#Maineiacs Acquire Kabanov

The Maineiacs announced this afternoon via press release that Kirill Kabanov, property of the NHL's New York Islanders and highly ranked prospect, was acquired form Moncton for second and fourth round draft picked in 2011, a first round pick in the 2011 CHL Import Draft, and a fourth round draft pick in 2012.

Kabonov should be available for the team by next weekend pending US Immigration approval.

He was the 65th overall pick of this years draft by UMaine alum Garth Snow, GM of the Islanders.

Kevin Dineen on the Morning Jab

Portland Pirates' head coach Kevin Dineen stops by for his weekly visit on the Morning Jab, and talked to Shoe and Matty about Luke Adam, David Leggio, Tyler Seguin and more.

MAINEiacs get win against The Oceanic 4 - 2

Etienne Brodeur got his 14th goal of the season in the 4 - 2 win.

The Lewiston MAINEiacs sure do like the road. Woth their 4-2 win over Rimouski Wednesday night, they are now 6-2-0-2 away from the Androscoggin Bank Colisee.

Defense and near misses were the story during the 1st period, but in the 2nd, a Nicholas Champion mishandled clearing attempt, lead to the Oceanic shorthanded goal. Rimouski's Jarrad Struthers picked off a clearing attempt, got the pass to Alex Belize, who buried it past Champion for the 1 - 0 lead.

The MAINEiacs Stefan Fournier evened things up 5 minutes later, as Antoine Houd-Caron fed Fournier in front for his 6th goal of the season.

Less than 3 minutes later the MAINEiacs took the lead for good with a Etienne Brodeur tally. Oceanic goaltender Carl Hozjan misjudged where Brodeur was, as Brodeur stuck the puck in the net. The goal was Brodeur's 14th of the season.

Samual Henley and Olivier Dame-Malka and his pattened slap shot, picked up goals for the MAINEiacs in the 3rd to nail down the win.

Charles-Antoine Roy got the last goal of the game for the Oceanic at the 18 minute mark of the 3rd, for the final score of 4 - 2.

Champion stopped 21 of 23 shots for his 9th win of the season.

The MAINEiacs head to Drummondville to finish off the roadtrip. They return home November 3rd when they face the Quebec Remparts.

Luke Adam called up to play tonight!

According to Sabres.com's Twitter feed, Luke Adam gets called up to the big club.

Adam didn't stay long in Portland. In 8 games he has 5 goals and 5 assists with a +/- rating of +4.

The Move is Official

From The Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier announced today that forward Luke Adam has been recalled from the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League.

Adam (6’2”, 215 lbs., 6/18/1990) is currently second on the Pirates in scoring with 10 points (5+5) in 8 games. The native of St. John’s, Nfld., was named the AHL’s Player of the Week after recording a four-point game (2+2) in his professional debut with Portland on October 9.

Adam was selected by the Sabres in the second round (44th overall) of the 2008 Entry Draft.

Flynn named Hockey East Player of the Week. Maine moves up in polls.

Brian Flynn, who already took home the Pine Tree Pucks Player of the Week this week, gets a much higher honor in being named Hockey East Athletic Republic Player of the Week. Flynn scored 3 goals and was a +5 this weekend against the North Dakota Fighting Sioux.

After dropping some spots last week, Maine rebounds in both polls because of the sweep of the Sioux this weekend. USCHO moves Maine up from 12 to #7 this week, while USA Today moves them to #6 form 11 last week.

Maine next plays Friday the 30th in Burlington, Vt against the Catamounts.

Maine Black Bears Brian Flynn named PTP Player of the Week.

The University of Maine had a great weekend against North Dakota and was helped along by this weeks winner of Player of the Week, Bryan Flynn. Flynn played great 2 way hockey all weekend long. Congrats to Bryan.

# 2 Star - Dan Sullivan - University of Maine - Freshman Goaltender Dan Sullivan proved he is up to the task against the top players in the country. His 23 saves, including at least 5 game savers, helped the Black Bears to win #2 over North Dakota.

#3 Star - Etienne Broudeur - Lewiston MAINEiacs - With offense at a premium this week for the MAINEiacs, Etienne netted 3 goals for the team.

Maine finishes off the weekend sweep of the Fighting Sioux with 4 - 2 win

GUSTAV NYQUIST SNAPS OFF MAINE'S 1ST GOAL (PHOTO JEFF SCHOOLS)

The Maine Black Bears answered the bell for the 2nd straight night at the Alfond, beating the #2 ranked North Dakota Fighting Sioux 4 - 2.

Gustav Nyquist has a goal and an assist, Robby Dee collected 2 assists for the Black Bears in the win.

It was obvious from the start No Dakota was not going to allow a repeat of last nights 5 goal outburst by Maine. The Fighting Sioux clogged the lanes and made it difficult for Maine to get any offensive flow going. Maine's Adam Shamansky had the two best scoring chances of the 1st getting close, but both times stopped by No Dakota goalie Aaron Dell.

The first half of the 2nd started out the same. No Dakota made offensive movement by Maine difficult. Spencer Abbott got the best chance early on as he broke in, got a point blank shot for 1 hole. Dell got just enough glove on it to deflect the puck off the cross bar.

