1996 at Adirondack 4-2 win
The Worcester IceCats gave up the first goal of the game but then scored the next three in a 4-2 win over the Red Wings. Wes Walz got Adirondack on the board at 5:31, but Alex Vasilevskii tied it on the power play at 6:11 with Jamie Rivers and David Roberts assisting. Vasilevskii would score again at 9:41 to give the ‘Cats the lead, with Roberts and Fred Knipscheer assisting. Rivers made it 3-1 with an unassisted goal 37 seconds into period number two. Mark Major got the Flames with an unassisted tally of his own at 6:54, but Craig Darby would add an insurance goal at 3:36, also unassisted, for the 4-2 final. Eric Fichaud made 41 saves.
2001 at Hartford 4-1 win
(HARTFORD) The second-largest crowd of the season showed up Saturday night at the Civic Center. There’s a good chance most will be back soon. A crowd of 11,131 headed for the exits with mixed emotions after watching the Worcester IceCats score four goals in the third period in a 4-1 victory over the Wolf Pack. Despite heading into the All-Star break on a low, the Wolf Pack have been playing better in recent weeks. They have gone 8-3 in their last 11 games to pull within striking distance of the two teams ahead of them in the New England Division. Worcester, which has the best record in the AHL, increased its lead over idle Providence to four points. The Wolf Pack are five back. All three teams have at least 50 points. Kentucky is the only other team that has that many. The IceCats didn’t stop after two, despite missing six of their top seven scorers. Three players are in St. Louis with the Blues, two are injured and one has the flu. The Wolf Pack also were without several key players, including leading scorer Derek Armstrong, recently called up by the Rangers.The IceCats ended a 146-minute scoreless streak at the Civic Center when Tyler Willis scored the tying goal 3:28 into the third period. Less than three minutes later, West Haven native Eric Boguniecki scored the go-ahead goal on a power play. The Wolf Pack took a 1-0 lead with 39 seconds left in the first on Jeff Ulmer’s 10th goal and third in two games. Drew Bannister, moving down the right side, got a rebound of his own shot and sent the puck between goalie Dwayne Roloson’s legs to Smyth, who fed Ulmer in front.
2002 at Providence 6-2 win
The Worcester IceCats got a hat trick from Justin Papineau to defeat the P-Bruins 6-2. Andrei Troschinsky added two goals, and Eric Nickulas chipped in a goal and three assists. Dennis Bonvie was credited with the first goal of the game at 6:51 of the first period when Barret Jackman’s outlet pass hit Nickulas’ skate in front of the net, where it bounced backwards and into the net behind Cody Rudkowsky. Under five minutes later Nickulas tied it when he skated through nearly the entire Providence team and beat netminder Jeff Maund. With the “Cats down five on three Papineau grabbed his first with a shorthanded breakaway goal at 1:33 of the second frame. Papineau scored again at 3:16 to make it 3-1. Bobby Allen got one back for Providence at 14:27, but Troschinsky made it 4-2 at 17:19. Papineau and Troschinsky each added a third period marker for the 6-2 final.
