SACO — Finally off the schneid, the Portland Pirates hope a shootout win Sunday in Springfield — their first victory in seven tries — will be the catalyst for a mid-season turn-around.
“It was huge, it took a lot or pressure off our backs,” Pirates leading scorer Andy Miele said. “It’s kind of fun to look back at the week and see we took four of six points. We didn’t play our best hockey, but hopefully now that we got the win, we can start putting some together here.”
“Just to get a win, that was nice,” Pirates coach Ray Edwards said. “To do it in a shootout was nice. We just have to keep fighting, keep plugging away. We’re just trying to keep it positive.”
Overtime — and particularly the shootout — has been tough for the Pirates to deal with this season. In 14 games this season decided in overtime or in a shootout, the Pirates have won only five times.
One facet of play about which the Pirates can be proud is the play of their special teams.
“The power play the past six or seven games has been great,” Edwards said. “The special teams overall have been good. The power play, against Bridgeport we were 3-for-7, we scored one in both games over the weekend. We had five over the weekend, so you can’t really argue with those results. But we’ve got to do better at even strength. We’ve been giving up too much 5-on-5 and that’s been the focus for us in practice.”
Thursday’s practice featured fewer yellow, non-contact jerseys on the ice than in previous sessions. There appears to be some hope in some of the team;s injured skaters returning, but the news isn;t all good.
“Lessio didn’t play the last two games, but it looks like he’ll be able to go,” Edwards said. “(Rostislav) Klesla is questionable, (Jordan Martinook) is a ‘no,’ Kevin (Veilleux) is a ‘no,’ (Brendan) Shinnimin is a ‘no.’
“We still have a handful of guys not able to go, but getting (Jordan Szwarz) back (from Phoenix), at least for now, will give us a bit more depth,” Edwards added. “Where we need the help is getting some of these centermen back, because we’re playing guys out of position”
“It’s always important to have that core group back together,” Miele said. “The guys that stepped in, they did a real good job. But it’s also good to get a guy like Szwarz back, he’s our leader.”
With some players getting healthy, the team released left wing Jesse Mychan from his professional tryout contract. Corey Trivino, who joined the Pirates on a PTO at the same time as Mychan, remains on the roster.
Friday, the Pirates host the St. John’s IceCaps at 7 p.m. The Binghamton Senators visit the Androscoggin Bank Colisee on Saturday night at 7, and the Manchester Monarchs will face off against Portland at the Colisee at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
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