The Sioux got on the the first goal of the game at the 13:25 mark of the 2nd. The Sioux crashed the net, got enough bodies in front of freshman goaltender Dan Sullivan, and slid one past for a Sioux 1 - 0 lead.

Maine didn't waste any time responding, as 3 1/2 minutes later, the Black Bears evened the score. Spencer Abbott got off a shot from the blue line with Robby Dee crashing the net. Dee got in front of Dell, Tanner House came in to help, and got the puck kicked out to Gustav Nyquist all alone for a clean shot. He snapped off a wrister 1 hole past Dell for the 1 - 1 tie.

Putting bodies in front of Dell paid off again 2 minutes later, as a mad scramble resulted in Joey Diamond poking home a rebound for a Maine 2 - 1 lead at the 18:17 mark of the 2nd. Robby Dee and Josh Van Dyk assisted.

Maine picked up right where it left off in the second scoring just 54 seconds into the 3rd. Jeff Dimmen fed Bryan Flynn at the bottom of the circle, who blasted a shot past Dell for the 3 - 1 lead.

The Black Bears put the game away 5 minutes later as Spencer Abbott finally put one past Dell on a 5 - 3. The Sioux's Ben Blood and Brad Malone were off for Slashing and Tripping respectively.

North Dakota got on the score sheet at the 8:11 mark of the 3rd, at the Sioux's Matt Frattin came in alone shorthanded and beat Sullivan 3 hole for the final score of 4 - 2.

The freshman Sullivan impressed, making tough stops all night, stopping 23 of 25 shots. Sullivan got his first NCAA win.

GAME NOTES: Maine was 2-9 on the power play, No Dakota was 0 - 4.

POST GAME INTERVIEWS
Gustav Nyquist

Spencer Abbott

Bryan Flynn

Dan Sullivan

Head Coach Tim Whitehead


PHOTO GALLERY

Black Bears maul #2 North Dakota in series opener

BRYAN FLYNN NETS ONE OF HIS 2 GOALS (PHOTO BANGOR DAILY NEWS/MICHAEL C YORK)

Alfond Arena sounded more like it was hosting a brass concert than a hockey game with all of the horns that sounded off during this out of conference contest.

The Black Bears came ready to defend their turf against the then undefeated Fighting Sioux.  Maine struck early and often as they ousted North Dakota 7-3.  Gustav Nyquist scored his first goal of the season and had two assists, while Brian Flynn notched two power play goals.  Sophomore Shawn Sirman also picked up his second victory on the year.

Senior forward Robby Dee netted a goal just 43 seconds into the game to give Maine the early lead.  This was just a foreshadowing of things to come, as just over two minutes later, Flynn punched the net with Maine’s second goal.  The offensive onslaught would not let up, as once again Flynn would score a power play goal. Flynn’s strike was then followed by a goal by both Will O’Neal and Nyquist, all happening in the first period.  The five goals would be enough to oust the Sioux, but the Black Bears would push two more across in the second, off the sticks of Kyle Beattie and captain Tanner House.

After Maine’s second game with seven or more goals this season, they now boast the top four point scorers in the conference, while Spencer Abbott leads in points (9) and is tied for first in goals (4).

Sirman picked up the win saving 19 of 22 shots.  North Dakota would however score three by way of Derek Rodwell (1st), Matt Frattin (2nd), and Brad Malone (3rd).

The Sioux looked unready for the Alfond faithful and the rested Black Bears, but they should be well adjusted for the second game tonight.  The Mainiacs were rowdy all night as North Dakota had to change net minders after nine plus minutes when Brad Eidness had given up three goals on five shots.  Chants of ‘this is our house’, rang throughout the 33 year old building as Maine looked more like the second best team in NCAA than the Sioux.

This victory for Maine will bring up a very exciting game two in the series, as North Dakota will be hungry for a win a salvage their 1,500 mile trip to Orono.  One thing is for sure though, Maine looks ready to put up some big numbers at home this season.  With that in mind, be sure you make the trip up to watch them whenever you can.

Bryan Stackpole is the sports director and a play-by-play announcer  for WMEB 91.9 FM, Orono, ME.  He is the voice of UMaine football, basketball, and baseball.  You can listen to game two of the Maine vs. North Dakota series, live on 91.9 FM and streaming at www.wmeb.fm.  WMEB is your only commercial free home of UMaine hockey and sports all season long.

Maine - North Dakota Preview

1st of all, Maine Sports Network would like to welcome aboard members of WMEB Sports Staff, who will be contributing coverage of the University of Maine sports teams from Orono. When we can't be there, they will be. Welcome aboard guys and glad to have you!

MAINE - NORTH DAKOTA PREVIEW

Upon the goal horn sounding to announce the end of the 2009-10 season at the TD Garden last March, optimistic UMaine fans looked to this weekend’s series as the marquee match-up for the Black Bears this season.  

