If someone had told forward Mark Voakes and defenseman Corey Fienhage two months ago they would be suiting up for the Portland Pirates tonight in the opening round of the Calder Cup playoffs, both would have laughed.

Eight weeks ago, Voakes, a 2009 graduate of Wilfred Laurier University in Ontario, was playing in his second ECHL season with the Greenville Road Warriors.

Fienhage, who is from Apple Valley, Minn., was playing his first junior season with the Kamloops Blazers in the Western Hockey League.

Both may now play pivotal roles for the Pirates, who open their best-of-seven series tonight against the Connecticut Whale at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

“One of the exciting parts of being an American Hockey League coach is watching these guys at the start of their careers,” Portland Coach Kevin Dineen said.

Until he joined the Pirates in early March, Voakes, 26, didn’t know whether he would ever get a shot at playing in the AHL.

“I was starting to think that nothing was going to break for me, but I just tried to give an honest effort every night, play hard and let that take care of itself,” he said. “I got the opportunity to come up here and obviously I did all right. I was real happy with the way I performed and I guess it bought me a little more time here in the playoffs, so I want to keep the train moving forward.”

In 18 games with the Pirates, Voakes has six goals and five assists.

“He earned his call-up through his play and then he earned staying through his play,” Dineen said. “Nothing’s been given to that kid; he’s earned everything he’s gotten.”

Fienhage, 20, took a different route to the Pirates.

After he was selected in the third round of the 2008 draft by the parent Buffalo Sabres, the 6-4, 215-pound defenseman played for two seasons at the University of North Dakota before leaving college and playing in juniors for one season.

“I wanted to take my game to another level,” said Fienhage, who went to North Dakota right out of high school.

“College is a fast-paced game. You feel like it’s a five-man forecheck all the time. But junior hockey is a more physical game, I think.”

Voakes has a good idea of what lies ahead for the Pirates in the playoffs. Last season he played for the Bakersfield Condors in the first two rounds of the Kelly Cup playoffs.

“Everything’s amped up in the playoffs,” Voakes said. “There’s tighter checking. There’s a lot at stake and things happen quick.

“When you play 80 games during the season, you can afford a bad game or two. You don’t like to have them but it happens. In the playoffs, you play four bad games and you’re out.”

A lengthy playoff series is new to Fienhage.

“It’s going to be a new experience for me,” he said.

Back in Minnesota, Fienhage said his high school team never won a playoff game and neither did the Fighting Sioux in the two seasons he played for them. “I’ve never really been part of a playoff team before.”

Fienhage just intends to work hard.

“I’m going to come out here every day and try to make the team better and try to make myself better in the process,” he said.

“I’m really fortunate to be part of a team that could go deep into the playoffs.” 

NOTES: Jason Kilijanski, the Pirates’ video and fitness coach, underwent emergency back surgery Tuesday and Kyle Smith, who works in hockey operations for the Buffalo Sabres, is handling video duties for the Pirates. Portland forward Maxime Legault, who has been out for nearly three weeks with an injury to his right shoulder, is back on the ice for practice but remains day to day. Portland forward Dennis McCauley, who missed the last four games of the regular season because of an injury to his right shoulder, did conditioning drills during Wednesday’s practice. 

Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 791-6424 or at:
pbetit@pressherald.com