Forwards Mark Parrish and Igor Gongalsky have returned from injuries to provide a lift for the Portland Pirates.
In his first three games after missing 19 games because of a groin injury, Parrish had two goals and two assists.
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Gongalsky, who missed seven games because of a concussion, scored his first AHL goal and had assists in each of his two games since returning.
Parrish, a 13-year veteran who has played in 720 NHL games, seems to have picked up right where he left off when he was injured during a game Nov. 29 against the Springfield Falcons.
“Mark Parrish gives us some really strong skills off the forward line,” Portland Coach Kevin Dineen said. “He’s put in a really solid overall effort and that’s been a real benefit for us.
“He didn’t just feel his way back into the lineup. He came back and put some points on the board and has been an offensive factor.”
It’s a slightly different story for Gongalsky, a fourth-year pro who had appeared in only six AHL games prior to this season.
“Igor is a guy I’ve been keeping an eye on for a few years, and he’s finally getting a chance to come in,” Dineen said. “He’s certainly added a lot of positive energy and also contributed on the offensive side. He is a good plus to have back.”
Gongalsky, a 6-foot, 225-pound left wing, was called up from the ECHL’s Greenville Road Warriors Dec. 1. Since then, his rights were transferred to the Utah Grizzlies in Salt Lake City to complete a trade for goalie Dov Grumet-Morris, who has spent time with the Pirates.
“I’ve just tried to work hard and just win all my battles,” said Gongalsky, a native of Kiev, Ukraine, who moved to Canada with his mother and sister as a teenager. “I just play hard every night and don’t take any shifts off.”
Parrish said he was a little anxious before skating on his first shift last Friday night.
“That first game (back) you’re excited, you’re nervous, you don’t know what to expect,” he said. “Once you finally feel (the groin is) OK, it’s funny how quick the enthusiasm comes back.”
TWO VETERAN players have put up big numbers to help the Pirates win six of their last seven games and tighten their hold on second place in the Atlantic Division.
During that span, Mark Mancari, a 25-year-old right wing in his sixth AHL season, had four goals and five assists, and Marc-Andre Gragnani, a 23-year-old defenseman in his fourth AHL season, had one goal and 10 assists.
Mancari, who has a seven-game points streak, has 41 points in 38 games and is tied for sixth in the league in scoring.
Gragnani, with 30 points in 38 games, is tied for third in scoring among defensemen.
They share the team lead with 23 assists each.
JACOB LAGACE’S recent assignment to the Greenville Road Warriors was the first time a player drafted by the Buffalo Sabres had been sent down by Dineen, who is in his third season with the Pirates since they became affiliated with the Sabres.
“I couldn’t find him ice time,” Dineen explained. “He’s got a long way to go to become a complete player at the (AHL) level. He’s got a lot of learning to do and this is the first of many steps to get there.”
Lagace, a 21-year-old left wing selected by Buffalo in the fifth round of the 2008 entry draft, averaged 30 goals and nearly 50 assists in three seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In 29 games with the Pirates, he had two goals and eight assists.
“We need to get him some ice time and we need to get his compete level higher,” Dineen said. “He’s got to play and we can’t get him the ice time here.”
In his third game with Greenville Monday night, Lagace had three assists in a 4-3 win against the Kalamazoo Wings.
A SNOWSTORM forced the postponement of a game between the Pirates and Worcester Sharks for the second time this season Tuesday night at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass.
The game, which has been rescheduled for tonight at the same site, originally was scheduled for Dec. 26, but a snowstorm prevented the Pirates from traveling to Massachusetts.
Worcester currently holds a 3-2 lead in the 12-game season series.
The Pirates and Sharks are scheduled to play again Friday night at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 791-6424 or at: pbetit@pressherald.com
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