1996 vs Springfield 4-0 win
The Worcester IceCats got a 27 save shutout from Travis Scott, who was making his pro hockey debut, and two goals each from Mike Maneluk and Bob Lachance in a 4-0 win over the Falcons. Maneluk had the only goal of the first period with an unassisted shorthanded tally at 16:13 when Rob Murray turned the puck over in his own zone. Lachance made it 2-0 at :41 of the second period when he converted a rebound of Libor Zabransky’s shot. Maneluk’ second of the game came at 9:59 when he backhanded a rebound of Daniel Guerard’s shot into the top corner. Stephane Roy had the secondary assist. Lachance added a goal at 14:58 of the third for the 4-0 final. Alex Vasilevskii and Zabransky assisted.
1997 vs Philadelphia 2-2 tie
Worcester IceCats goaltender Brent Johnson and Phantoms netminder Brian Boucher both made 37 saves as the ‘Cats and Philadelphia tied 2-2. After a scoreless opening 20 minutes Ivan Ciernik would get Worcester on the board at 9:31 of the second period on the power play, with Michal Handzus and Chris Kenady picking up assists. Shawn McCosh would tie it for the Phantoms at 13:04, and then Paul Healey would give Philadelphia the lead with a power play goal at 14:10. Jamal Mayers connected on the power play, with helpers from Kenady and Terry Virtue, at 17:22 to make it 2-2.
1998 at New Haven 1-0 win
The Worcester IceCats got 26 saves from Rich Parent and a Jochen Hecht second period goal to defeat the Beast of New Haven 1-0. Hecht’s goal came at 3:00 of the second period on the rebound after New Haven netminder Mike Fountain made the save on a Stephane Roy shot from a very wide angle. The puck went right to the tape on Hecht’s stick and he banged the puck home. With the shout out Parent became the second IceCats goaltender to blank an opponent in his Worcester debut. Travis Scott was the first when he shutout Providence 4-0 exactly two years earlier, on October 11, 1996.
1999 vs Providence 5-3 loss
The Worcester IceCats fell behind twice but came back twice and even took the lead, only to allow the final three goals of the game in a 5-3 loss to the Baby-Bs. Jassen Cullimore got Providence on the board at 10:48 with a four on four goal, but Ladislav Nagy tied it for the ‘Cats at 17:17 with Reed Low and Marty Reasoner getting the assists. Andre Savage gave the Bruins the lead again 20 seconds into the middle frame, but Worcester would answer with two goals to take the lead. Jame Pollock tied the game at 4:05 with an unassisted tally, and Trevor Wasyluk put the IceCats in the lead at 9:08 with Low and Andrej Podkonicky helping. But that would be all for the ‘Cats as Joe Hulbig would strike twice in a row, at 12:05 and a power play tally at 17:23. In the third Eric Nickulas made it 5-3 Providence with a power play goal at 12:39. Steve Valiquette, in his only game for the Baby-Bs that season, made 38 saves. Brent Johnson made 29 saves in the loss.
2002 at Manitoba 4-1 loss
The Worcester IceCats scored the first goal of the game but the Moose grabbed the next four in a 4-1 IceCats loss. Papineau got the ‘Cats goal at 2:43 of the second period with a nifty a 40-foot wrist shot. Greg Davis and Marc Brown got the assists on the play. Nathan Smith tied it at 14:09, and Bryan Helmer made it 2-1 Manitoba at 19:30. Brandon Reid then scored a five on three goal at 7:02, and Jeff Farkas added an empty net goal for the 4-1 final. Curtis Sanford was in goal for the ‘Cats.
2003 vs Providence 1-0 loss
(ICECATS) A crowd of 10,272 was on hand at Worcester’s Centrum Centre as the Worcester IceCats dropped the home opener of their 10th Anniversary season with a 1-0 loss to the Providence Bruins. Providence goaltender Tim Thomas stopped all 24 shots he faced, including point-blank chances by ‘Cats captain Jeff Panzer and Marc Brown. Kris Vernarsky scored on the power play for Providence at 11:11 of the first period, getting assists from Ed Campbell and Pat Leahy. Both are Massachusetts natives, and Campbell served as Worcester’s captain from 2000-02.
