Gerbe gets 14th as Pirates slip

Nathan Gerbe scored his 14th goal of the season, and Marc-Andre Gragnani forced OT by one-timing a nice backhand pass from Felix Schutz while shorthanded as Portland fell to Springfield, 3-2 in a shootout. Jhonas Enroth made 30 saves, while Gerbe was only successful Pirate in the breakway drill. The Rundown: Gerbe: 1G, 4 SOG Gragnani: 1G, +1 Schutz: 1A, +1 Butler: 1A Kennedy: 1A Kostka: +1 Funk: even Weber: -1, 2 PIM Zagrapan: -1 Whitmore: 2 PIM Hunter: 2 PIM Enroth: 2 GA, 30 saves, SOL

Gerbe grabs 13th, Enroth stops 'em all in win

Nathan Gerbe and Derek Whitmore netted goals, and Jhonas Enroth made 23 saves for his second North American shutout as Portland defeated Manchester, 4-0. Whitmore found twine on a redirect early in the first period to put the Pirates up 1-0. Later, Felix Schutz fed a pass to Gerbe on a 2-1 break, who one-timed the puck past Jonathan Bernier for his 13th of the season. The win ends a five-game losing streak for the Pirates. The Rundown: Gerbe: 1G, +1, 7SOG Whitmore: 1G, +1 Schutz: 1A, +2 Zagrapan: 1A, +1 Gragnani: +3 Kostka: +2 Butler: +2 Weber: 2 PIM Hunter: 1SOG Kennedy: 1 SOG Funk: 1A, +1 Enroth: 23 saves, SO

Mancari effect hits five on farm

On Saturday, Portland came up empty for the fifth straight game without leading scorer Mark Mancari with a 5-1 loss to Lowell. Derek Whitmore assisted on the lone Pirates goal, while Jhonas Enroth made 13 saves after Adam Dennis was pulled after allowing three goals on nine shots in the first period. Devils goalie Jeff Frazee made 40 saves for the win, while Niklas Bergfors scored two goals and an assist. The Rundown: Whitmore: 1A, -1 Gerbe: -1, 4SOG Kennedy: -1, 4SOG Gragnani: -1, 3SOG Zagrapan: -1, 3SOG Weber: 2PIM Funk: 2PIM Kostka: 2SOG Hunter: 2SOG Schutz: -2 Butler: -3 Dennis: 3GA, 20:00, L Enroth: 13 saves The Pirates held an eight-game winning streak at the time of Mancari's call-up on November 21st.

Pirates lose fourth in a row

Kings prospect Jonathan Quick was sharp, stopping 41 of 42 shots as Manchester handed Portland its fourth straight loss, 3-1. The only Portland goal took place on the power play when Mike Funk found Chris Butler, whose point shot was tipped by Tyler Bouck past Quick. Felix Schutz saw his three game point streak snapped, while Adam Dennis made 27 saves in the loss. The Rundown: Butler: 1A, -2 Funk: 1A Weber: 4 PIM Schutz: even Hunter: even Kostka: even Whitmore: even Zagrapan: -1, 7 SOG Gerbe: -1, 6 SOG Kennedy: -1, 4 SOG Dennis: 27 saves, L

10/29 Recap: Gerbe, Kennedy keep firing

Playing catch-up... In a mid-week AHL tilt, Nathan Gerbe scored on the power play and Tim Kennedy added another assist as Portland dropped a 3-2 decision to Hartford. Gerbe's goal was his sixth in as many games, while Kennedy now has a point all six. Chris Butler, Marek Zagrapan, and Mike Kostka also posted assists in the loss. The Rundown: Gerbe: 1 G, 4 SOG Kennedy: 1 A, -1 Zagrapan: 1 A, -2, 4 PIM Kostka: 1 A, -1 Butler: 1 A, 3 SOG Schutz: 2 SOG Gragnani: -1 Mancari: -1 Whitmore: -1 Card: -2 Dennis: 20 saves, L It was also announced this week that Dylan Hunter will be out four-six weeks after taking a puck in the foot during Sunday's win. Mike Funk (concussion) has started skating with the team, but is expected to be held back until next week. Also on Wednesday, Tyler Myers skated to a +2 as Kelowna cruised to a 7-2 win over Seattle. In the Q, Jacob Lagacé (+2, 5 SOG) scored an empty-netter as Chicoutimi topped Rimouski, 5-2.

Zagrapan, Gerbe pace Pirates

Down on the farm, Marek Zagrapan and Nathan Gerbe each potted a pair of goals as the Pirates extended their record to 4-1 with a 5-4 win over Wilkes Barre-Scranton. The goals were the first points of the season for Zagrapan, who also had an assist on the night, while Gerbe now has five in as many games. Marc-Andre Gragnani scored the first Pirates goal. Mark Mancari added three assists, while Jhonas Enroth made 33 stops to notch his first AHL win. Tim Kennedy racked up another assist, giving him points in all five games this season. The Rundown: Zagrapan: 2 G, 1 A, +1 Gerbe: 2 G, +2, 6 SOG Mancari: 3 A, +2 Gragnani: 1 G, +1 Card: 1 A, +1 Schutz: 1 A, +1 Kennedy: 1 A, -1 Weber: +2, 4 PIM Kostka: +1 Whitmore: 4 SOG Butler: -2 Hunter: left game (foot) Enroth: 33 saves, W

