Portland, ME – This is starting to go beyond the point of absurd for the Portland Pirates when it comes to injuries.

Every time a player comes back from injury, it seems like two more players fall out of the lineup with injuries and they’re not your every day garden variety injuries.

Kyle Rank returned to the lineup after missing the last nine games with a leg injury, only to see the Pirates lose defenseman Paul Baier due to a broken jaw in last night’s game in Providence.

Late in the second period, Pirates’ forward Colton Fretter was called for a major penalty after an elbow to the head of Andrew Bodnarchuk, leading to several scrums breaking out on the ice including Baier and Bruins’ enforcer Adam McQuaid. The linesmen stepped in to break up the tussle, but never completely tied up McQuaid as he threw an overhand jab that caught Baier, who was defenseless, on the jaw.

Pirates’ head coach was unsure about supplementary discipline from the league, saying it was a mistake on the linesmen part, not completely tying up McQuaid.

Baier is expected to be out for some time with the injury, as a result Dineen has signed Cliff Loya from Wheeling of the ECHL.

Loya played four seasons with the UMaine Black Bears from 1999-2003. In 36 games with Wheeling, Loya has one goal, nine assists for 10 points. The 6-2, 190-pound defenseman has played six professional seasons, including a stop in Italy for two years.

Baier was not the only injury to hit the Pirates as Dylan Hunter is out with concussion like symptoms and is expected to be out for one-to-two weeks and Tim Kennedy, who did skate in the optional skate this morning, is listed as day-to-day with a hip contusion.