2008 at Lowell 6-4 loss
(WORSHARKS) While the Worcester Sharks and the Lowell Devils battled for supremacy throughout the evening, Devils forward Matt Halischuk found every possible way to tilt the balance toward the latter. The rookie, playing in just his second professional game, scored four goals and assisted on another as the Sharks lost their AHL opener at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell on Saturday night. Before the game was over, Halischuk had a shorthanded goal, an even strength goal, and a power play goal, and the Sharks were sent home on the wrong end of a 6-4 score despite a gusty, never-say-die performance. A physical first period yielded a 5-on-3 power play for the Sharks, and Worcester newcomer Cory Larose converted a crisp centering feed from captain Ryan Vesce to give the Sharks a 1-0 lead at 13:52 of the first period. Before the leftover penalty had expired, however, Halischuk opened his night by beating Worcester netminder Thomas Greiss to net his first professional goal. Halischuk was set up by fellow winger Jon DiSalvatore who, not to be left out, notched four assists on the evening including three on goals by Halischuk. Three minutes later, a hooking call on Ashton Rome gave the Devils their first power play of the night, and Nicklas Bergfors put Lowell on top at 17:35. Worcester rebounded, however, as Larose again used a feed from Vesce to beat Devils goaltender Scott Clemmensen and pull the Sharks even after twenty minutes. Two early penalties put the Sharks on their heels to start the middle frame, as Halischuk netted both of his power play tallies during a span of 1:44. The first was the end result of textbook puck movement, as DiSalvatore found Halischuk on the goal line to the right of Greiss, and Halischuk quickly tucked the puck behind Greiss to put Lowell on top, 3-2. Carbon copy puck movement put the puck on Halischuk’s stick again less than two minutes later, and this time the rookie faked a centering feed before challenging – and beating – Greiss from close range again. A young Sharks team showed resiliency, however, as rookie Frazer McLaren tipped home a slap shot from fellow rookie Jason Demers at 7:03 to pull Worcester within one. The Sharks fed off the momentum, and killed off the next three Lowell penalties, including a 5-on-3 chance, before Steven Zalewski fed Mike Morris on a no-look pass. Morris tied the game at 14:24, sending the game into the third period all even. Patrick Davis notched the game-winner at 7:35 of the third, chipping the rebound of an Olivier Magnan wrist shot over the glove of Greiss. Halischuk laid the final blow and provided insurance at 8:12, again on an assist from DiSalvatore.
2014 at Binghamton 3-2 win OT
(WORSHARKS) The Worcester Sharks (1-0-0-0, 2pts) became the first AHL team to score in the new 3-on-3 overtime format to kick off the 2014-15 regular season with a 3-2 victory over the Binghamton Senators (0-0-1-0, 1pts) in front of 3,878 fans at the Broome County on Saturday evening. Ryan Carpenter and Micheal Haley scored first period goals for the Sharks while Troy Grosenick was spectacular making 41 saves in net for the win. Matt Taormina scored in a wild 3-on-3 overtime period at 6:34 after a great feed by Evan Trupp on Worcester’s 48th shot for the victory. Ryan Carpenter (1st) scored the first goal of the season for Worcester, his first professional goal after he jammed home a loose puck at the side of the net past goaltender Andrew Hammond at 8:15. The Senators would tie the game at 14:34 as rookie Ryan Dzingel (1st) fired home a loose rebound after Troy Grosenick made a nice initial stop on Garrett Thompson. Newcomer Micheal Haley (1st) put Worcester ahead 2-1 with at 18:06 as he found a loose puck in the center slot and ripped it past the blocker of the Senators netminder. Eriah Hayes picked up two assists in the opening frame as the Sharks outshot the Senators 19-12 and took a 2-1 lead into the intermission. Worcester outshot Binghamton 15-9 in the second period but it was the Senators with the only score. Ryan Dzingel (2nd) scored on a breakaway at 16:37 to tie the score at 2-2. Troy Grosenick robbed Max McCormick on a shorthanded breakaway bid late in the period to keep the score ties at 2-2 through 40 minutes.
Neither team found the back of the net in the third period as both goaltenders made several big saves to force overtime. Binghamton outshot Worcester 16-13 in the third period but the Sharks had a 47-37 edge through 60 minutes. Binghamton outshot Worcester 6-1 in overtime but the Sharks came up with the winning score. After a breakaway save by Troy Grosenick, Evan Trupp found Matt Taormina (1st) in between the circles for the overtime game winner at 6:34. Taormina fired a rocket past the glove of Andrew Hammond for the first 3-on-3 overtime goal under the new format. The Sharks overall record improves to 1-0-0-0, 2pts and 1-0-0-0, 2pts on the road.