2007 at Springfield 4-2 win
The Worcester Sharks allowed the first and last goals of the game but got the four in the middle for a 4-2 win over the Falcons. Sylvain Dufresne gave Springfield the lead at 12:07 of the opening period. Mathieu Darche tied it at 9:02 of the second when he batted a bouncing puck toward goal where it hit Falcons netminder Karri Ramo and somehow ended up in the net. Graham Mink and Garrett Stafford had the assists. Brady Leisenring gave Worcester the lead at 18:02 after he banged home the rebound of Steve Bernier’s shot. Leisenring scored again 45 seconds into the third when he and Josh Prudden made a shorthanded break into the Falcons end. Prudden undressed the defenseman and hit Leisenring with a nice pass to set up the score. Lukas Kaspar made it 4-1 at 8:32, with helpers from Prudden and Leisenring. Former IceCats forward Daniel Corso scored at 11:12 for Springfield to make it the 4-2 final. Thomas Greiss made 20 saves in goal for the win. [210Sports note: The game was delayed a few moments about nine minutes into the second period when the glass broke behind the Springfield net. A Falcons defenseman tried to check Josh Prudden into the glass, but Prudden slipped away and the defender hit the glass, cracking it. It was also the only multi-point night in Leisenring’s AHL career]
2010 vs Springfield 4-3 OTL
(WORSHARKS) Springfield rallied from a goal down, twice in the third period, and beat the Worcester Sharks, 4-3, in overtime. Taylor Chorney’s goal with just 3.6 seconds remaining in overtime was the difference. The Sharks managed to salvage a point from the game and are now in a second place tie with Lowell in the Atlantic Division with three games in hand on the Devils. Andrew Desjardins continued his strong play, earning the number one star of the evening, with a goal and an assist. Springfield got the first goal of the game, 15:42 into the opening period, on the power play. Liam Reddox’s shot had eyes and found its way into the back of the net. Alex Plante and Charles Linglet assisted on the goal. The lone Worcester highlight of the period came when Fraser McLaren dropped the gloves with Kip Brennan in a quick, entertaining bout. Worcester outshot Springfield 15-14 in the period. Worcester used a power play of its own in the second period to equalize the score. 5:43 into the period Mike Moore (1) blasted one home from the point. Dean Strong and Jamie McGinn picked up the assists. It would prove to be the only goal of the period as the teams headed for the locker room tied at one apiece. The Sharks controlled most of the period and outshot the Falcons, 12-3. The offense picked up in the third period for both sides. At 6:04, Desjardins (11) put the Sharks in front 2-1 as he sniped one through the blocker side of Falcons’ netminder Jean-Philippe Levasseur. Dan DaSilva and Dwight Helminen earned the assists. Two minutes later, the Falcons knotted the game at two when Rob Hisey picked up his first goal of the game, muscling the puck past Sexsmith. The Sharks responded a minute later at the 9:14 mark when Desjardins, camped behind the net, found T.J. Trevelyan (8) at the top of the crease and the Sharks went back on top, 3-2. However, Hisey brought the Falcons back even when his tough angle shot snuck past Sexsmith, making the score 3-3. The game remained tied through the end of regulation. Worcester outshot Springfield, 9-4. Danny Groulx was sent to the penalty box at the 3:05 mark of the extra session, but the penalty was negated when Linglet was called for boarding less than 30 seconds later. Springfield scored with just 3.6 seconds remaining in overtime in the 3-on-3 situation. Chorney streaked down the left wing and beat Sexsmith with a hard wrist shot and gave the Falcons the victory. Springfield outshot Worcester, 3-1 in the overtime period. With the loss, the Sharks fall to 24-13-1-2 (51 points) on the season.
2012 at Providence 1-0 win
(WORSHARKS) Harri Sateri made 23 saves for his second straight shutout and Brandon Mashinter scored the only goal early in the third period as the Sharks shutout the Providence Bruins 1-0 at Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence on Friday night. Harri Sateri extended his shutout streak to 130:12 as Worcester recorded back-to-back shutouts for the first time in franchise history. Nick Petrecki and Mike Moore dropped the mitts for Worcester to extend the teams fighting major streak to 22 games and Mike Moore tied the Worcester Sharks franchise record with his 216th game (tying Lukas Kaspar) in the win. The Sharks extended their fighting major streak to 22 games with just 1:48 gone in the opening period. Nick Petrecki (2nd FM) and Bobby Robbins (6th FM) dropped the mitts at center ice for a quick go to set the tempo early. The Sharks played a solid road first period outshooting the Bruins 11-5 in a scoreless frame. Neither team found the back of the net in the second period with each team grabbing their first power play chance of the night. Physical play picked up late in the period highlighted by Mike Moore’s (3rd FM) knock down of Nathan McIver (2nd FM) at 18:58. Harri Sateri had 16 saves while Michael Hutchinson had 20 stops through 40 minutes of play. Rookie Nathan Moon sprung Brandon Mashinter (5th) with a breakaway score at 1:16 of the third period to give Worcester a 1-0 lead. Mashinter snapped a terrific shot from between the faceoff circles and past the blocker of Hutchinson for the only score of the game. Harri Sateri was terrific late with several big stops down the stretch as the Sharks held on for the 1-0 victory. Worcester’s record improves to 18-11-3-4 (43pts in 36gp) and 9-4-3-3 on the road.
