SHARKSPAGE

Last season’s Worcester Sharks; where are they now?

One of the most common questions early in seasons is where did players that left from the previous season end up. With the WorSharks not playing last night there’s a few minutes this morning to make a quick post to catch everyone up on where some of the major players that left the organization are playing (as of Friday night).

Jonathan Cheechoo – Peoria Rivermen (AHL, on NHL contract with St Louis)
Dan DaSilva – Poprad Lev (KHL)
Patrick Davis – Wolfsburg Grizzly Adams (DEL)
Kevin Henderson – apparently out of pro hockey
Carter Hutton – Toledo Walleye (ECHL, two-way AHL contract with Rockford IceHogs)
Joe Loprieno – Bakersfield Condors (ECHL)
Cory Quirk – Rosenheim Star Bulls (2.GBun)
Nick Schaus – Syracuse Crunch (AHL, on minor league contract)
Michael Swift – apparently out of pro hockey
T.J. Trevelyan – Augsburg Panthers (DEL)

WorSharks look powerless in 6-3 loss to IceCaps

The Worcester Sharks have lots of fans still suffering from power outages after Saturday’s snowstorm, and unfortunately the ones that braved the unseasonable cold conditions saw a team playing without much power as the WorSharks dropped a 6-3 contest to the St. John’s IceCaps Tuesday night at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts.

The young WorSharks squad hopefully learned a lesson about playing hard from the opening whistle, because by not doing so at one point in the opening period they had as many shots on net as St John’s had goals: three. The first two of the IceCaps goals came after James Livingston was called for a high sticking double minor just 46 seconds into the contest. Jason King connected at 2:38, followed by Aaron Gagnon scoring at 4:21 for the 2-0 lead. WorSharks netminder Harri Sateri got little help from his penalty killers on either goal.

The IceCaps would make it 3-0 after Worcester was unable to convert on their first power play try when Kevin Clark, who was serving a too many men bench minor, jumped out of the box and into a rush through the WorSharks zone. His blast from the right circle beat Sateri to the far post at 11:11.

With about three and a half minutes left in the opening period the WorSharks did everything but score when all ten players were piled in front of the net all battling for a loose puck. Mike Moore broke free of the group with the puck and skated clear of the pile, flipping a backhander toward the open net. Somehow through the pile of players St. John’s netminder Edward Pasquale was able to stop the puck to keep Worcester off the board.

Worcester would finally grab a goal at 17:39 when Cam MacIntyre banged home a loose puck at the front of the IceCaps net. Sean Acolatse started the play by breaking down the left wing side, fighting through a handful of checks and regaining control of the puck several times until he found himself at the goal line to the right of Pasquale single handedly battling the IceCaps defense. Acolatse tried to shoot the puck on net but his wayward attempt went into the slot right to MacIntyre.

Acolatse would get Worcester within a goal at 1:15 of the second period with a booming slapshot off a feed by Mike Connolly. The rookie forward created a turnover at the right wing half-boards and found Acolatse standing all alone at the top of the left wing circle. Acolatse stopped the feed and teed the puck up, unleashing a bomb that Pasquale had absolutely no chance at stopping. But that’s as close as Worcester could get.

Under two minutes later Clark would again beat Sateri, this time with a bouncing shot that the netminder was unable to glove before it had leaked over the goal line. Patrice Cormier would make it 5-2 when he out-muscled Nathan Moon for the puck and beat Sateri from the slot at 17:26.

Matt Irwin notched a power play marker, from Moon and Sean Sullivan, with a huge blast from the left wing half-boards that beat Pasquale to the far side to keep Worcester’s faint hopes alive, but the WorSharks flat lined when Riley Holzapfel found the open net at 18:15 for the 6-3 final.

The two squads will face off again Saturday. Worcester is off until then, while St. John’s will face the Connecticut Whale on Friday.

GAME NOTES
Worcester’s scratches were Tony Lucia and Matt Pelech. Marek Viedensky is the only player on the injured list, but all accounts seem to indicate he’ll be ready to play very soon. Tyson Sexsmith was the back-up netminder. Taylor Doherty may be an addition to that injury list as he was not on the bench for the third period. Curt Gogol also missed a few shifts after blocking a shot with his left hand, but looked to be no worse for wear when he returned.

The loss drops the WorSharks to 2-3-0-1 all time at home on Tuesdays. Their road record on Tuesdays is much better, 5-2-0-0. Worcester plays six more times on Tuesday this season, with two being at home and four on the road.

With a Canadian team visiting Worcester DCU Center usher Dick Saseville was once again called to service to sing both national anthems. Saseville, who has on occasions sung the French version, sang the dual language version as St. John’s is in the English speaking portion of Canada.

Bryan Marchment joined head coach Roy Sommer and assistant coach Dave Cunniff behind the WorSharks bench.

The three stars of the game were
1. STJ – Clark (2g)
2. WOR – Acolatse (g,a)
3. STJ – Flood (2a)

The Sharkspage player of the game was Nick Petrecki

BOXSCORE

St. John’s 3 2 1 – 6
Worcester 1 1 1 – 3

1st Period-1, St. John’s, King 5 (Rosa, Flood), 2:38 (PP). 2, St. John’s, Gagnon 2 (Weller, Flood), 4:21 (PP). 3, St. John’s, Clark 2 (Albert), 11:11. 4, Worcester, MacIntyre 2 (Acolatse), 17:39. Penalties-Livingston Wor (double minor – high-sticking), 0:46; served by Clark Stj (bench minor – too many men), 9:02; Gagnon Stj (tripping), 12:13.

2nd Period-5, Worcester, Acolatse 1 (Connolly), 1:15. 6, St. John’s, Clark 3 (Albert, Murray), 3:02. 7, St. John’s, Cormier 1 17:26. Penalties-served by Moon Wor (bench minor – too many men), 9:27.

3rd Period-8, Worcester, Irwin 4 (Sullivan, Moon), 3:43 (PP). 9, St. John’s, Holzapfel 5 (Machacek), 18:15 (EN). Penalties-Cormier Stj (holding the stick), 3:35; Postma Stj (roughing), 6:55; MacIntyre Wor (roughing), 6:55; McCarthy Wor (slashing), 6:55; Guite Wor (cross-checking), 13:08.

Shots on Goal-St. John’s 10-13-11-34. Worcester 10-12-11-33.
Power Play Opportunities-St. John’s 2 / 5; Worcester 1 / 3.
Goalies-St. John’s, Pasquale 2-0-0 (33 shots-30 saves). Worcester, Sateri 2-1-0 (33 shots-28 saves).
A-2,164
Referees-Mark Lemelin (41).
Linesmen-Bob Bernard (42), Jack Millea (23).

WorSharks snowed in shootout loss to Connecticut, 3-2

The Worcester Sharks looked like boys among men for huge stretches of Saturday night’s contest, but got some inspired play in the third period to take the lead, only to eventually lose it and the game 3-2 in a shootout against the Connecticut Whale at the DCU Center in snowy Worcester, Massachusetts in front of an announced crowd of 2,639.

This isn’t the first time a team from Worcester has played with a howling snowstorm going on outside, and during pregame there was lots of talk of some of the great games that have taken place in front of the intimate crowds that result from less than ideal weather conditions. This game will likely not be added to that list.

For 40 minutes it was the Tyson Sexsmith show as the WorSharks rookie netminder matched Harri Sateri’s Friday night performance save for save. While Sateri had to make a big save just seconds into Friday’s contest Sexsmith had a few extra moments before he was called upon to make a tough save on Steve Avery–yes, that Steve Avery–after a Mike Moore turnover in the Worcester zone about 90 seconds into the contest.

And just like Sateri on Friday Sexsmith had a little luck with him in the opening period after making two saves when the loose puck rolled across the crease right on the stick of Chris McKelvie The winger’s backhander at the yawning net rolled just wide, and the period ended scoreless. The Whale would go on to out-shoot Worcester 9-4 in the opening 20 minutes, but the tilt in play was significantly worse than that.

It was the same story in the second period where again Sexsmith would be called upon to make several nice saves. The highlight save of the period was on another Avery attempt but Sexsmith stood tall to keep the game scoreless. Just after the save Avery showed a touch of frustration by earning a slashing minor.

Connecticut goaltender Chad Johnson wasn’t as busy as Sexsmith, having to make just 10 saves over the first two period, but still had to make a few key saves. The WorSharks did actually beat Johnson once in the middle stanza, but Sean Sullivan’s blast rang off the near post and bounced away harmlessly. Worcester was again out-shot in the period 13-6.

For the first time this season the WorSharks would find themselves trailing after the first goal of the game when Jimmy Bonneau couldn’t control a bouncing pass in the Worcester zone. Connecticut winger Andreas Thuresson pounced on the puck at the top of the right side circle and fired a blast past Sexsmith 5:01 of the third.

Finding themselves trailing the WorSharks picked up the pace and would finally get their attack going. After two great chances were turned aside by Johnson Worcester would get the equalizer on a broken play when Tommy Wingels gathered a pass from Cam MacIntyre at the right wing half boards to the slot. He misfired on his first attempt but his second try made it through to Johnson, who made the save. John McCarthy had a whack at the rebound but didn’t get off a great attempt, but MacIntyre was there to bang the puck home at 12:50 as he fell to the ice.

The box score lists Mashinter as having an assist, but that scoring should change as the video clearly shows it’s McCarthy.

Less that two minutes later the WorSharks would give themselves a 2-1 lead with a Matt Irwin power play goal. After Irwin’s initial shot was blocked the Whale looked poised to dump the puck out of the zone but Mike Connolly was able to get a piece of the clear to keep it in. The puck bounced to Sean Sullivan, who threw a pass back over to Irwin. With Ben Guite screening Johnson the shot streaked just inside the far post at 14:21. Unfortunately it would take the Whale just 60 seconds to tie it back up.

With Sena Acolatse in the box for a very ill-timed crosschecking minor Andre Deveaux would gather a Brendan Bell rebound and bang the puck past Sexsmith after he had brushed passed the netminder going for the slot. From Sharkspage’s perch just under the radio booth Alex Stalock, doing color commentary with broadcaster Eric Lindquist, could be heard calling for a goaltender interference penalty, but none was coming and regulation ended knotted 2-2.

The WorSharks had a great chance to win the game in overtime with a two minute power play, but with what looked like rubber legs on the ice and some interesting personnel choices by head coach Roy Sommer Worcester could generate no scoring chances as the game headed into a shootout.

Mats Zuccarello and Andreas Thuresson connected in the first two rounds for Connecticut, but Worcester charged back with a third round goal by Guite and a “must score” fifth rounder by Wingels to send the shootout into sudden death. Avery scored on his attempt, but Johnson made the save on Mashinter’s shot to send the WorSharks out into the snowy streets a 3-2 loser.

GAME NOTES
Worcester’s healthy scratches were Tony Lucia and Matt Pelech, with Marek Viedensky’s upper body injury keeping him on the injured list. Harri Sateri was the back-up netminder.

Several fans were very vocal in their wondering why Roy Sommer went with rookies Brodie Reid and Sena Acolatse during the overtime power play and in the shootout with what appears to be better choices available. Under the new conference playoff system points are at an even higher premium, so hopefully there is a good reason for the players Sommer picked.

Streaking WorSharks: Mike Connolly has a five game points streak (5g,4a) and has been even or better in all six games; Matt Irwin (2g,a) and Sean Sullivan (g, 2a) have three game streaks going and are also even or better in all six games. Tommy Wingels has a two game points streak (2a); James Livingston, Mike Moore, Nathan Moon, and Brodie Reid have all been even or better in all six games so far.

The three stars of the game were
1. CT – Avery (shootout gwg)
2. WOR – MacIntyre (g)
3. CT – Thuresson (g)

The Sharkspage player of the game is Tyson Sexsmith

Even Strength Lines
Connolly/Moon/Reid
Mashinter/Guite/MacIntyre
McCarthy/Wingels/Livingston
Gogol/Del Monte/Bonneau

Irwin/Sullivan
Petrecki/Doherty
Moore/Acolatse

BOXSCORE

Connecticut 0 0 2 0 – 3
Worcester 0 0 2 0 – 2

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Acolatse Wor (holding), 4:52; Connolly Wor (interference), 8:14; McKelvie Ct (unsportsmanlike conduct), 13:07.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-McCarthy Wor (hooking), 0:23; Moore Wor (boarding), 7:02; Avery Ct (slashing), 8:48.

