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After earning a point in 12 straight games, the Pirates suffer their first regulation loss since Oct. 19.

By PAUL BETIT, Staff Writer November 23, 2008

The Portland Pirates came back to earth Saturday night with a resounding thud.

The Hartford Wolf Pack beat the Pirates 6-2 before a crowd of 5,028 at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

It was the most goals allowed by the Pirates this season, and their first regulation loss since Oct. 19.

Portland, which had an eight-game winning streak snapped by a 3-2 shootout loss at Providence on Friday night, had earned points in 12 consecutive games.

"It was a frustrating night," Portland captain Tyler Bouck said. "Things were going very well and all of a sudden we start cutting corners; it caught up to us big time. It's been creeping into our games, and we've gotten some lucky breaks to make up for it. Tonight, those breaks weren't there. The work ethic wasn't there."

For the second night, the Pirates played without leading scorer Mark Mancari, who was called up Friday by the Buffalo Sabres.

But Portland Coach Kevin Dineen refused to use Mancari's absence as a reason for his team's poor performance.

"That's a nonfactor," he said. "There's plenty of quality ice time to go around. It's a chance for me, as a coach, to put some guys into more coveted spots, and it's up to the them to take advantage of it."

The Pirates, who hold a five-point lead over Springfield and Providence in the Atlantic Division, looked disorganized for most of the game.

"We weren't in sync tonight," Dineen said. "There was a lot of circling and a lot of softness, and that's what happens. If we don't have some structure and battle to our game, we're a pretty easy bunch to play against."

"We've got a system we play," Bouck said. "It means staying structured. We had guys doing their own thing We've got to be on track playing the team game. That's what got us on that roll."

Portland's Felix Schutz scored off a rush 3:36 into the game, tipping Jimmy Bonneau's pass from the right circle into the left side of the goal for his fifth goal of the season.

Nearly 10 minutes later, Hartford defenseman Michael Sauer scored his first goal of the season, firing a shot through a screen from the top of the slot.

The Wolf Pack took the lead moments later when rookie left wing Devin DiDiomete tipped in defenseman Brian Fahey's shot from the right point for his first professional goal.

The Wolf Pack extended their lead to 4-1 in the second period, on a short-handed goal by Artem Anisimov, his fifth of the season, and Justin Soryal's third goal, following a Portland turnover.

Defenseman Corey Potter made it 5-1 midway through the third period when he scored his second goal of the season on a power play.

Portland defenseman Mike Funk scored his first goal of the season at 12:29.

Hartford's Matt Ford notched his first AHL goal with less than three minutes left.

NOTES: Right wing P.A. Parenteau, who played 84 games for the Pirates in 2005-06 and 2006-07, has nine goals and 10 assists to lead the Wolf Pack in scoring. Greg Moore, a former UMaine center from Lisbon, is in his third full season with Hartford. Maxime Daigneault, who played 11 games for Portland during the 2004-05 season when the Pirates were still affiliated with the Washington Capitals, served as the backup to Hartford goalie Matt Zaba.

Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 791-6424 or at:

pbetit@pressherald.com