SHARKSPAGE

Ferriero, Stalock Lead WorSharks Over Manchester, 3-1

The Worcester Sharks got multiple point nights from three different players and another stellar goaltending performance from Alex Stalock to defeat the Manchester Monarchs 3-1 Friday night at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire in front of 4,014 fans. The win gives the WorSharks a sweep of their home and home series against their division rivals.

After a quick paced first period that saw each goaltender make a big save, the AHL’s newly installed two referee system reared its ugly head again slowing down the pace of play considerably as each team struggled to gain any sort of momentum in the penalty filled stanza. Luckily for Worcester they were the team that could capitalize, grabbing two second period goals.

Sean Sullivan had the first at 9:17 of the period with a nice video game style one timer to beat Monarchs netminder Jeff Zatkoff. Brandon Mashinter started the play with a nice rush into the Manchester zone, and his cross ice pass found Dan DaSilva breaking in along the right wing boards. DaSilva headed behind the net and threw a nice pass to Sullivan in the slot about 20 feet out for the lamp lighting blast.

Benn Ferriero, fresh off his recall to San Jose, would grab the second goal at 13:28 with a nice individual effort on the power play. Ferriero skated all alone down the right wing side into the Manchester zone and fired a laser of a wrist shot over Zatkoff for his eighth of the season. Sullivan and Jonathan Cheechoo would have the helpers.

Manchester would get within a goal with an Alec Martinez power play goal at 2:23 of the third, but after several big saves by Stalock Ferriero would ice the game for Worcester when he banged home a rebound of a Cheechoo shot. Zatkoff had made the original save easily, but the puck bounced right to Ferriero and he had all 24 square feet of net to shoot at. T.J. Trevelyan had the second assist. The Monarchs would continue to pressure the Worcester defense, but Stalock continued to rise to the challenge as Worcester was outshot 19-6 in the period and 38-19 overall.

After he hit a post last season Worcester fans are biting at the bit to have Stalock score a goal, and the second year netminder had another golden chance after the Monarchs pulled Zatkoff for an extra attacker, but hit latest attempt was just knocked away at center ice by the Manchester extra skater.

GAME NOTES
Earlier this week WorSharks rookie netminder Carter Hutton suffered an injury during practice–Bill Ballou of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette says it’s a “minor groin strain”–so Worcester has signed Riley Gill from Kalamazoo of the ECHL to a PTO to back Stalock up until Hutton is ready to play again. Hutton joins Tony Lucia (concussion) and Cam MacIntyre (groin) on the injury list. Joe Loprieno was the healthy scratch.

Worcester is now 2-0 this season when the two referee system is used, and in both games the officiating has severely impacted the game play. As has been noted before, this writer is not a fan of it being used in the AHL. The two refs for Friday night’s game were David Banfield, who splits time between the NHL and AHL and hasn’t been on WorSharks head coach Roy Sommer’s Christmas card list in some time, and Jamie Koharski, who at best can be called “wildly inconsistent”. The pair did get one important call correctly, showing Manchester’s Richard Clune the gate after he checked Worcester  rookie Matt Irwin from behind into the boards. According to the Monarchs Clune’s 26 penalty minutes on the game sets a season high for the team.

The three stars of the game were
1. WOR – 32 Alex Stalock (37 saves)
2. WOR – 37 Sean Sullivan (g,a)
3. MCH – 53 Alec Martinez (g)

How a player that scored two goals including the game winner isn’t a star of the game makes no sense, so I guess Benn Ferriero will have to be content with being the Sharkspage player of the game.

BOXSCORE
Worcester 0 2 1 – 3
Manchester 0 0 1 – 1

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Desjardins Wor (fighting), 9:49; Clune Mch (fighting), 9:49; Moller Mch (slashing), 11:25; Kaunisto Mch (hooking), 16:26; Schaus Wor (boarding), 19:42.

2nd Period-1, Worcester, Sullivan 3 (DaSilva, Mashinter), 9:17. 2, Worcester, Ferriero 8 (Sullivan, Cheechoo), 13:28 (PP). Penalties-Wingels Wor (boarding), 1:10; Mashinter Wor (interference), 3:59; Kozun Mch (goaltender interference), 6:00; Mashinter Wor (roughing), 9:35; Clune Mch (boarding, roughing), 9:35; Moller Mch (slashing), 12:21; Ferriero Wor (roughing), 14:54; Clune Mch (roughing), 14:54; Quirk Wor (tripping), 16:42; Moller Mch (hooking), 17:06; Wingels Wor (tripping), 18:04.

3rd Period-3, Manchester, Martinez 4 (Holloway, Azevedo), 2:23 (PP). 4, Worcester, Ferriero 9 (Cheechoo, Trevelyan), 15:20. Penalties-Cheechoo Wor (tripping), 2:14; Mashinter Wor (interference), 2:59; Clune Mch (major – boarding, game misconduct – boarding), 6:33; Petrecki Wor (delay of game), 15:28.

Shots on Goal-Worcester 6-7-6-19. Manchester 6-13-19-38.
Power Play Opportunities-Worcester 1/6; Manchester 1/9.
Goalies-Worcester, Stalock 5-4-1 (38 shots-37 saves). Manchester, Zatkoff 4-5-1 (19 shots-16 saves).
A-4,014
Referees-David Banfield (44), Jamie Koharski (84). Linesmen-Joe Ross (92), Joe Andrews (32).