3rd Period-1, Connecticut, Thuresson 3 (Tessier), 5:01. 2, Worcester, MacIntyre 1 (Wingels, Mashinter), 12:40. 3, Worcester, Irwin 3 (Sullivan, Connolly), 14:21 (PP). 4, Connecticut, Deveaux 4 (Bell, Redden), 15:21 (PP). Penalties-Tanski Ct (fighting), 5:41; Moon Wor (fighting), 5:41; Mashinter Wor (goaltender interference), 8:20; Bickel Ct (cross-checking), 12:34; Acolatse Wor (cross-checking), 15:03.

OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Nightingale Ct (hooking), 0:55.

Shootout – Connecticut 3 (Zuccarello G, Thuresson G, Mitchell NG, Audy-Marchessault NG, Bell NG, Avery G), Worcester 2 (Connolly NG, Reid NG, Guite G, Acolatse NG, Wingels G, Mashinter NG).
Shots on Goal-Connecticut 9-13-7-0-1-30. Worcester 4-6-18-2-0-30.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 1 / 6; Worcester 1 / 4.
Goalies-Connecticut, Johnson 3-0-2 (30 shots-28 saves). Worcester, Sexsmith 2-0-2 (29 shots-27 saves).
A-2,639
Referees-Chris Brown (86).
Linesmen-Brian MacDonald (72), Bob Paquette (18).

Sateri steals two points for WorSharks in 3-2 OT win over Bridgeport

The Worcester Sharks played what looked to be their worst game of the young season so far but thanks to some incredible saves by Harri Sateri and a great overtime period the WorSharks were able to defeat the Bridgeport Sound Tigers 3-2 in extra time Friday night at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut in front of an announced crowd of 4,835.

Almost all goaltenders say they like to see a couple shots early so they can get into the flow of the game, and Sateri didn’t have long to wait to turn aside Bridgeport’s first scoring chance when David Ullstrom was sent in alone on a breakaway just seconds into the contest. The right shoulder save seemed to stun Sateri for a moment or two, but it obviously didn’t have any long term affects as the Finnish rookie would go on to tie his career high with 33 saves.

A little later in the period Sateri would have another great save, this time on Tim Wallace as he broke in on a two on one with Casey Cizikas. Sandwiched by the two great saves Sateri would get a little help when Jeremy Colliton rang a shot off the crossbar on a partial breakaway.

Despite surrendering several odd man rushes and generally being outplayed it would be the WorSharks grabbing the first goal of the game when Mike Moore banged a puck home past Sound Tigers netminder Mikko Koskinen at 11:09 of the opening period. With Ben Guite in the box for high sticking Tommy Wingels broke into the Bridgeport zone with John McCarthy and fired a shot on net that was blocked by defenseman Ty Wishart. Moore swooped in and plucked the puck out of the air, and after a couple of swats at the puck backhanded it into the net. Worcester has scored first in all five games they have played.

Wallace would have another great chance on Sateri with a shorthanded bid of his own, but the netminder was able to get the five hole closed in time to deflect the breakaway shot wide of the goal. Sateri would also come up big when he broke up a close-in two on none chance when he was able to smother the puck before Justin DiBenedetto could make a play on it.

The second period was more of the same for Worcester as they gave up several odd man rushes against, although unlike the opening stanza the defense was able to break up many of those chances to keep Bridgeport’s scoring chances down. Unfortunately if you keep giving up odd man rushes it will come back to haunt you, and that’s what happened with just 22.5 seconds left in the period with the Sound Tigers on the power play. Wallace finally found the score sheet when he sent Tony Romano into the zone for a short two on one with DiBenedetto. Romano’s blast went over Sateri’s glove and into the net to knot the game 1-1.

Early in the third period Ullstrom had another great scoring bid on a play that looked offside by a yard or more, but Sateri was able to stuff the breakaway chance to keep the score even. It was another odd man rush at 7:22 that would give Bridgeport their first lead of the contest after Sateri turned aside a scoring chance but allowed the rebound to bounce right to the onrushing Wishart, who buried the puck into the yawning net.

Sateri would again come up big to keep the WorSharks within one when he stoned Sean Backman on a great stick save with about nine minutes to go in the contest. That save would turn into a big one as Worcester would continue to battle to tie the game, and it would again be the smallest player on the team that would come up big.

McCarthy grabbed a loose puck at the halfboards and flipped it up to the blue line to James Livingston, who was covering for Sean Sullivan. Livingstone fired a one-timer on net toward the screen Sullivan was setting but Koskinen was able to make an easy blocker save. Fortunately for the WorSharks Connolly was standing in the slot and batted the rebound out of the air and into the net at 14:14.

Worcester would have one great chance to grab the game winner in regulation when McCarthy had a partial wrap around and jammed the puck toward the far post, but Koskinen was able to hold his post to keep it knotted 2-2. It was a whole different story in the Worcester end where the Sound Tigers had several golden chances. Sateri was called upon to make a great save on Cizikas after Sullivan threw a huge hit on the blueline and the winger broke in free with the puck. Sateri also had to stand tall in the waning seconds of regulation to get the WorSharks into the overtime stanza.

It looked like the WorSharks had won the game early in overtime when Moore gathered a loose puck and tucked it under Koskinen’s right pad and into the net before the net came off the pegs but referee Chris Cozzan, who was out of position, waved off the goal. Video replay, which the AHL does not use in game, shows the goal should have counted.

Despite the terrible call the WorSharks wouldn’t give up, and Sean Sullivan’s blast from the slot at 4:22 that beat Koskinen left no doubt that game winner would stand up. Connolly and Matt Irwin would have the assists on the goal.

GAME NOTES
Worcester’s healthy scratches were Sena Acolatse and Tony Lucia. Marek Viedensky is the only player on the injury list, but all reports point to him being ready to play soon. Tyson Sexsmith was the back-up netminder.

In something this writer has never seen before, Ben Guite, Mike Moore, and Harri Sateri all lost their sticks on the same play early in the third period. The WorSharks were able to clear the puck away without surrendering a scoring chance.

San Jose fans will recognize the name Ty Wishart, the team’s first round draft pick (16th overall) in the 2006 draft. Wishart has never made it as an NHL regular, but he’s been traded in exchange for a couple of pretty good ones. In the summer of 2008 San Jose traded him to Tampa Bay as part of the deal that sent Dan Boyle to the Sharks. In early 2011 the Lightning traded him off to the New York Islanders in a straight up deal for Dwayne Roloson.

The game saw one fight, with Cam MacIntyre (6’1” 205#) laying a pounding on Steve Oleksy (6′ 195#). MacIntyre bloodied Olesky and both players went off to their respective locker rooms after the bout. Each returned to the penalty box in cleaned jerseys long before their majors expired.

Home town scoring says Bill Ballou of the T&G is the best AHL beat writer there is, so Michael Fornabaio of the Connecticut Post won’t mind the bias if I mention him as the number two on that list. You can check out Fornabaio’s Bridgeport information online at ctpost.com and on twitter at @fornabaioctp.

The three stars of the game were
1. WOR – Sullivan (gwg)
2. WOR – Sateri (33 saves)
3. BRI – Koskinen (28 saves)

The Sharkspage player of the game was Mike Connolly.

Even Strength Lines
Connolly/Moon/Reid
Mashinter/Guite/MacIntyre
Wingels/McCarthy/Livingston
Bonneau/Del Monte/Gogol

Petrecki/Doherty
Irwin/Sullivan
Moore/Pelech

Power Play Lines
Connolly/Moon/Reid
Mashinter/Guite/MacIntyre
Wingels/McCarthy/Livingston

Irwin/Sullivan
Moore/Petrecki

Penalty Kill Lines
Guite(Livingston)/McCarthy
Del Monte/Wingels
Livingston/Gogol

Irwin/Sullivan
Moore/Petrecki

BOXSCORE

Worcester 1 0 1 1 – 3
Bridgeport 0 1 1 0 – 2

1st Period-1, Worcester, Moore 1 (Wingels), 11:09 (SH). Penalties-MacIntyre Wor (fighting), 2:06; Oleksy Bri (fighting), 2:06; Ullstrom Bri (boarding), 3:00; Guite Wor (high-sticking), 9:14; DiBenedetto Bri (boarding), 12:05; Bonneau Wor (roughing), 17:22.

2nd Period-2, Bridgeport, Romano 1 (Wallace, de Haan), 19:37 (PP). Penalties-Mashinter Wor (slashing), 5:37; Guite Wor (tripping), 17:45.

3rd Period-3, Bridgeport, Wishart 1 (Colliton, Marcinko), 7:22. 4, Worcester, Connolly 5 (McCarthy, Livingston), 14:14. Penalties-Colliton Bri (hooking), 5:14; Gogol Wor (roughing), 14:21; de Haan Bri (roughing), 14:21.

OT Period-5, Worcester, Sullivan 2 (Connolly, Irwin), 4:22. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Worcester 11-10-8-2-31. Bridgeport 13-9-10-3-35.
Power Play Opportunities-Worcester 0 / 3; Bridgeport 1 / 4.
Goalies-Worcester, Sateri 2-0-0 (35 shots-33 saves). Bridgeport, Koskinen 0-1-0 (31 shots-28 saves).
A-4,835
Referees-Chris Cozzan (18).
Linesmen-Derek Wahl (46), Luke Galvin (2).

WorSharks, Connolly stage comeback to crown Monarchs 4-2

The Worcester Sharks found themselves trailing in a game for the first time this season, but the young team never panicked and instead continued to play their usual high intensity game to overcome the deficit and defeat the Manchester Monarchs 4-2 at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts in front of 2,925 fans.

The WorSharks continued their streak of scoring first when Nathan Moon jammed at a lose puck and flipped it over Monarchs goaltender Jeff Zatkoff. The play started up high when Sean Sullivan collected a feed from defensive partner Mike Moore along the blueline. Sullivan blasted the puck on net where Zatkoff made the save but couldn’t control the rebound. Moon was there at 13:43 to collect the rebound and just managed to get it enough of it to put it into the net for the 1-0 lead.

Unfortunately for Worcester it took just 17 seconds for Manchester to get the equalizer when defenseman David Kolomatis dumped the puck deep into the corner to the left of WorSharks netminder Harri Sateri. Winger Ray Kaunisto collected the puck and fired a hard pass into the slot where Cam Paddock stuck his stick out and deflected the puck high over the stick side of Sateri and just inside the far corner.

Soon after Manchester’s Jordan Nolan would be given the rest of the night off for throwing an elbow at Matt Irwin behind the Worcester net. The WorSharks were unable to convert on the major penalty that straddled the first intermission, and in fact didn’t have many legitimate chances with the extended man advantage.

Worcester’s perfect penalty kill would end at 15 straight attempts when Manchester converted on the power play at 7:04 of the second period. With Sean Acolatse in the box for an automatic delay of game minor for flipping the puck into the stands from his defensive end Manchester defenseman Andrei Loktionov threw a pass across the ice to Jake Muzzin who beat Sateri short side to give the Monarchs a 2-1 lead and Worcester’s first deficit of the season.

In the span of about six minutes Brodie Reid had three great chances to get the WorSharks even, but the snakebit rookie winger was stoned twice by Zatkoff and the one blast that beat the netminder rang off the near post and bounced away harmlessly with about five and a half minutes left in the middle period.

Mike Connolly would finally get Worcester back to even after the Manchester defense lost track of him deep in their zone. With the Monarchs in control of the puck and Worcester changing ahead of the play the Manchester defense attempted a bank pass off the endboards to start a break down the penalty box side when Connolly, who was likely hidden from the defender by Zatkoff, picked off the pass and flipped the puck in off the netminder for the unassisted tally at 18:08.

Nick Petrecki had a golden chance to give Worcester the lead about three minutes into the third period when he took a John McCarthy feed and blasted a one-timer that just missed a yawning open net. The WorSharks would continue to pressure Manchester for the go-ahead goal, and it would be Irwin extracting a little revenge that gave them back the lead.

With Worcester skating on their third man advantage of the closing period Ben Guite fed the puck back to Irwin at the left point. As several players converged on the net to screen Zatkoff Irwin unleashed a blast into the traffic that made it all the way through and deflected off Monarchs defenseman Muzzin and into the net at 8:05. Connolly had the second helper on the goal.

