Losing streak hits five as Falcons gash Pirates 6-1 in Portland

The losses continue to mount for the roster-ravaged Portland Pirates. The reeling AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers suffered a 6-1 rout at the hands of the visiting Springfield Falcons, who got two goals and an assist from Craig Cunningham, Friday night at Cross Insurance Arena.

Cunningham bagged his third goal of the year, from Greg Carey and Steven Delisle to open the scoring at the 15:16 mark of the first period.

Laurent Dauphin scored 7:42 into the second period to put the Falcons up by two. Phil Lane and Corey Potter were credited with the assists.

Jordan Szwarz ended Portland starter Mike McKenna's night with a tally at 15:40. Alex Grant and Philip Samuelsson combined to set up Szwarz's first of the season.

Springfield's Lucas Lessio beat Sam Brittain with 59 seconds remaining in the middle stanza to make it 4-0, Falcons. Szwarz and Henrik Samuelsson drew assists on the power-play marker.

The Pirates finally got on the board at 6:41 of the third period, courtesy of a Chase Balisy goal. Balisy's second was assisted by Rob Flick and Sena Acolatse.

Cunningham got his second of the night 1:37 later, from Philip Samuelsson and Grant, to restore Springfield's four-goal advantage.

Dustin Jeffrey completed the scoring, notching a power-play goal with 5:11 left on the clock. Assists were credited to Cunningham and Grant, their third points of the night.

Louis Domingue made 34 stops to post the win for the now 4-4-1 Falcons. McKenna took the loss with, finishing with 12 saves on 15 shots. Brittain turned away 8 of the 11 shots he saw in relief.

The Pirates (3-6) are off until Wednesday, when they host the Hartford Wolf Pack. The two teams will meet again in Portland on Friday.