period as the Connecticut Whale topped the Portland Pirates 2-1 in an American Hockey League game played this afternoon in front of 5,574 at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

Evgeny Grachev scored the other Connecticut goal and Tim Kennedy recorded two assists as the Whale extended their current point streak to five games and upped their record to 28-22-2-6. In the seven games between Connecticut and Portland this season, six have been decided by one goal and the Whale have won all three overtime games.

Mark Mancari tallied the lone Portland goal as the Pirates dropped their third straight game and fell to 33-16-5-2 on the season.

The Whale got off to a quick start in pressuring Portland goaltender Jhonas Enroth, earning an 18-4 edge in shots in a scoreless first period. Connecticut would continue their momentum into the second period, as Grachev gave them a 1-0 lead at the 6:19 mark. With just over three minutes remaining in regulation, Mancari sent home his 32nd of the season to force overtime and guarantee at least a point for the Pirates. Similar to the other two overtime games between the two clubs, Redden capitalized on a breakaway chance with Kennedy to send the Whale to victory.

The Whale out-shot the Pirates 31-16 as Chad Johnson improved his record to 16-18-3, and Enroth dropped to 18-16-2 with a 29 save performance.

The Allied Home Mortgage Three Stars of the game were: 1. Redden, 2. Enroth and 3. Grachev.

Friday night the Pirates will be back in action as they travel down to the DCU Center in Worcester, MA for a tilt with the Worcester Sharks at 7:30 p.m. The Pirates will continue on the road the following night when they travel over to Springfield for a Saturday night, 7:30 p.m. showdown with the Falcons. The games can be heard live on 95.5 News Talk WLOB or on-line at www.portlandpirates.com beginning with the pre-game show 15 minutes prior to the opening faceoff.

The Pirates will be back in action at the Civic Center on Tuesday, March 1st at 6:30 p.m. for game 10 of the UNUM Challenge against Worcester. Fans are encouraged to come to the game right after work and enjoy great food and beverage specials in the Civic Center ‚¬â„¢s Penalty Box Grill, which will open at 4:30 p.m., as well as the following Pirates partners: Portland Pie Company, Rivalries, Gritty ‚¬â„¢s, Nosh Kitchen Bar, Binga ‚¬â„¢s Stadium, Dogfish Café, Walters, and Yosaku. It ‚¬â„¢s also Pirates Date Night presented by WJBQ, WCYY, and WBLM. Visit RiRa Irish Pub or G&R DiMillo ‚¬â„¢s for dinner for two and two tickets to the game for only $19.99. Tickets for the game, as well as each of the remaining Pirates home games, are on sale now by calling 207-775-3458, visiting the Cumberland County Civic Center Box Office or on-line at ticketmaster.com.

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American Hockey League Stories from February 21, 2011


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