Moon almost gave Worcester an insurance goal with six minutes to go when a bouncing puck from the deep left wing corner found him all alone at the far post with Zatkoff looking the other way, but Moon couldn’t fully corral the puck and could only jam it into Zatkoff’s left pad just as the netminder became aware of where the puck was.

With an extra attacker on late in the game Loktionov had the best scoring chance for Manchester, but Sateri’s kick save was collected by James Livington who bounced a clearing pass off the right wing side boards into the neutral zone to Connolly. The rookie forward hit the empty net as referee Tim Mayer had his arm up to award the goal should the shot have missed as a Monarchs player had thrown a stick at the puck.

GAME NOTES
Matt Pelech was the only healthy scratch for Worcester as Jimmy Bonneau and Marek Viedensky continue to recover from injuries. The Worcester Shuttle ran in an odd direction yesterday, coming west to drop off Tommy Wingels and after picking up Justin Braun went east to bring him to Boston where San Jose was playing.

If there was a referee that got hit by the puck and players more often in a game than Tim Mayer was last night this writer doesn’t remember it. Luckily none of the encounters resulted in any game changing moments. Mayer also didn’t have a great game with a handful of questionable calls in both directions, but he did get a rare chance to correctly call boarding penalties on both teams after Ryan Del Monte checked a player into the boards on an icing call and was then boarded himself by Rob Mignardi. None of the players seemed worse for wear from the hits that were not very violent in nature.

Playing in first action since early preseason for San Jose — a shutout for those that don’t remember– Harri Sateri looked a little rusty but still played a pretty solid game. Neither of the goals he gave up would be considered “soft” by any means.

Sena Acolatse played his first game at defense for the WorSharks this season, and looked a little over-matched at times. His delay of game minor looked like a failed clearing attempt off the glass so the rookie gets a pass on that one, but his hooking minor in the third period was an unneeded foul and gave the Monarch a chance to tie the game.

Fellow defenseman Mike Moore had a “Jekyll and Hyde” type game, with several head scratchingly poor plays followed by some NHL quality defense. Moore also had the best open ice hit of the season so far when he blew up Marc-Andre Cliche at the Monarchs blueline on a “captain on captain” hit with just over four minutes to go in the opening period.

The three stars of the game were
1. WOR – Connolly (2g,a)
2. WOR – Irwin (gwg)
3. MCH – Muzzin (g)

Mike Connolly was also the third Star of the Night in the AHL

For the second game in a row the Sharkspage player of the game was Nathan Moon.

Even strength lines
Connolly/Wingels/Reid
Mashinter/Moon/MacIntyre
McCarthy/Guite/Livingston
Lucia/Del Monte/Gogol

Moore/Doherty
Irwin/Sullivan
Petrecki/Acolatse

Penalty kill lines
Guite/McCarthy
Wingels/Livingston
Del Monte/Gogol

Irwin/Sullivan
Moore (Petrecki)/Doherty

Power play lines
Connolly/Wingels/Reid
Mashinter/Moon/MacIntyre
McCarthy/Guite/Livingston

Irwin/Doherty(Acolatse)
Sullivan/Moore

BOXSCORE

Manchester 1 1 0 – 2
Worcester 1 1 2 – 4

1st Period-1, Worcester, Moon 2 (Sullivan, Moore), 13:43. 2, Manchester, Paddock 1 (Kolomatis, Kaunisto), 14:00. Penalties-Moore Wor (holding), 9:17; Muzzin Mch (hooking), 11:40; Nolan Mch (major – elbowing, game misconduct – elbowing), 16:46.

2nd Period-3, Manchester, Muzzin 3 (Loktionov, Mullen), 7:04 (PP). 4, Worcester, Connolly 3 18:08. Penalties-Acolatse Wor (delay of game), 6:51; Meckler Mch (fighting), 7:39; Paddock Mch (hooking), 7:39; Moon Wor (fighting), 7:39; Petrecki Wor (interference, roughing), 7:39; Mignardi Mch (boarding), 10:53; Del Monte Wor (boarding), 10:53.

3rd Period-5, Worcester, Irwin 2 (Guite, Connolly), 8:05 (PP). 6, Worcester, Connolly 4 (Livingston, Sateri), 19:52 (EN). Penalties-Loktionov Mch (delay of game), 0:39; Hickey Mch (tripping), 4:31; Hill Mch (hooking), 7:52; Acolatse Wor (hooking), 9:44.

Shots on Goal-Manchester 5-12-10-27. Worcester 7-13-15-35.
Power Play Opportunities-Manchester 1 / 4; Worcester 1 / 5.
Goalies-Manchester, Zatkoff 0-2-0 (34 shots-31 saves). Worcester, Sateri 1-0-0 (27 shots-25 saves).
A-2,925
Referees-Tim Mayer (19).
Linesmen-Bob Paquette (18), Ed Boyle (81).

WorSharks stumble in third period, lose 4-3 in shootout to Providence

The Worcester Sharks took their second trip of the new season south down route 146 to take on the Providence Bruins and controlled play early, but the late game problems from last season reared their ugly heads again as the WorSharks dropped a two goal third period lead on their way to losing a 4-3 shootout contest Friday night at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island in front of a crowd announced at 6,869.

Both teams came out flying and the end to end action looked more like a pick-up basketball game than a pro hockey contest, with the first whistle to stop play coming almost five minutes into the period. The WorSharks up-tempo style didn’t take a break while shorthanded either, as penalty killer John McCarthy had the best scoring chance for both teams early and only an incredible glove save by P-Bruins netminder Anton Khudobin kept Worcester off the board.

For the the third time in three games Worcester would get on the board first after the teams had two minutes of high intensity four on four play. Nathan Moon broke in alone and his attempt was stoned by Khudobin, who also managed to block James Livingston’s return volley. Jumping into the play from out of the penalty box was Curt Gogol, who crashed the net and banged the puck into the yawning net at 10:31.

The official scorer doesn’t list Moon as having an assist on the play and instead has the second helper going to Mike Connolly. Although a replay was not available by posting time Sharkspage is reasonably certain Connolly was not on the ice at the time of the goal, and after review the assist should be given to Moon.

Worcester would also have the second goal of the contest while on their first power play attempt of the game, and there is also some doubt on who was involved in the scoring on that goal. Cam MacIntyre threaded a pass from the right wing half boards to Brandon Mashinter at the near post. Khudobin made the initial save but Moon was there to bang the puck home at 13:22. The scorer has given the second assist to WorSharks captain Mike Moore, so an additional review will also be in order.

Down 2-0 Providence took the the fisticuffs to fire up their team, with Tyler Randell taking on Gogol in a no-defense bout with both player landing huge bombs on each other at 13:57. After the ensuing face-off Lane MacDermid took on Mashinter in a fight where Mashinter couldn’t really get his feet under him. The battles may or may not have had anything to do with it, but it would be the P-Bruins that grabbed the next goal, the only one of the middle stanza. After a two on one break Tyson Sexsmith would make a kick save on Kirk MacDonald’s shot, but the rebound would end up right on the tape of MacDermid at 6:14 of the second.

Just like last Saturday’s contest against Albany the WorSharks would grab an early goal in the third period, ironically at the same 28 seconds into the frame as Saturday, when Connolly banged home a rebound to make it 3-1 after Khudobin turned aside multiple chances for Worcester. Brodie Reid and Ben Guite had the assists.

Unfortunately for the WorSharks it would take Providence just 78 seconds to get it back to a one goal deficit when a defensive misplay sent Calle Riverwall in all alone on Sexsmith. Worcester had several great chances to get their two goal lead back, but Khudobin was there each time. Providence would get the equalizer with 29.1 seconds remaining when defenseman Matt Barkowski threw a shot from the point into a scrum of players in front of the Worcester net that winger Jamie Tardif was able to get a stick on and deflect past Sexsmith.

Both clubs would have great chances in overtime but the goalies stood firm, and after Moon answered Jamie Arniel’s shootout goal Carter Camper sent the WorSharks back home with just a single point.

GAME NOTES
Worcester’s scratches were Taylor Doherty, Jimmy Bonneau, and Marek Viedensky. Both Bonneau, who joined WorSharks broadcaster Eric Lindquist in the radio booth for the game, and Viedensky are injured but are expected to be ready to play soon. Sean Acolatse made his pro debut at forward instead of what will be his usual spot on the blueline. Tony Lucia returned to the line-up for the first time since October 10, 2010 after missing 80 games due to a concussion.

There have been a handful of transactions in the past week, with the Worcester Shuttle making a stop to drop off goaltender Harri Sateri and pick up Benn Ferriero. Netminder Thomas Heemskerk also went west on the shuttle, but his stop was Stockton (ECHL) and not San Jose. The WorSharks also signed, and then released, Ian O’Connor to a PTO. O’Connor became just the third non-goaltender in WorSharks history to be signed to a PTO and not appear in a game. Josh Ciocco and Chris Murray were the other two.

Mike Connolly has a two game goal scoring streak, and Ben Guite extended his WorSharks point streak to three games (six overall). Mike Moore currently has a two game point streak, although that may change after a review of the scoring on Worcester’s goals. If Ferriero returns he’ll pick up his goal scoring streak at two games.

The three stars of the game were
1) PRO – Camper (SO GWG)
2) WOR – Connolly (g,a)
3) PRO – MacDermid (g)

The Sharkspage player of the game was Nathan Moon.

Even strength lines
Connolly/Guite/Reid
Mashinter/Moon/MacIntyre
Lucia/McCarthy/Livingston
Acolatse/Del Monte/Gogol

Irwin/Sullivan
Petrecki/Pelech
Moore/Braun

BOXSCORE

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

1st Period-1, Worcester, Gogol 2 (Livingston, Connolly), 10:31. 2, Worcester, Moon 1 (Mashinter, Moore), 13:22 (PP). Penalties-Moon Wor (cross-checking), 6:06; Gogol Wor (unsportsmanlike conduct), 8:16; MacDermid Pro (unsportsmanlike conduct), 8:16; MacDermid Pro (hooking), 11:49; Gogol Wor (fighting), 13:57; Randell Pro (fighting), 13:57; Mashinter Wor (fighting), 13:59; MacDermid Pro (fighting), 13:59; Pelech Wor (high-sticking), 19:32.

2nd Period-3, Providence, MacDermid 2 (MacDonald), 6:14. Penalties-Petrecki Wor (hooking), 0:53; Tardif Pro (roughing), 9:49.

3rd Period-4, Worcester, Connolly 2 (Reid, Guite), 0:28. 5, Providence, Ridderwall 1 (Cunningham), 1:46. 6, Providence, Tardif 2 (Bartkowski, Hamill), 19:30. Penalties-Moore Wor (interference), 4:53; Connolly Wor (slashing), 9:50; Ridderwall Pro (holding), 13:17.

OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-No Penalties

Shootout – Worcester 1 (Connolly NG, Reid NG, Mashinter NG, Moon G, Guite NG), Providence 2 (Hamill NG, Ridderwall NG, Arniel G, Hennessy NG, Camper G).
Shots on Goal-Worcester 18-12-9-4-0-43. Providence 13-11-9-2-1-36.
Power Play Opportunities-Worcester 1 / 3; Providence 0 / 5.
Goalies-Worcester, Sexsmith 2-0-1 (35 shots-32 saves). Providence, Khudobin 3-3-0 (43 shots-40 saves).
A-6,869
Referees-Keith Kaval (40).
Linesmen-Bob Paquette (18), Brian MacDonald (72).

WorSharks overpower Devils in front of sell out crowd, 6-1

The Worcester Sharks picked up right where they left off in their road season opener last Sunday and used multiple point nights from seven players to totally overwhelm the Albany Devils 6-1 in front of a sellout crowd of 7,239 fans Saturday night at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts to open the home portion of their schedule.

Excepting for the early portions of the second period when the Devils showed some signs of life the WorSharks completely dominated the play, so much so that it looked like the Zamboni would only need to resurface the end Albany was defending as huge areas of the ice in the Worcester zone was unblemished.

Albany did have one highlight in the game when Vladimir Zharkov was able to slide a puck through the legs of WorSharks netminder Tyson Sexsmith after Sexsmith couldn’t control Stephen Gionta’s shot and somehow got turned around so he was facing into his net. It was Albany’s first and second shots of the contest, with the goal coming at 15:39 to cut Worcester’s lead to 2-1.

But the rest was all Worcester.

