Eight days after Worcester Sharks rookie forward Matt Nieto registered five points against Atlantic Division rival the Portland Pirates (AHL affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes), Pirates forward Andy Miele returned the favor as he registered a five-point game, including a cycle hat-trick, in the Pirates’ 5-1 win over the Sharks at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee Saturday night.
Rookie forward Rylan Schwartz had the lone goal for the Sharks, who were without leading goal scorer Daniil Tarasov due to injury, while goaltender Harri Sateri made 21 saves.
Despite out-shooting the Pirates 12-4 in the first period, the Sharks couldn’t get the puck past Pirates goaltender Mark Visentin. At 15:47, Miele put the Pirates ahead 1-0 when on a penalty kill, he stole the puck from Sharks forward Freddie Hamilton high inside the Sharks zone, deked around Hamilton, and fired a snap shot from deep inside the left face-off circle that broke off the glove of Sharks goaltender Harri Sateri and bounced in for a shorthanded goal, Miele’s eighth goal of the season.
The Pirates extended the lead to 3-0 with two goals in a 3:37 span midway through the second period. At 7:49, Pirates forward Rastislav Klesla fired a one-timer from between the hash marks past Sateri for his first goal of the season. At 11:26, Miele scored his second goal of the game, ninth of the season, off a snap shot from the right face-off circle after corralling a pass at the blue line from linemate Chris Brown.
Looking to spark his teammates, Sharks enforcer Jimmy Bonneau dropped the gloves with Pirates enforcer Mark Louis at 16:17 in a heavyweight battle at center ice. The fight, which snapped a four game fight-less streak for the Sharks, appeared to work as Schwartz scored his third goal of the season just 72-seconds into the third period off a tap in from the right side of the goal crease. Sharks forwards Travis Oleksuk and Hamilton were credited with the assists.
The Pirates responded by scoring two goals in a 6:04 span. Miele slid a backhanded shot past Sateri at 4:26 for a power play goal, 10th goal of the season, to complete the cycle hat trick. At 10:30, Pirates forward Jordan Martinook found a rebound on top of the goal crease and fired a backhanded shot into an open net for a power play goal, his fourth goal of the season.
NOTES… Final shots were 31-26 in favor of the Sharks… The Sharks went 0-for-4 on the power play and 4-for-6 on the penalty kill… Sateri is now 5-8-1 with a 3.16 goals-against-average and .877 save percentage… The Sharks are 3-for-43 on the power play in their last 10 games… Sharks forward James Livingston had a team high five shots on goal… Sharks forward Curt Gogol dropped the gloves with Pirates forward Keven Veilleux at 12:04 of the third period… The Sharks skated the last 50 minutes of the game with 17 skaters as forward Matt Pelech left midway through the first period with an injury… For the weekend, the Sharks scored two goals on 71 shots… This was the sixth of 12 meetings between the Sharks and Pirates this season… The Sharks are 3-3-0-0 against the Pirates, 5-4-1-0 on the road and 10-10-1-1 with 22 points overall… The Sharks are back in action Dec. 20 as they travel to play the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at 7:05pm/et.
THREE STARS
1. Andy Miele – Pirates (3-2-5)
2. Chris Brown – Pirates (0-2-2)
3. Mark Visentin – Pirates (30 saves, Win)
LINES
Hayes / Kearns (A) / DaSilva
Schwartz / Hamilton (A) / Stalberg
Gogol / Oleksuk / Livingston
Bonneau / Brace / Pelech
DEFENSE
Comrie / Doherty
Davison (C) / Tennyson
Acolatse / DeMelo
SCRATCHES
Abeltshauser
Reid
Viedensky
Petrecki (inj)
Scheidl (inj)
Tarasov (inj)
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