1998 vs Adirondack 2-1 win
The Worcester IceCats and Adirondack Red Wings got together for a Sunday afternoon contest at Worcester’s Centrum Centre, with the ‘Cats coming out on top 2-1. After a scoreless opening period Lubos Bartecko lit the lamp just 29 seconds into the middle stanza, with assists from Michal Handzus and Ricard Persson. At 4:43 Per Eklund would tie it for the Red Wings, but Jason Zent would grab the game winner on the power play at 11:15, with Stephane Roy and Chris Kenady helping. Frederic Cassivi had 33 saves in the victory.
1999 at Springfield 4-1 loss
The Worcester IceCats gave up two early goals and never recovered in a 4-1 loss to the Falcons. Sean McCann scored a five on three power play goal 1:57 into the opening period, and at 2:39 Josh Green scored on the power play to make it 2-0. Andrej Podkonicky cut the Falcons lead in half at 4:08, but that was all the scoring the ‘Cats would get. Sean Gagnon made it 3-1 at 3:57 of the middle period, and Brandon Convery scored into an empty net at 19:40 of the third. Falcons goalie Robert Esche had 45 saves. Dan Murphy was in goal for the IceCats.
2002 at Hartford 2-2 tie
The Worcester IceCats overcame a two goal deficit to tie the Wolf Pack 2-2. Brad Smyth scored a first period goal at 18:45 and Barret Heisten made it 2-0 at 2:41 of the middle stanza. Andrei Troschinsky then made it a one goal game at 8:55. Eric Nickulas tied it 2-2 at 6:27 of the third on a play where the puck somehow ended up in the Hartford net after a wild goalmouth scramble. Cody Rudkowsky made 28 saves.
2003 vs Milwaukee 2-2 tie
(ICECATS) Sergei Varlamov’s third period goal tied the game and Curtis Sanford’s goaltending preserved Worcester’s point as the IceCats and Milwaukee Admirals skated to a 2-2 tie Friday night at Worcester’s Centrum Centre. Milwaukee gave up two leads, initially on Ernie Hartlieb’s first American Hockey League (AHL) goal (in his first AHL game) at 7:56 of the second period. After Milwaukee regained the lead, Varlamov beat Admirals goalie Bryan Finley at 4:59 of the third to knot the game at 2-2. Varlamov also assisted on Hartlieb’s goal, and has points in seven consecutive games. Bubba Berenzweig and Bryan Lunbohm scored Milwaukee’s goals. After outshooting Milwaukee 17-15 through two periods, the ‘Cats were outgunned 23-6 over the final period-plus. Sanford made six saves in overtime, including a host of point-blank opportunities.
2004 vs San Antonio 2-1 loss
(ICECATS) The Worcester IceCats attempt at winning three games in three days was stymied in a 2-1 loss to the San Antonio Rampage Sunday at Worcester’s Centrum Centre. Josh Olson scored both goals for the Rampage, his 13th and 14 of the season. The game-winner came on a five-on-three man advantage after Peter Sejna joined Igor Valeev in the penalty box. Goalie Travis Scott, a former IceCat, made 35 saves for the win. Sejna avenged that power play goal by scoring his seventh of the season. With 3:09 remaining, he cut the deficit by redirecting Sergei Varlamov’s blueline wrister to get the Sejna has points in seven of his last eight games. Worcester generated a slew of scoring opportunities after Sejna scored, but Scott slammed the door as the ‘Cats pressured for the equalizer. The ‘Cats maintained second place in the Atlantic Division despite the loss.