This Friday signifies a hockey revival in Orono that had been absent in the last few years.  Fans are back to filling the Alfond instead of leaving it a cavernous arena, like it was in 2008 when the Black Bears failed to make the Hockey East playoffs, only the second time in the program’s history.  Though after a magical run that left Maine within an overtime goal of winning the Hockey East playoffs, and earning a bid to the NCAA tournament, Maine is again proud of its hockey program.

The pucks drops at 7:30 p.m. this Friday as the second ranked team in the nation, the North Dakota (NoDak) Fighting Sioux, take on the slow out of the gate Black Bears.  This two game series represents a chance to impress the polls and position Maine for a NCAA playoff berth, regardless of the outcome of the Hockey Playoffs come March.  At the beginning of the season, this series was deemed one that Maine should split, but this sentiment has slowly evolved into a series Maine must split.  

After putting up eight goals against the hapless River Hawks from UMass-Lowell, Maine tied Atlantic Hockey Association cellar dweller UConn the next night.  Then a tough trip to Michigan State to take on the Spartans left the Black Bears with only one point from the series and a 1-1-2 record overall.

Goaltending has been the main point of emphasis for Maine this off season as they brought in two highly regarded net minders in Martin Ouellette and Dan Sullivan, but neither have impressed as a back-up to starter Sophomore Shawn Sirman.  Who emerges as the man between the pipes that will lead Maine to victory is still up to debate, but the clock is slowly dwindling.

Another troubling aspect for Maine is the fact that Hobey Hat Trick finalist Gustav Nyquist still has a goose egg in the goal column.  Nyquist is still producing for the Black Bears with a conference high five assists, but still that clutch goal that could give Maine the victory late still alludes him.

Orono is worried, but there still isn’t that feeling the sky is falling….at least yet.  Maine does have one of the most prolific offenses in the NCAA and is led by Spencer Abbott who leads Hockey East in goals (4) and points (7).

NoDak exemplifies what college hockey is all about.  They field a consistently good team every year and have won a total of seven national championships in their history.  There also must be something in the water in the Dakotas as 16 players are six feet or taller.  The Sioux (3-0-1) are already seem in mid-season form as they travel across the country to the Pine Tree State.

This series is the last out of conference game for Maine until the Florida College Classic against Miami in the end of December.  The Black Bears need to take at least one of these games to stay in the national polls and keep the northeast buzzing.  Will the Alfond mystique be enough to propel Maine to victory, or is NoDak just at another level?  Sunday will bring answers, but if you want to watch the best in college hockey, make the trip to Orono this weekend.  Hey, even if they get swept, you can get a free t-shirt at the Saturday game as part of the team’s White Out promotion. Can’t go wrong with a free shirt.

Bryan Stackpole is the sports director and a broadcaster for WMEB 91.9 FM, Orono, ME.  He is the play-by-play voice for UMaine football, basketball, and baseball.  WMEB will be broadcasting the NoDak vs. Maine hockey games on 91.9 FM and streaming live on www.wmeb.fm starting at 7:15 p.m. on Friday and 6:45 p.m. Saturday.  The broadcast will be the only commercial free coverage of game.
 

Kevin Dineen on the Morning Jab 10/21/2010

Kevin Dineen stops by the Morning Jab to talk with Shoe and Matty about his team's hot start and much, much more.

Pirates take down Monarchs in long Shootout

Derek Whitmore finds the back of the net in the 9th round of Shootout for the win.
Photo Jeff Schools

POST GAME AUDIO AND PHOTO GALLERY BELOW
On a night when the Pirates orginatztion tried to get folks in for an early start time (6:30 PM), the team on the ice didn't co-operate, going 9 rounds deep in a shootout with Manchester before Derek Whitmore put home the game winner. Whitmore sent the early arriving crowd home happy with the 3 - 2 win.

Coach Kevin Dineen said "it was a fun way to finish it..but I was running out of bodies." Dineen said "it may have been the longest one I have been part of since I've been here."

Pirates forward Derek Whimore said he ended a long run of futility with the shootout winner. "I was 0 - 5 in my pro career, so it was nice to get the first one"

This was a typical physical Manchester/Portland tilt right from the start. Defense was the name early and all the way through as both sides eliminated rebounds and didn't allow for many quality chances.

The Pirates decided to start David Leggio in net, for his 1st AHL start. Dineen said "Tough job he had..I made the decision today, so he didn't have that day in advance, but boy he put a heck of an effort in for us." Leggio said the pressure of a shootout didn't bother him "I regained my focus, it's on me to make the save(s)"

The Monarchs broke the scoring drought at the 15:32 mark of the 2nd, as Dwight Kings poked one past Leggio for the Monarchs 1 - 0 lead.

The Pirates got on the board in a way they hadn't all season, on the power play. The team mired in a 0 - 32

The First PTP Player of the Week Is...

Portland Pirates forward Luke Adam!

Adam, who is ranked the 4th overall prospect in Sabres system by Hockey's Future, has started off his season on a major scoring streak with 4 goals and 5 assists and a plus/minus of 5 in five games. He was named AHL Player of the week last week, and Coach Kevin Dineen compared him to former Pirate and current Anaheim Duck Bobby Ryan in an interview on the Morning Jab last week.

