PORTLAND — At some point the Portland Pirates are going to need to light the fuse on their dormant to date power play.
But so far, not now.
The Pirates wrapped up a successful opening weekend to the 2010-11 campaign, by overwhelming the Charlotte Checkers, 5-1, before 2,621 in a Monday matinee at the Civic Center.
Veteran Mark Parrish notched a goal and an assist, while rookies Nick Crawford and Max Legault netted their first-ever professional goals, to help the Bucs win their second game in as many starts.
Goaltender Jhonas Enroth came within 10.8 seconds of recording his first shutout of the season.
As it was, the third-year pro turned aside 42 shots while showing the form that makes him a sure fire NHL prospect.
While the Pirates are still looking for their first goal with a man advantage, they’ve scored just about every other way.
“We’ve done a good job of moving our feet,” said Parrish, who has logged 10 NHL seasons. “As long as the effort’s there and the system is there, that’s what you’re looking for. The cute little plays, the sharpness, that will come as long as we keep getting better.”
Parrish, who the parent club in Buffalo signed to give the Pirate offense some extra punch, earned his keep less than two minutes into the game.
Taking a nifty lead feed from defenseman T.J. Brennan, Parrish jetted past the defense, then beat Charlotte goalie Justin Pogge from close range.
“I was just coming through the neutral zone with speed,” said Parrish. “’Brens’ recognized it and got (the puck) in front of me. I think it was one of those plays that happened so quick that Pogge didn’t get a chance to come out of his net.”
That was Portland’s only shot on goal for the first 12 minutes, but by then, Enroth was fully engaged at the other end.
“You always want some shots early in the game, so that you can get the feel of the puck; feel like you can make some saves,” Enroth said.
Portland upped its lead to 3-0 in the second period, after getting goals from Crawford and Paul Byron.
Byron’s goal was Portland’s second shorthander of the young season.
Mark Mancari and Legault added goals in the third period to make the contest a near-rout.
EMPTY NETTERS: The Pirates made news both before the game and after it.
Earlier in the day, head coach Kevin Dineen made veteran center Matt Ellis the club’s 13th captain.
“It was obvious to me,” said Dineen, who said he also puts heavy stock in the preference of the players. “It was fairly unanimous amongst his teammates that he was the right guy for the job.”
Afterward, the AHL announced that rookie forward Luke Adam had been named Player of the Week, for the weekend that ended Sunday.
“It’s really exciting,” said Adam, who was Buffalo’s second round Entry draft pick in 2008. “To have that in your first week as a professional in your first week is pretty neat. Most of all, it’s a great honor for the team.”
Adam garnered four points (two goals, two assists) in Saturday’s season-opening win against Manchester.
D Marc-Andre Gragnani, who injured his knee while in Buffalo’s training camp, participated in the pre-game warmup, but did not play.
— Contact Dan Hickling at 282-1535, ext. 317.
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