SHARKSPAGE

WorSharks split weekend series with Albany Devils

The Worcester Sharks iced their best team in a long time Friday night at the DCU Center against the Albany Devils but a slow start eventually put them down three goals, a deficit that proved too much to overcome as the WorSharks lost 3-2 to end their franchise record eight game winning streak. On Saturday afternoon the two squads again faced each other again, this time at the Times Union Center in Albany, and it was Worcester that had the last laugh as Dylan DeMelo connected at 4:04 of overtime for a 2-1 WorSharks victory.

Worcester Sharks forward Chris Tierney continued his hot streak for the
WorSharks with assists in both games over the weekend. Tierney now has
seven goals and sixteen assists in 24 games with Worcester.
Photo courtesy of TEAMSHRED

For video highlights we’ll use both team’s YouTube channels.

Worcester Sharks head coach Roy Sommer went with the same lineup both nights as Konrad Abeltshauser, Jimmy Bonneau, Ryan Carpenter, Petter Emanuelsson (shoulder), Troy Grosenick (flu), and Eriah Hayes were all scratches. Aaron Dell was the back-up both nights.

Saturday’s overtime saw a couple of “firsts” as goaltender J.P Anderson took over sole possession of the WorSharks and city pro record for wins by a right catching goaltender with six and Dylan DeMelo became the first player since Ryan Vesce in 2008-2009 to have multiple overtime goals in the same season. DeMelo is only half way to Vesce’s franchise record of four in the regular season. Vesce also had one in the playoffs that season. In one of those head scratching stats, the only two players to record overtime goal for the Worcester Sharks in multiple season are John McCarthy and Nick Petrecki. Yes, that Nick Petrecki, who only had eight goals in 277 games and managed to grab two of them in overtime.

In the first period of Friday’s game WorSharks captain Bryan Lerg was hit with an intentional elbow by a Devils player that went unpenalized. The incident went unnoticed by most, but not by the video, which has been sent to the AHL for review. In warm-ups Saturday Worcester enforcer Jimmy Bonneau voiced his displeasure as all 40 players got together with some pushing and shoving, but eventually calmer heads prevailed. Bonneau had a loud comment to WorSharks assistant coach Ryan Mougenel on the incident, but this being a family blog we won’t post what he said. It was classic Bonneau, however, and drew some laughs from the fans watching warm-ups along the glass.

The automatic delay of game minor is one of this writer’s pet peeves, it being one of the least needed rules of the game. The only thing worse is when it’s called incorrectly, and that happened two times on Saturday and both against Albany. In the first period Devils defenseman Mike Keenan was sent off for flipping the puck out of playing area in his defensive end, only it was clear that it hit the top of the glass and toppled over. In the third Albany defenseman Seth Helgeson winged one out of play by a good five feet, but the linesman said it was deflected, which is clearly was not.

Friday’s three stars
1. ALB – 7 Brandon Burlon (g,a)
2. WOR – 38 Mirco Mueller (g)
3. ALB – 9 Joe Whitney (g)
The Sharkspage player of the game was Evan Trupp

Saturday’s three stars
1. WOR – 2 Dylan DeMelo (OT gwg)
2. ALB – 31 Scott Wedgewood (38 save loss)
3. WOR – 3 Gus Young (g)
The Sharkspage player of the game was Tomas Hertl

Even strength lines (both games)
Tarasov/Tierney/Coetzee
McCarthy/Hertl/Goodrow
Lerg/Trupp/Langlois
Haley/Oleksuk/Hamilton

Mueller/DeMelo
Taormina/Doherty
Young/Fedun

BOX SCORES

Albany Devils 3 at Worcester Sharks 2
Friday, January 23, 2015 – DCU Center

Albany 2 1 0 – 3
Worcester 0 1 1 – 2

1st Period-1, Albany, Whitney 16 (Burlon, K. Zajac), 6:06. 2, Albany, Wohlberg 4 (Matteau, Thomson), 12:44. Penalties-Matteau Alb (tripping), 2:30; Johnson Alb (hooking), 6:25; Goodrow Wor (hooking), 14:38.

2nd Period-3, Albany, Burlon 4 (Sislo, Boucher), 6:25. 4, Worcester, Mueller 1 (Tierney, Hertl), 13:12 (PP). Penalties-McKelvie Alb (tripping), 3:44; Goodrow Wor (tripping), 7:17; Burlon Alb (delay of game), 12:38.

3rd Period-5, Worcester, Trupp 9 (Lerg), 7:19. Penalties-K. Zajac Alb (high-sticking), 0:23; Lerg Wor (holding the stick), 1:55; Scarlett Alb (slashing), 3:30.

Shots on Goal-Albany 5-10-5-20. Worcester 5-2-13-20.
Power Play Opportunities-Albany 0 / 3; Worcester 1 / 6.
Goalies-Albany, Clermont 3-0-0 (20 shots-18 saves). Worcester, Anderson 6-7-1 (20 shots-17 saves).
A-3,654
Referees-Geno Binda (22), Olivier Gouin (66).
Linesmen-Chris Low (88), Alex Stagnone (7).

Worcester Sharks 2 (OT) at Albany Devils 1
Saturday, January 24, 2015 – Times Union Center

Worcester 0 1 0 1 – 2
Albany 0 0 1 0 – 1

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Mueller Wor (hooking), 7:21; Boucher Alb (tripping), 8:46; Tierney Wor (tripping), 10:10; Doherty Wor (hooking), 12:37; Keenan Alb (delay of game), 15:13.

2nd Period-1, Worcester, Young 1 (Tierney, Tarasov), 19:01. Penalties-Hamilton Wor (boarding), 3:15; Burlon Alb (holding), 15:24.

3rd Period-2, Albany, Thompson 22 (K. Zajac, Whitney), 15:51 (PP). Penalties-Pelley Alb (boarding), 3:27; Lerg Wor (interference), 6:00; Goodrow Wor (fighting), 9:57; Kelly Alb (fighting), 9:57; Mueller Wor (roughing), 13:06; Whitney Alb (roughing), 13:06; DeMelo Wor (hooking), 14:59.

OT Period-3, Worcester, DeMelo 4 (Hertl), 4:04. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Worcester 16-13-8-3-40. Albany 7-5-6-3-21.
Power Play Opportunities-Worcester 0 / 4; Albany 1 / 6.
Goalies-Worcester, Anderson 6-7-1 (21 shots-20 saves). Albany, Wedgewood 6-8-2 (40 shots-38 saves).
A-7,012
Referees-Chris Brown (86), Ryan Fraser (14).
Linesmen-Chris Low (88), Frank Murphy (29).