No matter who the Portland Pirates plug into their lineup, they just keep winning.
Wednesday night, injuries forced Portland to play without three forwards and three defensemen who started the season with the team. The Pirates didn’t miss a beat while rolling to a 7-0 victory against the Providence Bruins.
It was the fourth consecutive win for the Pirates, who climbed within a point of Manchester, the Atlantic Division leader, and their 15th win in 19 games dating to Jan. 5.
During that stretch, Coach Kevin Dineen has brought in several players from the ECHL to fill the voids in his lineup, and they all have performed well.
“It says a lot of about the hard work that goes on behind the scenes that Coach Dineen does to try to find not necessarily guys that are going to be the best possible player, but guys who are going to be the best fit, the best addition to an already solid team,” Portland left wing Derek Whitmore said.
“It’s not like he’s going down and looking at who’s the leading scorer in (the ECHL), you know, and let’s try to get him.”
When defenseman Dennis Persson had to sit out because of a lower-body injury Wednesday night, the Pirates signed Nick Tuzzolino, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound Buffalo, N.Y., native, to a tryout agreement.
Tuzzolino, who has appeared in 179 ECHL games, made his AHL debut against the Bruins. He had split his third pro season between the Utah Grizzlies and the Greenville (N.C.) Road Warriors.
In December, left wing Igor Gongalsky, who spent the past three seasons in the ECHL, joined the Pirates.
In early January, center Justin Bowers, who began his third professional season with the Road Warriors, returned for his second stint this season with Portland.
Two weeks ago, defenseman Brian O’Hanley joined the Pirates after spending most of his fourth professional season with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones.
“We’ve been very lucky this year with our call-ups,” said Portland forward Mark Mancari, a fifth-year pro who leads the AHL with 30 goals.
“You know, Justin Bowers has come in and played extremely well, same with Igor (Gongalsky). Now (Brian) O’Hanley and Nick (Tuzzolino). All these guys are coming in, and they’re stepping in and they’re playing great for us, and it’s making a difference.”
Because the Buffalo Sabres, the Pirates’ NHL parent team, don’t have an operating agreement with an ECHL team, Dineen has to find players who are free to sign with his club.
“I know there are some logistical problems with guys (in the ECHL) who are on AHL contracts already, and they can’t be moved,” Whitmore said. “But it definitely says a lot about the guys he’s bringing in. The type of character guys he’s bringing in are just helping us keep everything going in the right direction.”
HALL OF FAME: Former Portland defenseman Patrick Boileau and right wings Jason Christie and Martin Gendron are all eligible for induction this season into the Pirates Hall of Fame.
Boileau, who spent seven seasons with Portland, appeared in 459 games to rank second all-time in games played with the Pirates. He ranks fifth all-time with 206 total points.
In four seasons with the Pirates, Christie scored 33 goals and had 76 assists in 177 regular-season games. In 31 playoff games, he scored eight goals and had 13 assists.
Gendron played two seasons with Portland, racking up 74 goals with 61 assists in his 120 games. He holds or shares the team records for career hat tricks (5), power-play goals in a season (15) and goals in a game (4).
Votes can be cast by visiting portlandpirates.com. Ballots also will be available at the customer service table located in the main lobby during home games. Voting ends March 4.
The inductee will be honored March 26 during a game against the Charlotte Checkers.
Previous Hall of Fame inductees include Andrew Brunette, Byron Dafoe and Olaf Kolzig (1999), Kevin Kaminski (2000), Steve Poapst (2001), Kent Hulst (2002), Martin Brochu (2003), Ryan Mulhern (2004), Barry Trotz (2005), Todd Nelson (2006), Jim Carey (2007), Tom Ebright (2008) and Chris Jensen (2009).
Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 791-6424 or at:
pbetit@pressherald.com
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