2013 vs Portland 3-1 loss
(WORSHARKS) The Worcester Sharks (19-15-1-2, 41pts) fell to the division rival Portland Pirates (23-12-1-1, 48pts) 3-1 on Sunday afternoon in front of 4,728 fans at the DCU Center. Harri Sateri took the loss in the game, despite turning aside 38 of the 40 shots that he faced. Brodie Reid (8th) scored the lone goal for the Sharks in the loss, with Patrick Rissmiller assisting on the goal for his first point in a Worcester Sharks uniform. Brett Hextall (6th), Chris Conner (7th), and Jordan Szwarz (6th) each had a goal in the game for Portland. Conner’s goal was the game-winner that came on a 3-on-3 in the second period. After the Pirates carried much of the play early on, they were finally able to strike at 17:24 of the first period. A shot that was heading towards the Worcester net took an unfortunate bounce and found a streaking Brett Hextall (6th), who buried the puck into an empty cage, giving the Pirate a 1-0 lead. The Sharks struggled to get anything going offensively in the first, getting outshot by Portland 16-3 in the opening period. The Sharks were able to even the score near the midway point of the second period, when Brodie Reid (8th) tapped the puck past Portland goaltender Chad Johnson after a great passing sequence by Worcester. On the goal, Patrick Rissmiller picked up his first point with Worcester, notching an assist. At the ensuing faceoff, Jimmy Bonneau (4th FM) and Joel Rechlicz (9th FM) dropped the gloves in a great bout with both landing big blows. Shortly after, Portland’s Chris Conner (7th) snuck in on a break on a 3-on-3 and tucked a backhand five-hole under Harri Sateri that snuck over the goal line, giving the Pirates a 2-1 lead. The Sharks couldn’t find the equalizer, despite throwing 16 shots at the Portland goal in the third period. Portland secured the victory late, when Jordan Szwarz (6th) put the puck into an empty Worcester net after Sateri was pulled. The Sharks overall record falls to 19-15-1-2 (41pts in 37gp) and 8-6-1-1 at the DCU Center.
2015 vs Manchester 3-1 win
(WORSHARKS) The Worcester Sharks (17-14-3-2, 39pts) picked up their season high 4th straight win after a 3-1 victory over the Manchester Monarchs (25-9-3-1, 54pts) in front of 1,451 fans at the DCU Center on Tuesday evening in game three of a five game home stand. Troy Grosenick made 32 saves in net while Daniil Tarasov, Micheal Haley, and Freddie Hamilton scored goals for Worcester as the Sharks now have points in a season high five straight games (4-0-0-1). Chris Tierney (3-4-7) extended his point streak to six games with an assist and Willie Coetzee (1-8-9) to four games as he added a helper as well as Worcester defeated the Monarchs for the first time in seven tries this season. On a delayed penalty, Daniil Tarasov (9th) gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead at 7:56 after he took a pass from behind the net by Chris Tierney and Tarasov fired a backhander past goaltender Patrik Bartosak. Just nine seconds later, David Van Der Gulik (7th) finished off a nice give and go with Nick Dowd as he moved in on Troy Grosenick and beat the Sharks netminder at 8:05 with a great move on top of the Worcester crease. Worcester had a slight 13-12 shot advantage through 20 minutes as the game was tied 1-1. Worcester outshot Manchester 13-11 in a scoreless second period as the two teams headed into the second intermission tied 1-1. Each team went 0-4 on the power play through 40 minutes of play. Micheal Haley (11th) gave Worcester the lead for good at 2:21 of the third period after he carried the puck from the right corner and fired a quick low shot from 10 feet past the glove side of Patrik Bartosak to give the Sharks a 2-1 lead. Freddie Hamilton (7th) added an empty netter at 19:31 as Troy Grosenick made 11 third period saves as the Sharks held on for the 3-1 win. The Sharks overall record improves to 17-14-3-2, 39pts, and 11-6-2-1, 25pts at the DCU Center this season.
