Today in Worcester hockey history: February 2

1996 at Cape Breton 3-1 win
The Worcester IceCats had a two goal lead late into the seocnd period and held on to a 3-1 victory over the Oilers. Sergei Kharin got the ‘Cats on the board at 13:04 of the opening period assisted by Jason Strudwick and Ken Sutton. Craig Darby made it 2-0 with a power play goal at 16:48 of the middle period with Sutton and Jason Widmer assisting. Ralph Intranuovo cut the IceCats lead in half at 17:56, and it stayed 2-1 until Kharin hit an empty net unassisted at 19:12. Jamie McLennan made 29 saves for his first victory as an IceCat.

1997 vs Hershey 3-2 OTL
The Worcester IceCats fell behind because of two first period Bears goals, but managed to get the game tied and into overtime where Hershey would claim the extra point in a 3-2 overtime loss for the ‘Cats. Former IceCats forward Blair Atcheynum (5:50) and Eric Messier (11:31) both scored opening period power play goals to give the Bears a 2-0 lead after twenty minutes. David Williams got Worcester on the board at 12:42 of the middle stanza on the power play when he skated in from the point and wristed a shot over Hershey netminder Jean-Francois Labbe. Chris Kenady and Terry Virtue had the assists on the play. Thirty-nine seconds into the third period Kenady would tie it when a rebound of a Virtue blast went right to him, and he slipped it past Labbe to light the lamp. Stephane Roy had the secondary assist. The score remained tied 2-2 into overtime when Christian Matte scored on Hershey’s only shot of overtime at 1:45. Jamie McLennan made 28 saves for the ‘Cats.

2001 at Philadelphia 4-3 win
(TICKER) Darren Clark’s second goal of the game with 5:07 left in the third period lifted the Worcester IceCats to a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Phantoms. Clark scored with 1:37 remaining in the second period to give Worcester a 3-2 lead before Kirby Law tied the game for Philadelphia just 5:19 later. Clark then netted his second shorthanded tally of the season to help the Ice Cats defeat the Phantoms for the second time in six days. Clark now has five goals and two assists in just four games with Worcester this season. Darren Rumble and Andrei Troschinsky also scored for the IceCats, who have now won two straight. Dwayne Roloson turned aside 21 shots to earn his AHL-leading 18th win (18-6-2) for Worcester. Mark Freer notched his team-leading 22nd goal and Chris Bogas added a power-play tally for Philadelphia, which has now lost three straight and six of seven (1-6-0). Brian Regan allowed four goals on 29 shots to suffer the loss for the Phantoms.

2002 at Portland 3-0 win
The Worcester IceCats got 25 saves from Reinhard Divis in his last start before heading off to the Olympics to represent Austria to whitewash the Pirates 3-0. Marc Brown finally opened the scoring at 8:23 of the first period, with assists going to Ed Campbell and Andrei Troschinsky. Jeff Panzer made it 2-0 with a five on three power play goal at 10:18 of the middle stanza, with Eric Nickulas and Jame Pollock providing helpers. Greg Davis made it 3-0 at 9:13 of the third period, with Troschinsky assisting.

2005 vs Springfield 4-2 win
(FALCONS) The Springfield Falcons fell to the Worcester IceCats, 4-2, at the DCU Center on Wednesday evening. Rookie left wing Dennis Packard figured in the scoring of both Springfield markers by posting a goal and an assist. Fellow first-year forward Nick Tarnasky also scored, while Brian Eklund made 31 saves in the Falcons’ net. Former Hobey Baker Award winner Peter Sejna collected a goal and an assist for the IceCats. Worcester opened scoring on a goal by right wing Jeff Hoggan 3:41 into the game. The goal was the eighth of the season for Hoggan, who was making his return to the IceCats’ lineup after missing 30 games with an injury. Tarnasky responded for the Falcons 4:02 later with his fifth marker. The 20-year-old carried the puck along the left wing into the Worcester zone and beat goaltender Curtis Sanford with a shot from near the face-off dot. Back-to-back goals by Jon DiSalvatore and Brendan Brooks provided the ‘Cats with a 3-1 lead midway through the second period. DiSalvatore scored an unassisted shorthanded goal at the 5:27 mark. Brooks followed at 10:06 with his 12th tally after receiving a cross-ice pass from Sejna. Packard posted his second point of the game and pulled the Falcons to within a goal by scoring on the power play with 5:47 remaining in the frame. Right wing Darren Reid moved the puck across the crease to set up Packard, who was positioned off the right post. However, Worcester potted an insurance goal 5:03 into the final stanza. Sejna converted a centering feed from forward Jay McClement for his 10th goal of the season. Left wing Igor Valeev also assisted on the goal that turned out to be the final tally of the contest. Springfield scored one goal on eight chances with the man advantage and killed off all six of Worcester’s opportunities. The IceCats held a 34-29 shot advantage in the game.

