Notorious Pirate hunters

Here's some of the names who mattered the last time Bridgeport beat Portland:

• Justin Mapletoft (three assists, killed a five-on-three with Keith Aldridge and Cole Jarrett)
  
• Sean Bergenheim (two goals, one on the power play)
  
• Dieter Kochan (25 saves, five on the five-on-threes)
  
• Kevin Colley (empty-net goal)

Does that seem like a million years ago to anybody else? It was just shy of two, to Nov. 7, 2004, a 3-1 victory, the first road win of a season that got rough.

Same margin tonight. Fifth road win already. Different outlook.

Wade Dubielewicz said tonight didn't feel much different from usual, but for the second night in a row, he stopped everything thrown at him, some wild redirections, some tough shots from tough spots. There he was.

Kevin Mitchell picked a good time for his first of the year. Lots of power-play time went for naught, including some Jeff Tambellini shots that didn't work out, but when he went to the net, he scored to put it away.

Hey, there was even a scrap at the end. How do you go wrong?

LINEUPS
BRIDGEPORT
F: Comeau-Ferraro-Boguniecki
Marjamaki-Colliton (A)-Aquino
Tambellini-Nielsen-Regier
Ogorodnikov/Nilsson
D: Fata-Berry
Mitchell-Wotton (C)
Campoli-Rourke (A)

PORTLAND
F: Chistov-Konopka (C)-Parenteau
Miller-Carter-Melin
Glencross-Wirtanen-Genoway
Gillies-(Rome-scratch)-Ferguson
D: Wilson-St. Jacques (A)
Huskins-Skinner
Salcido-Moran

Modem wouldn't work (in Portland or Binghamton) for some reason; Internet went down at the CCCC. Thanks to Jessica Plourde for taking dictation -- story and agate -- by phone...

Stopped for lunch in Massachusetts today. "Every Breath You Take" by the Police came on the piped-in music. "I love this song," the waitress said, going in the back. The music got louder. MUCH louder.

Nobody complained.

Nice to drive through Worcester today -- twice -- and know I'd be stopping there very soon...

"Invasor"? Since when do they let robots run horse races?

Hey, should I start a running count of deer spotted on road trips? Up to 15...

The Pirates honored the late Frank Fixaris tonight, naming the broadcast press box after the longtime Portland broadcaster (and Torrington native).