2018 at Manchester 3-1 loss
(RAILERS) The Worcester Railers HC (15-16-3-2, 35pts) finished the first half of the season with a 3-1 loss to the first place Manchester Monarchs (22-12-3-1, 48pts) in front of 3,145 fans at the SNHU Arena on Saturday evening. Kellen Jones scored a second period goal for the Railers and Mitch Gillam made 21 saves in net but Worcester allowed a shorthanded goal, a powerplay goal, and an empty net goal in the loss. Branden Komm made 30 saves for the Monarchs as Manchester broke out of a four-game losing skid with the home win. Yanick Turcotte (11th FM) picked up his team leading 11th fighting major with a long tussle vs. Martin Nemcik at 3:22 to set the tone for a physical opening 20 minutes. With the Railers on their second power play, Zac Lynch (17th) was able to flip the puck past goaltender Mitch Gillam who came sliding out of his net 20 feet on top of his crease to try to grab the loose puck, but Lynch was able to fire a shot from a tough angle with Gillam out of the cage at 15:14. Mike Cornell made quick work on Matt Marcinew with a scrap at 4:45 of the second period as the rough play continued. The Railers got the only goal of the middle frame as Kellen Jones (9th) buried in his own rebound with a screen in front of goaltender Branden Komm at 7:13. The two teams headed into the second intermission tied 1-1 with Worcester leading the shot clock 22-17. Manchester would net the game winner just five seconds after Chris Langkow was sent to the box for interference at 13:18. Manchester won the draw deep in the Worcester end and a quick shot from the point by Colton Saucerman hit Matt Buckles (6th) stationed on top of the Railers crease at 13:23 to give Manchester the 2-1 lead. Zac Lynch (18th) added an empty netter at 18:44 to give the Monarchs a 3-1 home victory.
2019 vs Manchester 4-2 win
(RAILERS) The Worcester Railers HC (16-16-3-2, 37pts) won their third straight game with a 4-2 victory over the visiting Manchester Monarchs (18-17-1-1, 38pts) in front of 4,457 fans at the DCU Center on Sunday afternoon. Matty Gaudreau, Matt Schmalz (1-1-2), Tommy Kelley (1-1-2), and David Quenneville all scored for Worcester while Mitch Gillam made 25 saves in net for the Railers for his 10thwin of the season. Ryan MacKinnon and Tommy Kelley each were +2 as the Railers scored four goals in their second consecutive game. Nic Pierog and Drake Rymsha scored for Manchester while Charles Williams made 22 saves in net for the loss. No penalties and no score in the first period as Manchester held a 10-7 shot advantage through 20 minutes of play as netminders Mitch Gillam and Charles Williams stood tall in net. Things picked up in the second period as Matty Gaudreau (7th) took a feed from the right corner from Nick Sorkin and snapped a quick shot as he skated across the slot just 69 seconds into the period. Matt Schmalz (7th) made it 2-0 with a loose puck rebound score from on top of the Manchester crease assisted by Tommy Kelley at 8:00. Just 62 seconds later, Nic Pierog (17th) slid his way down the leftwing side and snuck a shot through Mitch Gillam from in tight to cut the Railers lead to 2-1. Tommy Kelley (1st) scored his first of the season with a sneaky backhander with a screen in front of the crease to give Worcester a 3-1 advantage through 40 minutes. Shots were 18-16 in favor of the Railers through two periods of play. Manchester got within a goal at 9:11 of the third period as Drake Rymsha (3rd) snapped a quick shot from the center slot through the pads of Gillam to cut the Railers lead to 3-2. David Quenneville (2nd) fired a 130-foot shot into the empty net at 19:07 to give the Railers a 4-2 home win and keep the Monarchs comeback at bay.
