WHO: Providence Bruins at Portland Pirates
WHEN: 7:05 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Cumberland County Civic Center
The Bruins, playing their first 10 games on the road while work on the refurbished Dunkin' Donuts Center is completed, eked out a 3-2 victory against the Portland Pirates before a crowd of 4,833.
"The road is all we know," Providence Coach Scott Gordon said. "It's great up to this point, but that doesn't mean it gets easier because you're in your own building."
Providence, winner of eight of its first nine games, is scheduled to play its first home game Nov. 14 against the Pirates.
Saturday night, the teams played on nearly equal terms during a scoreless first 30 minutes.
The Bruins then scored two goals a little more than two minutes apart to take the lead for good.
Providence broke the ice 10:11 into the second period on a fluky goal by Sean Curry. Curry, a veteran defenseman, finished off a rush by putting a shot from the top of the slot off the left post. The puck bounced behind goalie Jonas Hiller, hit his skate as he turned to look for it and slowly slid into the right side of the net before he could stop it.
Vladimir Sobotka made it 2-0 at 12:15. He knocked the puck into the left side of the net for his team-high fifth goal after Pascal Pelletier's shot from above the right hash mark was deflected by Hiller's blocker.
A little more than a minute later, Pirates defenseman Aaron Rome got his second goal in as many nights. Rome put in a hard shot from the top of the slot during a power play to narrow the deficit.
The Bruins opened a 3-1 lead with 8:22 remaining when Martins Karsums ripped a shot past Hiller from the top of the slot for his third goal of the season. Pelletier, who assisted on all three Providence goals, intercepted defenseman Brendan Mikkelson's clearing pass to set up the winning goal.
Portland pulled Hiller for an extra attacker late in the game, and Ryan Carter, playing in his second game since recovering from an abdominal injury, tipped in Stephen Dixon's centering pass with 1:26 remaining.
The Pirates were unable to produce a tying goal, however.
"We have to find a way to score some goals even strength," Portland Coach Kevin Dineen said.
"It's been an issue for us."
This season, 44 percent of Portland's goals (12 of 27) have come on the power play or after the goalie has been pulled.
Mike Brown, making his first AHL start of the season, stopped 29 shots to continue Providence's success on the road.
NOTES: Portland defenseman Eric Weinrich, a veteran of 18 NHL seasons, was scratched for the second time in 11 games. ...
By going into overtime for the fifth consecutive game Friday night, the Pirates tied a team record set in 2004. Portland won four of those five games during its recent streak. ...
Former Portland defenseman Dwayne Zinger, who spent three seasons with the Pirates as a member of the Washington Capitals' organization, didn't suit up for Providence.
Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 725-8795 or at:
pbetit@pressherald.com
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