Benn Ferriero would get the game winner just 6:07 into the contest in what the scoresheet says is an unassisted tally, but without the forechecking of linemates Mike Connolly and Brodie Reid to force a bad clearing attempt the scoring chance wouldn’t have happened. Ferriero’s blast from just inside the circle at the half-boards beat Albany goaltender Jeff Frazee along the ice just inside the far post.

Matt Irwin had the WorSharks second goal of the opening period at 8:52 with the first of the team’s four power play markers when his blast from the middle of the sheet at the blue line pinballed in off two Devils defenders. Connolly and Ferriero had the assists.

Worcester came out a little tentative in the middle stanza and Albany grabbed the advantage by taking it to the WorSharks, but the Devils couldn’t convert on any of their chances. After a great penalty kill on a borderline hooking call to Mike Moore the WorSharks flipped the switch back to full throttle and got back on track.

When half the building is yelling “too many men” odds are at least one of the officials will notice it, and seeing the Devils had seven skaters on the ice referee Jamie Koharski was right on top of it. Ben Guite made Albany pay for the error when he collected a Sean Sullivan rebound in front of the Albany net and banged the puck home at 13:24.

Tempers flared in the Albany zone at 14:51 as all the players got together, and it looked like Curt Gogol and Tim Sestito were going to go at it, but Sestito wouldn’t drop the gloves with the rookie. However fans weren’t disappointed when out of the scrum of players skated Nick Petrecki and former WorSharks captain Jay Leach engaged and ready to do battle. Petrecki, who has been on the wrong end of his share of one-sided battles, took it to Leach and pounded the veteran with seven clean shots that forced Leach to take Petrecki to the ice to stop the battle.

The WorSharks took their 3-1 lead into the final stanza, and longtime fans know that last season the team had a hard time putting away their opponents late in games. Those ghosts were mentioned more than a handful of times along the concourse of the DCU Center between period, but before many fans had a chance to retake their seats to start the period James Livingston banked a pass off the left wing board to Justin Braun at the point for an open shot on goal. The blast snuck its way through traffic and hit Frazee, who never saw it, and Livingston swooped in and knocked the puck into the yawning net just 28 ticks into the period. Guite would have the second helper on the play.

Connolly would make it 5-1 Worcester just 77 seconds later with Worcester’s third power play marker when he stood at the near post and tipped Braun’s huge blast from the right point past Frazee. Irwin had the second assist on the goal.

A few minutes later Cam MacIntyre and Matthew Corrente dropped the mitts after an icing play in which left Worcester fans scratching as to why and Corrente sitting in the box with an extra minor, the WorSharks would have their fourth power play goal when Livingston banged home his second of the game from John McCarthy and Sullivan at 5:32 for the 6-1 final.

Worcester is off until Friday when they head back down route 146 to take on Providence for the second time in this young season. They return home Saturday night to take on the Manchester Monarchs.

GAME NOTES
Worcester’s scratches were forwards Jimmy Bonneau and Marek Viedensky, and defenseman Sena Acolatse. Thomas Heemskerk was the back-up goaltender. In a paper transaction Harri Sateri was assigned from San Jose to Stockton of the ECHL to keep him close to the NHL club. Once Antti Niemi is fully 100% Sateri will in all likelihood be assigned to Worcester.

After two games Worcester is a perfect 8-8 on the penalty kill. Last season the WorSharks were also perfect shorthanded after two games, going 5-5. Their power play is on a pace they likely can’t keep up at 33.3% (5 for 15), and is better than the 25% (4 for 12) mark at the same point last season. Hopefully those numbers won’t drop off as drastically as last season where the WorSharks finished 26th on the penalty kill (80.2%) and 21st on the power play (17.0%).

Players with points in both games so far: Matt Irwin, Benn Ferriero, Ben Guite, and Sean Sullivan. Going back to last season Irwin has a three game point scoring streak and Guite, who played last season for the Springfield Falcons, has a five game streak going.

Two former WorSharks now playing for Albany returned to the DCU Center for the first time, with former captain Jay Leach going (-1) and getting beat up by Nick Petrecki, and Steven Zalewski, who was as invisible for Albany as he was for most of the games he played for Worcester.

The three stars of the game were:
1 – WOR: Livingston (2g)
2 – WOR: Ferriero (g,a)
3 – WOR: Irwin (g,a)

The Sharkspage player of the game was Justin Braun.

Even Strength Lines
Connolly/Ferriero/Reid
McCarthy/Guite/Livingston
Mashinter/Moon/MacIntyre
Gogol/(everyone)/Del Monte

Moore/Braun
Irwin/Sullivan
Petrecki/Doherty
Pelech

Power Play Lines
Connolly/Ferriero/Reid
McCarthy/Guite/Livingston
Mashinter/Moon/MacIntyre

Irwin/Braun
Doherty/Sullivan

Penalty Kill Lines
Ferriero/Livingston
Guite/McCarthy
Del Monte/Gogol

Moore/Braun
Petrecki/Doherty

BOXSCORE

Albany 1 0 0 – 1
Worcester 2 1 3 – 6

1st Period-1, Worcester, Ferriero 2 6:07. 2, Worcester, Irwin 1 (Connolly, Ferriero), 8:52 (PP). 3, Albany, Zharkov 1 (Gionta, Urbom), 15:39. Penalties-Gionta Alb (tripping), 8:39; Pelech Wor (major – charging), 11:49; Taormina Alb (interference), 14:32; Irwin Wor (tripping), 18:37.

2nd Period-4, Worcester, Guite 1 (Sullivan), 13:24 (PP). Penalties-Veilleux Alb (interference), 4:21; Moore Wor (hooking), 8:08; served by Perkovich Alb (bench minor – too many men), 11:26; Leach Alb (fighting), 14:51; Sestito Alb (roughing), 14:51; Gogol Wor (roughing, misconduct – continuing altercation), 14:51; Pelech Wor (roughing), 14:51; Petrecki Wor (fighting), 14:51; Henrique Alb (roughing), 15:56; Del Monte Wor (roughing), 15:56; Harrold Alb (tripping), 17:11.

3rd Period-5, Worcester, Livingston 1 (Braun, Guite), 0:28. 6, Worcester, Connolly 1 (Braun, Irwin), 1:45 (PP). 7, Worcester, Livingston 2 (McCarthy, Sullivan), 5:32 (PP). Penalties-Urbom Alb (slashing), 1:37; Corrente Alb (unsportsmanlike conduct, fighting), 4:45; MacIntyre Wor (fighting), 4:45; Gionta Alb (holding), 7:18; Zajac Alb (tripping), 8:30; Zalewski Alb (tripping), 11:11; Gionta Alb (misconduct – instigating), 16:40; Sestito Alb (misconduct – instigating), 16:40; Moon Wor (slashing, misconduct – instigating), 16:40; Livingston Wor (hooking), 17:52.

Shots on Goal-Albany 5-6-5-16. Worcester 10-6-15-31.
Power Play Opportunities-Albany 0 / 5; Worcester 4 / 9.
Goalies-Albany, Frazee 0-2-0 (31 shots-25 saves). Worcester, Sexsmith 2-0-0 (16 shots-15 saves).
A-7,239
Referees-Jamie Koharski (84).
Linesmen-Brian MacDonald (72), Ed Boyle (81).

DOH Podcast #172: season debut vs Phoenix, Columbus Blue Jackets vs American Horror Story, Andrew Desjardins, Western Conference/Pacific Division re-alignment

[audio:http://dudesonhockey.com/podcast/doh_2011_1012.mp3]

Mike Peattie and Doug Santana discuss the Sharks season opening debut against Phoenix, compare the Columbus Blue Jackets to the new show American Horror Story, discuss the early play of Andrew Desjardins and Colin White, the Sharks penalty kill problems, and evaluate the proposal to move Vancouver into the Pacific Division along with Winnipeg to the West and either Columbus or Nashville moving East on the 172nd episode of the Dudes on Hockey podcast.

This Sharks podcast is posted here with permission. Visit dudesonhockey.com for more coverage of the team or download the MP3 file directly here.

Sullivan, Sexsmith lead WorSharks over Providence, 4-1

The Worcester Sharks started off their 2011-2012 season by taking an hour bus trip south down route 146 and then taking it to the Providence Bruins in a contest where they dominated every aspect of the game along the way to a 4-1 victory Sunday afternoon at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island in front of an announced crowd of 3,579.

Both teams spent the very early part of the opening period feeling each other out, but it didn’t take long for Worcester to pick up the pace and force Providence to chase them all over the ice. Several big saves by P-Bruins goaltender Anton Khudobin kept the game scoreless. The WorSharks best chance early was Justin Braun’s two on one break in while short handed, but Khudobin was there with a big glove save. Khudobin was also there to make a big save when Curt Gogol surprised the netminder with a booming slapshot from the point through traffic. A few moments later Gogol would get a second chance.

After Nick Petrecki collected a Taylor Doherty pass and fed Ryan Del Monte the center found Gogol streaking down the left wing side. Gogol let a shot rip from the top of the circle that beat Khudobin five hole for his first professional goal at 14:35.

Worcester had a great chance to get another goal late in the period when Matt Irwin’s blast broke through Khudobin, but the Providence defense was there to sweep the puck away. Worcester outshot Providence 14-4 in the opening 20 minutes, with WorSharks netminder Tyson Sexsmith not being really tested.

Sean Sullivan grabbed Worcester’s second goal at 4:10 of the middle period when he picked up a loose puck and blasted a shot off the far post. Irwin and Ben Guite had the assists on the goal. Sullivan had an assist on Worcester’s third goal when he dumped the puck in from the blue line while on the power play. The puck was gathered by Nathan Moon, who flipped a backhand pass to Brandon Mashinter all alone in the slot. The big left winger buried it at 15:37 to make it 3-0.

Sandwiched between the two second period tallies for Worcester was a huge save by Sexsmith on a Calle Ridderwall shorthanded breakaway, as the netminder was able to get a piece of the shot and it rolled wide.

Providence was finally able get one past Sexsmith, and it took a lucky bounce to do it. After Mike Moore blocked a Lane MacDermid shot the puck bounced right back to the forward. Sexsmith, who had reacted to the first shot, was unable to get his glove back up to catch the laser that went just under the crossbar at 18:54 to make it 3-1.

The WorSharks would get a little more breathing room at 1:31 of the third period when Benn Ferriero connected to make it 4-1. The goal was assisted by Brodie Reid and Petrecki, although the box score doesn’t reflect the defenseman’s assist as of posting time. The Baby-Bs carried the play for the rest of the third period, but some great team defense by Worcester limited their scoring chances. Sexsmith, who wasn’t called upon to make many big saves, was there for the chances when he needed to be.

Worcester opens their home schedule with their next game on Saturday, October 15 against the Albany Devils.

GAME NOTES
Scratches for the WorSharks were Sena Acolatse, Matt Pelech, and Marek Viedensky. Thomas Heemskerk was the back-up netminder.

There was two fights in the contest, with new WorSharks enforcer Jimmy Bonneau taking on Lane MacDermid in the first half of the middle stanza. As both fighters went to the ice Bonneau looked to get his leg caught under him, and he didn’t return to the game after testing out the leg during a stoppage in play later in the period. Curt Gogol and Tyler Randell went at it off a face-off early in the third after Gogol caused some havoc in the P-Bruins end. Sharkspage gives the Baby-Bs the nod in both bouts.

There were a few uniform number changes for Worcester from last season, with Cam MacIntyre going from #41 to #24, Taylor Doherty moving from #28 to #4, and Ryan Del Monte, who wore both #9 and #42 under a PTO last season, wearing #16. Acolatse, when he suits up, will officially change from #36 to #14. Bonneau is the first WorShark to wear #43 in a game, and Brodie Reid is the first to wear #51.

The win improves Worcester’s record in season openers to 4-1-0-1. All the games have been on the road.

Defenseman Marvin Degon, who plays for Providence, is originally from Worcester. His father, Marvin Degon Sr, is a member of the Worcester Hockey Hall of Fame and holder of many DIII college records for scoring. In the early 70s Degon Sr. averaged nearly a hat trick per game for Worcester State.

The three stars of the game were
#1 – WOR: Sullivan (g,a)
#2 – WOR: Sexsmith (19 saves)
#3 – PRO: MacDermid (g)

The Sharkspage player of the game was Nick Petrecki.

