Facing elimination and a two-goal deficit, the Portland Pirates came out of the locker room after the second intermission and scored three times in the first 8:22 of the third period, then held on for a 3-2 victory over the Hershey Bears in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals at the Cumberland County Civic Center on Tuesday night.
Game 6 is Wednesday night in Portland, with Hershey still holding a 3-2 lead in the series.
Tim Brent, who missed three months of the regular season due to injury, scored his first goal since Dec. 31, 2005, to cap the rally.
Bruno St. Jacques netted his third goal of the postseason and Ryan Shannon added his 10th. Both of Portland’s wins in the series have come after erasing two-goal deficits in the third period.
Tomas Fleischmann had a goal and an assist for the Bears, who saw their record drop to 11-2 as they lost for the first time in seven tries on the road during the 2006 Calder Cup Playoffs.
Jani Hurme (9-5) made 20 saves for his fourth win in his last five starts. Frederic Cassivi (11-2) took the loss despite stopping 33 shots, his fifth straight game with at least 30 saves.