Portland Pirates Mark Mancari was the 2nd Star and Lewiston MAINEiacs Goalie Nicholas Champion was the 3rd Star. The award is voted upon by a committee of Maine Sports Network contributors.

Versus Network to Air Feature on Travis Roy

The Versus Network will air a feature on Travis Roy tonight, the 15th anniversary of the only college game he played.

The feature will be shown during the Bruins-Capitals pregame show, beginning at 7 PM.

FULL DETAILS

Maineiacs Get Out the Brooms; Sweep the Drakkar

Baie-Comeau Drakkar will be happy to see the Lewiston Maineiacs leave town. Sunday afternoon's game was defensive battle for two periods. The Maineiacs then scored four times in the final 6 minutes and 36 second, beating the Drakkar 5-2 as 1,474 fans at the Centre Henry Leonard looked on.

Lewiston got off to slow start once again Sunday, and the Drakkar took full advantage. Frederick Gamelin deflected a shot past Maineiacs goalie Nicholas Champion, giving Baie-Comeau a 1-0 lead. The MAINEiacs responded in the final minute of the first period when Cameron Critchlow found Olivier Dame-Malka, who helped the puck find of the back of the net.

The second period had no scoring, and the defensive battle ended in the third when the MAINEiacs offense woke up. Drakkar's Jean-Philippe Caron served a double-minor, and the Maineiacs took full advantage. Etienne Brodeur got the first goal, and Stefan Fournier followed, giving the Maineiacs a 3-1 lead. Brodeur added another goal less than two minutes after Fournier's goal, and the teams exchanged goals laste in the game to provide the final tally.

Nicholas Champion finished with 18 saves on 20 shots. Jason Missiaen allowed five goals on 27 shots in the loss.

The MAINEiacs return home to the Androscoggin Bank Colisee on Wednesday night for a 7:00 face-off against the Shawinigan Cataractes.

Pirates Bitten by Bridgeport

The red-hot Portland Pirates got cooled off a bit on Sunday afternoon, as Bridgeport's Justin DiBenedetto scored two goals to lead the Sound Tigers to a 4-1 win over the Portland Pirates in front of 2,276 at Arena at Harbor Yard.

The Sound Tigers also got a goal each from Rhett Rakhshani and Jesse Joensuu, who ended a three-game losing streak with the win.

Luke Adam continued his hot streak, scoring the lone goal for the Pirates. Portland saw their season-opening four-game winning streak come to an end.

DiBenedetto's first goal was the only goal of the opening period, and he got it on a power play 5:29 into the game. After a Rakhshani goal made it 2-0 Bridgeport in the opening four minutes of the second period, Adam responded for the Pirates with his fourth goal of the season. With Bridgeport leading 2-1 in the third, DiBenedetto added another power-play goal (his second of the night) six minutes in to increase Pirates' deficit to 3-1.

Joensuu added an empty net goal in the final minute to complete the scoring.

The Pirates outshot the Sound Tigers 32-29 in the game as Jhonas Enroth took his first loss of the year.

The Pirates return home Tuesday to face Manchester.

The Allied Home Mortgage Three Stars of the game:
1. Justin DiBenedetto
2. Bridgeport goalie Kevin Poulin (31 saves)
3. Luke Adam

Pirates Continue Hot Start, Ground Falcons

MARK MANCARI OFF TO A RED HOT START

Luke Adam and Mark Mancari have each gotten off to good starts this season,  and that trend continued against Springfield on Saturday night at the CX4. Adam, the reigning AHL Player of the Week, had a goal and three assists while Mancari chipped in two goals and an assist in the Pirates 4-2 win over Springfield.

On his weekly visit to the Morning Jab this past Thursday, Pirates head coach  Kevin Dineen compared Luke Adam to former Pirate Bobby Ryan.Adam backed up that comparison early, collecting his own rebound and getting it past David LeNeveu to give Portland a 1-0 lead in the first period. After a Springfield goal, Mancari once again gave the Pirates the lead, this time at 2-1, which is where the first period ended.

Dennis McCauley got the next Pirates goal, which turned out to be the game-winner, in the second period. The third period saw Mancari score his second goal of the night, and Springfield added a late goal to provide the games final tally.

Portland was outshot by Springfield 38-26, but the Falcons were done in by their inability to control the puck on rebounds.

Notes: This is the Pirates best start in franchise history (4-0-0)... Mark Mancari won the games first star, Jhonas Enroth the second, and Luke Adam the third...The Pirates are back in action against Manchester Tuesday night at the CX4.

Portland Pirates beat Bridgeport 3 - 1

Luke Adam catches air in the 2nd

Eric Weinrich

Matt Ellis

Tim Conboy

Brian Petrovek

Play by Play Voice Mark Jeanneret


POST GAME AUDIO AND PHOTOS BELOW

GAME STORY
Dennis McCauley expected a battle from the start, Bridgeport did not disappoint in the Pirates 3 -1 win in front of 3,003 at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

It was evident from the drop of the puck, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers would throw the body around, not totally unexpected. McCauley said "They are notorious for that...a tough team to play against. They didn't waste much time as the Pirates Tim Conboy and the Sound Tigers Michael Haley went toe to toe in a big scrap just 29 seconds in. Both got 5 minutes for fighting.

