Today in Worcester hockey history: November 18

1994 at Albany 1-1 tie
The IceCats and River Rats skated to a tie at the Knickerbocker Arena in Albany, New York. Matt Ruchty got the River Rats on the board at 12:05 of the first, with Reid Simpson and Steve Sullivan earning assists. Worcester would get the equalizer at 11:45 of the third on a Walt Poddubny score, with Lindsay Vallis assisting. Les Kuntar made 22 saves in the draw.

1995 at Albany 6-2 loss
The Worcester IceCats found themselves down three goals early in the first period, and as the game notes say, “were we ever in it?” in their 6-2 loss to Albany. Steve Sullivan put the River Rats up a goal just 30 seconds into the contest. Steve Brule then scored twice, at 5:08 on the power play and 9:16 even strength, to make it 3-0. Fred Knipscheer momentarily stopped the bleeding with a goal at 16:00 on the power play assisted by Paul Broten and Jamie Rivers, but Sullivan scored shorthanded 43 seconds later to open the wound again. Bobby House had the only goal of the middle period to make it 5-1 Albany at 6:00. It was the River Rats second shortie of the game. Brad Bombardir scored a power play goal at :31 of the final period for Albany, and Derek Armstrong added a goal at 11:09, with Rivers getting another point, for the 6-2 final.

2004 vs Manchester 6-0 loss
(ICECATS) Two firsts happened to the Worcester IceCats last night and neither was good. Worcester lost in regulation at home for the first time, and they failed to score a goal, falling 6-0 to the Manchester Monarchs at the DCU Center. Yanick Lehoux and Brad Smyth had a goal and assist each, while Mathieu Garon earned his fourth shutout of the season. Manchester took a 2-0 lead out of the first period on goals from Lehoux and George Parros. Lehoux’s 13th goal at 5:11 tied him for the league lead, while Parros bagged his first of the season at 15:45. The Monarchs doubled their advantage in the second, beginning just 47 seconds in. Noah Clarke popped home a nifty feed, which originated from behind Worcester netminder Curtis Sanford’s cage. Brad Smyth then made good on Lehoux’s back-door feed for his sixth at 11:16. Dan Welch added a goal at 17:50 of the third to make it 5-0, while Mike Cammalleri scored with 22 seconds left in regulation to extend his personal point streak to nine games. The Monarchs won their fifth in a row, and are now 12-1. The only blemish on their record is a 4-2 loss to the ‘Cats in Worcester back on November 5th.

2006 vs Providence 6-5 loss
(BRUINS) The Providence Bruins defeated the Worcester Sharks 6-5 Saturday at the DCU Center. The P-Bruins got goals from Dennis Packard, Jonathan Sigalet, Nate Thompson, Kris Versteeg and two from David Krejci. In the first period, the Sharks opened up the scoring at the 5:58 mark, on a shorthanded goal from Joe Pavelski. Mathieu Darche had the lone assist. Worcester took a 2-0 lead at the 8:52 mark as Darche scored an even strength goal with Pavelski and Grant Stevenson getting the assists. Providence cut the Sharks lead in half when Wacey Rabbit dumped the puck into the offensive zone. Jeff Hoggan picked up the puck down the right wing and sent a centering pass towards Packard, who tipped the puck into the net past Worcester netminder Nolan Schaefer. Worcester retaliated with two more goals, the first one even strength at the 12:41 mark from Mike Iggulden with Dan Spang and Tom Cavanagh grabbing the assists. The Sharks fourth goal of the period was scored on the power play at the 16:29 mark by Spang. Mathieu Biron and Pavelski tallied the assists. With the Sharks leading 4-1 and the period coming to a close the P-Bruins pulled within two with only 15.2 seconds left in the period. Pascal Pelletier sent the puck from behind the net to Kris Versteeg. He took a shot and Schaefer made the save, but the rebound came right to Sigalet, waiting at the top of the right face off circle. He sent to puck into the upper right hand corner of the net and the P-Bruins went into the first intermission trailing 4-2. The P-Bruins scored twice early in the second period to tie the game at four. 52 seconds into the period Krejci took a pass from Matt Lashoff and from the bottom of the right face off circle snuck the puck past Schafer to bring the P-Bruins within a goal. Mark Stuart had the second assist. Providence evened the score at four at the 5:58 mark when Biron went after a loose puck in front of his own net and instead of clearing the puck sent it past his own goalie and into the goal. Thompson was credited with the goal, while Hoggan and Lashoff received assists. Worcester went into the second intermission leading by a goal after Biron scored a power play goal at the 13:11 mark. Pavelski recorded his fourth point of the game with an assist. Iggulden had the other helper as the Sharks led 5-4 after two periods. The P-Bruins scored at the 15:15 mark of the third period to tie the game at five. Krejci skated in between the circles and as he was falling to the ice got off a shot that sent the puck past Schafer. Lashoff and Versteeg had the two assists. With time running out in regulation, Krejci sent a pass to Versteeg and he banked the puck off the crossbar and past Schaefer to give the P-Bruins their first lead of the game. Pelletier had the second assist, as the P-Bruins held on for the 6-5 lead. In net for the P-Bruins Philippe Sauve stopped 24 of 29 shots, while Nolan Schaefer made 20 saves for the Sharks. Providence was 0 for 6 on the power play, while Worcester was 2 for 7 on the man advantage.