2008 at Norfolk 4-2 loss
(WORSHARKS) In a penalty-filled affair, the Worcester Sharks lost their third straight game, 4-2, to the Norfolk Admirals at the Scope on Friday evening. A Karl Stewart second-period hit on T.J. Fox sparked a pair of brawls in the third, including one off the opening face-off which included both starting goaltenders. In total, the teams combined for 166 penalty minutes (93 for the Sharks, 73 for the Admirals). With Springfield losing, the Sharks remain seven points behind the Falcons for fourth place and are now five behind the Manchester Monarchs for fifth. The Sharks took the quick lead 4:29 into the first period on Tom Walsh’s second goal of the season. After 41 shots without finding the back of the net on Wednesday, Worcester converted on its second attempt on Friday. Walsh was on top of the left face-off circle along the boards when he threw a puck toward the net. It found its way through traffic and past Norfolk goaltender Jonathan Boutin for the 1-0 lead. Dennis Packard and Mike Iggulden picked up the assists on the play. Midway through the first period, it looked like Norfolk would tie the score, but Kyle Wanvig’s shot hit the post. Worcester goaltender Thomas Greiss turned the puck over, leading to an attempt by Wanvig at the left wing circle that hit the inside of the far post to temporarily preserve the 1-0 advantage. The Admirals would not be denied at 13:19 of the first, as they tied the score at one. Boutin’s save on a Lukas Kaspar shot sprung Norfolk on a 3-on-2. Blair Jones head manned the rush on the left wing side. He passed to Norm Milley in the right wing circle who subsequently fired in the direction of the net. The third man on the 3-on-2, Mario Scalzo, was stationed in front of the goal, and tipped it past Greiss for his fifth of the season. Norfolk had the 13-8 shot edge after one period. Wanvig was in the right place in the right time at 0:25 of the second period to give the Admirals their first lead of the game at 2-1. Patrick Traverse had the puck in the Sharks’ defensive zone and left it for Fox. Fox passed behind the net, but only Norfolk players were there. The puck was thrown in front where two Admirals, including Wanvig, were stationed. He subsequently scored his 16th of the season against a helpless Greiss as Adam Henrich and Stewart were credited with the assists on the play. Heading into the game, the Sharks’ power play was struggling, having gone two-for-48 over the last 11 games. On its first power play of the game at 7:03, it looked like Worcester would break the trend and tie the score at two, but Boutin came up with his biggest saves up to that point. First, Spang was denied on the far side post and the rebound bounced to Derek Joslin. Joslin put a long wrist shot through traffic which was ticketed for the back of the net, but Boutin had other ideas. He made the strong glove save while in a split to once again deny the Sharks on the man advantage. The Sharks had their second power play at 10:47 of the second when Jones took a tripping minor. On the man advantage, Norfolk had three odd-man rushes on the shorthand, but Greiss came up big to preserve the one-goal deficit. He couldn’t keep the Admirals from taking the 3-1 lead at 12:57 though, as Paul Szczechura scored his 11th. As Jones got out of the box, he carried it into the far corner. He stopped and curled, feeding the puck in front to Szczechura who made the tip into the open net. Junior Lessard picked up the other assist on the play. Norfolk upped its lead at 16:28 off another odd-man break. Riley Armstrong made a blind pass along the right wing side that went right to a Norfolk player, springing a 3-on-2 the other way. Milley, Justin Keller, and Jones, passed back and forth until Milley was able to finish for his 14th of the season. Despite being outscored 3-0 in the second, the Sharks had the 13-9 second period shot advantage while Norfolk held the 22-21 lead through two. In the second period, Fox was clocked by Stewart. The Sharks didn’t react until the opening face-off of the third period, a full-scale five-on-five brawl was started. Iggulden went after Stewart before everyone else converged, sparking the fracas. Henrich squared off with Brennan Evans while Wanvig and Fox dropped the gloves, as did Traverse and Justin Fletcher. Both goaltenders, Greiss and Boutin, left their creases and joined the fray. Packard also received a roughing penalty for the Sharks. Evans and Henrich along with Wanvig and Fox were not penalized, despite their involvement in the scuffle. Only 1:26 later at 1:32, more rough stuff happened as Devin Setoguchi went after Scalzo and pounded him to the ice. Tom Cavanagh then squared off with Radek Smolenak, in a toe-to-toe bout. It wouldn’t end as at 14:43, Scalzo and Armstrong had a scrap. Scalzo took exception to an Armstrong slash and started the scuffle. He received a double minor, while Armstrong only received two minutes, giving Worcester the power play. The Sharks would answer less than a minute into the man advantage, as Nate Raduns scored his 11th of the season from the left wing circle, assisted by Fox and Graham Mink. The Sharks attempted the furious comeback, as Raduns put a high shot on net with the extra attacker, but Marc Denis made the big glove stop to preserve the 4-2 victory. Worcester finished with the 40-28 shot advantage, the second-consecutive game its put 40 shots on net.
