WHO: Portland Pirates vs. Hartford Wolf Pack
WHEN: 4:05 p.m.
WHERE: Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, Conn.
The Pirates jumped on Worcester for an early three-goal lead, then responded with a goal every time the Sharks scored to roll to a 6-3 victory in an AHL game played before a crowd of 4,226 at the Cumberland Civic Center.
"We were not in a protection mode, which I liked," Portland Coach Kevin Dineen said. "We were still assertive in our play with the lead instead of sitting on it."
In their last game, the Pirates blew a 2-0 lead in a 4-3 loss at Lowell.
Saturday night, there was no late-game swoon.
"It's something we've acknowledged as a team that has been an issue," Dineen said. "I thought we made some good decisions. We didn't sit back on our heels."
The Pirates took a 3-0 lead during the first 31 minutes.
In his first shift barely a minute into the game, Bobby Ryan rifled a wrist shot from the top of the slot past goalie Thomas Greiss to open the scoring.
Three minutes later, Stephen Dixon whirled and put in a left- handed shot from between the hash marks during a power play for his eighth goal.
At 10:09 into the second period, Platt scored his 10th goal by deflecting defenseman Andy Schneider's hard shot from the left point past Greiss.
Less than a minute later, Riley Armstrong made it 3-1 when he scored his fourth goal on a shot from the right circle.
Within two minutes, Portland regained its three-goal lead when Ryan Carter finished off a rush by scoring his second goal on a shot from the middle of the left circle.
Less than six minutes into the third period, Patrick Traverse made 4-2 by lifting a rebound inside the left post.
Less than two minutes later, Ryan poked a rebound into the left side for his 10th goal.
With 10 minutes left in the third period, defenseman Dan Spang scored his third goal of the season on a blast from the left point to make it 5-3 after Lukas Kaspar won a faceoff in the left circle.
Less than three minutes later, rookie defenseman Brett Festerling put in a shot from the left point to complete the scoring.
NOTES: With his goal and an assist, Platt extended his points-scoring streak to a team-high eight games. Since coming from Syracuse in a trade, he has six goals and nine assists. ... A sore right knee kept former Pirate Graham Mink out of the Worcester lineup. ... The Pirates improved their home record to 9-3-1, third best in the AHL.
Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 725-8795 or at:
pbetit@pressherald.com
Reader comments
Click here to view or add comments on this story
Were you interviewed for this story? If so, please fill out our accuracy form