Bridgeport's intensity paid dividends on the scoreboard as they tallied the 1st goal a power play, at the 2:38 mark of the 1st. The Pirates were down a man as Corey Tropp was off for interference.

Portland matched Bridgeport's intensity hit for hit. The Pirates Marc Mancari said "We have a little bit of everything, look at Paul Byron, Byron is probably one of the smallest guys on the team, he can hit and take a hit. Everyone here is capable of taking a hit
or giving a hit..and sticking up for themselves."

Portland broke into the scoring column at the 8:35 mark of the 1st. Derek Whitmore gathered the puck at the blue line, streaked to the bottom of the right circle and somehow beat Sound Tigers' goalie Kevin Poulin through the 3 hole. The goal was Whitmores 3rd of the season. Game was tied at 1.

The score stayed at one apiece deep into the 2nd Period,  when Mark Mancari  unleashed a blast inside the blue line for a 2-1 lead with 16 seconds left in the 2nd. The Civic Center crowd hadn't settled down yet when Dennis McCauley tallied one some 13 seconds later for a Pirate 3-1 lead.

Coach Kevin Dineen was very happy with his teams play in the 3rd. 'I liked our game in the 2rd" said Coach Dineen, "i thought we were responsible, and did a lot of good things."

There was no scoring the rest of the way as the Portland Pirates took care of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers 3 - 1

- JEFF SCHOOLS -

POST GAME AUDIO
Kevin Dineen

Mark Mancari

Dennis McCauley



PHOTO GALLERY

Partner 96.3FM Big Jab Broadcasting LIVE from Cumberland County Civic Center for #PortlandPirates #sabres

Listen as the PM Jab with Chris Sedenka and Javier Goritti broadcast LIVE from the CX4 with lotS of Portland Pirates guests. 3 - 7 PM.

Stream HERE!

University of Maine ties Spartans 4 - 4 in Lansing.

The University of Maine men’s ice hockey team skated to a 4-4 tie with Michigan State on Thursday night at the Munn Arena in East Lansing, Mich. It was the second straight tie for the Black Bears who move to 1-0-2 on the young
season. Robby Dee (Plymouth, Minn.) led the Black Bears with a pair of goals.

Michigan State grabbed a 1-0 lead with a power play goal by Dustin Gazley just 5:08 into the first period.

Maine tied the game at 11:21 of the first period. Will O’Neill (Salem, Mass.) had a shot from the blueline that hit the post. Robby Dee (Plymouth, Minn.) collected the rebound and beat MSU goalie Drew Palmisano for his second goal of the season.
Gustav Nyquist (Malmo, Sweden) also assisted on the goal.

The Black Bears took the lead just over two minutes later at 13:24. Theo Andersson (Gothenburg, Sweden) had a shot that Palmisano stopped, but on a scramble in front of the net, Mike Cornell (Franklin, Mass.) fired the puck into the back of the net.
It was the first career goal for Cornell. Klas Leidermark (Gavle, Sweden) also assisted on the goal.

The Black Bears extended their lead to 3-1 at 15:59 of the first period. Spencer Abbott (Hamilton, Ontario) had a shot from the blueline that Palmisano stopped, but he was unable to control the rebound. Adam Shemansky (Robbinsville, N.J.) took the
puck behind the net before finding Joey Diamond (Long Beach, N.Y.), who beat Palmisano for his third goal of the season.

MSU pulled to within one goal at 8:23 of the second period when Daultan Leveille fired a shot from the blueline. Maine goalie Shawn Sirman (Blezard Valley, Ontario) got a piece of the shot, but was unable to control it before it crossed the goal
line. Derek Grant and Gazley each assisted on the goal.

Maine added to its lead at 14:00 of the second period. Josh Van Dyk (Woodstock, Ontario) found Abbott on the blueline. Abbott rifled a shot that went through the defense that Dee tipped into the back of the net. For Dee, it was his second goal of
the game.

The Spartans got a power play goal at 17:40 of the second period to pull to within one goal once again. Brett Perlini notched the goal from Gazley. MSU tied the game at 4-4 at 1:53 of the third period with a short-handed goal. Trevor Nill and Mike
Merrifield teamed up on an odd-man rush. Merrifield was able to beat Sirman to tie the game at 4-4.

Maine killed off two penalties late in the third period. The Black Bears then went on a power play with 20 seconds remaining in regulation. Neither team was able to score in overtime and the game ended in a 4-4 tie. Maine held a 41-38 advantage in
shots in the game. The Black Bears were 3-for-5 on the power play, while MSU finished 2-for-8.

Maine goalie Sirman made 34 saves in the game. He moves to 1-0-1 on the season. Palmisano made 37 saves for the Spartans. He moves to 0-0-1.

The two teams conclude their two game series on Friday, Oct. 15. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:42 at Munn Ice Arena.

Kevin Dineen on The Morning Jab

Portland Pirates head coach Kevin Dineen stopped by for his weekly visit on the Morning Jab, talking about Jhonas Enroth, Luke Adam, and much more.