2007 vs Bridgeport 6-2 win
(SOUND TIGERS) Six different Worcester Sharks scored in 6-2 win over the visiting Bridgeport Sound Tigers before 5,349 fans at the DCU Center on Friday night. The Sharks earned their first win in three meetings with the Sound Tigers this season to improve to 23-17-1-6. The Sound Tigers fell to 20-19-1-4 in the first game in nearly a week following the All-Star break. The Sound Tigers drew first blood on Blake Comeau’s opening-period goal and maintained the lead for nearly two-thirds of the game before the Sharks began their offensive attack. Garrett Stafford, Tomas Plihal and Dan Spang all scored in the final 2:06 of the second period for a sudden 3-1 Worcester advantage heading into the third. Graham Mink scored for a 4-1 Worcester lead before Sound Tiger Peter Ferraro notched his 10th of the season to make it 4-2. The Sharks put the game out of reach late in the third as Grant Stevenson scored a short-handed empty net goal and Justin Kurtz added another shorthanded tally – both in the final minute. The Sharks went 2-for-5 on the power play and held the Sound Tigers scoreless during five man-advantages. Worcester outshot Bridgeport 41-29. Sound Tiger goaltender Wade Dubielewicz kicked aside 35 of the 40 shots he faced and Worcester’s Dimitri Patzold stopped 27 shots.

2008 vs Manchester 3-1 win
(WORSHARKS) Playing at home for the first time since the AHL All-Star break, the Worcester Sharks pulled two points closer to the final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division as they knocked off the Manchester Monarchs on Saturday night by the score of 3-1. Graham Mink led the way for Worcester, notching his seventh multi-point game of the season by way of two goals and an assist. Despite just two shots over the game’s opening six minutes, the Sharks were able to put pressure on the Manchester defense. An aggressive forecheck forced a turnover outside the Monarchs zone, and Marc Busenburg triggered a quick rush through Dennis Packard to Graham Mink, whose snipe from beyond the circles cleared the shoulder of Manchester netminder Daniel Taylor and tipped off the crossbar on its way into the net. The goal, at 6:16 of the first period, was Mink’s 11th goal of the season. The Sharks captain continued to aggravate the Manchester defense, as his scrappy play behind the goal line earned him his 19th assist of the season just over two minutes later. Mink’s wraparound try was denied by Taylor but the puck trickled across the goal mouth to TJ Fox, who notched his seventh tally of the season to open up an early 2-0 lead for Worcester. Mink and the Sharks were held in check for the remainder of the period, but sprung to life quickly in the middle frame. An end-to-end rush that started with backstop Dmitri Patzold finished with Graham Mink scoring his second goal of the game just 39 seconds into the second period. Patzold was credited with his second assist of the season, while Derek Joslin earned his 14th. Nate Raduns nearly extended the lead to four goals after a diagonal feed from Patrick Traverse, but his effort was poked away by Taylor. Meanwhile, as the scoring settled down, tempers grew heated. Brad Staubitz and Drew Bagnall, who had already fought once during the first period, renewed their rivalry in the second stanza, and Kevin Westgarth engaged Riley Armstrong in front of the Sharks bench three minutes later. That skirmish led to an additional roughing call and a ten minute misconduct against Brennan Evans, and Manchester would capitalize on the ensuing power play. At 8:28 of the period, Teddy Purcell fed Gabe Gauthier deep in the right faceoff circle, and Gauthier scored his fifth goal against the Sharks this season, narrowing the Worcester lead to 3-1. Manchester showed signs of life in the third but were unable to pull any closer, as Patzold made 11 saves over the final 20 minutes to carry the Sharks to victory. Patzold made 27 saves on the night to go along with his assist. The Sharks now sit five points behind Springfield, who took over fourth place with their win at Lowell, but Worcester holds four games in hand over the Falcons.