2009 vs Portland 5-3 loss
(WORSHARKS) Ryan Vesce and Dan DaSilva gave Worcester an early 2-0 lead but the Sharks could not hold on and dropped their 6th straight game in a 5-3 loss to the Portland Pirates on Wednesday night at the DCU Center. Mark Mancari scored the game winner and his second goal of the game at 14:30 of the third period on the power play off a great pass from Nathan Gerbe to give the Pirates their first lead of the game. The Sharks led 2-0 and 3-1, before the Pirates scored the final four goals of the game. The first period was a strong one for the Sharks as Ryan Vesce put them ahead early when he came streaking across the blue line and fired a snapshot by Pirates goaltender J.P. Lamoureux. Dennis McCauley fired up the bench at 8:24 when he fought Hans Benson landing several strong punches. Later in the period, Dan DaSilva extended the Sharks lead to 2-0 when he finished on a 3-on-2 break down the ice. Final shots in the period were 11-8 in favor of the Sharks. Early in the second period, Portland cut into the lead when Alex Stalock lost the puck behind his own net which led to Tyler Ennis’s seventh goal of the season at 45 seconds. Lee than a minute later at 1:41, Benn Ferriero extended the lead to 3-1 scoring his first goal in a Worcester Sharks uniform after Logan Couture maneuvered around the Pirates netminder. The assist for Couture, extended his point streak to seven games (5-8-13). The Pirates trimmed the lead to 3-2 when Mark Mancari fired a slap shot from the right circle off the far post past goaltender Alex Stalock at 6:44. The Sharks lead the period in shots 18-7 and took a 3-2 lead into the 2nd intermission. The Pirates dominated the third period as Derek Whitmore brought tied the score at 3-3 at 9:44 firing a centering feed by Kyle Wanvig past Stalock. The Pirates took their first lead of the game when Mark Mancari blasted home a one-timer from the slot at 14:30 after a terrific feed by Gerbe on a 4-on-3 power play. Jeff Cowan capped off the scoring, when he found the empty net with less than five seconds left in the game. Portland outshot Worcester 15-3 in the third period and took home a 5-3 victory. With the loss, the Sharks fall to 8-9-0-1 (17 points) on the season and 5-6-0-0 at the DCU Center.

