SHARKSPAGE

WorSharks quickly becoming the gang that can’t shoot straight

The Worcester Sharks twice battled back from one goal deficits but couldn’t do it a third time in dropping a 3-2 Sunday afternoon contest to the Providence Bruins at the DCU center in Worcester, Massachusetts in front of 5,402 fans.

A day after throwing 47 shots on goal against Manchester the WorSharks put 49 on the board against the P-Bruins with the same result; not enough of them going into the net. Another problem for Worcester is their power play, which after Sunday’s game has now gone 19 chances in a row without scoring, and on many of those chances the WorSharks haven’t come close to connecting.

After a scoreless first period Providence would jump into the lead when Zach Hamill received a nice pass through the slot from Zach McKelvie and banged it home just inside the post to the right of WorSharks goaltender Harri Sateri at 4:41.

Benn Ferriero tied the game for Worcester with a “right place, right time” goal at 10:08 of the period when he banged a rebound home past P-Bruins netminder Anton Khudobin. The play began with Tommy Wingels carrying the puck down the right wing side and firing a centering feed to Mike Connolly. With Ferriero streaking to the net Connolly fired a shot that Khudobin saved but kicked the puck right on the tape of Ferriero’s stick.

Providence would put the WorSharks down a goal again at 8:37 of the middle period after Calle Ridderwall forced a Ferriero turnover at the Worcester blue line and fed the puck into the left corner to Kevan Miller, who skated across the slot and backhanded a shot through the five hole of Sateri.

Worcester would once again pull even on the strength of another pass into the slot from the side boards. This time it was Sean Sullivan carrying the puck down the left side, and while everyone was focused on Tony Lucia crashing the net Sullivan threw a lazy pass into the slot to John McCarthy. The winger held the puck for a split second before firing a low blast on net that beat Khudobin to the stick side. Lucia did earn an assist on the goal for his original feed to Sullivan.

But just 17 seconds later and before McCarthy’s goal was even announced Providence surged back into the lead when Carter Camper deflected Andrew Bodnarchuk’s blue line shot past Sateri at 10:04. The WorSharks would have a power play late in the third when Colby Cohen cleared the puck over the glass that missed this writer by inches–the penalty being for delay of game and not for missing me with the clear–and Worcester did everything under the sun for those two minutes except one thing: score.

And that’s something they’re just not doing enough of lately.

GAME NOTES
Worcester had three healthy scratches: Jimmy Bonneau, James Livingston, and Matt Pelech. Tyson Sexsmith was the back-up netminder. It unfortunately looks like Mike Moore may be joining Ryan Del Monte and Ben Guite on the injury list with an “upper body injury” after taking a stick to the head during the first period. Sean Sullivan also needed some help getting back to the bench late in the game after a pile-up in front of the Providence net, but he was back out on the ice at the first opportunity he was able to do so.

There was one fight in the contest, with Curt Gogol and Jamie Tardif doing battle after all ten players got together just before a face-off in the P-bruins end. The teams combined for 78 penalty minutes, including four 10 minute misconducts.

The three stars of the game were:
1. PRO – Camper (g,a)
2. PRO – Khudobin (47 saves)
3. WOR – McCarthy (g)

The Sharkspage player of the game is John McCarthy.

Even strength lines
Connolly/Wingels/Ferriero
Mashinter/Viedensky/Reid
McCarthy/Lucia/MacIntyre
McLaren/Moon/Gogol

Irwin/Sullivan
Petrecki/Doherty
Moore/Acolatse

BOXSCORE

Providence 0 2 1 – 3
Worcester 0 1 1 – 2

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Camper Pro (hooking), 3:36; MacDonald Pro (tripping), 9:16; Sauve Pro (roughing), 13:02; Tardif Pro (fighting), 13:02; Gogol Wor (fighting), 13:02; McLaren Wor (roughing), 13:02; Connolly Wor (goaltender interference), 17:47; MacDermid Pro (roughing), 18:59; Ferriero Wor (roughing), 18:59; Miller Pro (roughing), 20:00; Connolly Wor (roughing), 20:00; Gogol Wor (roughing), 20:00.

2nd Period-1, Providence, Hamill 6 (McKelvie, Camper), 4:41. 2, Worcester, Ferriero 3 (Connolly, Wingels), 10:08. 3, Providence, Miller 1 (Ridderwall, MacDonald), 18:37. Penalties-McLaren Wor (goaltender interference), 5:46; Tardif Pro (tripping), 18:52.

3rd Period-4, Worcester, McCarthy 2 (Sullivan, Lucia), 9:47. 5, Providence, Camper 4 (MacDermid, Bodnarchuk), 10:04. Penalties-Bartkowski Pro (misconduct – continuing altercation), 3:18; Sauve Pro (misconduct – continuing altercation), 3:18; Gogol Wor (misconduct – continuing altercation), 3:18; Moon Wor (misconduct – continuing altercation), 3:18; Doherty Wor (roughing), 5:55; Cohen Pro (delay of game), 14:50.

Shots on Goal-Providence 6-10-10-26. Worcester 15-13-21-49.
Power Play Opportunities-Providence 0 / 4; Worcester 0 / 4.
Goalies-Providence, Khudobin 7-6-0 (49 shots-47 saves). Worcester, Sateri 3-2-0 (26 shots-23 saves).
A-5,402
Referees-Graham Skilliter (48).
Linesmen-Matt MacPherson (83), Scott Whittemore (96).