PORTLAND – Mark Mancari continued to set a torrid scoring pace, helping the Portland Pirates open the season with four consecutive victories for the first time in franchise history Saturday night.
Mancari had two goals and an assist to lead the Pirates to a 4-2 win against the Springfield Falcons in an AHL game before a crowd of 3,600 at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
“We’re getting it done,” Portland Pirates Coach Kevin Dineen said. “We’re getting contributions from throughout the lineup and everybody’s playing extremely well.
“In saying that, you’ve got to give some nods to the way Mark Mancari is going right now. He’s playing some special hockey.”
Mancari said he is not the only player in the lineup playing well.
“I guess I could take all of the credit but it all comes from my linemates and teammates,” said Mancari, who skates on a line with veteran Matt Ellis and rookie Luke Adam. “Everyone is getting in the right position. Everyone is playing the system, and I just happen to be on the lucky end of it right now.
“As the season goes on, it’s going to be somebody else. So I just have got to keep working and keep doing what I’m doing.”
Portland started the 1994-95 season with three wins before a 4-4 tie against the Prince Edward Island Senators.
The Pirates still haven’t scored a power-play goal. They went 0 for 5 against the Falcons and now are 0 for 22.
“We’re still throwing up a doughnut on the power play and that’s going to kick you in the butt, but we had some real good looks,” Dineen said.
“We didn’t score (on the power play) but we’re creating a lot of opportunities now,” said Mancari. “It’s going to take time and I think tonight was a step in the right direction.”
Less than eight minutes into the game, Adam swept a loose puck into the right side of the net for this third goal of the season after David LeNeveu stopped Mancari’s shot from the left circle.
Two minutes later, Tom Sestito poked a rebound inside the right post to tie the score.
With less than eight minutes left in the period, Mancari scored from below the hash marks while cutting across the slot, putting the Pirates back into the lead.
Early in the second, Dennis McCauley made it 3-1 when he barreled down the slot to knock the puck off the stick of a defender and rifled it past LeNeveu for his second goal in two games.
Mancari made it 4-1 midway through the third period by deflecting defenseman Dennis Persson’s hard shot from the center point past LeNeveu for his fifth goal of the season.
With less than five minutes left, Springfield defenseman Nick Holden put in a shot from the top of the slot.
NOTES: Jack Butterfield, who served as AHL president for 28 years, passed away Saturday at 91.
Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 791-6424 or at: pbetit@pressherald.com
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