Preview: St. John’s Ice Caps vs Portland Pirates
Mar 24, 2012; San Jose, CA, USA; Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Michael Stone (26) warms up before the game against the San Jose Sharks at HP Pavilion. San Jose defeated Phoenix 4-3 in shootouts. Mandatory Credit: Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE
Tonight the Portland Pirates are to host their first home game of the season at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland for their 20th season. They will be donning their old school, ’93-’94 Calder Cup season jerseys and playing against the St. John’s Ice Caps.
Last weekend the Pirates played in two games and finished in a split defeating the Binghamton Senators 4-2 in Lewiston Saturday night for their 6th annual Pink in the Rink. On Sunday they took on the Springfield Falcons in Springfield and lost 3-2 with Michael Stone and Ethan Werek scoring the only goals for the Pirates.
The Ice Caps, affiliate to the Winnipeg Jets are also coming off of a split weekend defeating the contending Calder Cup Champion Norfolk Admirals Friday night 3-2 then falling Saturday 2-0.
This is the third meeting of the season for these two teams with each team winning a game a piece, the Pirates with the latest victory, a 4-0 shut-out. Alexandre Bolduc contributed to the victory in scoring two goals and helped Chad Johnson earn the first shut out since David Leggio on March 29, 2011.
Currently the Pirates stand 3-3-1-0 on the season so far with 7 points, just one point behind the Ice Caps in the Atlantic Division, the overtime loss on October 22 being the deciding factor.
Tonight the Pirates look to gain a point advantage in the standings with the puck dropping at 7:30PM ET. If you can’t make it to the game, be sure to listen on 95.9 WPEI-FM or watch it live on AHL Live.
Who’s Hot…
For Portland all eyes will be on the captain Alexandre Bolduc who is coming off of a six-game hot streak, scoring multiple points in four consecutive games. He was also named the ECHL’s MeiGray Alumni of the Month for October. Along with Bolduc forwards Chris Conner and Rob Klinkhammer have had their fair share of points, Klinkhammer registering a hat trick and two assists against the Ice Caps in the 8-7 overtime loss earlier this season.
Taking a look at the opposing side, Zach Redmond should be on the radar. He is tied for the team’s high-scorer and is looking to continue a scoring streak as he contributed in the scoring last weekend against the Admirals. Currently he has 3 goals and 2 assists in 8 games played for 5 points this season.
Goaltending…
Portland’s Chad Johnson has played in 5 of the Pirates 7 games and has made 159 saves. He has a 4.02 GAA and .888 save %, with a 2-3 on the season.
The Ice Caps’ Eddie Pasquale is currently ranked 35th in the American Hockey League with a 3.05 GAA and .901 save%. He has starred in 6 of the 7 games for St. John and has a 2-4 record.