10/24 Recap: Orpik pots winner

In an ESPNU featured contest, Andrew Orpik (+1) scored what turned out to be the game winning goal for Boston College in their 3-2 win over Vermont. With BC up 2-1 late in the third, Orpik took the puck all the way down the right side from his own end and lifted a sharp wrister over Mike Spillane's shoulder to put the Eagles ahead by two. West Seneca, NY native Brian Roloff would score in the final minute to close the gap for UVM. In the end Orpik was excellent, hitting at even strength while helping control things down low on the power play to earn the game's #2 star. 2007 seventh-rounder Drew MacKenzie was -1 for the Cats. In NCAA exhibition play, shot machine Alex Biega fired six at the Trois-Rivieres net in Harvard's 3-1 win. Corey Tropp (mono) sat out as Michigan State skated to a 2-2 tie with Northern Michigan. In the DEL, Philip Gogulla potted the first Sharks goal then assisted on the game winner as Cologne keeps their momentum going with a 3-2 win over Kassel. The victory gives the Sharks their first two-game win streak of the season. In WHL action, Tyler Myers had two assists in Kelowna's 6-0 shellacking of Chilliwack. The Rockets shutout was the second straight against the Bruins after a 5-0 win on Wednesday. Myers now has a goal and five assists this season. Jacob Lagacé (+2, 2 PIM) had a goal and an assist to earn the game's #2 star in Chicoutimi's 7-1 win over Halifax. The win snaps a four-game skid for the Sags. J.S. Allard (-2) went pointless for the third straight game as a rusty Quebec team fell to Drummondville, 5-2. The Remparts, who played for the first time in eight days, lost just their second game of the season. Paul Byron (+1) had an assist while winning 13 of 17 draws for Gatineau in their 3-2 loss to Montreal. T.J. Brennan (1 SOG) and Luke Adam (2 SOG) were held scoreless but were otherwise effective for the Juniors. Adam was taken down by Byron with 1:06 left in the third, but his penalty shot was stopped by Maxime Clermont. Jordon Southorn was +1 in PEI's 5-2 win over Val-d'Or. Rocket 'tender Bobby Nadeau made 44 saves to earn the victory. Nick Crawford was -1 in Saginaw's 3-2 win over Erie. The Spirit (16 pts) sit in a distant second place in the OHL's Western Division behind CHL's top-ranked Windsor (26 pts). Drew Schiestel (2 PIM) was +1 as Niagara put forth a better effort than Thursday, but still came up short in a 4-3 loss to Mississauga. The Hamilton native was credited with breaking up a 2-1 break in the second period while skating without a point for the third time this season. In the AHL, Portland overcame a poor start to defeat Bridgeport, 4-3. Trailing 2-0 after one, the Pirates got their junk together in the final 40:00 with goals by Nathan Gerbe, Chris Butler, and Mark Mancari to set-up Tyler Bouck's game winner late. Adam Dennis made 33 saves for the win, while Tim Kennedy extended his point streak to four games with an assist on Gerbe's goal. The Rundown: Gerbe: 1 G, 5 SOG Mancari: 1 G, +1, 2 PIM Butler: 1 G, +1 Hunter: 2 A, +2 Kennedy: 1 A, +1 Gragnani: 1 A, +1, 4 PIM Whitmore: 1 A, +2 Kostka: +2 Weber: +2, 9 PIM Zagrapan: -1 Card: 4 PIM Schutz: even

Enroth gets first start; Kennedy streaking

In Portland, Tim Kennedy and Mark Mancari assisted on the only Pirates goal in their 4-1 loss to Providence. From behind the B's net, Kennedy found Mancari who shuttled the puck to Paul Baier at the left circle. His shot beat Tuukka Rask at the 4:03 mark of the first period to give the Pirates the 1-0 lead. Kennedy's helper gives him a point in each of Portland's three games this season and a total five on the year. Jhonas Enroth got his first start out of the way for the Pirates, stopping 26 of 29 shots in defeat. Meanwhile, Marek Zagrapan would like to improve on the 0-0-0 -2 line he's put up in the young season. The Rundown: Kennedy: 1A, +1 Mancari: 1A, +1 Gerbe: +1 Butler: 3 SOG Weber: 3 SOG Card: even Zagrapan: 2 PIM Schutz: 1 SOG Whitmore: -1, 2 PIM Kostka: -1 Hunter: -1 Gragnani: -2, 2 PIM Enroth: 26 saves, L

Gerbe guns for two in Pirates win

Returning to the state where he achieved collegiate stardom, Nathan Gerbe scored a pair of goals to earn the game's #1 star as Portland won their second straight, 3-2 over Springfield. The explosive rookie was active throughout, firing a game-high seven shots on goal to lead the attack. Colton Fretter scored the other Portland goal. All three Pirates goals on the evening came with the man advantage. Gerbe closed a passing play with Tim Kennedy to give Portland a 2-0 lead in the first, then later lit the game winner in the mid-second. Marc-Andre Gragnani added a pair of power play assists for the Pirates, while Adam Dennis made 21 saves to get the win. The Rundown: Gerbe: 2 G, 7 SOG Gragnani: 2 A Kennedy: 1 A Butler: 1 A, -2 Kostka: 1 A Mancari: 5 SOG Weber: 4 PIM Hunter: 2 SOG Whitmore: 2 SOG Schutz: -1 Zagrapan: -1 Card: 4 PIM Dennis: W, 21 saves Look for Jhonas Enroth to get his first AHL start on Sunday when the Pirates do battle with Providence.