SHARKSPAGE

WorSharks Feast On Whale With 2-1 Victory Over Connecticut

The Worcester Sharks got a flukey goal early and then almost made it stand up for the rest of the game until being forced into a shootout, where they prevailed to defeat the Connecticut Whale 2-1 Wednesday night at the DCU center in Worcester, Massachusetts in front of an intimate crowd of 2,171.

The Whale, playing their first road game since their mid-season name change from the Hartford Wolf Pack and in green and blue uniforms similar to the old Hartford Whalers, started the game on the power play after Andrew Desjardins was called for tripping just 10 seconds into the contest. In a precursor of things to come, Connecticut would get just a single shot on goal with the man advantage. Despite combining for 43 shots in the game, neither team generated many significant scoring chances. In fact, Worcester’s lone tally in regulation wouldn’t have even been counted as a scoring chance had it not taken a lucky bounce and gone in.

After Worcester was trapped in their own zone Dan DaSilva found Kevin Henderson streaking up the right wing side. DaSilva’s cross ice pass hit Henderson in stride as the WorSharks broke out of their zone three on one. The Worcester rush was an odd one in more than just numbers with Henderson, who entered the game with just three goals in his first 84 pro games, leading the rush up the right with offensive minded defenseman Nick Schaus in the middle and newly signed defensive defenseman Jody Pederson streaking down the left wing against Whale defenseman Tomas Kundratek. Henderson elected to shoot the puck from the right circle instead of risking a pass that might send the Whale off on their own odd man rush against his forward line mates. Henderson’s shot ate up Connecticut netminder Chad Johnson, hitting him between the glove and his elbow and bounding high into the air. The Whale defense drove to the net trying to knock the puck away, but it landed in the net at 11:36 of the first. Cory Quirk had the second assist on the goal.

That single goal looked like it might stand up despite hemming Worcester into its zone for long stretches of time as the Whale couldn’t generate many scoring chances for themselves, and when they did WorSharks goaltender Alex Stalock was there to make the save. Connecticut center Chad Kolarik had the best of all the chances with a breakaway chance with just over a minute remaining in the second period, but his blast that beat Stalock found the iron to the left of the netminder and bounced way harmlessly.

The frustrations of both squads boiled over just after the horn to end the second period sounded when Ryan Garlock threw a hit on the WorSharks Joe Loprieno, who was playing up at forward again on Worcester’s fourth line. Loprieno and Garlock exchanged a few gloved blows when Jared Nightingale dropped his gloves and jumped into the fray. The Whale defenseman was lucky enough to not get an automatic ejection for being the third man into the altercation as the referees gave Nightingale an instigator minor to go along with the fighting major, effectively putting him out for the third period with the ten minutes misconduct but saving him the fine for being thrown out. Loprieno received a fighting and roughing minor, but inexplicably Garlock escaped unscathed.

Connecticut would continue to keep pressure on Worcester, and they would finally get one past Stalock when Kundratek launched a 45 foot slapshot past the screened netminder to knot the game 1-1 with just 4:20 remaining in regulation. The WorSharks would have two golden chances to win the game at the end of regulation and at the end of the overtime period, but couldn’t get a shot off on either power play chance. In the shootout Jonathan Cheechoo would beat Johnson on Worcester’s first attempt, and Kundratek would beat Stalock again to make it even after five shooters. DaSilva would end it for the WorSharks when he beat Johnson to the stick side to light the lamp and give Worcester a 2-1 victory.

GAME NOTES
With all the injuries in San Jose there have been several transactions in the last few days for the WorSharks, with Worcester signing rookie defenseman Jody Pederson to a PTO from the Elmira Jackals of the ECHL and releasing forward Jim McKenzie from his PTO and sending him back to Stockton (ECHL). With Carton Hutton being available to play again Riley Gill was sent packing again for Kalamazoo (ECHL). The Worcester/San Jose shuttle was also in service the last few days, with Mike Moore heading to the west coast and Tommy Wingles heading back east. Cam MacIntyre, Tony Lucia, and Frazer McLaren are all still on the injured list and did not dress.

