1999 at Hartford 4-1 win
The Worcester IceCats took advantage of a rusty Wolf Pack squad who hadn’t played in eight days and beat Hartford 4-1. Marty Reasoner made it a 1-0 game at 9:39 of the opening period when he backhanded the rebound of Tyson Nash’s bid past Jean-Francois Labbe. Lubos Bartecko scored under two minutes later when he converted on the rebound of Dan Corso’s shot. Bartecko then scored on the power play at 10:35 when he, Jeremiah McCarthy and Andrej Podkonicky traded passes, with Bartecko finally scoring on the backhand. Todd Hall got the Wolf Packs’ goal at 11:01, but Corso got the ‘Cats three goal lead back at 16:53. Rich Parent made 31 saves for the win.
2000 vs Saint John 6-2 win
(TICKER) Derek Bekar and Reed Low each scored twice to power the Worcester IceCats to their sixth straight win, 6-2 over the Saint John Flames. Bekar gave Worcester a 2-0 lead with three minutes left in the first period and added a power-play goal midway through the second. Low put the IceCats ahead to stay two minutes into the middle frame and scored again five minutes later. Brent Johnson made 26 saves for Worcester, which also is unbeaten in its last six home games (5-0-1). Darrel Scoville and Rico Fata scored in the first 90 seconds of the second period for Saint John, which has dropped three in a row.
2001 AHL All-star game: Canada 11, PlanetUSA 10 (First Union Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre, PA)
Goaltender Dwayne Roloson earned the win for Canada, making 12 saves on 14 shots in the third period. Eric Boguniecki had a goal, was +2, and had seven shots on goal for PlanetUSA.
2003 vs Springfield 1-0 win
(ICECATS) Curtis Sanford made 23 saves while Eric Nickulas scored the only goal Worcester would need as the IceCats defeated the Springfield Falcons 1-0 Wednesday night. Sanford made at least four game-saving stops in the final 30 seconds of play as the Falcons had their goalie pulled in favor of the extra attacker. The shutout was Sanford’s second this season and third overall for the ‘Cats. The win snapped a three-game winless streak for the ‘Cats and marked the first time this season the team has won when scoring less than three goals. Both teams were held scoreless in the first period. By the time Nickulas finally solved Springfield goalie Evgeney Konstantinov at 8:48 of the second period, Worcester had gone 99:01 without a goal. The span dated back to the third period in last Friday’s game at Providence. Konstantinov finished with 30 saves.
2005 at Springfield 4-3 OTL
(FALCONS) Springfield Falcons rookie defenseman Doug O’Brien scored in overtime to complete a 4-3 come-from-behind win over the Worcester IceCats on Saturday night at the Springfield Civic Center. Forwards Derek Bekar and Craig Darby each posted a goal and an assist in the victory while Nikita Alexeev’s tally with 1:49 remaining in regulation sent the game to the extra session. Bekar’s third goal of the season tied the game, 2-2, with 6:43 remaining in the third period. The former IceCat followed up shots by rookies Nick Tarnasky and Darren Reid to knock the puck past Worcester goaltender Jason Bacashihua. The ‘Cats regained the lead and appeared poised to grab sole possession of third place in the Atlantic Division with a win when defenseman Brendan Buckley scored with 2:16 left in regulation. However, Alexeev beat Bacashihua with a wrist shot from between the face-off circles just 27 seconds later. Right wing Evgeni Artukhin fed Alexeev with a pass from behind the Worcester net on the game-tying goal. O’Brien scored the game-winner by ripping a shot under the crossbar from the top of the left wing face-off circle 1:49 into overtime. Rookie center Nick Tarnasky set O’Brien up for the shot with a pass through the slot from near the goal line. The goal was the second of the season for O’Brien, who returned to the Falcons on Thursday after playing three games with the ECHL’s Johnstown Chiefs last week. The IceCats opened scoring 3:19 into the game when center Blake Evans blasted a slap shot from near the top of the left face-off circle into the top corner for his team-leading 11th goal of the season. Worcester left wing Peter Sejna put back the rebound of an Evans’ shot just as an IceCats’ two-man advantage ended with 9:15 remaining in the first period to make the score 2-0. The goal was the eighth of the campaign for Sejna, who won the Hobey Baker award in 2003 as college hockey’s top player. Darby put the Falcons on the board 7:23 into the second period after getting a step on the Worcester defense and receiving a lead pass from Artukhin. Darby’s blast from the right circle was partially stopped by Bacashihua, but had enough steam to carry across the goal line. Eklund finished the game with 27 saves to even his record on the season at 6-6-0. Bacashihua, the reigning AHL Player of the Week, stopped 17 of 21 shots. The Falcons were scoreless on four power-play attempts in the game while the IceCats converted one of six chances with the man advantage.