Even Strength Lines
Connolly/Ferriero/Reid
Mashinter/Moon/MacIntyre
McCarthy/Guite/Livingston
Bonneau/Del Monte/Gogol

Moore/Braun
Petrecki/Doherty
Irwin/Sullivan

Power Play Lines
Connolly/Ferriero/Reid
Mashinter/Moon/MacIntyre

Irwin/Braun
Sullivan/Doherty

Penalty Kill Lines
Guite/McCarthy
Del Monte/Livingston

Moore/Braun
Petrecki/Doherty

BOXSCORE

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

1st Period-1, Worcester, Gogol 1 (Del Monte, Petrecki), 14:35. Penalties-Randell Pro (tripping), 2:54; Moon Wor (slashing), 8:32; Button Pro (closing hand on puck), 15:30.

2nd Period-2, Worcester, Sullivan 1 (Guite, Irwin), 4:10. 3, Worcester, Mashinter 1 (Moon, Sullivan), 15:37 (PP). 4, Providence, MacDermid 1 (Cohen), 18:54. Penalties-Bonneau Wor (fighting), 6:36; MacDermid Pro (fighting), 6:36; Cantin Pro (high-sticking), 7:16; Tardif Pro (elbowing), 11:52; MacDonald Pro (tripping), 14:06; Gogol Wor (cross-checking), 16:44; Doherty Wor (roughing), 17:04; Hamill Pro (roughing), 17:04.

3rd Period-5, Worcester, Ferriero 1 (Reid), 1:31. Penalties-Gogol Wor (fighting), 6:05; Randell Pro (fighting), 6:05; Moore Wor (tripping), 17:14; Hamill Pro (tripping), 19:26.

Shots on Goal-Worcester 14-10-7-31. Providence 4-6-10-20.
Power Play Opportunities-Worcester 1 / 6; Providence 0 / 3.
Goalies-Worcester, Sexsmith 1-0-0 (20 shots-19 saves). Providence, Khudobin 0-2-0 (31 shots-27 saves).
A-3,579
Referees-Mark Lemelin (41), Ryan Hersey (46).
Linesmen-Bob Bernard (42), Bob Paquette (18).

WorSharks get defensive as new season approaches

As the Worcester Sharks head into their sixth season head coach Roy Sommer has a problem on his hands, but it’s not a bad one–the WorSharks have too many good defensemen on the roster. “It’s a great problem to have,” Sommer said to a group of fans at a recent season ticket holder gathering, “we’ve got a bunch of guys that all deserve to get some playing time and not enough spots every night.”

Returning to the blue line for the WorSharks is Sean Sullivan, the highest scoring player remaining on the roster from last season. Joining him in the offensive side of the defensemen is Justin Braun, one of the last cuts from San Jose’s camp and a victim of lots of defensive depth in the organization. As San Jose has their own glut of defensemen Braun will likely spend most of his time with the WorSharks, but if the injury bug bites the big club he’ll be the one to get the call. Also in the puck-moving mix is second year pro Matt Irwin, who can not only play well with the puck but can also throw his weight around with physical play if needed.

Team captain Mike Moore returns to anchor the hard hitting defensive side of the corps, with third year pro Nick Petrecki looking to take his game to the next level and show he deserved his first round draft status. Joining the WorSharks from the Abbotsford Heat is Matt Pelech, another physical defensemen who isn’t afraid to drop the gloves if needed. The WorSharks could roll out three pairings of a hard hitting defenseman teamed with a legitimate puck moving offensive threat, something many AHL teams will have problems playing against.

Rounding out the defensive corps are two highly touted rookies, Sean Acolatse and Taylor Doherty, who both have tremendous upside. Acolatse brings a blend of offensive talents and physical play with him in his rookie season, while Doherty brings his 6’7” frame and the will to use it against onrushing forwards.

Fans shouldn’t read too much into any defenseman being assigned to the ECHL, because just like in San Jose it’s likely the numbers game of getting guys playing time more than being unable to compete at their current level that will be the reason behind the transaction.

Another issue for Worcester will be in net, mostly in knowing who will be in it from game to game. With Alex Stalock recovering from last season’s freak injury where a nerve in his left leg was severed and out for most of the season, the number one job for the WorSharks looks to fall on Thomas Greiss. But with injuries in San Jose to Antti Niemi and Antero Niittymaki for now Greiss will be starting the season as the big club’s starting goaltender. A possible hiccup in the equation is Greiss needs to clear waivers to go to the AHL, and it’s far from guaranteed that will happen. Harri Sateri, who was penciled in as Greiss’ back-up on the WorSharks, will be on the bench in San Jose until one of the NHL goalies gets healthy enough to play.

That leaves Tyson Sexsmith as the go to guy in Worcester to start the season. Sexsmith, who in the last two seasons found himself as an injured goaltender surrounded by healthy ones, needs to make the most of his chance as this season is likely his make or break year in the Sharks organization. Sexsmith will split time here with rookie Thomas Heemskerk, but both could be headed to the ECHL once the goaltending situation sorts itself out.

The WorSharks are likely going to need every bit of defensive help they can get as their already weak offense, which ranked 27th in the AHL in goals scored, lost their three top point getters from last season. With Jonathan Cheechoo off to the St. Louis organization, and Dan DaSilva and T.J. Trevelyan heading to Europe San Jose did not dip into the free agent market to secure some goal scorers for their minor league franchise. Instead the Sharks signed journeyman Ben Guite as a veteran presence and will rely on rookies Mike Connolly, Marek Viedensky, and James Livingston to replace the lost offense.

Worcester does have some potential top six talent returning in Benn Ferriero, Brandon Mashinter, and John McCarthy, but with no established play making center on the roster who will be setting them up for scoring opportunities is a huge question. Tommy Wingles, currently in San Jose but could find himself as the odd man out there as he currently doesn’t need to clear waivers, could provide some temporary relief if he’s here but it’s more likely he’ll be racking up frequent flier miles on the Worcester Shuttle.

For Worcester Sharks news throughout the season follow Sharkspage and Darryl Hunt on twitter. You can also follow Sharks AHL in Game for live game updates from the team.

DOH Podcast #171: 2011-12 NHL Season Preview, Northwest and Pacific Division previews, Sharks final cuts, Tommy Wingels, Brad Winchester contract, injury speculation, fantasy draft

[audio:http://dudesonhockey.com/podcast/doh_2011_1005.mp3]

Mike Peattie and Doug Santana preview the 2011-12 NHL season, offer previews for the NorthWest and Pacific Divisions, discuss the final roster cuts and the new 1-year contract offered to Brad Winchester to open the season, the prospects for Tommy Wingels and Jamie McGinn to make an impact, injury speculation about whether Martin Havlat and Antti Niemi will be ready to go on opening night Saturday, and debate which fourth liners have made the biggest offensive impact in SJ and around the NHL on the 171st episode of the Dudes on Hockey podcast.

This Sharks podcast is posted here with permission. Visit dudesonhockey.com for more coverage of the team or download the MP3 file directly here.

Cam MacIntyre waiver error

First off, allow me to apologize for getting Cam MacIntyre’s waiver status wrong. He is exempt from waivers (and as such, from recall waivers) for this season.

Here is what happened…

Cam MacIntyre signed an entry level contract at the end of his 2009-2010 NCAA season, but unlike most other college players that have contracts signed late in the season to begin at the beginning of the next season, MacIntyre’s contract was set to run in that season. Based on his age of signing that ELC the maximum length of that contract was one season, and he was subsequently signed to a two year, one-way deal. Also based on his age of signing his ELC was a two season waiver exemption.

My error was in thinking the 09-10 season counted as the first season of waiver exemption. It did not because the NHL CBA states (in section 13.4) a player’s waiver exemption starts not when his ELC starts but when he plays his first pro game, which for MacIntyre was in the 2010-2011 season. This means MacIntyre is waiver exempt for last season and this season.

Again, I apologize for my error and any confusion is caused.

San Jose Sharks waiver eligibility list for 2011-2012

Recently there has been a lot of buzz on Twitter about the San Jose Sharks roster and the waiver status of several of players. Below, listed in alphabetical order, is every player that currently holds an NHL contract with the San Jose Sharks, and their waiver status as of the start of the 2011-2012 season:

Acolatse, Sena – Not subject to waivers
Anderson. J.P. – Not subject to waivers
Boyle, Dan – Subject to waivers and recall waivers
Braun, Justin – Will be subject to waivers in 31 NHL games
Burns, Brent – Subject to waivers and recall waivers
Clowe, Ryane – Subject to waivers and recall waivers
Connolly, Mike – Not subject to waivers
Couture, Logan – Will be subject to waivers in 23 NHL games
Demers, Jason – Subject to waivers and recall waivers
Desjardins, Andrew – Subject to waivers
Doherty, Taylor – Not subject to waivers
Ferriero, Benn – Will be subject to waivers in 5 NHL games
Gogol, Curt – Not subject to waivers
Greiss, Thomas – Subject to waivers
Guite, Ben – Subject to waivers
Hamilton, Freddie – Not subject to waivers
Handzus, Michal – Subject to waivers and recall waivers
Havlat, Martin – Subject to waivers and recall waivers
Heemskerk, Thomas – Not subject to waivers
Irwin, Matt – Not subject to waivers
Livingston, James – Not subject to waivers
Lucia, Tony – Not subject to waivers
MacIntyre, Cam – Not subject to waivers
Marcou, James – Not subject to waivers
Marleau, Patrick – Subject to waivers and recall waivers
Mashinter, Brandon – Not subject to waivers
McCarthy, John – Will be subject to waivers in 19 NHL games
McGinn, Jamie – Subject to waivers
McLaren, Frazer – Subject to waivers
Mitchell, Torrey – Subject to waivers and recall waivers
Moore, Mike – Subject to waivers and recall waivers
Murray, Andrew – Subject to waivers
Murray, Douglas – Subject to waivers and recall waivers
Niemi, Antti – Subject to waivers and recall waivers
Niittymaki, Antero – Subject to waivers and recall waivers
Pavelski, Joe – Subject to waivers and recall waivers
Pelech, Matt – Subject to waivers
Petrecki, Nick – Not subject to waivers
Reid, Brodie – Not subject to waivers
Sateri, Harri – Not subject to waivers
Sexsmith, Tyson – Not subject to waivers
Sgarbossa, Michael – Not subject to waivers
Sheppard, James – Subject to waivers
Stalock, Alex – Not subject to waivers
Sullivan, Sean – Subject to waivers
Thornton, Joe – Subject to waivers and recall waivers
Vandermeer, Jim – Subject to waivers and recall waivers
Viedensky, Marek – Not subject to waivers
Vlasic, Marc-Edouard – Subject to waivers and recall waivers
White, Colin – Subject to waivers and recall waivers
Winchester, Brad – Subject to waivers and recall waivers
Wingels, Tommy – Not subject to waivers

Remember, for all the latest news and information about the San Jose Sharks and Worcester Sharks you can follow @Sharkspage and Darryl Hunt on twitter.

Hockey Notes – 10/3

SAN JOSE SHARKS SIGNED F BRAD WINCHESTER TO 1-YEAR CONTRACT MON.

– Update: The San Jose Sharks announced late this afternoon that they signed hulking, 6-foot-5, 230-pound winger Brad Winchester to a 1-year contract. Winchester is expected to anchor a grinding fourth line with fellow veteran Andrew Murray and young “Crazed Rat” Andrew Desjardins. “We feel that our training camp was as competitive as it ever has been and Brad came into it and earned a spot on our roster,” San Jose Sharks EVP/GM said via press release. “He brings a rugged, veteran presence to our lineup and he does whatever it takes to be a good teammate.” Winchester finished 2010-11 with 10 goals, 16 points, and 116 penalty minutes split between St. Louis and Anaheim. He scored a goal and an assist in the 2011-12 preseason, and lead the team with 18 PIMs.

According to TrueHockey.com’s Andy Strickland, the contract was for 1 year at $725,000.

LW RYANE CLOWE JOINED KRUK AND KUIP IN BROADCAST BOOTH TUESDAY - CSN

– One of the highlights from last week took place off the ice as San Jose Sharks left wing Ryane Clowe joined San Francisco Giants announcers Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper in the broadcast booth for a game against the Colorado Rockies. Clowe dished on the exuberant fans at HP Pavilion, the average shift length in hockey, baseball injuries vs hockey injuries, and how Pablo Sandoval would fare as a hockey player. The takeaway came when Clowe was asked about natural rivalries for the Sharks:

[Q] Every year, unless you have a natural rivalry, the Giants and the Dodgers have a natural rivalry, you guys and the Ducks have a little thing going on. Is there one team that you don’t like, that you just don’t like ’em?

