SHARKSPAGE

WorSharks Salvage Weekend With 3-1 Victory Over Adirondack

The Worcester Sharks, coming off two embarrassing losses, finally put together three decent periods and got an outstanding goaltending performance from Carter Hutton to defeat the Adirondack Phantoms 3-1 Sunday afternoon at the DCU center in Worcester, Massachusetts in front of 5,003 fans.

After being blown out 7-2 Saturday night by the hapless Springfield Falcons the WorSharks knew they needed to pick up the intensity, and from the opening drop of the puck Worcester did everything they could to erase the foul taste of the weekend from their mouths. The reformed Crazed Rats line, this time with college try-out player Nathan Longpre at center, would strike first when Kevin Henderson would get a stick on Nick Petrecki’s blast and deflect it past Adirondack netminder Michael Leighton at 1:21. Dan DaSilva began the play by dumping the puck along the right wing boards to Petrecki at the left point.

Henderson would have another golden chance again about four minutes into the period when DaSilva threw a pass over to the onrushing forward, but his blast rang off the iron behind Leighton. It was one of three shots that would find the pipes for Worcester in the period.

At the other end of the ice Hutton was, unlike Saturday, his usual stellar self making many nice saves to keep the Phantoms off the board. None was better than the incredible glove save Hutton made on Tom Sestito, who had a yawning open net to shoot at with about 8 minutes to go in the opening period. Sestito’s blast was about a foot off the ice, and Hutton was able to get across the crease and flash the glove out to grab the puck right at the goal line. It happened so quickly that fans didn’t even react to the save until it was replayed on SharksVision.

Adirondack would get their lone goal of the contest early in the second period when Harry Zolnierczyk left a nifty drop pass in the high slot for Jonathon Kalinski, who fired a laser over the glove of Hutton and just inside the far corner at 3:59. The WorSharks would find themselves shorthanded three times for a total of eight minutes in the middle stanza, but good penalty killing and a couple of nice saves by Hutton kept the score even. The Phantoms would get another puck past Hutton at 6:24 of the period, but referee Gino Binda waved off the tally for the goal being off its pegs.

Worcester would get the eventual game winner off another Petrecki blast, this time from the right side. After a Sean Sullivan dump in from the left side DaSilva raced behind the net and forced the puck along the right wing boards to Petrecki. Like his earlier shot from the opposite side Petrecki unleashed a cannon shot that T.J. Trevelyan was able to get a piece of, and the puck slowly rolled over the goal line for the 2-1 lead at 11:46 of the third period. Sullivan was credited with the second assist, but it will likely be changed to DaSilva at some point.

Hutton made several stops to keep the WorSharks in the lead, and after an extended time with Leighton on the bench for an extra attacker and the Phantoms swarming the net Patrick Davis was able to out-muscle Adirondack defenseman Erik Gustafsson away from the puck and shot it into the empty net at 19:46. Any chance of a miracle comeback for the Phantoms was squashed when Binda called a bench minor for unsportsmanlike conduct against Adirondack just after the goal as the team was complaining he missed several penalties–and he did–in the wild scrum in front of Hutton just prior to the empty net tally.

With the win Worcester is now four points–and a tie breaker–behind the Connecticut Whale for the last Atlantic Division playoff spot with six regular season games remaining.

GAME NOTES
The WorSharks went with the same line-up all weekend, with Jon Landry being the only healthy scratch. Harri Sateri was the back-up netminder.

The three stars of the game were
1. WOR – 30 Carter Hutton (34 saves)
2. WOR – 24 T.J. Trevelyan (gwg)
3. ADK – 49 Michael Leighton (27 saves)

The Sharkspage player of the game was Patrick Davis

Even strength lines
McGinn/Ferriero/Davis
Mashinter/Wingels/McCarthy
Henderson/Longpre/DaSilva
McLaren/Quirk/Trevelyan

Moore/Sullivan
Petrecki/Loprieno
Irwin/Schaus

Penalty Kill lines
Ferriero/McGinn
McCarthy/Davis

Moore/Sullivan
Petrecki/Loprieno

Power Play lines
Wingels/McCarthy/McGinn
Henderson/Longpre/DaSilva

Petrecki/Ferriero
Sullivan/Moore

BOXSCORE
Adirondack 0 1 0 – 1
Worcester 1 0 2 – 3

1st Period-1, Worcester, Henderson 8 (Petrecki, DaSilva), 1:21. Penalties-Henderson Wor (hooking), 10:39; Marshall Adk (slashing), 19:39.

2nd Period-2, Adirondack, Kalinski 6 (Zolnierczyk, Syvret), 3:59. Penalties-Marshall Adk (roughing), 5:31; McLaren Wor (roughing), 5:31; Trevelyan Wor (boarding), 5:31; served by Trevelyan Wor (bench minor – too many men), 7:40; Longpre Wor (double minor – high-sticking), 10:00; Zolnierczyk Adk (roughing), 13:58; Sullivan Wor (roughing), 13:58.

3rd Period-3, Worcester, Trevelyan 16 (Petrecki, Sullivan), 11:46. 4, Worcester, Davis 7 (Moore, McGinn), 19:46 (EN). Penalties-Testwuide Adk (hooking), 6:58; Zolnierczyk Adk (roughing), 9:45; Moore Wor (roughing), 9:45; Hamel Adk (hooking), 14:20; served by Sestito Adk (bench minor – unsportsmanlike conduct), 19:46.

Shots on Goal-Adirondack 14-11-11-36. Worcester 5-7-18-30.
Power Play Opportunities-Adirondack 0/4; Worcester 0/4.
Goalies-Adirondack, Leighton 11-12-3 (29 shots-27 saves). Worcester, Hutton 10-5-2 (36 shots-35 saves).
A-5,003
Referees-Geno Binda (22). Linesmen-Scott Whittemore (96), Brian MacDonald (72).

One Response to “WorSharks Salvage Weekend With 3-1 Victory Over Adirondack”