2023 at Newfoundland 4-3 OTL
(RAILERS) The Worcester Railers (19-14-3-0 41 pts) lost to the Newfoundland Growlers (24-9-1-0 49 pts) on Friday night by a final score of 4-3 in overtime, in front of 3,498 fans at the Mary Brown’s Centre. The Railers close out their three-game series against the Growlers Saturday with a 5:30 EST puck drop. Jake Schultz (1-0-1) got the Worcester Railers on the board first tonight eight minutes into the first period. Jordan Kaplan (1-0-1) scored the next goal for Worcester on a power play. The Growlers scored the next two goals of the game late in the first from Zach Solow (1-0-1) and Jack Badini (1-0-1). Nick Fea (1-0-1) scored his first ECHL goal to open the second, while Isaac Johnson came back and tied it up 3-3 minutes later. After neither team scored in the third period, Newfoundland notched a powerplay goal early in overtime to give the Growlers the win, 4-3. The Worcester Railers got on the board first tonight with two goals in the first period. The first goal was scored by Jake Schultz (2nd) he picked up the rebound off Keith Petruzzelli’s pad and fired a wrist shot off, scoring the first goal of the game. The second goal for Worcester was scored by the newest member of the team Jordan Kaplan (1st). Kaplan, who was recently put on waivers by Newfoundland, found himself on the crease when the puck ended up on his tape and he tapped it in past Petruzzelli. Giving the Railers a two-goal lead. The second half of the period was all Newfoundland. They scored two goals of their own after firing 18 total shots at Henrik Tikkannen. The first Growler goal was scored by Zach Solow (12th). The second Growler goal was scored by Jack Badini (3rd) with thirty seconds left in the 1st period. Worcester was outshot 18-7 in the first period. The Railers broke the tie early in the second period when Quinn Ryan found Nick Fea (1st) wide-open past the Growlers defense. Fea beat Petruzzelli with a wrist shot, scoring his first goal as a Worcester Railer. The Growlers quickly tied it up when Isaac Johnson (8th) snuck one past Tikkanen. Both teams had one powerplay in the second period but they both were unable to get the puck in the back of the net. The Growlers continued to outshoot the Railers in the second period, ending the period with 30 shots on goal to the Railers’ 13 shots. The game was tied 3-3 heading into the third. Halfway into the third period Reece Newkirk and James Melindy got into it and the officials sent them both to the penalty box, which set up a four-on-four for two minutes. Forty seconds into that four-on-four, Quinn Ryan was whistled for hooking sending him to the box for two minutes, and put the Growlers on a four-on-three powerplay. A Growler skated into Tikkanen knocking the goal out of place stopping play for a short while. Luckily no glycol lines were drilled into as they were earlier in the season in Norfolk, so play resumed within a few minutes. Worcester successfully killed the four-on-three and then the five-on-four thanks to Henrik Tikkanen making multiple spectacular saves. Jordan Kaplan was sent to the penalty box for cross-checking, putting the Railers back on the penalty kill. The Railers killed their fifth straight penalty in this game, thanks again to Tikkanen. With three minutes left in the game, Pavel Gogolev was whistled for cross-checking putting the Railers on the powerplay for the third time on the night. While on the powerplay, Reece Newkirk and Simon Kubicek were both sent to the penalty box for slashing and holding respectively to make it a four-on-three for fifty seconds. The Railers were unable to score on the powerplay. At the end of regulation, the game was tied up 3-3 sending it to overtime. Newfoundland outshot Worcester 37-19 through regulation. Shortly into overtime Myles McGurty was whistled for elbowing putting the Growlers on their sixth powerplay of the game. The Growlers converted on this powerplay thanks to a slapshot by Pavel Gogolev sneaking past Tikkanen for the win 4-3. Notes: 3rd Star: Isaac Johnson (1-2-3 5 shots). 2nd Star: Henrik Tikkanen (37 saves on 41 shots). 1st Star Pavel Gogolev (1-0-1, 7 shots, GWG). Final shots were in favor of Newfoundland 41-19. Keith Petruzzelli made 16 saves on 19 Shots for the Growlers. Henrik Tikkanen made 37 saves on 41 shots for Worcester while Brent Moran served as backup. Worcester went 1-for-3 on the power play while Newfoundland went 1-for-6. Bobby Butler (DNP), Anthony Repaci (DNP), Jack Quinlivan (IR), Phil Beaulieu (IR), and Blake Christensen (IR) did not play for Worcester. Collin Adams led the team with 5 shots on goal. The Railers are now 11-20-2-1 all-time vs the Newfoundland Growlers and 4-12-2-1 at the Mary Brown’s Center against Newfoundland.
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