Miele, Brown help Pirates Snap Streak in Shootout

Springfield, MA – The Pirates saw their 6 game winless streak come to an end with a 4-3 win over the Springfield Falcons on Sunday afternoon. Chris Brown scored twice and Andy Miele added a goal and the shootout winner to power the Pirates, while Mark Visentin made 37 saves in net.

The first period was filled with offense. Sean Collins opened the scoring for the Falcons just 1:26 into the game. Andy Miele continued his climb up the Pirates record books soon after, tying the game at 1 4:04 into the period. Chris Brown and Chris Summers picked up assists on Miele’s 18th goal of the year. Brown then gave the Pirates the lead, collecting the puck as he stepped out of the penalty box for a breakaway goal to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead at 7:02 of the first. Summer picked up his second assist of the game. 26 seconds later, Michael Chaput tied the game for Springfield, beating Mark Visentin at the 7:28 of the first. Jack Skille then capitalized on a power play opportunity for the Falcons. Skille’s one-timer beat Visentin with 2:30 left in the first, giving the Falcons a 3-2 lead into the first intermission.

The first half of the second period saw no penalties or scoring, but the first penalty of the period proved to be costly. Springfield’s Dalton Smith was called for tripping and Chris Brown made him pay, putting a slapshot past Jeremy Smith to tie the game at 3 for the Pirates. Brandon Gormley and Daine Todd picked up the assists with 8:24 left in the 2nd. Gormley’s assist extended his point streak to 5 games.

The third period was the most energetic of the periods, but Mark Visentin and Jeremy Smith stood strong in net, forcing the game into overtime. The overtime was the Pirates 14th of the year, and third straight game to go to an extra frame. Overtime was not enough, and the Pirates were sent to their 11th shootout of the year.

In the shootout, Tobias Rieder opened the shootout for the Pirates with a goal. Jack Skille tied the shootout at 1 in the third round, but Andy Miele would win in the fifth and final round, beating Jeremy Smith to snap the Pirates’ 6 game winless streak. Mark Visentin’s 37 saves helps him improve his record to 10-13-4, giving him his first win since December 21st. Visentin allowed 3 goals on 17 first period shots, but recovered to stop the next 23 shots through regulation and overtime.

The Pirates start a three games weekend home stand on Friday against the St. John’s IceCaps. Puck drop is at 7 PM. Tickets are available for all three games next weekend by calling the Androscoggin Bank Colisee Box Office at 783-2009 ext. 525 or online at thecolisee.com