With nearly every player using a composite stick now it’s become a very common sight to see a broken stick on the ice, but Jay Leach may have set a record by not only breaking his own stick while killing a penalty, but also breaking Andrew Desjardins stick after the forward passed his back to the defenseman. Leach broke his on the right wing half boards after throwing a hit there, and as play went on Desjardins handed over his stick to the WorSharks captain. Leach then went on to break that stick after a pile up in front of the net, but probably should have been more aware of where he was standing as when he dropped the broken end to the ice as required it landed right in front of Stalock. Along with Bill Ballou’s post game comments on the game the Telegram and Gazette has a photo of Stalock tripping over the discarded stick.

Along with his 17 penalty minutes served in the third period Jared Nightingale also served a matching double minor for roughing with Andrew Desjardins in the first stanza. With this writer taking up his normal perch about halfway between the penalty boxes and press row the shouting match between the two, which lasted nearly the entire time they were in the box, was clearly audible and not exactly “family friendly”.

Matthew Majikas filled in for George Brown as the DCU center’s normal PA announcer was unavailable. Majikas is the former PA announcer for the Worcester Tornadoes of the Can-Am baseball league and is now a current account executive for The Sports Hub WBZ-FM 98.5 in Boston.

The three stars of the game were
1. WOR – 23 Dan DaSilva (a, shootout game winner)
2. WOR – 47 Kevin Henderson (g)
3. CT – 84 Tomas Kundratek (g)

The Sharkspage player of the game was T.J. Trevelyan

Even strength lines
Cheechoo/Zalewski/Trevelyan
Mashinter/Wingles/Marcou
Henderson/Desjardins/DaSilva
Pitton/Quirk/Loprieno

Petrecki/Sullivan
Leach/Irwin
Schaus/Pederson

Penalty Kill Lines
Desjardins(Mashinter)/Henderson
Quirk/Wingles
Zalewski/Trevelyan

Leach/Sullivan
Petrecki/Schaus

Power Play Lines
Marcou/Cheechoo/Trevelyan
Mashinter/Zalewski/Wingles

Irwin/Sullivan
Petrecki/Schaus

BOXSCORE
Connecticut 0 0 1 0 – 1
Worcester 1 0 0 0 – 2

1st Period-1, Worcester, Henderson 2 (DaSilva, Quirk), 11:36. Penalties-Desjardins Wor (tripping), 0:10; Nightingale Ct (roughing, roughing), 8:39; Desjardins Wor (roughing, roughing), 8:39; Loprieno Wor (boarding), 14:49; Bickel Ct (roughing), 19:10.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Quirk Wor (tripping), 13:36; Newbury Ct (cross-checking), 14:36; Nightingale Ct (instigating, fighting, misconduct – instigating), 20:00; Loprieno Wor (roughing, fighting), 20:00.

3rd Period-2, Connecticut, Kundratek 2 (Newbury, Valentenko), 15:40. Penalties-Bickel Ct (elbowing), 11:06; Bickel Ct (holding the stick), 18:11.

OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Redden Ct (hooking), 3:52.

Shootout – Connecticut 1 (Zuccarello NG, Williams NG, Kolarik NG, Kundratek G, Kennedy NG, Grachev NG), Worcester 2 (Cheechoo G, Trevelyan NG, Mashinter NG, Wingels NG, Zalewski NG, DaSilva G).
Shots on Goal-Connecticut 7-7-9-0-0-23. Worcester 7-5-7-0-1-20.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 0/3; Worcester 0/5.
Goalies-Connecticut, Johnson 6-10-3 (19 shots-18 saves). Worcester, Stalock 10-8-1 (23 shots-22 saves).
A-2,171
Referees-Jean Hebert (43), Terry Koharski (10). Linesmen-Todd Whittemore (70), Jack Millea (23).