“Pirates Periodical” is a weekly feature at The Sunshine Skate to keep you in touch with your favorite future Panthers.
The Pirates spent the past two weekends playing teams in the Atlantic and North divisions. On Saturday, October 17th and Sunday, the 18th they faced off against the Hershey Bears at home for the team’s home opener, winning both games. During Saturday’s game, Logan Shaw scored two goals for the Pirates, both on the power play in the second period. Wade Megan picked up his first of the season at the close of the period as well, resulting in the Pirates’ 3-2 victory.
The next night’s rematch found both Rob Schremp and Kyle Rau getting on the board twice during the game, including a power play goal for Schremp. John McFarland scored the fifth goal of the night, off a penalty shot in the third period, ending the game 5-2 for the Pirates. This past weekend, Portland played back to back games against the Albany Devils, first at home and then visiting the New Jersey affiliate, for the only games the two will play this season, eventually splitting the wins. On Friday, October 23rd, after falling behind 0-2 in the first period, the Pirates had an explosive last forty minutes. First to get on board halfway through the second was McFarland, for his second of the year. The player of the game was definitely Greg McKegg, who scored his first career hat-trick, including an empty netter on the PP. Cameron Gaunce also had three assists in the 4-2 victory. Saturday’s game was a different story, as the Pirates struggled to convert. Despite a close first period,
Albany took the lead in the second and gathered enough momentum to keep the Pirates out of the game. Mike Matheson, however, got on the board late in the third for his first professional goal, assisted by Grimaldi, who had multiple close chances during the 1-3 loss.
Continuing to look a little more closely at a couple Pirates players, this week Cameron Gaunce and Greg McKegg take the spotlight, as both have had excellent performances the past few weeks. Cameron Gaunce is one half of the Pirates’ second defensive pairing, most often playing with Mackenzie Weegar. Gaunce is in his 6th season in the AHL, having played with the Lake Erie Monsters from the 2010-2011 to the 2012-2013 season when he was traded to the Texas Stars. He’s also spent some time in the NHL, playing in 11 games with the Colorado Avalanche in 2010 and 9 with the Dallas Stars in the 2013-2014 season. Despite not being a high-scoring defenseman, averaging 4.3 goals a season, Guance has 4 assists in 5 games with the Pirates so far. Greg McKegg, who centers Garrett Wilson and Rocco Grimaldi on the second line, is with the Pirates after being traded by the Leafs to the Panthers for Zach Hyman over the summer. He spent the previous four AHL seasons with the Toronto Marlies and made his NHL debut in Toronto in February 2014. His goal production has steadily increased each season, with 22 for 2014-2015, with 15 assists in 62 games. McKegg has 3 goals and 2 assists with the Pirates so far.
This upcoming weekend, the Pirates will play the Providence Bruins at Rhode Island before returning home on Halloween to play the Rochester Americans. They’ll take on both teams without Logan Shaw, who was called up to the Panthers on Thursday for the first time.
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