2013 vs Providence 2-0 loss
(WORSHARKS) The Worcester Sharks (20-18-1-5, 46pts) fell to the division rival Providence Bruins (25-16-0-3, 53pts) 2-0 on Saturday evening in front of 7,966 fans at the DCU Center. The game marked the annual Pink in the Rink game, benefiting the Cup Crusaders. The Sharks fell behind early in the first period on a goal from Providence’s Craig Cunningham (10th) and weren’t able to erase the deficit. Alex Stalock was stellar, turning aside 23 out of the 24 shots that he saw. Unfortunately for the Sharks, Bruins goalie Niklas Svedberg had quite the game as well. Svedberg picked up his second shutout of the season, stopping all 26 shots that he faced. Kyle MacKinnon (7th) added an empty netter late to secure the victory for the Bruins. Worcester dropped their sixth straight home game (0-4-0-2) and fell under .500 at the DCU Center in the loss. It was all Providence in the early stages of the first period. Just 2:33 into the period, their relentless pressure paid off. After a puck emerged out of a scrum in the slot, Torey Krug found Craig Cunningham (10th) far post with a nice feed, who buried the puck into an empty cage, giving Providence a 1-0 lead. Near the midway point of the period, Matt Pelech (12th FM) and Bobby Robins (26th FM) dropped the gloves in a heavyweight bout, with Pelech scoring the take down after several bombs were thrown. Almost seven minutes after he dropped the gloves for the first time, Robins (27th FM) dropped the gloves again, this time with James Livingston (3rd FM). However, not many punches were landed as the two players fell to the ice after a short fight. Providence outshot the Sharks 13-2 in the first period. Each team failed to convert on one power play chance. Curt Gogol (5th FM) and Providence’s Tyler Randell (3rd FM) dropped the gloves at the opening faceoff of the second period, with Randell getting the better of the fight after Gogol’s sweater was pulled over his head. No one scored in the period, but there were plenty of chances. Thanks to the posts, the score stayed 1-0 Bruins, as Providence rang two posts and Worcester rang one. Worcester carried the play in the second, outshooting the Bruins 11-4. The Sharks outplayed the Bruins for the majority of the third period, particularly down the stretch, but couldn’t find the equalizer. Providence’s Kyle MacKinnon (7th) added an empty net goal with just 11.9 seconds remaining in regulation to secure the victory for the Bruins after a pass from Carter Camper. The Sharks threw 13 shots at the net in the final period of play, but fell just short, as Niklas Svedberg was up to the task, turning aside everything that came his way. The Sharks overall record falls to 20-18-1-5 (46pts in 44gp) and 8-9-1-3 (20pts in 21gp) at home this season.

2018 vs Adirondack 3-2 OTL
(RAILERS) The Worcester Railers HC (18-19-4-2, 42pts) dropped a disappointing 3-2 overtime game to the visiting Adirondack Thunder (26-17-2-2, 56pts) in front of 3,512 fans at the DCU Center on Friday evening. Matt Lane (1-1-2) and Jeff Kubiak scored for the Railers while Eamon McAdam made 29 saves in net as Worcester fell to 3-3-1-0 on their season long eleven game homestand. The Thunder scored twice in the third period to force overtime before Colton White (2nd) completed the Thunder comeback at 1:35 of the overtime period. Neither team generated a lot of energy or grade A scoring chances in the opening but the Railers struck with a lucky bounce with 100 seconds remaining in the period. Matt Lane (6th) deflected a Yanick Turcotte rebound from off the end wall that found its way through rookie netminder Tomas Sholl. Shots were 10-7 Railers through 20 minutes of play as Worcester took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. Railers rookie Jeff Kubiak (6th) scored in his second straight game as he grabbed his first professional power play goal with a loose rebound on top of the crease at 9:36 with Ben Masella and Matt Lane picking up the assists. Eamon McAdam had 18 saves through 40 minutes of play as the Railers took a 2-0 advantage into the second intermission. Desmond Bergin (10th) began the Adirondack comeback with a rush down the right side and a tough angle shot from on top of the Railers crease at 5:31 of the third period to cut the Railers lead to 2-1. After Worcester failed to clear the puck, Andrew Radjenovic (6th) fired a shot from 50 feet through a screen and past Eamon McAdam at 15:08 to tie the score at 2-2. Shots were 37-31 in favor of the Railers through 60 minutes of play as the game headed to overtime. Ben Masella and Nick Saracino had a chance to win the game in overtime but Tomas Sholl stood his ground in the Thunder net. Defenseman Colton White (2nd) won the game for the Thunder with a rush down the left side and a shot from the left circle that beat McAdam through the pads at 1:35 to give Adirondack the 3-2 win.

