PORTLAND 3, LOWELL 2 (SO)
Reigning AHL rookie of the year Nathan Gerbe and two-time AHL All-Star Mark Mancari notched shootout goals as Portland captured a 3-2 win over visiting Lowell on Tuesday at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
Goaltender J.P. Lamoureux turned aside all four of Lowell’s shootout attempts for the Pirates, who collected just their second win in seven games (2-4-0-1) and moved within four points of first-place Worcester in the Atlantic Division.
Defenseman T.J. Brennan gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead 9:11 into the contest, but Devils rookie Nick Palmieri tied it on the power play at 15:38 with his 20th goal of the season.
Lowell went ahead 2-1 late in the second period on a goal by Matt Halischuk, and the Devils maintained that advantage until the 15-minute mark of the third frame, when Pirates rookie standout Tyler Ennis notched his 21st goal of the season to make it 2-2.
Lamoureux finished with 27 saves through regulation and overtime, improving to 9-8-2 on the season.
Ex-Pirate Mike McKenna took the tough-luck shootout loss for the Devils after making 40 saves through the first 65 minutes.
