http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/players/brendan_shinnimin/196738 Recent articles about Brendan Shinnimin en-us By Wil Goldsholl   Hartford, CT, March 5, 2013 - The Portland Pirates made their final appearance at the XL Center for the 2012-2013 regular season Tuesday night, beating the Connecticut Whale 4-3 in a shootout after giving up a late game-tying goal to the Whale’s Brandon Segal. Chris Kreider scored in the first and second periods to keep Connecticut alive after a shaky start. Head coach Ken Gernander said after the game, “The first (period) wasn’t what it should have been and we lost a point on Portland in the standings, but the team took it upon themselves to right the ship. There was a lot of penalty trouble in the first, enough said there. Kreider is coming, he’s finding his game. (Brandon) Segal, all our big goals, he’s involved and it’s good to see Nick Palmieri contribute on a big one too. Six teams are separated by nine points; all points are critical.” At 5:59 of the first period, Sean Collins took an interference minor right in front of the scorekeeper’s bo... Wed, 06 Mar 2013 01:14:14 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/portland_pirates_4_connecticut_whale_3_so/13063942 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/portland_pirates_4_connecticut_whale_3_so/13063942 Portland Pirates 4, Connecticut Whale 3 (SO) http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/portland_pirates_4_connecticut_whale_3_so/13063942 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png By Wil Goldsholl Hartford, CT, November 16, 2012 - Alexandre Bolduc and Chris Brown scored third-period goals for the Portland Pirates Friday night against the Connecticut Whale, and former Whale Chad Johnson made 29 saves, in a 2-1 Portland victory at the XL Center. Brandon Segal scored the only Whale goal, with only 36 seconds left in the third period, and Johnson’s former stablemate Cam Talbot had 31 saves in the Connecticut net. It was busy night for the officials, with the Whale having nine power plays and Portland three, but neither team could capitalize on a man advantage. Play was one-sided early in Portland’s favor, as all the rubber was being fired Talbot’s way. Even an interference minor to Brown lead to little Whale offense, as Connecticut produced just one shot on the advantage and seemed unable to find the net in the early goings of the first period. Marek Hrivik was sent off for holding, and moments after the minor expired Portland cranked a sh... Fri, 16 Nov 2012 23:46:35 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/portland_pirates_2_connecticut_whale_1/12233158 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/portland_pirates_2_connecticut_whale_1/12233158 Portland Pirates 2, Connecticut Whale 1 http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/portland_pirates_2_connecticut_whale_1/12233158 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/8/8/8831cb4de46ea1b74fec03380454bcd17341c8d3/mini/Vancouver_Canucks_v_dd17.jpg WHL News The WHL continues its closing stretch with little movement in the standings but a lot of room for movement in the final weeks. In the East, the Edmonton Oil Kings have rattled off five straight wins to open up a six point difference between them and the second place Moose Jaw Warriors. The Brandon Wheat Kings meanwhile look like a safe bet to take the last playoff spot, opening up an eight point lead on the ninth place Red Deer Rebels. Seeding within the top eight however is certainly still to be determined with just four points separating fifth from eighth. In the West, the Portland Winterhawks, Kamloops Blazers, and Tri-City Americans remain in a struggle for top spot. The conference features a much clearer separation of powers with the top three clubs almost 20 points better than the fourth and fifth place Spokane Chiefs and Vancouver Giants, who in turn, are 20-30 points better than the driftwood holding down the final three playoff spots. Hot Spots After splitting a home-and-home series, the Win Wed, 07 Mar 2012 23:47:39 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/western_hockey_league_weekly_notebook_march_7/10258177 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/western_hockey_league_weekly_notebook_march_7/10258177 Western Hockey League weekly notebook | March 7 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/western_hockey_league_weekly_notebook_march_7/10258177 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png When the Rangers took small but skilled Michael St. Croix in the fourth round of this past draft, he went by without much fanfare. In my post draft recap, I noted that the diminutive winger had first round potential, but questions surrounding his play in all three zones made him drop to the fourth round. I did mention he could be a potential steal, and it looks like he could be just that, but his numbers aren’t as impressive as you might think. In 66 games in the very high scoring WHL, St. Croix has a whopping 98 points (41-57-98) and is an amazing +39. While those numbers are very impressive, even by WHL standards, the more impressive part is that St. Croix’s numbers have been improving like clockwork. His first full season –as a 16 year old– he produced 46 points, followed by 75 points in his sophomore season. Now with 98 points, St. Croix is approaching a level where he can completely dominate the WHL. But, that level has not been reached yet. Despite having 98 points, St. Croix ... Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:00:54 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/michael_st_croix_potential_2011_draft_day_steal/10253161 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/michael_st_croix_potential_2011_draft_day_steal/10253161 Michael St. Croix: Potential 2011 draft day steal? http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/michael_st_croix_potential_2011_draft_day_steal/10253161 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png