MAINEiacs take care of Chicoutimi 3 - 1

MICHAEL CHAPUT SCORED 2 GOALS WEDNESDAY NIGHT

PHOTO GALLERY BELOW

The Lewiston MAINEiacs got all they would need in the 1st Period to take care of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens in their 3 - 1 win Wednesday at The Androoscogin Bank Colisee.

The MAINEiacs got the scoring underway at 5:30 of the 1st. Sam Carrier collected the puck at the blue line on the right boards and threw the puck toward the net where Michael Chaput deflected it past Sagueneens' goaltender Christopher Gibson. The goal was Chaput's 2nd of the season.

MAINEiacs goalie Nicholas Champion seemed determined to keep that one goal lead. One of his biggest tests of the game was a 5 on 3 situation with MAINEiacs Antoine Houde-Caron (4 min Check from Behind, Game Misconduct) and Etienne Brodeur (2 min Check from behind) off. The MAINEiacs D did a fantastic

King 'Em, Pirates jump all over Checkers 5 - 1

MARK PARRISH SCORED A GOAL AND ADDED 2 ASSISTS IN THE PIRATES 5 - 1 WIN

The Portland Pirates did not need a game board to figure out the Charlotte Checkers today in a 5 - 1 win. On a rare matinee week game,  the Pirates controlled the scoreboard, even though the Checkers controlled the shots on goal.

The main reason the Pirates were able to stay in the game, Jhonas Enroth and his 42 saves.

The Pirates got things going quickly, when Mark Parrish took a nifty pass from TJ Brennen, got behind the Checkers D, and put it past Charlotte goaltender Justin Pogge for the 1 - 0 lead.

Charlotte played tough transition defense, not allowing the Pirates clean entry into their offensive zone. The Checkers defense turned into many chances, getting 14 SOG in the 1st, but nothing to show for it as the score ended at 1-0 Pirates.

The Pirates got going again at 4:56 of the 2nd, as Parrish lead defenseman Nick Crawford, who wristed it past Pogge for a 2 - 0 lead for the Pirates. The goal was Crawfords pro goal.

The Pirates scored 8 minutes later on a shorthanded opportunity. With Tim Conboy off for a questionable roughing penalty, Paul Byron knocked a deflected puck out of mid air, and put it over Pogges right shoulder for a Pirates 3 -0 lead.

The scored stayed that way until just 43 seconds into the 3rd. Mark Mancari was off at 18:33 of the 2nd for another questionable interference call leading to a 27 second power play for Charlotte to start the 3rd. Charlotte could not capitalize, but the Pirates did as Colin Stuart send Mancari, just out of the penalty box, in on a breakaway. Mancari beat Pogge glove side for a Pirates 4 - 0 lead.

Maxime Legault finished off the scoring for the Pirates at the 5:43 mark of the third as Parrish and Brian Roloff assisted.

Enroth lost his shutout bid as Jerome Samson, who had 12 SOG for the Checkers, scored with 10.1 seconds left.

- JEFF SCHOOLS -

GAME NOTES - The Pirates were again dismal on the Power Play going 0 - 3 and not looking good in the process, mustering only 1 quality scoring chance. Shorthanded is a totally different story, as the Pirates scored their second SH goal in as many games. The Pirates return home Friday Night to face the Bridgeport Sound Tigers

POST GAME AUDIO
Coach Dineen

Jhonas Enroth

Mark Parrish


PHOTO GALLERY

Luke Adam Named AHL Player of the Week #portlandpirates #theahl

Luke discusses being named AHL Player of the Week


The American Hockey League announced today that Portland Pirates center Luke Adam has been named the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Oct. 10, 2010.

Adam, making his regular-season professional debut, notched four points to pace Portland to a 6-5 win over Manchester on Saturday night. He assisted on two first-period goals to help stake the Pirates to 1-0 and 2-1

Portland Pirates vs Charlotte Checkers TODAY 1PM @portlandpirates @checkershockey #SABRES #CANES

FOLLOW ON TWITTER - @JeffCMSB for in game pictures and game updates.

Victoriaville Goaltender stops 42 on way to 4-2 win over MAINEiacs.

Tigres Goalie Antonio Mastropietro stops 42 to beat the MAINEiacs (Photo by Ron Morin)

Portland Pirates Top Manchester Monarchs in Opener 6-5

LUKE ADAM SCORES HIS 1ST AHL GOAL TO TIE AT 4 - 4 (PHOTO JEFF SCHOOLS)

Well if this is the way the 2010-2011 season will go for the Portland Pirates vs the Manchester Monarch, the season is going to be a doozy.

Derek Whitmore scored two goals and Luke Adam scored his 1st two AHL goals and  and added two assists to beat the Manchester Monarchs 6-5 Satuday in front of 4,631 at the Cumberland County Civic Center Saturday Night.

Whitmore opened the scoring just 5:15 into the contest on a nice rebound off Luke Adam. Adam scored his 1st AHL point on the play.

Manchester answered 5 minutes later when Monarchs winger Richard Clune beat a sprawled Pirates goalie Jhonas Enroth to even things up at 1.

