LEWISTON – How well does home ice advantage travel?

The Portland Pirates put that to the test Friday night. The state’s resident American Hockey League team made Lewiston’s Androscoggin Bank Colisee its home for the evening, and it seemed to pay off, with a 6-3 victory over Albany.

“It was fabulous,” said Pirates’ coach Kevin Dineen. “It was great. Right from this morning, we were treated very well here. The coaching staff gave us their offices. I think our players enjoyed the atmosphere here. It’s one of those unique experiences. “

The Pirates returned to Lewiston after a lengthy absence. Portland often played preseason exhibition games in Lewiston in the 1990’s, in the early years of its franchise. Vezina Trophy winner Jim Carey displayed his potential for brilliance here as a rookie while current NHL veteran Andrew Brunette made his first impression with Portland in this building. NHL Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier coached the Pirates here.

This is the first of two games the Pirates will play in Lewiston. Portland is scheduled to host Lowell on March 14. The Pirates will also play at Alfond Arena in Orono on Dec. 9. As part of the hockey partnership between the Pirates and Lewiston Maineiacs, the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland will host a pair of Maineiacs games against Quebec, Dec. 5 and 6.

“The crowd stood behind us pretty well,” said center Nathan Gerbe, who had two goals and an assist and was named the night’s No. 1 star. “You had the feel of a home game. They were rooting for you, but it had a different feel than the rink at home.”

For players that are accustomed to a hockey life on the road at various rinks, it was another stop among many. This one just had a friendlier climate than most.

“The fans were on our side,” said forward Mathieu Darche, whose goal in the second made it 4-2. “It’s not that big of a building. You don’t feel as home as you do in your own rink, but it was fine. We play where they tell us to play.”

Friday’s game wasn’t without its mishaps. The game drew a crowd of 2,444, and a half hour before the puck dropped, fire alarms rang throughout the building. While teams were on the ice warming up, fans were herded out of the building, only to be allowed back in moments later.

“We all had a little scare when the fire alarms started,” said Dineen. “It wasn’t like people were standing outside. When they came back in there were smiles on their faces.”

The fire department silenced the alarms and shutdown the strobe lights, but the Pirates kept the goal lights flashing the rest of the evening. Portland scored twice in less than a minute in the first period and struck three times in span of 2:42 in the second.

NHL veteran Dan LaCouture sparked the scoring barrage in the opening period with a power play goal for Albany at 3:30. Former Maineiac Jonathan Paiement assisted on the goal.

Portland tied the game at 9:38 when Marek Zagrapan backhanded a pass from the corner. The Pirates took the lead less than a minute later when Derek Whitmore wristed a shot home from the right circle. Albany tied it with 8:08 left in the period when Nicolas Blanchard’s shot bounced in off goaltender Jhonas Enroth.

Portland struck three times in the first 4:49 of the second. Mark Mancari started it off by intercepting a pass at center ice. Darche added another just after Albany’s power play ended at 3:39, chasing Albany starter Daniel Manzato. Gerbe made it 5-2 at 4:49. He scored off from a bad angle at the left post, banking the puck off goalie Justin Peters.

“Every line started picking up and rolling,” said Gerbe, who added an empty netter in the final seconds. “We started taking it to them in their end. You get your bounces when you do that.”

Albany featured a pair of former Maineiacs. Both Paiement and Stefan Chaput saw plenty of ice time for the Rats. Chaput received a hearty greeting by the home crowd when introduced as part of the Albany starting lineup. While Paiement assisted on the first Rats goal, Chaput had a helper on Albany’s final tally, a Jerome Samson goal with 2:30 left.

“It was a great experience,” said Chaput. “I never thought I’d play here again. It’s different being on the other side of the ice on the other bench, but it was fun. I loved it. I love playing here. I love the fans. I love the people here. It was a great experience for me.”