2007 at Lowell 3-2 win OT
(DEVILS) Garret Stafford scored on the power play at 2:47 of overtime to lift the Worcester Sharks (18-15-1-6) to a 3-2 victory over the Lowell Devils (19-17-3-1) at the Tsongas Arena Monday afternoon. David Clarkson opened the scoring in the game, with his 12th of the season and seventh in the last five games. He circled around the perimeter of the offensive zone and ripped a wrist shot home from the top of the right circle to make it 1-0. The Sharks answered on the power play with just eight seconds left in the frame to make it 1-1 after one. Goaltender Frank Doyle made 17 saves in the first, as Lowell was outshot 18-6. Neither team lit the lamp in the second stanza, with the shots even at 7-7. The Devils had consecutive power plays early in the period, as the Sharks took three minors in less than two minutes, but G Dimitri Patzold and Sharks killed them off. Mike Iggulden made it 2-1 Worcester at 11:41 of the third period, but Lowell kept pressuring. They outshot the Sharks 12-7 in the frame, and eventually tied it back up. Petr Vrana got his stick on a Nicklas Bergfors shot, redirecting it home for the equalizer at 15:53. It was his sixth of the season. In overtime the Sharks dominated, going on the attack with the man advantage. They fired seven shots on Doyle in the extra session during the 4-on-3, with Stafford’s game winner coming off a blast from the left point. Doyle finished with 36 saves in the loss.
2010 at Portland 7-1 loss
(WORSHARKS) Six different goal scorers found the back of the net for Portland, and the Sharks allowed seven goals for the third time this season, as Worcester fell 7-1 to the Pirates in Portland on Friday night. Brandon Mashinter scored his 11th goal of the season for the Sharks and Mike Moore extended his point streak to two games (1-1-2) as the Sharks began the second half of the season on a sour note. After a slow start to the opening period, Derek Whitmore (4th) broke down the left wing and scored on the Pirates 2nd shot on goal at 10:41. Whitmore fired a wrist shot from the right circle past Alex Stalock as he had Marc-Andre Gragnani skating down the middle during the 2-on-1 break. After Portland went ahead 1-0, both teams picked up the play physically as players hit the deck on both sides. Referee Chris Brown let the boys play through twenty minutes with no penalties whistled. Worcester outshot the Pirates 9-7 in the opening period despite heading into the dressing room down 1-0. The Pirates broke the game open with three goals in the first 8:35 of the second period. Strikes by Mark Mancari (18th), T.J. Brennan (2nd), and Kyle Rank gave Portland a 4-0 lead. Alex Stalock was pulled in favor of Tyson Sexsmith after allowing four goals on 13 shots in 28:35 minutes of action. Brandon Mashinter (11th) deflected in a hard shot from the blue line by Mike Moore at 9:04 to get the Sharks on the board. Travis Turnbull snuck the puck past Sexsmith after a scramble in front as Worcester trailed by four goals after forty minutes of play. The Pirates added two more goals in the third period, as Rank scored his 2nd of the game just 13 seconds into the final frame and Tyler Ennis (13th) finished off a nice 3-on-1 rush at 15:59. There were two fights in the period; as Derek Joslin tangled with Travis Turnbull at 3:34 and Frazer McLaren and Cody McCormick danced at 10:58. With the loss, the Sharks fall to 24-14-1-2 (51 points) on the season and fall to third place in the Atlantic Division.
