SHARKSPAGE

Travis Oleksuk injured in WorSharks 3-2 OT loss to Syracuse

The Worcester Sharks managed to get their Friday night contest at the DCU Center against the Syracuse Crunch game into overtime with an extra attacker goal after being outplayed for most of the early parts of the contest, but for the first time this season couldn’t capitalize on the open ice of the new three on three extra session in the AHL and instead found themselves having to kill a penalty. A little bad luck resulted in a Crunch goal, but some worse luck in the opening period may have some longer term effects as Travis Oleksuk appears to be lost for some time with a right shoulder injury after crashing into the boards during the first period.

Worcester Sharks goaltender Troy Grosenick made 33 saves Friday night against
the Syracuse Crunch, some certainly of the 'highlight' variety, but that was
not enough as the WorSharks lost 3-2 in overtime.
File photo courtesy of TEAMSHRED

For video highlights we once again take a look at the WorSharks YouTube channel.

Scratches for the Worcester Sharks were Chris Crane and Gus Young. Eriah Hayes was assigned to the WorSharks before the game but wasn’t expected to arrive in the Bay State until late Friday evening. J.P. Anderson was once again the back up goaltender.

Looking at Worcester’s upcoming schedule barring an injury to Troy Grosenick it’s anyone’s guess as to when Anderson will see his first action in the AHL. The WorSharks don’t have a three-in-three until mid-December, which is usually an automatic two goaltender weekend. November 2nd at Hartford might be the day as that Sunday afternoon roadie comes after a Saturday night home game for Worcester, but many times previously Sommer has stayed with the same goaltender on occasions like that. The team record for consecutive starts to begin a season is nine, with both Thomas Greiss (2008-2009) and Alex Stalock (2011-2012) tying the mark. That Hartford game would be the WorSharks eighth game, so if Anderson doesn’t start that game it’s possible Grosenick will shatter the old mark.

There’s a good chance Friday’s loss will have some significant longer term consequences after Travis Oleksuk was forced to leave the game in the first period after crashing awkwardly into the boards deep in the Syracuse end. Oleksuk got up and off under his own power as the play moved into the WorSharks zone, but after sitting on the bench for a few moments was quickly ushered into the Worcester dressing room by trainer Matt White. Oleksuk did not return to action and was seen by many after the game with his right arm in a sling. There was no official work of the extent of Oleksuk’s injury, although WorSharks head coach Roy Sommer guessed to T&G reporter Bill Ballou that it was a “shoulder-separation” type injury.

The Worcester Sharks have given up 14 goals in five games this season, and Taylor Doherty has been on the ice for more than half of them. Presuming there are no late fixes to box scores (and this writer doesn’t expect any in this area) Doherty has been on the ice for eight goals against. The rest of the defensive corps and their goals against are Dylan DeMelo (6), Konrad Abeltshauser (5), Matt Taormina (4), Matt Tennyson (3), and Taylor Fedun (2).

Funny aside about the Syracuse Crunch. Generally in AHL arenas teams are listed on the scoreboard by their nickname instead of their city/location name. That is, predictably, also the case in Hershey where the Bears play. The exception in Hershey is for when the Crunch are in town, where they are shown on the in-arena scoreboards as Syracuse as they refuse to use the word “Crunch” in the building. The reason? The Hershey Company, which nearly everyone knows as the makers of various candies, makes a chocolate bar made of milk chocolate with crisped rice mixed in called “Krackle”. Their prime competition in the US market for chocolate bars is Nestlé, whose version of that candy bar is called the Nestlé Crunch.

The three stars of the game were
1. SYR – 89 Nikita Nesterov (gwg)
2. WOR – 18 Micheal Haley (gtg)
3. SYR – 33 Dalton Smith (g)

The Sharkspage player of the game is Troy Grosenick.

Even strength lines
Haley/Karlsson/Carpenter
Lerg/Oleksuk/Emanuelsson
Trupp/Hamilton/Langlois
Bonneau/Schwartz/Tarasov

Taormina/Tennyson
Fedun/DeMelo
Abeltshauser/Doherty

BOX SCORE

Syracuse 1 1 0 1 – 3
Worcester 1 0 1 0 – 2

1st Period-1, Worcester, Abeltshauser 1 (Hamilton, Trupp), 7:54 (PP). 2, Syracuse, Smith 1 (Samson), 8:27. Penalties-Vermin Syr (boarding), 1:45; Blujus Syr (tripping), 6:53.

2nd Period-3, Syracuse, Angelidis 1 (Paradis), 9:54. Penalties-Witkowski Syr (fighting), 4:13; Haley Wor (fighting), 4:13; Richard Syr (roughing), 4:58; Smith Syr (fighting), 4:58; Bonneau Wor (fighting), 4:58.

3rd Period-4, Worcester, Haley 4 (Emanuelsson, Carpenter), 18:49. Penalties-Tarasov Wor (high-sticking), 0:28; Corrente Syr (tripping), 11:13.

OT Period-5, Syracuse, Nesterov 1 (Marchessault), 5:08 (PP). Penalties-Trupp Wor (tripping), 4:01.

Shots on Goal-Syracuse 12-12-6-3-33. Worcester 9-3-16-0-28.
Power Play Opportunities-Syracuse 1 / 2; Worcester 1 / 4.
Goalies-Syracuse, Gudlevskis 2-1-0 (28 shots-26 saves). Worcester, Grosenick 3-1-0 (33 shots-30 saves).
A-2,198
Referees-Garrett Rank (48).
Linesmen-Frank Murphy (29), Todd Whittemore (70).