SHARKSPAGE

WorSharks stumble way to 5-4 shootout win over Providence

The Worcester Sharks took three different one goal leads Friday night against the Providence Bruins and couldn’t hold any of them, while the Baby B’s had the same problem with their only lead of the game as the division rivals went to and through an overtime period tied 4-4 and into a shootout where Dan DaSilva and Freddie Hamilton connected for the WorSharks and goaltender Troy Grosenick was a perfect four for four in giving the Worcester Sharks the 5-4 win and a rare victory at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island in front of a crowd of 9,363.

WorSharks forward Freddie Hamilton (#12) scored the opening first period goal for
Worcester and the closing shootout goal to give the WorSharks a 5-4 win. He also
added two assists in the contest and was the first star of the game.
File photo courtesy of TEAMSHRED

This is where we usually insert the highlights package, but apparently the Providence Bruins decided not to put one out at the usual–and league required–sites. Perhaps there were issues and for some reason they couldn’t put one together. Although it does seem to happen only when they lose. Hmmm. At least their press release on the game was on their official site’s front page. Oh yeah, it wasn’t. Surely just a coincidence.

Scratches for the WorSharks were Jimmy Bonneau, Sena Acolatse (leg), JP Anderson (hand), Nick Petrecki, and Lane Scheidl. The backup goaltender was Harri Sateri. The NHL trade deadline was Wednesday, and in a minor move for the organization that was a bigger move for Worcester the Sharks dealt James Livingston to the L.A. Kings for a conditional 7th round draft pick. Livingston, who has a bobblehead night Saturday, reported to the Manchester Monarchs. Matt Pelech played for the first time in 25 games Friday night after breaking his hand, and played defense.

If Petrecki, who the WorSharks listed as a healthy scratch but beat reporter Bill Ballou of the T&G has listed as having a back injury, is unable to play Saturday the WorSharks may have to dip into the ECHL for a defenseman as captain Rob Davison was injured during the overtime period blocking a shot while Worcester was shorthanded. Davison shed his gloves before even reaching the bench, and after a few moment on the bench with his hand bleeding badly was sent off to the locker room. A Boston Bruins blogger at the game and with a good view of the situation speculated on the extent of the injury in a text to this writer–which we will not share until confirmed–but called what he saw “(blanking) awful”.

In other transactional news, with the NHL trade deadline on Wednesday at 3pm EST the AHL also had it’s roster deadline at the same time. The rule allows only players on AHL rosters at the deadline to participate in the AHL for the remainder of the season. The San Jose Sharks assigned both Matt Tennyson and Matt Nieto to the AHL just before the deadline and recalled them just after making both eligible. Because San Jose received no salary cap relief for the transactions neither player was required to report to Worcester. The recall of both counts against the four non-emergency recalls that San Jose gets to use post trade deadline, but with unlimited emergency recalls and the other newer roster rules in the current CBA San Jose shouldn’t (and won’t) have any issue getting players as needed. To complete the record, the AHL’s trade deadline is this upcoming Wednesday at 3pm EDT.

The WorSharks have had issues giving up goals on the first shot of games, doing it about a half dozen times this season. A couple games ago a Worcester fan jokingly (or maybe not so jokingly) tweeted that the WorSharks decided to change things up a little and give up a goal on the first shot of the second period. Neither of those things happened Friday night, but instead it was the first–and for a huge portion of the stanza, only–shot of the third period that tied the score for the P-Bruins.

BTW, the last Worcester Sharks OT goal? January 11, 2013 by Nick Petrecki vs Springfield. The WorSharks have lost their last six games that were decided in the five minute sudden death period. They’re 8-1 in the shootout this season.

The three stars of the game were
1. WOR – 12 Freddie Hamilton (g,2a,SO game winner)
2. PRO – 13 Alexander Khokhlachev (g,a)
3. PRO – 47 Malcolm Subban (no idea why; gave up four goals and allowed two in the shootout)

The Sharkspage player of the game was Yanni Gourde.

Even strength lines
Gourde/Oleksuk/Hamilton
McCarthy/Kearns/DaSilva
Hayes/Rau/Tarasov
Schwartz/Viedensky/Reid

Abeltshauser/Doherty
Davison/DeMelo
Comrie/Pelech

BOXSCORE

Worcester 2 0 2 0 – 5
Providence 1 2 1 0 – 4

1st Period-1, Worcester, Hamilton 17 (Gourde), 5:41. 2, Providence, Moore 7 (Griffith, Khokhlachev), 7:09. 3, Worcester, Gourde 4 (Hamilton, DeMelo), 16:45. Penalties-Abeltshauser Wor (tripping), 2:43; Doherty Wor (fighting), 7:06; Randell Pro (fighting), 7:06.

2nd Period-4, Providence, Spooner 6 (Campbell), 9:55. 5, Providence, Khokhlachev 16 (Spooner, Trotman), 11:48 (PP). Penalties-Moore Pro (holding), 5:28; Davison Wor (hooking), 10:43; Robins Pro (holding), 16:50.

3rd Period-6, Worcester, Viedensky 5 (DeMelo), 5:52. 7, Worcester, Tarasov 13 (Oleksuk, Hamilton), 9:37. 8, Providence, Griffith 13 11:57. Penalties-Florek Pro (hooking), 0:24; Davison Wor (hooking), 4:20; Camara Pro (high-sticking), 4:20; Flick Pro (cross-checking), 7:31; Flick Pro (unsportsmanlike conduct), 9:37.

OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Gourde Wor (hooking), 2:13.

Shootout – Worcester 2 (Tarasov NG, Reid NG, DaSilva G, McCarthy NG, Hamilton G), Providence 0 (Cunningham NG, Khokhlachev NG, Spooner NG, Camara NG).
Shots on Goal-Worcester 9-9-18-1-1-38. Providence 12-7-3-1-0-23.
Power Play Opportunities-Worcester 0 / 5; Providence 1 / 3.
Goalies-Worcester, Grosenick 12-10-0 (23 shots-19 saves). Providence, Subban 11-7-4 (37 shots-33 saves).
A-9,363
Referees-T.J. Luxmore (49), Jon McIsaac (45).
Linesmen-Ed Boyle (81), Kevin Keenan (22).