2024 4-3 exhibition loss at Maine (Sidney J. Watson Arena)
(RAILERS) Brunswick, ME – The Worcester Railers HC (0-1-0-0) lost to the Maine Mariners (1-0-0-0) on Friday night by the final score of 4-3 in front of a crowd of 1,000 at Sidney J. Watson Arena. The Railers head back to Worcester to take on the Mariners in their preseason finale at the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center on Saturday, October 12th at 7 p.m. One of Worcester’s newest pieces in Cole Donhauser (1-1-2) jumped on the board just eleven seconds into the first to give Worcester the early lead. Maine got two goals back late in the first, starting with Evan Vierling (1-0-1) converting on a two-on-one rush. Bennett Stockdale (1-0-1) followed suit with 1:41 remaining in the first to make it 2-1 Mariners. Worcester tacked on another early goal when Matthew Kopperud (1-1-2) ripped a wrist shot glove-side past Maier to tie the game 41 seconds into the second. Patrick Guay (1-0-1) notched his first of the preseason and put Maine back in the lead 3-2 5:24 into the period. The two teams swapped goals in the third to make it 4-3. Worcester had a power play for the final 1:44 of regulation, but couldn’t convert as the horn signaled a 4-3 final. Worcester’s starting line of Cole Donhauser (1st), Matthew Kopperud, and Jack Randl wasted no time crashing into the attacking zone off of the opening draw. The three combined to score on the rush just eleven seconds into the contest, beating Maine’s Nolan Maier in net. With 5:11 to go in the first, Maine sped down the ice on a two-on-one rush. Evan Vierling (1st) finished off a cross-ice pass from Owen Pederson and beat Worcester’s John Muse to tie the game. With 101 seconds left in the frame and Maine in the attacking zone, Alex Sheehy passed the puck to the weak side for an open Bennett Stockdale (1st) who slammed it home and gave Maine the 2-1 lead going into the first intermission. Shots in the first period were even at 11-11. The two teams exchanged blows early in the second, with Matthew Kopperud (1st) scoring for Worcester and Patrick Guay (1st) for Maine. Kopperud found the puck alone on the left side thanks to Mason Klee. He then released a heavy wrist shot past the glove of Maier and tied the game 2-2 at the :41 mark of the second. The Mariners came back 4:43 later when Patrick Guay scored on the rush and regained the lead for Maine and made it 3-2. Shots in the second favored Worcester 8-5, while they led 19-16 on the game. Worcester went on the power play early in the third but failed to capitalize as the game remained 3-2. Maine extended their lead to 4-2 when Christian Sarlo (1st) got on the board 4:56 into the third. Jack Randl (1st) got Worcester back within one off a three-man rush with Cole Donhauser and Nick Pennucci with 8:03 left in the game. The Railers had another man-advantage with 1:44 remaining in regulation with Muse’s net empty after a holding call against Maine’s Xander Lamppa, but Worcester fell short in the six-on-four sequence, losing 4-3 in their preseason opener. Notes: Three Stars: 3rd Star: Cole Donhauser (1-1-2, +1, 4 shots), 2nd Star: Jake Willets (0-2-2, +1, 2 shots), 1st Star: Owen Pederson (0-2-2, 3 shots)… Final shots were 33-25 in favor of Worcester… Nolan Maier made 15 saves on 17 shots while Brad Arvanitis (1-0-0) made 15 saves on 16 shots for the Mariners… John Muse (0-1-0) made 21 saves on 25 shots for Worcester, while Joe Spagnoli served as the backup… Worcester went 0-for-4 on the power play while Maine went 0-for-4… Justin Gill (DNP), Jordan Kaplan (DNP), Colin Jacobs (DNP), Anthony Callin (DNP), Cole Crowder (DNP), Anthony Repaci (DNP), Christian Krygier (DNP), Griffin Luce (DNP), Connor Welsh (DNP), and Michael Bullion (DNP) did not play for Worcester… Cole Donhauser, Cam McDonald, Mason Klee, Austin Heidemann, and Andrei Bakanov each led the Railers in shots with 4…
2025 3-2 exhibition loss at Maine (Harold Alfond Forum, Biddeford, ME)