2009 at W-B/Scranton 5-2 loss
(WORSHARKS) Ryan Vesce had a goal and an assist in his return back to Worcester after his first NHL recall but the Sharks dropped their season high fourth straight game on Sunday afternoon in Wilkes-Barre, PA by a 5-2 score. Frazer McLaren would try to get his team going as he and Paul Bissonnette tangled at center ice at 2:58 of the first period. McLaren had the early advantage but Bissonnette got a few in before the linesmen intervened after an entertaining bout. After the Sharks couldn’t convert on their first power play, the Penguins would score with the man advantage at 8:25 after Janne Pesonen finished off a great feed from Mark Letestu past Thomas Greiss. Letestu fired a bullet from the right corner onto the stick of Pesonen who was set up in the low right slot. The Sharks trailed 1-0 after 20 minutes despite having a 12-10 shot advantage. The Sharks would begin the second period with good energy and it translated to Patrick Traverse’s 7th goal of the season at 8:58. After a shot by Ryan Vesce from the high slot was kicked out by goaltender John Curry, Traverse banged in the loose puck to tie the score at 1-1. The goal extended the point streak for Traverse to five games and the assist for Vesce extended his franchise record point streak to 17 games. But the Penguins would fire back with two quick strikes. Tim Wallace scored his 15th at 10:52 and then Mark Tetestu’s one timer shot found the back of the net after a great feed by Jeff Taffe gave the Penguins the two goal lead at 14:02. The Sharks trailed 3-1 after forty minutes, outshooting the Penguins 22-18. Vesce would strike early in the third period to cut the Penguin lead in half after firing a loose rebound past Curry on the power play at :59 seconds of the third period. But just as the Sharks seemed to have the momentum, the Penguins would score again as Alex Goligoski scored his first in the AHL this season at 6:40. Adam Henrich would finish off a break down the right side to cap the victory for the Penguins at 16:33 to give Wilkes-Barre a 5-2 lead. The Sharks outshot the Penguins 18-10 in the third period and 40-26 through the game. The loss drops Worcester’s record to 27-24-0-2 and 1-5-0-0 on their seven game road trip.
2012 at Portland 4-3 loss
(WORSHARKS) Jack Combs, Nathan Moon, and Ryan Del Monte scored power play goals but the Pirates scored twice late in the third period within a 33 second span as the Sharks fell 4-3 to the Portland Pirates at the Cumberland County Civic Center on Wednesday night. The Sharks and Pirates split the home and home series and Worcester now has just a one point cushion over the Pirates in the Atlantic Division. Harri Sateri made 23 saves in net for Worcester in the loss and Matt Irwin added two power play assists from the blue line in a feisty affair that saw two fights and 54 penalty minutes. The Pirates barreled out to a 2-0 advantage guided by a 5-on-3 power play strike and an odd man rush. Defenseman David Runblad (6th) sent a blast from on top of the circles through traffic with a two man advantage at 7:16 to give Portland a 1-0 lead. After a nice save by Harri Sateri on a 3-on-2 Portland rush, Andy Miele (10th) poked in a centering pass past Sateri at 14:59 for his 5th goal against the Sharks this season and gave the Pirates a 2-0 edge. Cam MacIntyre (5th FM) and Nathan Oystrick (3rd FM) fought at 14:34 after Oystrick boarded Curt Gogol inside the Pirates zone. There was no call on the play, as Gogol went off to the Sharks dressing room for repairs. Jack Combs (12th) got Worcester on the board at 16:49 on the power play with a quick snap shot from the right circle past Marc Cheverie. The goal for Combs extended his goal scoring streak to four games and got the Sharks within a goal through 20 minutes of play. Portland outshot Worcester 12-8 in the opening frame. In the second period, the Sharks grabbed a 3-2 lead with two more power play goals in a chippy frame that saw several post whistle scrums and one more fight. Nathan Moon (7th) struck at 3:09 with a short tap in score after a great feed by Tim Kennedy to tie the score at 2-2. Brandon Ryan Del Monte (6th) scored after a wild goal mouth scramble at 14:25 to give the Sharks their first lead and third power play goal of the game. After Worcester went ahead 3-2, several scrums broke out and Ryan Del Monte (3rd FM) fought Dean Arsene (6th FM) at center ice at 19:06. The Sharks lead 3-2 after 40 minutes with each team registering 20 shots on goal. Goaltenders Harri Sateri and Marc Cheverie made some big saves early in the third period as the Sharks held on to a one goal lead until 14:43 of the period. Jordan Szwarz (5th) tied the score with a wicked shot from in between the circles after a terrific feed by David Runblad at 14:43. Just 33 seconds later, Tyler Eckford (7th) sent a blast over the shoulder of Harri Sateri from on top of the circles to put Portland ahead 4-3 at 15:15. Marc Cheverie made a point blank save on Andrew Murray with 30 seconds remaining as the Pirates held on for a 4-3 win over the Sharks. Worcester’s record falls to 23-16-4-5 (55pts in 48gp) and 11-7-4-3 away from the DCU Center.
