Pirates take control of second place with 3-0 win

PORTLAND — No worries about Tim Kennedy in this game.

The Portland Pirates were able to notch their first win of the season over the Connecticut Whale, with a 3-0 victory Friday night at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

With the win, the Pirates get some breathing room in the AHL Atlantic Division, as both were tied with 47 points each before the contest, with Portland hanging on to the second spot in the division.

In both contests before Friday against the Whale, Kennedy, a center, scored the winning goal in overtime. The Whale escaped with a 2-1 win on Dec. 29 and a 5-4 win on Dec. 31.

“It’s a big win,” Pirates left wing Derek Whitmore said. “We’ve played these guys, and they’re right behind us in the standings. It was nice to get the two points this time instead of just the one.”

In fact, not only was it the first win over the Whale this season for Portland, it was their first shutout of the season.

Portland goalie David Leggio finished the night with 21 saves. It was Leggio’s first start since Jan. 2, in a 3-2 loss to Worcester.

“I think the guys played one of the best games we’ve played all year,” Leggio said. “They’re loaded up and down, and we came out and played hard, played tough, played physical. We really limited their scoring chances. When the guys do that, our chances of winning go up significantly.”

The contest was a good rebound from their last contest on Jan. 11 against Binghamton, when the Pirates lost 5-2.

“Tonight, I think there was definitely a different tone to it,” Pirates head coach Kevin Dineen said. “We came hard, we pressed the attack, we made smart plays both ways. It was a very complete win for us. And the intensity level is higher, and eventually end up with a win.”

Action was back and forth in the first period. The Pirates had opportunities to score, thanks to a power-play opportunity, but were unable to get a shot off on Connecticut goalie Cameron Talbot. The Pirates took the lead with 27 seconds left, thanks to a goal from Matt Ellis, who was set in front of Talbot, off a pass from Dennis McCauley, just as he was being knocked down behind the net, letting Ellis slip the puck past Talbot to give Portland a 1-0 lead at the end of the first period.

The Pirates kicked the lead up to 2-0 in the second period, on a slap shot from Derek Whitmore that went over the left shoulder of Talbot and into the net, for a 2-0 lead. Immediately following the goal, Whitmore was hit from behind by Whale defenseman Jared Nightingale, which led to some pushing and shoving later in the period from McCauley, which led to both going to the penalty box for roughing penalties.

Whitmore sealed the game with his second goal of the night, off a long pass from Maxime Legault, and slipped a shot past Talbot with less than two minutes remaining in regulation for the 3-0 win.

“It was a great play late in the game,” Whitmore said. “Dennis Persson slid over and broke up the rush, hit Maxie and I let him know we had time, hit a lane to me and made a great play and I just used my speed. When I knew I was behind [the defender], I kind of knew I had enough time to make a move, and I was able to put it in. It was a big goal for us.”

Between the Pipes: Portland right wing Mark Parrish returned on Friday after a six-week absence with an injured shoulder. Parrish was eased back into the lineup, working on the fourth line.

Pirates defenseman Tim Conby engaged in fisticuffs with Whale defenseman Stu Bickel midway through the first period. Bickel appeared to get the better of the fight, before Conboy landed a couple of uppercuts to Bickel before both landed on the ice.

Two Portland players have been selected for the AHL All-Star game in Hershy, PA on Jan. 31. Pirates center Luke Adam, who is now in Buffalo, was selected after 12 goals and 10 assists in 20 games. The other selection was defenseman Drew Shiestel, who has 4 goals and 14 assists on the season.

The scratches for the Pirates on Friday night were Travis Turnbull and Igor Gongalsky, who has been out with a concussion.

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