SHARKSPAGE

Sateri steals two points for WorSharks in 3-2 OT win over Bridgeport

The Worcester Sharks played what looked to be their worst game of the young season so far but thanks to some incredible saves by Harri Sateri and a great overtime period the WorSharks were able to defeat the Bridgeport Sound Tigers 3-2 in extra time Friday night at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut in front of an announced crowd of 4,835.

Almost all goaltenders say they like to see a couple shots early so they can get into the flow of the game, and Sateri didn’t have long to wait to turn aside Bridgeport’s first scoring chance when David Ullstrom was sent in alone on a breakaway just seconds into the contest. The right shoulder save seemed to stun Sateri for a moment or two, but it obviously didn’t have any long term affects as the Finnish rookie would go on to tie his career high with 33 saves.

A little later in the period Sateri would have another great save, this time on Tim Wallace as he broke in on a two on one with Casey Cizikas. Sandwiched by the two great saves Sateri would get a little help when Jeremy Colliton rang a shot off the crossbar on a partial breakaway.

Despite surrendering several odd man rushes and generally being outplayed it would be the WorSharks grabbing the first goal of the game when Mike Moore banged a puck home past Sound Tigers netminder Mikko Koskinen at 11:09 of the opening period. With Ben Guite in the box for high sticking Tommy Wingels broke into the Bridgeport zone with John McCarthy and fired a shot on net that was blocked by defenseman Ty Wishart. Moore swooped in and plucked the puck out of the air, and after a couple of swats at the puck backhanded it into the net. Worcester has scored first in all five games they have played.

Wallace would have another great chance on Sateri with a shorthanded bid of his own, but the netminder was able to get the five hole closed in time to deflect the breakaway shot wide of the goal. Sateri would also come up big when he broke up a close-in two on none chance when he was able to smother the puck before Justin DiBenedetto could make a play on it.

The second period was more of the same for Worcester as they gave up several odd man rushes against, although unlike the opening stanza the defense was able to break up many of those chances to keep Bridgeport’s scoring chances down. Unfortunately if you keep giving up odd man rushes it will come back to haunt you, and that’s what happened with just 22.5 seconds left in the period with the Sound Tigers on the power play. Wallace finally found the score sheet when he sent Tony Romano into the zone for a short two on one with DiBenedetto. Romano’s blast went over Sateri’s glove and into the net to knot the game 1-1.

Early in the third period Ullstrom had another great scoring bid on a play that looked offside by a yard or more, but Sateri was able to stuff the breakaway chance to keep the score even. It was another odd man rush at 7:22 that would give Bridgeport their first lead of the contest after Sateri turned aside a scoring chance but allowed the rebound to bounce right to the onrushing Wishart, who buried the puck into the yawning net.

Sateri would again come up big to keep the WorSharks within one when he stoned Sean Backman on a great stick save with about nine minutes to go in the contest. That save would turn into a big one as Worcester would continue to battle to tie the game, and it would again be the smallest player on the team that would come up big.

McCarthy grabbed a loose puck at the halfboards and flipped it up to the blue line to James Livingston, who was covering for Sean Sullivan. Livingstone fired a one-timer on net toward the screen Sullivan was setting but Koskinen was able to make an easy blocker save. Fortunately for the WorSharks Connolly was standing in the slot and batted the rebound out of the air and into the net at 14:14.

Worcester would have one great chance to grab the game winner in regulation when McCarthy had a partial wrap around and jammed the puck toward the far post, but Koskinen was able to hold his post to keep it knotted 2-2. It was a whole different story in the Worcester end where the Sound Tigers had several golden chances. Sateri was called upon to make a great save on Cizikas after Sullivan threw a huge hit on the blueline and the winger broke in free with the puck. Sateri also had to stand tall in the waning seconds of regulation to get the WorSharks into the overtime stanza.

It looked like the WorSharks had won the game early in overtime when Moore gathered a loose puck and tucked it under Koskinen’s right pad and into the net before the net came off the pegs but referee Chris Cozzan, who was out of position, waved off the goal. Video replay, which the AHL does not use in game, shows the goal should have counted.

