SHARKSPAGE

WorSharks snatch victory from jaws of defeat in 4-3 OT win against Providence

The Worcester Sharks have spent all season finding new ways to lose games, but over the last week or so the WorSharks are using some old ways to win some when after trailing in the last minute against the Providence Bruins Brodie Reid scored with 45.4 seconds remaining in regulation for the WorSharks first goal of the season with an extra attacker on the ice and then Daniil Tarasov scored Worcester’s first overtime marker since January 11, 2013 to give the WorSharks a 4-3 win over the Baby-Bs Friday night at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island in front of a crowd of 8,038.

The Worcester Sharks celebrate Brodie Reid's (#15) game tying goal with under a minute
left in regulation Friday night against Providence. The team would celebrate again a few
minutes later when Daniil Tarasov connected in OT for the 4-3 WorSharks win.
Photo courtesy of TEAMSHRED

For highlights we’ll point to AHLlive.com, who have apparently fixed the issues of last weekend. The Providence Bruins still haven’t fixed theirs as they still continue to refuse to show replays of opponent’s goals, although as the Baby-Bs often think their the only team in the league that’s understandable.

Usually we do scratches first, but with so many transactions lately we’ll start there. As of the last posting the Worcester Sharks still hadn’t signed Yanni Gourde, whose contract ran out after last Saturday’s game against Portland. Sunday morning Gourde signed an NHL contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, ending his run with the WorSharks. Gourde will report to the Syracuse Crunch on an AHL contract until the end of the season and then start a two year NHL entry level contract. When you consider the total lack of offensive talent under contract to San Jose in the minors it’s inexcusable that the Sharks organization didn’t sign a player like Gourde. The AHL’s trade deadline was last Wednesday, and Worcester GM Joe Will was pretty busy shipping guys away as Nick Petrecki was reassigned to the Rochester Americans and Sebastian Stalberg was sent to the Portland Pirates. In neither case did the WorSharks get a player in return. Later in the week Worcester recalled defenseman Kyle Bigos from the Ontario Reign (ECHL) and signed forward Brock Higgs (RPI) to an amateur contract. Higgs made his AHL debut Friday and had an assist on Rob Davison’s first period goal.

Scratches for the WorSharks were Sena Acolatse (leg), Kyle Bigos, Bracken Kearns (was recalled under emergency conditions Thursday and was reassigned to Worcester Friday evening), and Lane Scheidl (concussion). Harri Sateri was the back-up netminder. Hopefully the injury list won’t be getting longer after Eriah Hayes was boarded by Providence’s Bobby Robins in the third period. Hayes did not play afterward, but according to Bill Ballou of the Worcester Telegram and Gazette it was head coach Roy Sommer that decided not to play Hayes.

Just when you though you’d seen everything a new one happened for Worcester Friday night. While trailing Providence late in the game Sommer signaled Grosenick to the bench for an extra attacker…and then never sent out an extra attacker. In a head’s up play by Grosenick, the rookie netminder raced back from the bench area into his goal while the five on five action commenced in the Baby-Bs zone. Worcester did finally get it right a little later on and scored with the sixth skater. Grosenick later raced the entire 200′ length of the ice surface to celebrate Tarasov’s overtime winner. It’s likely the second jaunt down the ice was less stressful than the first.

Providence had a goal overturned at the horn to end the second period when after referee Fred Leblanc signaled goal even though the green light to end the period was on instead of the red goal light. When LeBlanc checked the video he overturned his call and ruled no goal. Having no access to the overhead replay video it’s impossible to tell what he saw–or didn’t see–but from the angle of the highlights shown it looked like a good goal when shown live.

This writer keeps track of just about every stat possible…except extra attacker goals. Would have come in handy right now. Such is the life of a blogger.

The three stars of the game were
1. WOR – 19 Daniil Tarasov (2g,OTgw)
2. PRO – 24 Ryan Spooner (g,a)
3. WOR – 15 Brodie Reid (tying goal, a)

The Sharkspage player of the game is Rob Davison.

Even strength lines
McCarthy/Viedensky/DaSilva
Tarasov/Oleksuk/Hamilton
Schwartz/Higgs/Reid
Bonneau/Rau/Hayes

Abeltshauser/Doherty
Davison/DeMelo
Comrie/Pelech

BOXSCORE

Worcester 1 1 1 1 – 4
Providence 1 2 0 0 – 3

1st Period-1, Worcester, Davison 3 (Reid, Higgs), 7:46. 2, Providence, Warsofsky 6 (Khokhlachev, Spooner), 9:41 (PP). Penalties-Viedensky Wor (hooking), 0:12; Abeltshauser Wor (hooking), 8:25; Schwartz Wor (cross-checking), 12:53; Robins Pro (slashing), 19:55.

2nd Period-3, Worcester, Tarasov 14 (DaSilva, Oleksuk), 2:48 (PP). 4, Providence, Spooner 7 (Cunningham, Parlett), 5:43. 5, Providence, Camara 9 (Khokhlachev, Griffith), 10:48. Penalties-Cross Pro (tripping), 0:49; Bonneau Wor (fighting), 3:57; Robins Pro (fighting), 3:57; Khokhlachev Pro (double minor – high-sticking), 6:26; Cross Pro (hooking), 11:59.

3rd Period-6, Worcester, Reid 10 (Schwartz, Abeltshauser), 19:14. Penalties-Robins Pro (boarding), 13:51.

OT Period-7, Worcester, Tarasov 15 (DeMelo, DaSilva), 3:16. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Worcester 13-10-9-1-33. Providence 12-9-5-1-27.
Power Play Opportunities-Worcester 1 / 6; Providence 1 / 3.
Goalies-Worcester, Grosenick 14-10-0 (27 shots-24 saves). Providence, Svedberg 20-14-3 (33 shots-29 saves).
A-8,038
Referees-David Banfield (77), Fred Leblanc (30).
Linesmen-Brian MacDonald (72), Todd Whittemore (70).