2011 at Portland 8-3 loss
(WORSHARKS) Eleven different goal scorers lit the lamp, unfortunately, eight of them were Portland Pirates, as the Sharks fell 8-3 on Saturday evening at the Cumberland County Civic Center. T.J. Trevelyan, Dan DaSilva, and Steve Zalewski scored for Worcester as the Sharks had a 1-0, 2-1, and a 3-2 lead before the Pirates scored six straight goals. Carter Hutton made 28 saves in the loss for Worcester. The Sharks broke out to a 1-0 lead as T.J. Trevelyan (8th) wrapped the puck around the post and past David Leggio at :58 seconds of the opening period. Igor Gongalsky (1st), set up on top of the crease, tapped in a centering pass from the left corner by Mark Mancari and past Carter Hutton to tie the score at 1-1 at 6:36. On the ensuing faceoff, Cam MacIntyre engaged in his first professional fight and threw a series of rights and lefts on former Shark Dennis McCauley at center ice. Dan DaSilva (8th) scored on the power play after a nifty give-and-go with T.J. Trevelyan at 16:52 as they broke down the left wing side and DaSilva roofed the puck into the net. Portland tied the score at 2-2 after T.J. Brennan slapped a shot from the right circle, through a screen, and past Hutton at 18:38. The score was tied 2-2 after 20 minutes with the Pirates holding a 13-7 shot advantage. The tempo of the game slowed down in the middle period with tight checking play ruling most of the middle twenty minutes. The Sharks took their third lead of the game at 18:12 on the power play as Steve Zalewski (3rd) deflected a centering feed from James Marcou past the Pirates netminder to put Worcester on top 3-2. Portland tied the game again just moments later after Mark Mancari was whistled for tripping at 18:31. Derek Whitmore (14th) skated down the left side on a shorthanded rush and beat Carter Hutton with a quick snap shot from the left circle at 18:46. The two teams were tied at 3-3 after 40 minutes with the Pirates outshooting Worcester 23-15. Portland scored five unanswered goals in the third period to barrel out for the 8-3 victory. Corey Tropp, Mark Mancari, Maxime Legault, Paul Byron, and Drew Schiestel all lit the lamp in the final period as the Pirates scored the final six goals of the hockey game. The Sharks record falls to 19-15-2-5 with 45 points and to 10-8-1-3 on the road as Worcester played their 41st game of the season.
2012 vs Syracuse 3-2 win SO
(WORSHARKS) Tyson Sexsmith made 40 saves and Brodie Reid scored in the 6th round of the shootout as the Sharks defeated the Syracuse Crunch 3-2 in front of 4,212 people and 75 dogs at the DCU Center in Worcester on Pucks and Paws Day on Sunday afternoon. Jack Combs and John McCarthy scored in regulation for Worcester in the Sharks third straight victory. The Sharks fighting major streak came to an end at 22 games and Mike Moore broke the Worcester Sharks franchise record with his 217th game (surpassing Lukas Kaspar) in the win. Both teams came out of the gate finishing their checks which led to a fast paced first period of play. The Crunch grabbed a 1-0 lead after J.F. Jacques found Luca Caputi (4th) all alone in front of the Sharks net at 8:24. Caputi sent a wicked backhand over the shoulder of Tyson Sexsmith for the score. Less than two minutes later, Jack Combs (6th) buried a rebound past Iiro Tarkki at 10:15 after a hard low shot by Sena Acolatse to tie the score at 1-1. The Crunch outshot Worcester 14-7 through 20 minutes of play. John McCarthy (11th) buried a loose rebound from on top of the crease just after a Sharks power play expired at 2:00 of the 2nd period to give Worcester a 2-1 lead. The goal was made possible after a great entry into the Crunch zone by Mike Moore and a quick shot from Brodie Reid in the left circle. Sharks goaltender Tyson Sexsmith had 25 saves through 40 minutes of play. Peter Holland (13th) deflected a centering pass off his leg and into the Sharks net at 7:03 of the third period to ties the score at 2-2. Tyson Sexsmith made a terrific stop on J.F. Jacques on a 2-on-0 down low in front of the Sharks net to keep the scored tied. Neither team would find the back of the net in the third period or in overtime as the game headed to the shootout. In the shootout, John McCarthy and Brandon Mashinter scored for the Sharks while Peter Holland and Dan Sexton scored through five rounds for the Crunch. Mark Bell thought he had scored in round 6, but the light never went on and the two officials ruled no goal. Brodie Reid roofed a snapped shot past the glove of Tarkki in round 6 for the Sharks first shootout win in five tries this season. Worcester’s record improves to 19-11-3-4 (45pts in 37gp) and 10-7-0-1 at the DCU Center.