[RC] Right now, and probably a lot of the league agrees with me, Vancouver. They have really got a lot of players and other teams turned against them. I believe playoffs build rivalries. It certainly started with us last year with the Canucks. It will be interesting when we play them this year.

[Q] How many times do you play them this year.

[RC] We play them four times in our Conference, so two and two.

[Q] That should be a pretty spirited four games.

[RC] Absolutely.

Clowe answered the last question with an ominous grin and both Giants announcers offered wry laughs. His feelings may have been amplified by the fact that he played the entire Western Conference Final series against the Canucks with a seperated shoulder. A big part of his game is keeping opponents honest. Vancouver may have to pay up on that toll November 26th at HP Pavilion when both teams meet for the first time this season.

Clowe’s visit to the broadcast booth also is part of a push for the Giants to maintain their “sphere of influence” in the South Bay. Inviting Dany Heatley to throw out the first pitch at a Giants game, having Tim Lincecum and Pablo Sandoval drop the puck at a Sharks home game, hosting fan rallies and ramping up cooperation with the San Jose Giants. All come as Major League Baseball as set to determine whether or not the Oakland Athletics can move to a downtown stadium in San Jose. MLB Commissioner Bud Selig could make that long, drawn-out decision as early as this summer.

– Also a guest last Thursday on the Comcast Sports Network was new San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns. Burns joined Greg Papa on Chronicle Live to discuss getting used to his new defensive partner Marc-Edouard Vlasic, his thoughts after being traded to San Jose, his style of offensive play which differs from the puck carrying, quarterbacking style of Dan Boyle. “I can bring a little bit of everything. I have a big body, I can skate, I like to chip in a little bit offensively but I don’t think I am a pure offensive guy, I don’t have that pure goal scoring touch that other guys do,” Burns told Papa. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Ontario native finished third in the league in goals by defenseman last year with a career-high 17, and finished tied for third in power play goals by a defenseman with 9.

Burns has a physical style around his own net and he has seen penalty kill duty during the preseason with defenseman Douglas Murray, but his cannon of a shot from the point and offensive instincts have some hockey experts salivating. While the Sharks try to tamp down expectations in order to ease him into the lineup, extended power play time with Marleau-Thornton-Pavelski and Boyle on the point could prove to be explosive. Burns may have even more of an impact on puck management out of the Sharks own zone. Using his long reach and size, Burns can dramatically impact the transition from defense to offense, as well as the speed of attack up ice. Combine that with Boyle and Jason Demers, and all three Sharks defensive units have a potent puck moving capacity. Burns on Joe Thornton: “He is so good with the puck, it is definitley more fun to be on his team and wear the same jersey than to play against him.”

– Sharks following GM’s orders perfectly – Eric Gilmore for NHL.com.

After 45 games last season, the Sharks were a disappointing 21-19-5. They had lost six straight games by a combined score of 19-8 and were sinking in the Western Conference playoff chase.

At that point the Sharks seemingly flipped the switch and won nine of their next 10 games. They went 23-6-3 over their final 32 games, won the Pacific Division and finished with 105 points, second only to Vancouver’s 117 in the West. It was an impressive run to the finish line, but Wilson said having to play in desperation mode for so long hurt the Sharks in the postseason because they were a tired, battered bunch by the time they faced Vancouver in the conference finals.

“It was talked about over the summer, and it was talked about early in camp, but it’s not something that’s stressed every day,” Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle said. “We go out to win every hockey game. The first two years I was here we had great starts. Last year we didn’t. It is what it is.

“We’re out to win every game every night. Sometimes what you do early can help you out. We are going to go on a stretch where we lose some games. That’s inevitable (but) that’s what a strong start does — it kind of balances it out. You always look to finish strong, too, but yeah, it (starting strong) has been talked about.”

– In addition to improving player safety regarding hits to the head and hits from behind, NHL SR VP of Player Safety Brendan Shanahan told CBC that the league would also look into fighting in hockey. “We’re definitely very serious in making advancements in studying blows to the head, we have to also look at fighting,” Shanahan told the CBC. “What the final decision is, I can’t tell you now, that’s something we’re obviously going to have to look at, but there’s no way we would ever deny that it’s not something we’re looking at closely.”

– The Sharks dropped their final game of the preseason with a 3-1 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes. A prospect-heavy San Jose lineup saw Martin Hanzal, Lauri Korpikoski and Taylor Pyatt score in a near 10-minute span to start the second period. Defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic ended the shutout attempt by Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith with a shot that deflected up off the defense and over his shoulder. With the big dollar, free agent departure of Ilya Bryzgalov to Philadelphia, former Tampa Bay starter Smith and long-time backup Jason LaBarbera could get a number of opportunities to carry Phoenix this season. Thomas Greiss stopped 20 of 23 shots against, Harri Sateri stopped 7 of 7. AZ Central’s Jim Gintonio reported that Mike Smith will get the start for the regular season opener October 8th at HP Pavilion.

A few members of the Phoenix staff were surprised by the volume and turnout for the preseason in San Jose. Only 6,203 fans attended the Sharks preseason finale in Phoenix. The league owned Coyotes franchise has been raking local fans over the coals as threats to move and the failure of ownership group after ownership group proliferate.

– Via Mercury News reporter Mark Emmons’ twitter this morning, San Jose EVP/GM Doug Wilson noted that starting goaltender Antti Niemi is on track for his return from injury to start the season. “Everything I’m hearing is he’s right on track for opening night,” Wilson told Emmons. Niemi is returning from minor surgery to remove a cyst in his left leg and recently had his most rigrous practice of training camp. With last season’s backup Antero Niittymaki possibly out 3 months after undergoing a groin procedure, 2009-10 backup Thomas Greiss may see a larger than normal workload at the start of the season if Niemi is eased into duty. In 2005 both of San Jose’s goaltenders Evgeni Nabokov and Vesa Toskala attempted returns from injury before they were ready, neccessitating an extended stretch by AHL netminder Nolan Schaefer (Dmitri Patzold served as his backup). With Niittymaki out, San Jose should be extra judicious with Niemi until he says he is the Finnish equivalent of 100%.

– NHL teams have to pare down to a maximum 23-player roster by Wednesday. Today the San Jose Sharks assigned Benn Ferriero, defenseman Justin Braun and John McCarthy to Worcester of the AHL according to David Pollak. All three saw NHL time last season and could be on the shortlist for a recall if needed. According to the Sharks media relations department, the current training camp roster sits at 27 with injured players James Sheppard and Antero Niittymaki still included. Harri Sateri (G), Mike Moore (D), Cam MacIntyre (F), Frazer McLaren (F), Jamie McGinn (F) or Tommy Wingels (F) could be on the bubble, health and contract situations of Antti Niemi and Brad Winchester permitting.

– The latest Sharks player commercial came out last week featuring goaltender Antti Niemi.

– The San Jose Sharks third jersey schedule for 2011-12: Thursday, November 3 (PIT), Thursday, November 10 (MIN), Thursday, November 17 (DET),
Thursday, December 1 (MTL), Thursday, December 8 (DAL), Thursday, December 15 (COL), Friday, December 23 (LA), Thursday, January 5 (CBJ), Thursday, January 19 (OTT), Thursday, February 2 (DAL), Friday, February 10 (CHI), Thursday, March 1 (BUF), Thursday, March 15 (NSH), Thursday, March 22 (BOS), Saturday, April 7 (LA).

– Expert predictions for the 2011-12 season can be looked at as expectations for certain teams instead of finite barometers of where they will finish. The NHL’s Dan Rosen and E.J. Hradek (formerly of ESPN) split on predictions for the Western Conference. Rosen goes off the board to select Chicago, Hradek selects the San Jose Sharks. The Hockey News goes the more traditional route with Vancouver 1st, San Jose 2nd and Chicago 3rd. San Jose and Vancouver are deep enough to more than cover their respective departures up front and on the blueline during the offseason. Veteran NHL columnist Adam Proteau diverges from THN editorial board with Vancouver, Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit and San Jose filling out his top 5 from the West. ESPN’s Scott Burnside posted his power rankings for the start of the season: BOS, VAN, WAS, PIT, SJ round out his top 5.

– As part of USA Hockey’s ‘Girls Hockey Day‘, Sharks Ice in San Jose held 3 on-ice sessions this Sunday with free equipment and training. It was part of a national effort to get more women and girl’s involved in the sport. The Sharks are also involved in the NHL’s street hockey initiative, which is readymade for the Bay Area’s 60-70 degree winters. With the largest ice hockey (4-rink) and roller hockey (3-rink) facilities on the West Coast, adult recreational hockey has also seen a boom in Northern California. According to USA Hockey, the Sharks Ice Adult Hockey Leagues nearly doubled the size of the next largest adult hockey program in 2009-10 with 4,542 participants.

– Burrito Justice, possible one of the best blog names of all time, takes an alternate look at the search for the ECHL’s new San Francisco franchise identity.

– Sunday hockey notes from around the league: The Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons believes the East will outpace the West this season (guffaw), notes that former Sharks and current Toronto Maple Leafs head coach is one of the few bench bosses to survive a 4-year playoff drought, that Gustavsson will not be the #1 Toronto (and SJ) hoped for, and that Jaromir Jagr’s first regular season point for the Philadelphia Flyers will be his 1600th. The NY Post’s Larry Brooks takes a look at how NFL and NBA lockouts could color the NHL and NHLPA’s outlook when the CBA expires at the end of this season. Brooks believes eliminating the salary cap floor could be a critical step taken to help struggling smaller market teams. If that is priority #1 for NHLPA head Donald Fehr, step #2 is taking a cue from the NHL during the last lockout. Engage in some form of dialogue with the fan base, any form. That did not happen last time. There are three parties involved, not two. Unfortunately Fehr’s track record in that regard is abysmal. He represents the player’s union and player’s can demand an open and transparent relationship with the fans if they so chose. Kevin Paul Dupont in the Boston Globe takes a look at the possibility of adding Ray Whitney, a third veteran scoring winger that could also be a very good fit for a club like San Jose, and notes the impressive play of rookie New Jersey Devils defenseman Adam Larsson (with comparisons to Anaheim’s Cam Fowler). Seeing how complete Cam Fowler’s game was in his rookie season, those are mighty big skates to fill.

– Excellent San Jose Sharks blog Fear the Fin posted a three part interview recently with San Jose Sharks EVP/GM Doug Wilson: part1, part2, part3. The discussion from the Youngstars Tournament in BC delved into a number of different topics, but it also touched on advanced metrics that have been utilized more by teams, media and fans to analyize the game as it evolves in the modern era. Wilson touched on some elements of their advanced metrics, but shyed away from discussing others. Like injury announcements, they will remain a closely guarded organizational secret moving forward.

[Q] In terms of advanced metrics, there is information out there indicating the organization is very involved with certain Bay Area firms. This seems to be a related situation, where you’re looking at the ROI of a certain pick in the first round versus the second. For example, in a hypothetical situation, a 28th pick in a draft could bring a return similar to a 10th pick in the second in terms of the likelihood a player will play 200 plus games at the NHL level.

[DW] We explore and will research any type of analytical approach, and then add some things to it. Tim Burke, who runs our scouting, has done a truly amazing job when you go back and look at the number of players we’ve drafted that have either been used in deals or who have been mid to late round picks who have become very good hockey players. The drafting and developing is the foundation of what we do. Now I’m not about to go into all the details on what we do, and I’m not saying we’re smarter than anybody because other teams are pursuing similar things. But we work hard, and I’m proud of our group to always look at ways to get better and gather more information. When you’re drafting later than many teams, you max out what you’re doing. I’m very proud of our scouting staff, and when you rank them on what they’re doing, they rank very highly…

[Q] In a general sense, is that something that you look at when analyzing trades as well, not necessarily just at the Draft?