Despite the terrible call the WorSharks wouldn’t give up, and Sean Sullivan’s blast from the slot at 4:22 that beat Koskinen left no doubt that game winner would stand up. Connolly and Matt Irwin would have the assists on the goal.

GAME NOTES
Worcester’s healthy scratches were Sena Acolatse and Tony Lucia. Marek Viedensky is the only player on the injury list, but all reports point to him being ready to play soon. Tyson Sexsmith was the back-up netminder.

In something this writer has never seen before, Ben Guite, Mike Moore, and Harri Sateri all lost their sticks on the same play early in the third period. The WorSharks were able to clear the puck away without surrendering a scoring chance.

San Jose fans will recognize the name Ty Wishart, the team’s first round draft pick (16th overall) in the 2006 draft. Wishart has never made it as an NHL regular, but he’s been traded in exchange for a couple of pretty good ones. In the summer of 2008 San Jose traded him to Tampa Bay as part of the deal that sent Dan Boyle to the Sharks. In early 2011 the Lightning traded him off to the New York Islanders in a straight up deal for Dwayne Roloson.

The game saw one fight, with Cam MacIntyre (6’1” 205#) laying a pounding on Steve Oleksy (6′ 195#). MacIntyre bloodied Olesky and both players went off to their respective locker rooms after the bout. Each returned to the penalty box in cleaned jerseys long before their majors expired.

Home town scoring says Bill Ballou of the T&G is the best AHL beat writer there is, so Michael Fornabaio of the Connecticut Post won’t mind the bias if I mention him as the number two on that list. You can check out Fornabaio’s Bridgeport information online at ctpost.com and on twitter at @fornabaioctp.

The three stars of the game were
1. WOR – Sullivan (gwg)
2. WOR – Sateri (33 saves)
3. BRI – Koskinen (28 saves)

The Sharkspage player of the game was Mike Connolly.

Even Strength Lines
Connolly/Moon/Reid
Mashinter/Guite/MacIntyre
Wingels/McCarthy/Livingston
Bonneau/Del Monte/Gogol

Petrecki/Doherty
Irwin/Sullivan
Moore/Pelech

Power Play Lines
Connolly/Moon/Reid
Mashinter/Guite/MacIntyre
Wingels/McCarthy/Livingston

Irwin/Sullivan
Moore/Petrecki

Penalty Kill Lines
Guite(Livingston)/McCarthy
Del Monte/Wingels
Livingston/Gogol

Irwin/Sullivan
Moore/Petrecki

BOXSCORE

Worcester 1 0 1 1 – 3
Bridgeport 0 1 1 0 – 2

1st Period-1, Worcester, Moore 1 (Wingels), 11:09 (SH). Penalties-MacIntyre Wor (fighting), 2:06; Oleksy Bri (fighting), 2:06; Ullstrom Bri (boarding), 3:00; Guite Wor (high-sticking), 9:14; DiBenedetto Bri (boarding), 12:05; Bonneau Wor (roughing), 17:22.

2nd Period-2, Bridgeport, Romano 1 (Wallace, de Haan), 19:37 (PP). Penalties-Mashinter Wor (slashing), 5:37; Guite Wor (tripping), 17:45.

3rd Period-3, Bridgeport, Wishart 1 (Colliton, Marcinko), 7:22. 4, Worcester, Connolly 5 (McCarthy, Livingston), 14:14. Penalties-Colliton Bri (hooking), 5:14; Gogol Wor (roughing), 14:21; de Haan Bri (roughing), 14:21.

OT Period-5, Worcester, Sullivan 2 (Connolly, Irwin), 4:22. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Worcester 11-10-8-2-31. Bridgeport 13-9-10-3-35.
Power Play Opportunities-Worcester 0 / 3; Bridgeport 1 / 4.
Goalies-Worcester, Sateri 2-0-0 (35 shots-33 saves). Bridgeport, Koskinen 0-1-0 (31 shots-28 saves).
A-4,835
Referees-Chris Cozzan (18).
Linesmen-Derek Wahl (46), Luke Galvin (2).