Maine stomps all over UMass Lowell 8-2

MAINE'S MARK NEMEC SWEEPS PUCK FROM OPEN NET (PHOT BDN/MICHAEL YORK)

The University of Maine men’s ice hockey team opened the 2010-2011 campaign scoring four goals in the first 13:36 of the opening period and cruised past UMass Lowell 8-2. The victory was the 200th for Maine head coach Tim Whitehead
at the helm of the Black Bears. Sophomore forward Joey Diamond (Long Beach, N.Y.) had two goals and two assists to lead the Black Bears.

Maine opened the scoring with a goal just 69 seconds into the season. Spencer Abbott (Hamilton, Ontario) won a face-off to  Diamond on the boards. Diamond then found Mike Cornell (Franklin, Mass.) on the blueline. Cornell fired a shot at the goal
that Robby Dee (Plymouth, Minn.) tapped into the back of the net. Adam Shemansky (Robbinsville, N.J.) then collected the rebound of a Josh Van Dyk (Woodstock, Ontario) shot to put Maine ahead 2-0 just 5:13 into the game.

DJ Abisalih Named New Play by Play Voice of Lewiston MAINEiacs

PHOTO RON MORIN

The Lewiston MAINEiacs are pleased to announce that Alex Reed has informed the organization that he has accepted the position as the new radio voice and Director of Media Relations for the Wheeling Nailers of ECHL. Current radio color analyst & Team Communications representative DJ Abisalih will take over as the MAINEiacs lead radio role.

The announcement comes with mixed emotions for Reed, who started with the organization in October of 2007.

"I can't say enough how grateful I am for the opportunity the MAINEiacs organization has given me over the years. This team gave me a chance to start my career, and it has been an amazing experience with a lot of memories," mentioned Reed. "The toughest part is leaving behind this community. I have met so many wonderful people, and I have made lifelong friends here. I am really going to miss everyone."

His radio partner of the past season greeted the news with mixed emotions as well.

"Alex was an incredible person to work with. I am very grateful that he had the confidence to bring me aboard last season, giving me the chance to get my foot in the door," Abisalih said. "I will definitely miss working with him, as he and I developed a great friendship, as well as strong on-air chemistry."

For Reed, it's a step up to the next level, and he's looking forward to his opportunity with Wheeling.

"I am excited about the opportunity to move up and advance my career to the professional hockey level," emphasized Reed. "The Nailers organization has a vast hockey tradition, and I look forward to being a part of that."

As for Abisalih, he acknowledges the positives for both men, and his own good fortune.
"This is a tremendous opportunity for both of us," noted Abisalih. "Alex gets to advance to the next level, and I get to have my own play-by-play job, which is something I have craved for quite some time. To get that chance at age 23 and in a league like the QMJHL is surreal."

Reed's last game as the radio voice of the MAINEiacs will be Sunday, October 10th. Abisalih's first game as the new play-by-play host will be Wednesday, October 13th.

The Lewiston MAINEiacs would like to thank Alex Reed for his service to the organization for the past three seasons, and wish him the best of everything in the time ahead.
-LEWISTON MAINEiacs-

Obviously, this impacts CMSB Media as we lose our fantastic play by play voice for the 2010 Maine High School Football Championships on 96.3 FM The Big Jab Presented by Messer Truck Equipment. 


Alex was amazing in our 1st broadcast last year and will be sorely missed. We couldn't think of a guy who is more deserving of moving up hockey ladder. He is a true pro, and we are much better for knowing him. Best wishes and break a leg to Alex and his future. 


CMSB Media and MBR.ORG will announce a replacement for Alex to partner with Coach Rob Munzing on Novermber 20th. 

Pink the Rink Events tonight in Lewiston #MAINEiacsHockey #qmjhl

PHOTO COURTESY RON MORIN SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY

Tonight at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee, the Lewiston MAINEiacs will once again proudly don their pink jerseys for their 4th Annual "Pink in the Rink" Breast Cancer Awareness Night, in conjunction with Mid Coast Hospital's Breast Health Center. All proceeds from "Pink in the Rink" will help benefit the American Cancer Society's "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer" walk on October 17th in Brunswick.

Check out what's in store for this year's "Pink in the Rink":

- Doors open at 5pm for breast cancer survivors, with free mini-massages offered for survivors in the SHIPYARD Lounge.

- The first 600 women attending the game will each receive a courtesy flower.

- Prior to the drop of the puck, survivors will be honored in a special ceremony at center ice.

- MAINEiacs Jerseys & Goalie Sticks raffle. Enter to win one of the MAINEiacs' pink jerseys or one of the goaltenders' pink sticks!

Scenes from Portland Pirates practice Enroth arrives #portlandpirates #sabres #theahl

Check out photos from Portland Pirates practice on Thursday. Jhonas Enroth arrived in town to take place.

#PortlandPirates Get Enroth, Parrish, Ellis #sabres

Two press releases, one from the Pirates, one from the Sabres. Hit it!