(RAILERS) The Worcester Railers HC (0-2-0-0) lost to the Maine Mariners (2-0-0-0) on Saturday, October 11th, in front of a crowd of 1,000 by a final score of 3-2 in favor of Maine at the Harold Alfond Forum in Biddeford, ME. The Railers open the regular season against the Maine Mariners next Saturday at the DCU Center on October 18th at 6:05 p.m. EDT. Worcester opened up the scoring for the game early on, with JC Campagna (1-0-1) nailing a shot into the Mariners net at just 0:30. Mariners responded 69 seconds later with a goal from Ty Cheveldayoff (2-1-3) at 1:39 to make it 1-1. Mariners center Wyllum Deveaux (1-0-1) landed a rebound goal towards the end of the period at 17:42, which gave Maine a 2-1 lead to finish the first. Worcester evened the score early in the second with a goal from Tyler Kobryn (1-0-1) off a rebound shot 3:59 into the frame. Mariners’ Robert Cronin (1-0-1) secured the win for the night at the 17:26 of the third period after a battle at the net with Railers’ goaltender Gale. The Railers opened the first period with a winning faceoff that allowed them to get a point on the board early with a goal at just 0:30 from JC Campagna (1st), assisted by Lincoln Hatten and and Tanner Schachle to make it 1-0. The Mariners didn’t wait long to even the score with a goal from Ty Cheveldayoff (2nd) at 1:39, just 69 seconds after the Worcester goal was made, assisted by Xander Lamppa and Linus Hemstrom. Neither team found the net for the next stretch of the first, until Mariners’ Robert Cronin sent a shot off the pads of Railers’ goaltender Luke Pavicich, setting up a rebound shot for Wyllum Deveaux (1st), which broke past the goal line for Maine’s second of the night at 17:42. Worcester looked to even the score, but found themselves trailing by a goal at the end of the period. Maine outshot Worcester 12-8 with no penalties or power-plays on either side. Worcester had another early scoring start in the second period with a goal at 3:59 from Tyler Kobryn (1st), who was able to get a rebound off Maine’s Arvanitis from a shot by defenseman Benjamin Lindberg and tie the game at 2-2. Maine’s Jacob Perrault followed the goal with serving a two minute penalty at 4:42 due to too many men, which allowed the Railers to head onto their first power-play of the game. Worcester split time between their goaltenders on the night, as Thomas Gale skated into the net around the eighth minute of the second period and took the place of starting goaltender Luke Pavicich. Worcester went onto a second power-play at 16:45 from a slashing call on Mariner’s left defenseman James Marooney. The Railers’ left the ice with a tie game at the end of the second. Worcester had two total power-plays in the second, the only two of the game so far, with two penalties from Mariners’ Jacob Perreault and James Marooney. Maine outshot Worcester 17-9. The Railers entered the third looking to take the lead for the second time. An early attempt to take the lead from Mariners’ Zachary Massicotte passed the goal line after the referee whistle—on-ice officials determined no goal for the defenseman to keep the game nodded 2-2. Worcester’s Nathan Burke received a two minute minor for tripping at 5:32, allowing the Mariners to go onto their first power-play of the game. Maine’s Jacob Perrault followed Burke into the box shortly after with a slashing minor for four-on-four play and a brief 40 second power-play for Worcester. The Railers’ didn’t wait long to head back into the box as Nick Pennucci served two minutes for a holding minor on Mariners’ Tyler Cheveldayoff. Both teams looked to score and take the game, but it would be Maine’s Robert Cronin (1st), assisted by Shawn Element and Xander Lamppa, who would secure the win for the Mariners at 17:26 by making it 3-2. Worcester followed the goal with a delay of game at the faceoff dot at 17:41, leading Maine to their third power-play of the night. Worcester had a late game opportunity, pulling Gale for an extra man on the ice to try and grab another goal but failed to find the net. Worcester had three penalties for the period, Nathan Burke, Nick Pennucci, and a delay of game served by Matt DeMelis. Maine had one with Mariners’ right wing Jacob Perrault. NOTES: Final shots were 43-35 in favor of Maine… Brad Arvanitis made 23 saves on 25 shots for Maine, Luke Pavicich made 17 saves on 19 shots while Thomas Gale made 23 saves on 24 shots for Worcester… Worcester went 0-for-3 on power plays while Maine went 0-for-3… This was the first time since 2021 that Worcester used two goalies in a preseason game…
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