2013 at Springfield 3-1 loss
(WORSHARKS) The Worcester Sharks (22-19-1-5, 50pts) kicked off a 3-in-3 road weekend with a 3-1 loss to the Springfield Falcons (29-11-4-3, 65pts) on Friday night in front of 2,966 fans at the Mass Mutual Center. Harri Sateri made 27 saves for Worcester in his 3rd straight start in net and Daniil Tarasov (4-0-4) extended his point streak to three games with the only Worcester score. 15 combined power plays slowed down the game as Worcester fell to 2-1-0-0 vs. the Falcons this season. The Sharks are now 2-1-0-0 on their five game road trip. The Falcons scored the only goal in the opening frame as Worcester was outshot 11-3. Ryan Craig (15th) deflected a Nick Holden shot past Harri Sateri on a 5-on-3 power play at 19:12. Worcester went 0-for-2 on the power play in the opening frame and trailed 1-0 after 20 minutes. Rookie Daniil Tarasov (7th) scored in his third straight game with a beautiful deflection of a Danny Groulx shot from outside the left circle past goaltender Allen York at 90 seconds of the second period to tie the game at 1-1. Newcomer Adam Comrie picked up the secondary assist for Worcester in the only score in the middle frame. The Falcons held an 18-8 shot advantage after 40 minutes of play. Nick Holden (5th) fired a Sean Collins centering pass past Sateri at 6:30 to put the Falcons ahead for good early in the third period. Worcester had a 5-on-3 power play for a full 1:55 late in the period but could not muster a goal to tie the game. Andrew Joudrey (3rd) capped the scoring with an empty netter with 12 seconds remaining as Worcester fell 3-1. The Sharks overall record falls to 22-19-1-5 (50pts in 47gp) and 14-10-0-2 (28pts in 26gp) on the road this season.
2014 at Binghamton 8-0 loss
(WORSHARKS) The Worcester Sharks (23-21-3-1, 50pts) lost by eight goals for the first time in team history with a 8-0 defeat to the East Division leading Binghamton Senators (31-15-1-3, 66pts) in front of 4,272 fans at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena on Saturday evening.
Seven different goals scorers lit the lamp for the Senators while rookie goaltender Andrew Hammond made 29 saves for his first professional shutout. Harri Sateri allowed eight goals on 37 shots as Worcester has now been outscored 13-1 in the two games after the All-Star break. The high flying Senators took a 2-0 lead in the first period as Stephane Da Costa (13th) fired a one-timer past Harri Sateri at 5:15 after a great feed from Mike Hoffman and Jim O’Brien (11th) snapped home a rebound strike at 16:49. Worcester outshot Binghamton 13-10 in the opening frame.
Four different goal scorers for Binghamton found the back of the net in the middle frame; Cole Schneider (17th) at 4:48, Mike Sdao (3rd) at 6:42, Shane Prince (16th) at 16:13, and Mike Stone (10th) at 19:32 gave the Senators a 6-0 lead through 40 minutes. The Senators outshot the Sharks 17-8 in a period that saw three separate altercations as Jimmy Bonneau (12th FM), Yanni Gourde, and Nick Petrecki (2nd) all dropped the mitts for a frustrated Worcester hockey club. Mike Sdao (4th) at 4:25 and Mike Puempel (18th) on the power play at 11:34 finished off the scoring on Sateri and the Sharks in the third period as Andrew Hammond made eight more saves for his 1st professional shutout as Worcester fell 8-0. The Sharks overall record falls to 23-21-3-1, 50pts and 11-12-3-0, 25pts on the road.