2011 at Manchester 3-2 OTL
(WORSHARKS) Matt Irwin continued his mastery on the man advantage with his AHL leading 6th power play goal of the season from the blue line but it was the Monarchs stay at home defenseman Andrew Campbell with his first score of the season with 1:16 left in overtime to lift the Monarchs to a 3-2 victory over the Sharks at the Verizon Wireless Arena on Friday evening. Brandon Mashinter also scored for Worcester and Harri Sateri was excellent with 32 saves in goal in a rough n tough Atlantic Division battle. Jimmy Bonneau (2nd FM) and Justin Johnson (4th FM) entertained the crowd with a long battle at 2:46 of the opening period to set the tone for a very physical period. Less than two minutes later, all ten skaters engaged in a scrum in the Worcester zone which resulted in only six penalty minutes. Mike Connolly had the Sharks best chance with a shorthanded breakaway but was denied by Monarchs netminder Martin Jones. Harri Sateri made 13 saves in the first 20 minutes for the Sharks in a scoreless opening period. In the second period, Matt Irwin (6th) scored his AHL leading 6th power play from the blue line at 5:03 after his blast from on top of the circles on a 4-on-3 advantage gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead. It looked like Worcester was going into the 2nd intermission with the lead but the Monarchs had other ideas shorthanded. Jordan Nolan (3rd) fired a one-timer shot from the right circle past Harri Sateri’s blocker side at 19:36 to tie the score at 1-1. Shots after 40 minutes were 24-21 in favor of the Sharks. Brandon Mashinter (2nd) deflected a Matt Irwin shot from the point past Martin Jones at 5:55 of the 3rd period to give Worcester a 2-1 advantage. With the Sharks on the power play, Jordan Nolan (4th) struck again shorthanded, after he rushed in on a 2-on-1 rush and buried a shot through the pads of Sateri at 10:10. Both teams had several chances to win the game late but the Sharks headed to OT for the 2nd straight game. In overtime, stay-at-home defenseman Andrew Campbell took a great diagonal feed from Jake Muzzin and buried the puck past Sateri from the right circle at 3:44 to give Manchester the 3-2 win. The Sharks record falls to 5-4-2-2 with 14 points through 13 games and to 2-0-2-1 on the road.

2018 vs Orlando 4-3 OTL
(RAILERS) The Worcester Railers HC (6-8-2-0, 14pts) closed out their four-home game in five-day stretch with a 4-3 overtime loss to the visiting Orlando Solar Bears (8-5-2-0, 18pts) in front of 4,171 fansat the DCU Center on Sunday afternoon. Ivan Kosorenkov, Tyler Barnes, and Matty Gaudreau all scored for Worcester as the Railers battled back from 1-0 and 3-1 deficits before forcing overtime. Charlie Millen made 28 saves for the Railers in his ECHL debut but Orlando defenseman Michael Brodzinski won the game just 33 seconds into overtime as Orlando closed out their five-game road trip with a win. With the point in overtime, the Railers extend their season long point streak to four games (3-0-1-0). Neither team scored in a rather quick moving first period of play as Orlando outshot Worcester 10-8 through 20 minutes of play. Charlie Millen made several nice saves and the Railers went 0-2 on the power play as the two teams went into the intermission scoreless. Orlando finally broke through late in the middle frame as Brady Shaw (9th) banged home a loose rebound at the side of the net on the power play to give the Solar Bears a 1-0 edge. Shots were 18-15 in favor of Orlando through 40 minutes of play. Five total goals were scored in a wild third period as the Railers were able to force overtime. Ivan Kosorenkov (4th) tied the score at 1-1 after a great cross ice feed by Josh Holmstrom at 2:23 on the power play. The Solar Bears would go ahead 3-1 after goals by Chris LeBlanc (1st) at 6:34 and Trevor Olson (2nd) at 8:46 to put the Railers down by two. Tyler Barnes (4th) deflected a Mike Cornell shot from the point on the power play at 11:02 to get the Railers within a goal. Matty Gaudreau (2nd) intercepted a clearing attempt at the Orlando blue line and skated in down the left side and snapped a quick shot past the blocker of Hayden Stewart at 16:44 to tie the score at 3-3. Worcester outshot Orlando 18-13 in the third period. Michael Brodzinski (1st) would win the game in overtime for the Solar Bears as he snapped a quick shot from 35 feet that broke through the pads of Millen just 33 seconds into the overtime period.

