SHARKSPAGE

WorSharks let another one slip away, get Crunched by Syracuse 4-2

The Worcester Sharks went into Syracuse looking to get back to even on their four game road trip and improve on their playoff aspirations, but sloppy play in their own zone and the continued inability to put the puck in the net sent them home loser 4-2 to the Syracuse Crunch at the Onondaga County War Memorial at Oncenter in Syracuse, New York in front of a crowd of 5,030.

The lack of a true goal scorer on the team was most evident in the early minutes of the first period when the WorSharks jumped out to a 7-0 lead in shots on goal but couldn’t find the back of the net. It took until the 9:30 mark of the period for Syracuse to get its first shot, and it wasn’t long until the Crunch were near to even in the shots department.

Lately the WorSharks have been giving up goals in bunches, and that continued in Syracuse when the Crunch turned two turnovers into goals just 34 seconds apart late in the opening period. John Mitchell had the first goal at 17:57 with an unassisted tally after he stole the puck right off the stick of Worcester defenseman Brian O’Hanley and beat WorSharks goaltender Tyson Sexsmith five hole. A few seconds later Worcester turnover in the neutral zone sent Syracuse rushing into the WorSharks zone, where Kyle Palmieri made Worcester captain Mike Moore look like a traffic cone and Palmieri’s shot beat Sexsmith to the stick side at 18:31.

A late penalty to Ryan O’Marra would give the WorSharks a chance to get within one, and not only did they do so they managed to get back to even just a handful of seconds later. Worcester’s first goal was scored by Tim Kennedy, who hit a yawning net after a rebound landed right at his feet. The play began with Matt Irwin blazing a shot on net, but the puck never reached Crunch netminder Iiro Tarkki and instead hit the traffic out in front of the net. John McCarthy grabbed the loose puck, but Tarkki made a nice save on the bid. The rebound went right to Kennedy who didn’t miss just 37 seconds into the second stanza.

Brian O’Hanley got the WorSharks even when he took a Brandon Mashinter pass and fired a laser from the face-off circle that beat Tarkki at 1:24. Nathan Moon had the second assist. The goal is O’Hanley’s first on the season, leaving just Taylor Doherty as the only Worcester “regular” without a goal in the current campaign.

One play late in the second period earned the WorSharks a two man advantage to start the third period when Mike Moore crashed the net and was crosschecked by Matt Smaby, and in the ensuing fracas Jean-Francois Jacques was hit with an additional roughing minor. Due to a penalty time keeper’s error the second period was actually ended twice–this writer cannot adequately explain how messed up that whole situation was–but with a fresh sheet of ice Worcester was looking to take their first lead of the night. Instead what they got was very few shots on goal and the ones they did take Tarkki was there to keep the game even.

The momentum of the penalty kill lit a fire under the Crunch, who swarmed the WorSharks zone. Sexsmith made several nice saves but the Crunch were able to capitalize at 6:36 when Andrew Gordon lit the lamp while the Worcester defense stood around and failed to clear out the front of Sexsmith’s net. Palmieri added a back breaker, his 30th of the season, at 11:07 while the Worcester defense again stood around in their own zone.

Worcester would get one more chance to make a game of it with a late power play, but with Sexsmith pulled to an extra attacker for a six on four advantage the WorSharks somehow managed to not even get a shot on goal. The trip ended with Worcester going 1-3, with all three losses being games the team should have won.

GAME NOTES
Worcester’s scratches were Ben Guite (concussion),Tony Lucia (concussion), Sena Acolatse (facial injury), Frazer McLaren (groin), Curt Gogol (concussion), Cam MacIntyre (concussion), Mike Connolly (ill), Ryan Del Monte (family issues), and Alex Stalock (healthy). Connolly was scheduled to play, and at one point was even listed int he boxscore, but was unable to take the ice due to an illness. Del Monte was away due to a death in his family. Harri Sateri was the back-up netminder.

The Onondaga County War Memorial at Oncenter in Syracuse is a very old building, so old that it has an ice surface smaller the the standard 200’x85′. Word is it’s closer to 190′ long. It also wasn’t built with TV in mind, as the video from the building is at suck a steep angle it’s hard to identify the player with the puck.

The three stars of the game were
1. SYR – Palmieri (2g)
2. SYR – Tarkki (42 saves)
3. SYR – Gordon (gwg)

The Sharkspage player of the game was Nathan Moon.

BOXSCORE

Worcester 0 2 0 – 2
Syracuse 2 0 2 – 4

1st Period-1, Syracuse, Mitchell 5 17:57. 2, Syracuse, Palmieri 29 (Holzapfel, Jacques), 18:31. Penalties-O’Marra Syr (hooking), 18:51.

2nd Period-3, Worcester, Kennedy 6 (McCarthy, Irwin), 0:37 (PP). 4, Worcester, O’Hanley 1 (Mashinter, Moon), 1:24. Penalties-Pelech Wor (slashing), 4:48; Moon Wor (roughing, fighting), 7:01; Bodie Syr (kneeing, fighting), 7:01; Holzapfel Syr (holding), 8:31; Moore Wor (holding), 16:49; Carle Syr (tripping), 17:55; Moore Wor (fighting), 19:34; Jacques Syr (roughing, fighting), 19:34; Smaby Syr (cross-checking), 19:34.

3rd Period-5, Syracuse, Gordon 3 (Carle, McMillan), 6:36. 6, Syracuse, Palmieri 30 (Maroon, Fraser), 11:07. Penalties-Doherty Wor (fighting), 5:47; Bodie Syr (fighting), 5:47; Clark Syr (tripping), 13:54; Mitchell Syr (tripping), 18:12.

Shots on Goal-Worcester 12-15-17-44. Syracuse 9-6-11-26.
Power Play Opportunities-Worcester 1 / 7; Syracuse 0 / 2.
Goalies-Worcester, Sexsmith 10-10-5 (26 shots-22 saves). Syracuse, Tarkki 11-13-4 (44 shots-42 saves).
A-5,030
Referees-Graham Skilliter (48).
Linesmen-Peter Feola (33), Dan Murphy (21).