Saturday the eleventh of October was a marvelous example of the best that Maine fall weather can offer. The afternoon featured brilliant sunshine, highlighting the glowing colors of changing leaves, and temperatures well into the sixties.

In the early evening coatless wanderers still roamed the Old Port enjoying the mild air, but inside the Civic Center over 5,000 people had paid to watch an indoor activity more associated with the often bitter climate of Maine's winters.

The Portland Pirates were back in town.

At the end of the 2008 hockey season the Pirates were in the chase for the Calder Cup, winning the Atlantic Division title, but then failing by a whisker to win one last game against the Hershey Bears to advance to the American Hockey League finals. And then the Pirates ended a three-year association with the recent Stanley Cup champions the Anaheim Ducks, leaving the Portland team with no National Hockey League affiliate.

No immediate decision regarding a new alliance was announced and for much of the summer the future of professional hockey in Portland was open to speculation.

Hockey at its best is a game of speed, power and grace, a true team sport that enjoys a widespread fan base here in Maine. Many high school teams take the ice each year, along with high-profile teams such as the University of Maine Black Bears and the Junior League Lewiston Maineiacs.

To the great credit of the Portland Pirates' organization, no hasty decisions were made. But as the months wore on professional hockey fans became increasingly apprehensive. Would there be a team in Portland this year and if so, who would be the NHL affiliate?

The story finally broke that the Buffalo Sabres and the Portland Pirates had reached an agreement and that players from the Rochester Americans would form the nucleus of the 2008-2009 Pirates' team. This appeared to be a mixed blessing, since the Rochester Americans had recently been the product of a dual affiliation agreement with both Buffalo and the Florida Panthers, a union that had resulted in a poor performance record for the Americans over the past several years and left few available players to move from Rochester to Portland.

There was some good news late in the summer when it was announced that Coach Kevin Dineen would be returning as the Pirates' Head Coach and that he would have Eric Weinrich as his Assistant Coach.

But the weeks slid away and very little information became available regarding players comprising the Pirates' roster, except that only one player from last year's team would be returning and only a few former Rochester players under contract with Buffalo would be relocating to Portland.

What might this new season bring, after a return to winning ways over the past few years?

Saturday's season opener was against the Manchester Monarchs, a rugged and reliable team that historically has given the Portland Pirates strong competition. No more than a week before opening night the Pirates had difficulty in putting enough players on the ice for their only preseason game.

Still, 5,000 curious fans filed into the Cumberland County Civic Center - and roared raucous approval as the new Portland Pirates defeated Manchester 6-3 in an action-filled, high-tempo performance that featured a hat trick by Mark Mancari, two goals by former Pirate Tyler Bouck and an intense effort by twenty-two players who have yet to benefit from a full week of practicing as a complete team.

But this is indeed a different group of Pirates; faster, better skaters, oriented more toward scoring than plodding defense and as a group unwilling to be pushed around. They can excite a crowd.

Kudos to Brian Petrovic and the other members of the Pirates' management team. And welcome and thank you to the Buffalo Sabres.

Enjoy the new season, Pirates' fans. The boys are still in town.

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