MENTOR, Ohio --Rocky River returned to the ice Friday after a nine-day layoff, and the Pirates were bested 3-1 by the Mentor Cardinals.

River scored first in the game and would double up their Mentor counterparts in shots on goal for the night. But the Cardinals tripled up the Pirates on the scoreboard in winning the Greater Cleveland League Red Division tussle. Mentor is now 3-0 against Rocky River this season, 2-0 in league play.

Senior assistant captain Jack Davis netted his first career goal 61 seconds into the contest. Davis planted the goal on assists from Sean McDonough and A.J. Ritvo. For McDonough, the assist continued a streak: he now has helpers in four straight games.

The Pirates would not light the lamp again the rest of the way.

Mentor answered with a goal eight minutes in to tie the game at 1-1. A dangerous Pirate power play -- one that went into the contest with a success rate of 46.7% (14-of-30) -- failed to cash in on a five-minute opportunity late in the first and early in the second. The Cardinals scored a go-ahead goal at 12:27 of the second period. That 2-1 score would hang on the board much the rest of the way. Mentor tidied up with a final goal 38 seconds before the final horn in closing out the 3-1 victory.

The Pirates outshot the Cardinals 17-9 over their scoreless second and third periods.

The game at Mentor was the start of a busy weekend for the Sons of Blackbeard. On Saturday, River will host a 4:10 game against Avon and then travel to Ries Ice Rink in Parma, Ohio, for the four-team Great Lakes Conference Tournament. That event will be contested Saturday night and Sunday. The Pirates will play at 8:45 p.m. Saturday and 5:30 p.m. Sunday.