Everything that we do. Everything is connected. Certainly when you are trading that is part of the equation and you just don’t throw in “things.” Most of the teams we deal with work very hard at understanding what their needs are, what our needs are, and it’s a matchmaking process. Some people say making trades is difficult in this business, but we’ve been involved in fairly big trades. Those take more time and more work, but you can still make deals. You have to have a lot of your work done in advance. For example, our deals with Minnesota. People say “why did we do so many?” Well, it makes sense. They are a growing team, they’re trying to replenish and build, we’re trying to win today. In many ways, several of the deals were related anyhow and it just so happened how they came out in the timing. You learn by listening in this business. You need to understand what the other team is trying to do. Factors change if there’s injuries or performance of course, but you need to have all your work done so you can have an educated conversation and be open and respectful and operate in confidence. Those are the rules we operate by…

[Q] For example, things likes CORSI, Goals Versus Threshold, other TOI based metrics. For someone trying to analyze the game from outside an organization, is that a good way to go or is there other things you prefer –Situational metrics?

[DW] There’s a lot, and there’s a few additional approaches we take as well— A combination. I’ll give you a basic example. As you’re looking at how the game and rules were changing, and how the environment was changing [following the lockout], organizations are building their teams a little bit differently. Certain players can be effective under the new rules where they couldn’t have been in the past. For example, defensemen. A lot of defensemen had trouble in the transition under the new rules. And you’d say, “These big, physical guys can’t play under these new rules.” Not true. Big, physical guys who play a certain way can succeed. Douglas Murray, classic example. Other guys who weren’t physical, but were clutching and holding—you’d do research into the type of penalties certain players were taking and see that a big physical guy who closes quickly and has a high hockey IQ can still be very effective under these new rules. As we would explore how different players play, how they thought the game, we found there were opportunities for players who could compete in this League. That is just a basic example of how things change, to get ahead of the curve, where the analytics come into play.

– 21-year-old Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty’s contract holdout saga came to an end late last week, but there may be longer term repurcussions for the up and coming Pacific Division squad. Drew Doughty and his powerhouse agent Don Meehan agreed to an 8-year, $56-million deal for a $7-million a year average four days after AEG President Tim Leiweke said the Kings would not blink in their “salary stalemate”. Leiweke supported GM Dean Lombardi at that time, and said that their $6.8M/yr offer allowed them to allocate salary cap dollars while maintaining a strong nucleus.

Doughty became the youngest Norris Trophy Finalist in NHL history in 2010-11, but hints of his youthful exuberance came out in the first round WCQF playoff series against the San Jose Sharks. It was the second straight postseason appearance for Los Angeles after a 6-year drought and there was extra motivation to get past a bitter division rival. When second or third efforts were called for on a play, Doughty made them. Then he proceeded with fourth and fifth efforts that drew penalties. Experienced players can turn it on when a team is down or when it comes to critical moments in a game or series, but they can pick their spots to avoid putting their team in a more difficult position. Despite Doughty’s enormous talent, he is not quite there yet.

24-year old center Anze Kopitar is. One member of the Kings described him as the best offensive and defensive player on the team, and noted his absence from the playoff lineup last year would be difficult to overcome. In negotiating with Doughty, GM Dean Lombardi put a team salary cap on Kopitar’s $6.8M a year average salary. Agreeing to a longer-term 8 year deal for a negligible $200,000 more in salary was puzzling, and on the surface does not seem to be worth the abundant negative reaction it drew from a large number of Kings fans. There had to be more, but as one agent noted to Yahoo this summer, if you are not in the room then you are only guessing at the particulars. The particulars in this case are many. According to Helene Elliott, Kopitar used to be represented by Meehan but left for agent Pat Brisson of CAA Sports. Elliot speculated that one-upping the Kings on salary demands could be a marketing coup for Meehan with future clients. It could also be a shot taken at Brisson for losing Kopitar. Term also was a major factor.

There is more to that angle. When he was GM of the San Jose Sharks, Dean Lombardi had to deal with extended holdouts by Evegni Nabokov (a Meehan client), Brad Stuart and Mike Rathje in the span of 2 years. The holdouts handcuffed the Sharks, and on the tail end of a forgettable season Lombardi was let go. Last year after a 10-year stint in San Jose, Meehan completely dropped the ball with his client Evgeni Nabokov, a player coming off three straight 40-win seasons. The Sharks picked up Antero Niittymaki on the first day of free agency, and later scooped up starter Antti Niemi when Chicago failed to meet arbitration. San Jose took the unusual step of publicly thanking Nabokov for his service on their own website, and signaling that they wanted to move in a different direction. They gave Nabokov and his agent enough time to fully prepare for the July 1st start of free agency and in the process let their fans in the Bay Area know what was going on. Meehan remained silent. Nabokov’s negotiating rights were traded to Philly but he went unsigned on July 1st. After several days Naboov signed a large contract with SKA of the KHL. Playing behind an incredibly porous KHL defense, Nabokov left the KHL in what was announced as a mutual decision. In an attempt to return to the NHL, Detroit expressed interest in Nabokov as an injury replacement but he was claimed off waivers by the Islanders and failed to report to the team. At each step along the way there was a veritable blackout on what was taking place.

Part of an agent’s job is not only to get the best deal for his client, but also to represent that client to the public. To keep an ongoing dialogue with media and fans, and in certain cases to put into context reasons for making controversial decisions. In back-to-back years, Meehan has appeared almost tone deaf to hockey fans in California. San Jose went to great lengths to explain their decision on Nabokov. Lombardi offered a detailed hierarchy to the Los Angeles Times on the reasons behind his offer to Doughty: rank among peers, rank on team, team salary structure. Meehan remained silent. Things may be business as usual and operate normally on the surface, but Doughty’s holdout could have long-term implications for the Los Angeles Kings franchise. While in San Jose, players go out of there way to fit into a championship caliber mould. In Los Angeles, a similar scenario Lombardi tried to create fell flat almost before it started. As the stretch run and playoffs showed, there is no getting out of the Western Conference or the Pacific Division without a strong, talented supporting cast. The Doughty holdout may have made that process more difficult short and long term. The possibility that his contract may have been used as a tool to one-up Lombardi or fellow agent Brisson, or used as a marketing tool to garner future clients, should be galling to hockey fans. One thing is certain — if it comes out different factors were involved in this holdout, they will almost assuredly come from Lombardi’s open door policy with media and fans.

– Will Kings fans forgive Drew Doughty for holding out? – Harrison Mooney for Yahoo Puck Daddy.

[Update] Rumor Roundup: Ray Whitney Boston-bound? – Lyle Richardson for The Hockey News.

[Update2] After Giving His All, (Petr) Sykora Waits for Answer From Devils – NY Times Slapshots blog.

WorSharks drop preseason finale to Whale, 3-2

The Worcester Sharks dropped Sunday’s exhibition game against the Connecticut Whale 3-2. James Livingston and Mike Connolly had the goals for the WorSharks. Thomas Heemskerk had 28 saves in the loss.

The WorSharks finished their preseason slate going 12 for 13 on the penalty kill (92.3%) and 2 for 8 on the power play (25%).

Worcester’s lines in the contest, as reported by @SharksAHLingame were:
Connolly/Moon/Reid
Mashinter/Levesque/Guite
Perdicaro/Del Monte/Livingston
Bonneau/Viedensky/Gogol

Sullivan/Acolatse
Irwin/Doherty
Pelech/Zulyniak

BOXSCORE

Worcester 0 1 1 – 2
Connecticut 1 2 0 – 3

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Tanski 3 0:43. Penalties-Audy-Marchessault Ct (high-sticking), 4:13; served by Connolly Ct (bench minor – too many men), 8:18; Moon Wor (cross-checking), 16:11; Bonneau Wor (hooking), 17:44.

2nd Period-2, Worcester, Livingston 1 (Del Monte), 6:39. 3, Connecticut, Fast 1 (Tessier), 9:49 (PP). 4, Connecticut, McKelvie 1 (Wilson), 14:19. Penalties-Pelech Wor (elbowing), 2:29; Perdicaro Wor (fighting), 6:39; Nightingale Ct (fighting), 6:39; Guite Wor (holding), 8:22; Bonneau Wor (hooking, unsportsmanlike conduct), 15:09.

3rd Period-5, Worcester, Connolly 1 (Doherty), 14:53 (PP). Penalties-Grant Ct (hooking), 5:28; Tanski Ct (high-sticking), 9:47; Pelech Wor (interference), 12:35; Deveaux Ct (slashing), 14:00.

Shots on Goal-Worcester 11-9-10-30. Connecticut 14-14-3-31.
Power Play Opportunities-Worcester 1 / 5; Connecticut 1 / 7.
Goalies-Worcester, Heemskerk 0-1-0 (31 shots-28 saves). Connecticut, Talbot 2-1-0 (30 shots-28 saves).
Referees-Mark Lemelin (41).
Linesmen-Rich Patry (52), Bob St. Lawrence (10).

Sharks close out exhibition with 3-2 loss to Whale — Sharksahl.com

Much Ado about Guerilla Marketing: Bad Boys Bail Bonds vs freedom of speech

FREEDOM TO WEAR NEON SHIRTS IS ENSCONSED IN THE CONSTITUTION

Sometime’s hockey can be ridiculous. Without as much mainstream attention as other major sports, coverage can occasionally veer off into the nonsensical. That was the case last week when San Jose Mercury News reporter Bruce Newman published an item titled Tempest in a t-shirt. It was reported that the San Jose Sharks/HP Pavilion management would ban the Bad Boys Bail Bonds contigent that sits directly behind player benches from wearing bright, neon-colored advertising apparel at games. After they declined to renew a $70k advertising package for player benches, Bad Boy co-owner Jeffrey Stanley believed a new “enhanced ticket policy” was created to prohibit ticket holders from wearing clothing items that promoted other entities. “They’re targeting just us” he told the Mercury News.

The Sharks gained a new advertising sponsor for the player benches this year in Porsche Automotive. Sharks Sports and Entertainment VP Malcolm Bordelon said that the team did not want competing messages sent to its sponsors in the form of garrish t-shirt advertisments, face paint and wigs. “That type of ambush marketing is what we’re trying to protect them from,” Bordelon told the Mercury News. The tongue in cheek freedom of speech angle Bad Boys Bail Bonds took with the Mercury News was amped up with Yahoo Puck Daddy editor Greg Wyshynski a few days days later. In addition to furnishing the letter sent by the Sharks regarding the new policy, Stanley also offered that he had sought consitutional law counsel. “My constitutional attorney says we have a legal right to wear the shirts at the game,” he told Yahoo.

Wyshynski playfully asked if the Sharks violated a fans freedom of speech. Uh, no. Tickets and ticket policies are a binding contract that all fans agree to when they step inside the door. Then there is simple common sense. First, if you have lived anywhere from a 50-100 mile radius of San Jose, you know several members of the Bad Boys Bail Bonds crew whether or not you have been to jail and/or needed a local bailbondsman. The Bad Boys Bail Bonds commercials, several of which are on youtube, were on a late night rotation locally for several years. Bad Boys are known as much for their aggressive marketing as they are for their neon pink and neon green. Aggressive marketing that was supplemented by a large fleet of cars and trucks emblazoned with the Bad Boys logo. Several parked directly across from the courthouse downtown for extended periods. The Bad Boys contigent enjoy themselves at Sharks games as any fans would, but they have also lead cheers and angled to get in camera shots when they were focused on players or coach’s at the bench.

It is classic guerilla marketing 101. Nationally guerilla marketing has had its highs and it’s lows. A high point had to be in 2001 when news came that the aging Russian Mir space station would re-enter earth’s atmosphere and land somewhere in the South Pacific. Fast food giant Taco Bell quickly went into overdrive and dropped a 40×40 foot inflatable target in a vast stretch of the Pacific Ocean. That was followed by a national press release that went viral. If the Mir space station hit the target, everyone in the U.S. would get a free taco. A guerilla marketing low may have come with the 2007 Adult Swim cult marketing campaign for the Aqua Teen Hunger Force animated television show. That underground campaign consisted of a computerized version of their character magnetically attached around Boston under bridges and overpasses. With blinking lights and exposed motherboards and wires, many passersby thought they may have been bombs. Authorities in Boston had to respond to a rash of bomb scares for several hours. The resulting headline in Wired Magazine: Aqua Teen Hunger Force Sparks Bomb Panic in Boston. Fail. Locally guerilla marketing may have reached it’s zenith with the dot com technology boom of the late 90’s. Several small companies with little to no marketing budgets went to extravagent lengths to get their name out to people that mattered. One startup dressed completely in guerilla suits, bought dozens of pizzas, and stormed a venture capital firm looking to make an impression. It did not go over well.