2017 ECHL All-Star game: Three on three tourney, won by Mountain Division (Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, IN)
Woody Hudson had an assist, was (-3), and had two shots for the North Division (lost 3-1 to South).
2022 vs Reading 2-1 win
The Railers won in John Wayne fashion Saturday night. True Grit. They were outshot by the Reading Royals, 36-23, but beat the visitors by a 2-1 score in which every goal was unassisted. Brent Beaudoin and Will Cullen had the ones for Worcester. Jacob Pritchard scored for Reading. The difference was goaltending, as it usually is when the Railers win. Ken Appleby was sensational, making 35 saves as the Royals owned the ice for most of the final two periods. “He makes it look so easy,” coach David Cunniff said. “It looks like he’s making these great saves without even blinking. I hope the people watching him play understand how good he really is.” Beaudoin has blossomed over the last few games, becoming Worcester’s most productive forward. He put the Railers ahead, 1-0, with a 35-foot wrist shot at 17:16 of the first period and is 4-3-7 in the last six games. Cullen is a newcomer and has added a lot of energy to the defensive corps. He has three goals in the last seven games. “He’s got a ton of a skill; he’s a good skater,” Cunniff said. “When you watch a game he really jumps out at you. There are things he’s getting away with now that he won’t get away with at a higher level, but we’re working with him and he’s working on it. “But you can’t put a leash on him because he’s so effective.” Cullen scored from between the circles at 19:01 of the first period and Appleby made that lead stand up. Pritchard’s goal came at 13:54 of the second. Some ECHL teams began their All-Star breaks after Saturday’s games but not the Railers and Royals. The All-Star Game is in Jacksonville on Monday but there are three regularly scheduled games that day as well. One is Worcester at Reading and the Railers will be without Appleby, their All-Star representative. He and COO Mike Myers are flying to Florida Sunday. Myers said that the team gave Appleby the option of going to Florida or staying back in Worcester and after weighing the pros and cons, Appleby decided to play in the All-Star Game, something he has never done as a pro. “We didn’t figure our goalie would be an All-Star,” Myers said, “and we also figured we’d have Ken and Colten Ellis as our two goalies so it would not have been a problem.” Ellis is in the AHL, though, which means rookie Luke Peressini will play in Reading. “Is it a competitive disadvantage for us,” Myers said, “or is it an opportunity for Luke to get in a game and show what he can do? He was going to get a start soon, anyway.” With that start, he will have a chance to help the Railers win back to back games for the first time this season. MAKING TRACKS_ Cole Coskey was under the weather but not a virus victim. Liam Coughlin is on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, so out of action. … Rookie defenseman Austin Osmanski was recalled by Springfield. … Forward Grant Jozefek is the only Railer out with an injury. He has not played since Dec. 8. … The next game at the DCU Center is scheduled for Jan. 21 versus Trois-Rivieres. … Ross Olsson’s roughing minor in the first period gave him 201 PIM for his Railers career and he added two more minutes later. Yanick Turcotte (527) and Mike Cornell (348) are the only other Railers above 200. …It was Marvel Super Hero Night sponsored by the Telegram & Gazette. T-G sports editor Jim Wilson dropped a ceremonial first puck and appears to have a career opportunity as a linesman. … Attendance was 4,822, the best crowd since before Christmas. … A sign of the times — Karl Boudrias is the Railers’ reigning iron man. Saturday night was his 20th straight game. … Myles McGurty made the season’s best rush by a defenseman in the first period but just missed scoring his first goal of the season. … Nick Albano took a shot off his left foot in the second period and missed most of the rest of the game. He had it in an ace bandage as he walked out of the dressing room. … The victory snapped Reading goalie Karill Ustimenko’s winning streak versus Worcester at six games.
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