2019 at Newfoundland 5-1 win
(RAILERS) The Worcester Railers HC (20-19-3-3, 46pts) wrapped up their three game Canada road trip with a dominating 5-1 win over the host Newfoundland Growlers (29-13-2-0, 60pts)in front of 5,116 fans at the Mile One Centre on Saturday evening. Josh Holmstrom (1-1-2), Matty Gaudreau (1-2-3), Tyler Barnes, Yanick Turcotte, and Ryan Hitchcock all scored for Worcester while Mitch Gillam made 25 saves in net for his 13th win of the season. Michael Garteig made 20 saves in net in the loss for the Growlers as Worcester improved to 8-12-0-2 on the road this season. It was the first win in four tries at the Mile One Centre for the Railers as Worcester also scored their first two shorthanded goals of the season (Barnes and Hitchcock) as the Railers finished the three game Canada road trip 1-1-0-1. The Railers played a terrific first period and scored at 1:36 as Josh Holmstrom (10th) slid home a score at the side of the net after great tic-tac-toe passing by Matty Gaudreau and Nick Sorkin. Shots were 9-8 in favor of Newfoundland as Mitch Gillam stood tall in net as Worcester took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. The Growlers tied the score at 1-1 with a breakaway score just 40 seconds into the second frame as Marcus Power (16th) beat Mitch Gillam with a backhander. But Worcester recovered nicely and controlled most of the second period as Matty Gaudreau (8th) banked a puck off netminder Michael Garteig from behind the goal line and into the net at 10:45 to give the Railers a 2-1 edge. Tyler Barnes (16th) scored the Railers first shorthanded goal of the season as he used Tommy Kelley as a decoy on a 2-on-1 and zipped a wicked shot top shelf at 16:08 to give Worcester a 3-1 advantage through 40 minutes. Shots were 19-15 in favor of Worcester through two periods of play. Yanick Turcotte (2nd) provided an insurance goal at 3:41 of the third period assisted by Mike Cornell and Tommy Kelley to give Worcester a 4-1 lead. Ryan Hitchcock (6th) scored the second shorthanded goal of the night for Worcester on a breakaway at 9:12 to end the scoring for both sides. A large skirmish broke out in the final seconds as the Railers took home the 5-1 road victory in St. John’s.

2024 at Trois-Rivières 6-2 win
(RAILERS) The Worcester Railers HC (19-18-3-2, 43pts) took down the Trois-Rivières Lions (19-21-2-2, 42pts) on Friday night by the final score of 6-2 in front of a crowd of 1,641 at the Colisée Vidéotron. The Railers are back at the Colisée Vidéotron against the Lions on Saturday, February 3rd at 3:00pm. Alex-Olivier Voyer (2-0-2) scored for the Lions in the first to give them the 1-0 lead going into the second. Blade Jenkins (3-0-3), Jake Pivonka (1-2-3), and Reece Newkirk (1-2-3) all scored for the railers just 127 seconds apart to put the Railers ahead 3-1 early in the second. Voyer struck with his second of the night 1:43 later to get the Lions back to within one and make it 3-2 going into the third. Jenkins struck two more times in the third to score the first hat-trick the Railers have had all year long, while Ashton Calder (1-0-1) added one on as the Railers went on to win 6-2. The Railers dominated the first period thanks to several chances on the power play. They outshot the Lions 13-10 in the second but would trail entering the second. Former Maine Mariner Alex-Olivier Voyer (10th) jammed home his own rebound on the doorstep, just beating the outstretched leg of John Muse to give the Lions the only goal in the first. Zachary Émond made 13 saves on 13 shots faced in the first for Trois-Rivières. The scoring opened for Worcester in the second. Blade Jenkins (15th) broke free on a short-handed breakaway down the right wing and tucked one five-hole on Émond to get the Railers on the board and tie the game 1-1. Jake Pivonka (10th) followed up with a wrist shot from the left circle that found the top right corner of the net to put Worcester ahead 2-1. Reece Newkirk (1st) then launched a puck from the blue line that Émond did not see to open Worcester’s lead even further and make it 3-1. Trois-Rivières responded when Alex Olivier-Voyer (11th) unleashed a shot from the slot that beat Muse far-side and got the Lions back to within one. The Railers were outshot in the second despite outscoring the Lions, 16-10. Worcester stayed on a roll in the third. Blade Jenkins (16th) scored his second of the night on the power play to make it 4-2 Worcester. He shot it clean past Émond from the left circle for the Railers’ first man-advantage goal of the night. Ashton Calder (15th) followed up with the second power-play goal of the evening for Worcester on a wrist shot from the right circle that went top shelf and made it 5-2. Up by three with the net empty, Blade Jenkins (17th) was in search for the first Railers hat-trick of the season. From just inside his own blue line, he sent a shot that tumbled all the way into the back of the net to make it the first night all season that a Railer had scored three times in a game. Worcester picked up the 6-2 win, their second win of the season by four or more goals. Notes: Three Stars: 3rd Star: Alex-Olivier Voyer (2-0-2, +1, 6 shots) 2nd Star: Reece Newkirk (1-2-3, GWG, 3 shots), 1st Star: Blade Jenkins (3-0-3, +1, 7 shots)… Final shots were 36-35 in favor of Trois-Rivières… Zachary Émond (4-2-0-0) made 29 saves on 34 shots for Trois-Rivières… John Muse (7-3-0) made 34 saves on 36 shots for Worcester, while Cole Ceci served as the backup… Worcester went 2-for-4 on the power play while Trois-Rivières went 0-for-3… , Rilery Piercey (DNP), Keeghan Howdeshell (DNP), Zach White (DNP), Tristan Lennox (IR), Zsombor Garat (IR), and John Copeland (IR) did not dress for Worcester… Blade Jenkins led the Railers in shots with 7.