The Bad Boys campaign earned it’s share of attention, but as noted in the orginal article by Bruce Newman, they were going to milk it as far and as long as possible. That aggressive push lead to several local television segments. Bad Boys co-owner Jeffrey Stanley also was a guest Thursday on KNBR 1050AM with Damon Bruce. Last week Bruce publicly supported comments Jeremy Roenick made about Patrick Marleau that even Roenick backed away from (although poor word choice does not equal wrong). This week Bruce hopped on the tail end of this non-existent and over-hyped scandal. If there is another scandal next week, it may signal a trend that could increase if the NBA lockout continues.

“This smacks of sour grapes from a team and a franchise that has had very few public PR gaffes. I think they are making one,” Bruce said. The veteran radio and post-game host often comes at sports issues with intelligent and fresh opinions. This was not one of those times. Stanley noted that he wasn’t interested in moving his seats, and said his dispute over the tshirt policy did not color his feelings about the team. “We didn’t want it this controversial,” Stanley said on KNBR. “We support the team, we love the team, love the coaching staff. Great people. I just thing managment is taking it own their own to strong arm me into advertising with the team.”

New rink improvements league-wide could have a dramatic impact on player safety for 2011-12 season

NEW ACRYLIC SEAMLESS GLASS, BOARDS, SOFTCAP IMPROVE PLAYER SAFETY AND VISIBILITY AT TANK

NEW U-CHANNEL INSIDE BOARDS ADDS SHOCK ABSORPTION TO ACRYLIC GLASS

The National Hockey League pre-season is traditionally a time for teams to complete internal assessments and evaluations and prepare for a long 82-game regular season grind, hopefully one that ends in a playoff berth. This pre-season there has been a different sort of on-ice adjustment. Players and teams are looking to adapt their style of play to fit into enhanced safety guidelines and a more rigorous enforcement by NHL Senior Vice President of Player Safety Brendan Shanahan. Already this preseason Shanahan has suspended 9 players (Clarke MacArthur, Brendan Smith, Tom Sestito, Jean-Francois Jacques, James Wisniewski, Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond and former Sharkss Brad Staubitz, Brad Boyes and Jody Shelley) for hits to the head and hits from behind. Before the season has even started, Shanahan has levied over $700,000 in fines.

Another area of change was noticeable around the league when players first stepped onto the ice for the start of preseason. NHL arenas will feature new curved panels at the end of each player bench to prevent or deflect the same type of collision that resulted in a severe injury to Max Pacioretty last March. Pacioretty suffered a broken C4 vertebra and sustained a severe concussion after he was checked into the unforgiving stanchion by 6-foot-9, 260-pound Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara. As of September 26th, 22 NHL arenas will feature curved acrylic terminations made by joint Canadian and American company Sport Systems Unlimited/Athletica. The Montreal Gazette’s Dave Stubbs reported that by the start of the season, all 30 arenas will feature curved end panels as well as new, safer acrylic seamless glass. “We reached a comfort level,” NHL spokesman Gary Meagher told the Montreal Gazette of the new acrylic prototypes pitched in March, modified in July. “We had the right system and at that point it became mandated (league-wide).”

This season at least 11 NHL arenas will feature new seamless acrylic shielding from joint American and Canadian Company Sports System Unlimited/Athletica. Their new seamless acrylic features larger and clearer panes than many older plexiglas setups, but maintains some of the flexibility that was not there with hardened tempered glass (33-61% more flexibility than NHL benchmarks according to Martin Consulting Engineers). The other manufacturer approved for the new design was Cascadia Sport Systems out of British Columbia. While tempered seamless glass improved sightlines and visibility for fans, it’s unforgiving and inflexibile nature made play in the corners and along the endboards more dangerous. All 6 NHL rinks with tempered seamless glass will switch over. In California, only Bakersfield is still using tempered seamless glass at the ECHL level.

The new “seamless acrylic shielding” adds to other improvements to increase player saftey. Sport Systems Unlimited’s new clear divider sleeves provide more flex between acrylic panels, and an added U-channel built into the boards allows panels to slide back upon heavy impact. It adds more of a shock absorbing functionality than fans may be used to. Beers placed along the rail may be launched a few rows back with a big check. As many as 12 teams will also use a new SSU/Athletica cap along the top of the boards. Made from a more flexible material than past options, the new ‘softcap’ will feature air pockets that could help prevent face and head injuries when players are checked face first into the boards.

According to a press release, Sports System Unlimited installed new dasher board systems and acrylic shielding this summer at the Sharks practice facility in San Jose as well as at HP Pavilion. “(The new boards) seem to be a little more lively than the old ones, the old ones used to just die,” San Jose Sharks captain Joe Thornton told the Mercury News about the new boards. “These, they’ve got a lot of jump to them and they’re really smooth.” SSU CEO Adam Pender also noted that San Jose would utilize the new softcap board protection system. They were part of several off season facility upgrades at the Tank that include giant new hanging video monitors in the concourse, new food items, and electronic advertising panels inside the boards next to each player bench.

WorSharks Friday Camp/Exhibition Game

GOALTENDER THOMAS HEEMSKERK MAKES A SAVE ON BRANDON MASHINTER AT WORSHARKS TRAINING CAMP

Because Friday’s practice was more of a pregame skate not much was happening in the session that lasted just over an hour. With Tyson Sexsmith getting the start against Connecticut the bulk of the work during drills was done by Thomas Heemskerk. Once many of the players in the line-up for tonight left the ice he went through several drills with the forwards remaining on the ice. It game me the opportunity to try out a new video camera.

One forward that is playing Friday that stayed on the ice was Brandon Mashinter, who went through several drills on his own.

The last handful of players on the ice were Sean Sullivan, Matt Irwin, and Ben Guite who took turns taking feeds from head coach Roy Sommer and blasting one-timers at an open net. Unfortunately I had left the video camera down at the far end of the ice, and it’s a shame because the conversation between them was hysterical.

I did get a chance to chat with assistant coach Dave Cunniff for a few moments after practice as he scooped up the loose pucks, and he was impressed at the amount of speed many of the players in camp had. He thinks this could be one of the fastest Worcester squads ever.

Worcester went on to win the exhibition game with Connecticut 2-1, with Ryan Del Monte and Nick Petrecki having the tallies for the WorSharks. Tyson Sexsmith had 21 saves in the complete game win. Curt Gogol, Petrecki, and Anthony Perdicaro all dropped the mitts for Worcester.

The WorSharks lines, as reported by @SharksAHLingame, were (in no particular order)
Connolly/Moon/Reid
Mashinter/Levesque/Livingston
Bonneau/Viedensky/Gogol
Perdicaro/Del Monte/Vaskivuo

Petrecki/Doherty
Acolatse/Zulyniak
Matheson/DeAngelis

A photo gallery of Friday’s pregame skate is available here.

Sharks look Sexy in Connecticut after 2-1 victory — Sharksahl.com

BOXSCORE

Worcester 0 2 0 – 2
Connecticut 0 0 1 – 1

1st Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Livingston Wor (hooking), 1:08; DeAngelis Wor (hooking), 4:27; Levesque Wor (hooking), 6:38; Del Monte Wor (high-sticking), 8:13; Petrecki Wor (cross-checking), 10:34.

2nd Period-1, Worcester, Del Monte 1 (Zulyniak, Acolatse), 3:34 (PP). 2, Worcester, Petrecki 1 4:02. Penalties-Petrecki Wor (interference), 0:23; Tanski Ct (goaltender interference), 1:51; Thuresson Ct (interference), 9:04; Petrecki Wor (interference), 9:34; Gogol Wor (fighting), 12:20; Wilson Ct (fighting), 12:20; Petrecki Wor (fighting), 15:25; McKelvie Ct (fighting), 15:25; Perdicaro Wor (fighting), 18:39; Deveaux Ct (interference, fighting), 18:39.

3rd Period-3, Connecticut, Nightingale 1 (Thuresson, Audy-Marchessault), 15:11. Penalties-Grant Ct (hooking), 5:27; Prough Ct (high-sticking), 11:30; Deveaux Ct (checking to the head), 15:59.

Shots on Goal-Worcester 1-7-9-17. Connecticut 7-8-7-22.
Power Play Opportunities-Worcester 1 / 6; Connecticut 0 / 7.
Goalies-Worcester, Sexsmith 1-0-0 (22 shots-21 saves). Connecticut, Johnson 2-1-0 (17 shots-15 saves).
Referees-Tim Mayer (19).
Linesmen-Brent Colby (7), Derek Wahl (46).

WorSharks training camp–Thursday

WORCESTER SHARKS HEAD COACH ROY SOMMER GIVING INSTRUCTIONS AT TRAINING CAMP

GOALTENDER THOMAS HEEMSKERK MAKES A SAVE AT WORCESTER SHARKS TRAINING CAMP

WORCESTER SHARKS ASST COACH DAVID CUNNIFF GIVES INDIVIDUAL INSTRUCTION AT TRAINING CAMP

Just a few thoughts from Thursday at the Worcester Sharks training camp…

Despite his small stature Mike Connolly (5’9″ 180#), a free agent signee out of Minnesota-Duluth, looks to be a player that could make an impact as a pro. He’s very fast and deceptively strong, and didn’t appear to be afraid to stand in front of the net against much larger defensemen. He doesn’t set much of a screen though as netminder Thomas Heemskerk could pretty much see clearly right over the top of him.

Many of the forwards should be happy it wasn’t a full contact practice as Nick Petrecki had several chances to put players both into the boards and on their backs in the open ice and instead chose to just bump them off the puck. He did have a nice post-whistle check on Tyson Sexsmith that drew laughter from the goaltender.

Another defenseman that stood out was rookie Taylor Doherty, mostly because of his 6’7″ frame. He really needs to work on his game but if this kid gets it all together he could be a monster on the ice.

It will be interesting to see if Gabriel Levesque, an amateur try out player from Acadie-Bathurst of the QMJHL, makes the squad. He looks to have the skills to play at the AHL level but his size (5’6″ 160#) could really be a hindrance. Unlike Connolly there doesn’t seem to be a physical aspect to his game. It was also funny to see Levesque standing next to Doherty, who is over a foot taller than the diminutive forward.

Last season the power play was a big issue in Worcester, so it wasn’t a shock that a large portion of practice was spent on special teams. It also wasn’t a shock that only once did the side with an extra attacker score, and that was a odd bounce past Sexsmith at the far end of the ice.

If James Livingston can tip pucks into the net during a game as well as he did it at the end of practice today opposing netminders are in a heap of trouble. With Doherty blasting pucks from the blueline just about everything within reach was tipped in wildly different directions by Livingston, including one that was a foot or more wide to the left of the net that he tipped just inside the far post. That one had even head coach Roy Sommer shaking his head.

Long time Worcester hockey fans will notice that newly signed Jimmy Bonneau has something in common with former IceCats enforcer “Stone Cold” Steve McLaren—they both play with their sleeves rolled up over their forearms so they can’t be easily grabbed.

Tomorrow I’ll have to pay more attention to Marek Viedensky. Because there were no numbers on the backs of the jerseys and only very small numbers on the backs of their helmets I misidentified him early in the practice. Based on what I saw I was wondering what all the excitement was about, but late in the second half of the practice I realized my error. I won’t identify the player I mistook him for because a) he wasn’t that good, and b) he likely won’t be here once some cuts are made.

I also misidentified the player wearing the #53 helmet as Brandon Mashinter, who was not on the ice Thursday. It’s a shame I don’t know who that player was because he had a couple of spectacular goals within a couple minutes of each other.

A photo gallery for Thursday’s camp is available here.

[Update] Sharks’ Sena Acolatse strives to play for home team – Worcester Telegram.

DOH Podcast #170: preseason play, penalty kill, Brad Winchester, Tommy Wingels

[audio:http://dudesonhockey.com/podcast/doh_2011_0927.mp3]

Mike Peattie and Doug Santana discuss preseason play against Anaheim, Phoenix and Vancouver, and whether or not it was meaningful or meaningless, evaluate who the Sharks could use on the penalty kill this season, examine a Brad Winchester, Andrew Desjardins and Andrew Murray fourth line, discuss injuries to Martin Havlat and Antti Niemi and a possible Greiss vs Sateri battle, and look at the impact if Tommy Wingels supplants Jamie McGinn on the third line among other topics on the 170th episode of the Dudes on Hockey podcast.

This Sharks podcast is posted here with permission. Visit dudesonhockey.com for more coverage of the team or download the MP3 file directly here.