PORTLAND – “It’s real sweet,” said Dylan Fyler, an eighth-grader at Sacopee Valley Middle School, after learning he was going to get Portland rookie forward Maxime Legault’s jersey following Sunday’s game.
It was the Portland Pirates’ annual Shirts Off Their Backs game, and Fyler was one of 30 lucky fans who were selected to receive a game-worn jersey following the last game of the regular season.
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The Fyler family, who live in Porter, have season tickets.
“I’ve come to about 30 games,” said Dylan, who purchased a raffle ticket just prior to Sunday’s game.
The Pirates began selling chances for Sunday’s raffle about a month ago.
For a dollar per ticket, fans have been able to take a chance on winning a jersey from the player of their choice by putting a ticket into one of 30 large jars set up in the lobby of the Cumberland County Civic Center.
“It helps us pay for the jerseys,” said Portland Pirates CEO/managing owner Brian Petrovek, who estimated the raffle nets the team as much as $3,000 annually.
During the course of the season, the Pirates alternate between three sets of jerseys. Petrovek said each jersey costs about $150.
For Sunday’s game against the Springfield Falcons, the Pirates wore their white jerseys. After the game, the players went back to their locker room and changed into their black road jerseys. Petrovek said this is the last season the team will wear that particular jersey.
“These jerseys will have some interesting value, and I think the fans know that,” he said.
Not all of the fans who had winning raffle tickets ended up with the jerseys they wanted.
Hannah Merrill, who goes to Massabesic Middle School, ended up with defenseman Alex Biega’s jersey.
“Actually, my friend put it in the wrong jar by mistake,” she said. “I had two specific (jerseys) I wanted, and he didn’t know which (jars) those were, so he stuck it (in Biega’s jar).
Merrill said she was still happy to win one of the game-worn jerseys.
Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 791-6424 or at:
pbetit@pressherald.com
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