2022 vs Greenville 3-2 OTW
(RAILERS) They are both worth two points, but overtime victories seem a lot more satisfying than shootouts in the splendid world of professional hockey. The Railers are 3-0 in OTs this season, one of the triumphs coming via a shootout, the other two via Collin Adams. He got his second overtime goal of the season Friday night in Worcester’s dramatic 3-2 victory over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Adams also scored the winner in the Railers’ 4-3 win over Newfoundland on Nov. 2. That was on a mad rush down the left side. This time, Adams scored on a snapshot from the right circle after taking a pass from Blake Christensen. Adams put the puck over goalie Michael McNiven’s left shoulder. “I think that the 3 on 3 should go on until somebody scores,” Worcester coach Jordan Smotherman said. “I think it’s a fun brand of hockey, it’s exciting, you hear the crowd getting into it. The shootout is one thing but the 3 on 3 is hockey.” The overtime format works especially well for the Railers, a team built around speed. That was the key to Adams’ first OT goal, shooting the key Friday night. “He likes to shoot,” Smotherman said. “He has a hard shot and he’s fast. We have a couple of guys we like having out there in that situation.” The victory improved Worcester’s record to 11-2-0 and meant that the Railers have not lost consecutive games yet this season. Jimmy Lambert and Blade Jenkins had the other Worcester goals. Adams’ came on an overtime power play, the teams skating 4 on 3, and snapped a streak of 13 straight power plays without a goal. The Railers had a huge advantage on power plays, getting five to Greenville’s one. The Swamp Rabbits’ goals were sandwiched around Worcester’s two regulation goals. Nikita Pavlychev had one, Carter Souch the other. Souch scored on Greenville’s lone power play, beating Ken Appleby from the right circle at 14:58 of the third period. For the second straight home game the Railers allowed the first goal, this one at 5:03 of the first period. Like Wednesday night, it was a bit ugly. Pavlychev got it, his eighth of the season, on a play that was reviewed. Pavlychev cut in from the right side and got off a short shot that Appleby stopped initially. Pavlychev fell to the ice and his momentum carried him into Appleby and helped send the puck over the goal line. Referee Marc-Olivier Phanuef took a long look at the video and eventually ruled the goal counted. The Railers had chances to tie the score several times after that. They hit a post on a first period power play, then McNiven denied Zach Bross on a breakaway at 11:55 of the second period. Blake Christensen hit another post at 12:45 before Lambert finally made it 1-1 at 18:04. He slammed a rebound past McNiven after he had stopped a shot by Jared Brandt. The goal ended a Railers scoreless drought of 54:56. Jenkins’ goal went in off his skate at 2:18 of the third period, the puck taking a couple of zig-zags on the way past McNiven. The Swamp Rabbits pressed but the Railers protected their lead almost through the end regulation. Then it was Adams time again. MAKING TRACKS – Newcomer Jeff Solow got a lot of ice time on defense and played well, picking up an assist in his Worcester debut. … Adams had an assist of Jenkins goal and has 14 points in 13 games. … The goaltender matchup was unusual, although not unprecedented. Both goalies had played in the National Hockey League, Appleby for the Devils and McNiven for the Canadiens. This was McNiven’s fourth game against Worcester, first since he shut the Railers out, 2-0 on Nov. 2, 2019, while with Adirondack. … It was nice to see an original IceCat at the game, longtime former head of off-ice officials Norm Benoit. … Swamp Rabbits defenseman Justin Hamonic did not make the trip. Hamonic was a major part of the Railers success during their inagural season of 2017-18, playing in 69 of the team’s 72 games. … Coincidentally, Solow wore Number 22 for Worcester. That was Hamonic’s number for the Railers. Solow is the 11th Railer with 22 including five last season. … Conor Breen, Jack Quinlivan, Philip Beaulieu and Anthony Repaci were the Railers in street clothes.

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