Manchester, New Hampshire - The Manchester Monarchs dealt the Pirates a 2-1 loss and leapfrogged the Pirates into third place in the Atlantic Division.

The Pirates and Monarchs stayed scoreless through the first 19:24 of the game, before Manchester got on the board. Brian Boyle took a feed from Marty Murray below the goal line on the right wing and cut to the front of the net. He jammed the puck past Portland netminder Jhonas Enroth to put the Monarchs on top 1-0. Boyle's 7th of the year was assisted by Murray and the Monarchs took a 1-0 lead into the second period.

The Pirates evened the score in the second period when Colin Murphy centered a feed to Marek Zagrapan. Zagrapan beat Manchester goaltender Jonathan Bernier on a wrist shot to tie the game at one. Murphy got the only assist on the only goal of the period. Zagrapan's 16th of the year came at 13:14 of the second and the Pirates and Monarchs were tied at 1-1 going into the third period.

In the third period, Manchester got the deciding goal on a power play. The puck bounced free in front of the net after Jhonas Enroth made the initial save and Marty Murray poked it home for his 11th goal of the season at 13:41 of the third. Matt Moulson and Gabe Gauthier picked up the helpers and the Monarchs took a 2-1 lead.

Portland goaltender Jhonas Enroth took the loss, stopping 22 of 24 shots. Jonathan Bernier made 25 saves on 26 shots to earn the win.

Allied Home Mortgage Three Stars of the Game: 1. Marty Murray (MCH) 2. Jonathan Bernier (MCH) 3. Jhonas Enroth (POR)

Notes: The Pirates four game point streak ended tonight...Manchester moves into third place in the Atlantic Division while the Pirates slide to fourth... Attendance: 7,226.

The Pirates next game is Tuesday, March 10th, when the Pirates host the Binghamton Senators at 7:00 pm. It will be a 2-for-Tuesday, so when fans buy two tickets to the game they get two free. There are only 2,000 of those special promotional tickets available, so get yours today! Flex tickets cannot be used for this promotion. The Pirates, WCYY and the Portland Phoenix will host a local musical performance at the Stadium Restaurant and Sports Bar in downtown Portland from 6-7 p.m. A private networking session for members of the Maine Academy of Modern Music and the Portland Music Foundation will begin at 5 p.m. The musical performance, open to the public, starts at 6 p.m. The three bands from the Maine Academy of Modern Music that will perform are the Rotisserrie Children, Phantom Companion and Apollo 99. The event is brought to you by the Portland Music Foundation and the Maine Academy of Modern Music.

Fans can follow the Pirates on U.S. Cellular Pirates Radio Network or watch the game LIVE on the internet courtesy of AHL Live by clicking the icon on the left side of the home page. The U.S. Cellular Pirates Radio Network includes the Pirates flagship station, the Bay 1400AM and 1490AM (Portland) and affiliates WEZR 1240 AM (Lewiston-Auburn), WTME 780AM (Rumford) and WKTQ 1450AM (South Paris).