2025 at Maine 5-2 Win
(RAILERS) The Worcester Railers HC (18-19-2-4 42pts) took down the Maine Mariners (16-23-3-0, 35pts), on Sunday afternoon by the final score of 5-2 in front of a crowd of 4,421 at Cross Insurance Arena. The Railers are back on the ice next at the DCU Center taking on the Atlanta Gladiators on Wednesday, February 5th at 7:05 p.m. EST. Worcester scored first Sunday afternoon when Matt Ustaski (1-0-1) scored 5:23 into the first. Maine answered back with a goal of their own from Wyllum Deveaux (1-1-2) to tie the score at 1-1 heading into the second. Connor Welsh (1-0-1) was the second period’s lone scorer giving the Railers the 2-1 lead. Maine tied it early in the second period with a goal from Lynden McCallum (1-0-1), but shortly after the Railers grabbed the lead right back when Cole Donhauser (1-1-2) scored a shorthanded goal to give the Railers the 3-2 lead. The Railers finished the third period by scoring two more goals, the first scored by Mark Cheremeta (1-0-1) 15:52 into the third, and the second an empty net goal from Matias Rajaniemi (1-0-1) giving the Railers the 5-2 victory. The scoring got started by the Railers 5:23 into the first when Matt Ustaski (2nd) found the back of the net off a pass from Jordan Kaplan. Maine tied the score at 1-1 just under ten minutes later off the stick of Wyllum Deveaux (8th). Shots favored Worcester 20-10 in the first period. It took nearly 17 minutes of second period action for either team to score. It was Connor Welsh (5th) who scored giving the Railers the 2-1 lead. His shot from the left point deflected off of a Maine Mariner and beat Bischel high. Shortly after the Railers goal, they went on the penalty kill following a five-minute major for boarding called on Griffin Loughran. The Railers successfully killed the first 2:32 of the Maine power play to wrap up the second period. Worcester outshot Maine 31-17 in the second period. The Railers started the third period by killing the remainder of the Maine power play, but shortly after the penalty expired Maine was able to net one. It was Lynden McCallum (15th) who scored for the Mariners. The Railers did not wait long to regain the lead, as Cole Donhauser (5th) forced a turnover at center ice and took it all the way home and scored the shorthanded goal giving the Railers the 3-2 lead. Mark Cheremeta extended the Worcester lead to 4-2 with his breakaway goal 15:52 into the third period. Matias Rajaniemi (2nd) capped off the Railers five goal night with his empty net goal 17:27 into the third, securing the 5-2 win for Worcester. Shots favored Worcester 8-7 in the third and 40-25 in regulation. Notes: Three Stars: 3rd Star: Wyllum Deveaux (1-1-2, -1, 2 Shots), 2nd Star: Cole Donhauser (1-1-2, +3, 5 Shots), 1st Star: Jordan Kaplan (0-2-2, +2)… Final shots favored Worcester 40-25… Ryan Bischel (11-10-1-0) made 35 saves on 39 shots for Maine… Michael Bullion (8-11-0-2) made 23 saves on 25 shots for Worcester, while Hugo Ollas served as the backup… Worcester went 0-for-2 on the power play while Maine went 0-for-2… Matthew Boudens (IR), Lincoln Hatten (DNP), and Anthony Repaci (IR) did not dress for Worcester… Matt DeMelis led the Railers in shots with 7… The Railers are now 31-28-6-3 all-time vs. the Mariners and 9-17-2-2 at Cross Insurance Arena against Maine.

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