Sabres:
Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier announced today that goaltender Jhonas Enroth and defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani have been assigned to Portland of the American Hockey League. This leaves the Sabres with 23 players on the roster: 13 forwards, 8 defensemen and two goaltenders.

The Sabres have also signed forward Mark Parrish, and loaned him to Portland. The 33-year-old Parrish has 387 points (216+171) in 720 career NHL games with Florida, NY Islanders, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Dallas and Tampa Bay.

Pirates
Buffalo Sabres Head Coach Lindy Ruff reported today that goaltender Jhonas Enroth and forward Matt Ellis are on their way to join the Portland Pirates.

Enroth was reassigned to the Pirates while Ellis cleared waivers allowing him to join the team.
Enroth, selected 46th overall by the Sabres in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, returns for his third season in Portland. The 22 year-old Stockholm, Sweden native has appeared in 108 games between the pipes for the Pirates over the past two seasons. Last season he went 28-18-1 with five shutouts and 2.37 goals against average before ending the season on the injury list.

Ellis returns for his second stint with the Pirates after having played 12 games during the 2008-09 season. The 29 year-old Welland, Ontario native is a veteran of 187 NHL games with Buffalo, Detroit and Los Angeles. Last season with the Sabres the 6-foot-1 forward has three goals and 10 assists for 13 points in 72 games with the Sabres.

In other Pirates roster news, Rob Ricci was released from his training camp tryout.

--PIRATES AND SABRES COMMUNICATIONS--

#Pirates Fall in final tune-up with #Monarchs

David Meckler scored a goal and an assist to lead the Manchester Monarchs to a 5-2 win over the Portland Pirates in an American Hockey League pre-season game played tonight at the Conway Arena in Nashua, NH.

Bud Holloway, Justin Azevedo, Thomas Hickey and Corey Elkins also scored for the Monarchs while Andrew Campbell collected two assists.

Luke Adam and Mark Mancari replied for the Pirates.

Manchester jumped out quickly and posted a 2-0 advantage at the end of one on goals by Meckler and Holloway. They added to the advantage with three goals in the opening half of the second period (Hickey, Azevedo and Elkins did the damage) to up the count to 5-0 after two. Adam and Mancari, on the power play, got the Pirates on the board in the third to complete the scoring.

Black Bears beat up on Acadia 5 - 1 in pre-season action.

The University of Maine Men's Hockey team opened their season with a decisive 5 - 1 victory over the Acadia Axemen.

Acadia played a very physical game leading to numerous 10 minute misconducts on both sides.

Maine responded by playing their offensive game to the tune of 5 goals. Maine got goals from Will ONeill, Bryan Flynn, Gustav Nyquist, Kellen Corkum and  Kyle Beattie.

Maine opens the regular season next Friday night as the Black Bears take on UMass Lowell at the Alfond!

GAME HIGHLIGHTS COURTESY LEARFIELD BLACK BEARS RADIO NETWORK

Scenes from Portland Pirates practice Day 2 #portlandpirates #sabres #theahl

MAINEiacs lose to Val-d'Or 4-1 #MAINEiacsHockey #qmjhl

One of the highlights heading into Saturday night's game was the battle of the brothers. The MAINEiacs' Sam Henley and the Foreurs' Cedrick Henley grew up in Val-d'Or and are facing each other for the third and fourth times in their home town. On Saturday, Cedrick stole the show from his younger brother, scoring a pair of goals, while adding an assist and a fight, as the Foreurs picked up a 4-1 win on home ice.

The first period was the difference in the hockey game, as Lewiston's Michael Chaput received a double-minor for high sticking at the 7:29 mark of the opening stanza. Val-d'Or scored during both halves of the penalty, with Marc-Alain Begin opening the scoring at 9:11, and Cedrick Henley following with a goal 29 seconds later. Before the period came to an end, the Foreurs added to their lead, as Olivier Archambault slipped one past MAINEiacs' netminder Andrey Makarov. The goal came with 30 seconds left, and also gave Begin a three-point period.

Early in the second period, the MAINEiacs got one back. Antoine Houde-Caron netted a shorthanded goal from Sam Carrier and Pierre-Olivier Morin, bringing the visitors back to within two. The shorthanded goal

Larry Mahoney Talks UMaine Hockey #MaineIceHockey

Larry Mahoney, part of the Black Bears hockey broadcast team and writer for the Bangor Daily News, joined us to talk Black Bears hockey.

#Sabres assign more player to #PortlandPirates

The seven players being assigned to Portland are: forwards Luke Adam, Paul Byron and Mark Mancari; defensemen Drew Schiestel, T.J. Brennan and Dennis Persson; and goaltender David Leggio. In addition, forward Zack Kassian was returned to his junior team in Windsor (OHL). The Sabres also released forward Mark Parrish from his training camp tryout.

Portland Pirates Practice today at PIA - Interviews and Photos

Even though is was a small group of players, the Portland Pirates got in a little ice time before their 1st Pre Season game in Manchester, NH. Here are some photos and interviews from practice.

PHOTO GALLERY PRESENTED BY MBR.ORG

INTERVIEWS
Coach Kevin Dineen

Derek Whitmore

Colin Stuart