Maine Hockey Journal

Jr. Pirates conclude successful opening weekend.

The Portland Jr. Pirates had a successful opening weekend for both their AJHL and MJHL squads winning three of four games at the MHG Ice Centre.

The Jr. Pirates AJHL squad went for 1-for-2 on the weekend against the Philadelphia Little Flyers, while the MJHL squad swept the Cranston Reds.

The weekend started off for the AJHL squad on Saturday night with a win, 8-4, over Philadelphia as Chris Gularte and Tom Gildersleeve each scored a pair of goals.

Paul Hefferin and Ryan Salkeld were credited with three assists and Mike Pearless got the start in goal for the Jr. Pirates, making 25 saves for win.

Both teams battled again Sunday morning, but this time, it was Little Flyers who came out on top in a high-scoring, close hard-fought contest, winning 8-6 over the Jr. Pirates.

Sam Guimond scored a hat-trick in the game, along with an assist, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Little Flyers, who received balance scoring throughout their lineup.

Salkeld, Hefferin and Gularte added to their weekend points total with a single assist each in the game.

Jr. Pirates’ goalie Jeff Holbrook got his first start of the season and faced a barrage of shots, making 37 saves.

The AJHL squad will now head on the road an extended period of time as they won’t return to the MHG Ice Centre until Oct. 23. Their next game will be on Wednesday when they travel to Salem, MA to take on the Boston Bulldogs, which boast local players Cam Madore (Biddeford) and Matt Tucceri (Kennebunk).

The Jr. Pirates MJHL squad had an equally in impressive weekend, sweeping the Cranston Reds at the MHG Ice Center.

On Saturday, Jordan Grimsley led the way with a goal and two assists including the game winner as the Jr. Pirates went on for the 5-3 win.

Paddy Murphy, Zac Manning Artem Antipov and Jade Johnson each scored for the Jr. Pirates and Alex Bolduc made 33 saves for the win.

Manning and Antipov scored a pair of goals each on the Sunday as the Jr. Pirates went for the 6-3 win over the Reds.

Grimsley added to his four points the night before with two more assists and Tyler Tracy got the start in goal, making 17 saves for the victory.

The MJHL squad like their AJHL teammates will be away from the MHG Ice Centre for while as they head on the road for 13 straight games before coming back to MHG on Nov. 20. Their next game will be on Friday when travel to Aston, PA for trio of games against Suffolk, Long Island and Valley Forge.

NOTES: Biddeford native Trevor Fleurent scored two assists in his AJHL action of the weekend. Fleurent was a member of last year’s Boys’ Class A State Championship team, the Biddeford Tigers and winner of the 2010 Travis Roy Award as the top player in the state of Maine.

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