2015 at St. John’s 5-4 OTL
(WORSHARKS) The Worcester Sharks (26-17-4-2, 58pts) scored three power play goals and had a 4-0 lead but fell 5-4 in overtime to the host St. John’s IceCaps (23-23-5-2, 53pts) in front of 5,677 fans at the Mile One Centre on Sunday afternoon. The Sharks finished their five game road trip with a 3-1-1-0 record. Rylan Schwartz, Travis Oleksuk (pp), Matt Taormina (pp), and Micheal Haley (pp) scored for Worcester while Aaron Dell made 23 saves in net for the Sharks in his sixth straight start between the pipes. St. John’s scored five unanswered goals (four in the third period) as defensemen Brenden Kichton (6th) scored his 2nd goal of the game at 3:25 of overtime for the game winner. Worcester came out flying in the first period as the Sharks grabbed a 2-0 lead through 20 minutes. Rylan Schwartz (1st) crashed the net and slammed home a loose rebound after Trevor Parkes original shot broke through goaltender Connor Hellebuyck at 15:54. Taylor Fedun picked up the secondary assist after a great defensive play in the Sharks zone. The Sharks took a 2-0 lead after a great give and go play by Konrad Abeltshauser and Travis Oleksuk (6th) on the power play at 18:46. Team teal outshot St. John’s 20-4 in the first period as the IceCaps took four minor penalties. Matt Taormina (7th) fired a puck from 45 feet off the post and into the net on the power play at 8:15 of the second period to put Worcester ahead 3-0. A pair of fights broke out after the IceCaps were running around looking for trouble. Taylor Doherty (3rd FM) dropped the mitts with JC Lipon (12th FM) at 18:31 followed by Taylor Fedun’s first scrap of the season against Blair Riley (9th FM) at 18:57. Micheal Haley (14th) made the IceCaps pay with Worcester’s 3rd power play goal of the game at 19:35 as the Sharks headed into the second intermission ahead 4-0 and held a 32-13 shot advantage. St. John’s scored four goals in the third period on 11 shots to force overtime. Blair Riley (5th) got the IceCaps on the board at 5:39 followed by Patrice Cormier (6th) at 8:10 to make the score 4-2 Sharks. Brenden Kichton (5th) struck on the power play at 15:18 and Chase Balisy (12th) tied the score with the goaltender pulled at 18:19 as the two teams headed into overtime tied 4-4. Defenseman Brenden Kichton (6th) was the hero for the IceCaps as his shot from 35 feet went just inside the crossbar at 3:25 past Aaron Dell as St. John’s completed to dramatic comeback as the IceCaps took the 5-4 win. The Sharks overall record falls to 26-17-4-2, 58pts, and 12-10-3-2, 29pts on the road this season.
2018 at Orlando 4-2 loss
(RAILERS) The Worcester Railers HC (21-21-4-2, 48pts) began a season long seven game road trip with a 4-2 loss to the host Orlando Solar Bears (22-23-5-1, 50pts) in front of 4,579 fans at the Amway Center on Thursday evening. Woody Hudson (1-1-2) and TJ Syner scored for the Railers while Eamon McAdam allowed four goals on 27 shots before getting replaced by Mitch Gillam early in the second period. Four different goal scorers paced the Solar Bears offensively while Cal Heeter made 29 saves in net for the win between the pipes. Orlando outshot Worcester 22-10 in the opening frame and grabbed a 2-1 lead through 20 minutes. Taylor Thompson (5th) fired home a loose rebound past Eamon McAdam at 4:31 to give the Solar Bears a 1-0 advantage. Woody Hudson (16th) tied the score at 1-1 after a steal at center ice and then broke down the right-wing side and snapped a quick shot from 35 feet through the pads of Cal Heeter at 7:05. Orlando regained the lead at 15:24 as Martins Dzierkals (11th) skated down the right wing and snapped a high shot past McAdam’s glove to give the Solar Bears a one goal lead into the first intermission. The Solar Bears went ahead 4-1 after goals by Kristian Pospisil (10th) at 2:38 and Joe Perry (11th) at 3:30 which would end the night for goaltender Eamon McAdam who allowed four goals in 27 shots. TJ Syner (4th) broke a 19-game goalless drought with a wrap-around score at 14:27 to get the Railers within striking distance. Each team had 14 shots on goal in the middle frame as the Railers trailed 4-2 through 40 minutes. Neither team found the back of the net in the third period as the physical play picked up in anticipation for tomorrow night’s rematch. All 35 skaters came together after the final horn but cooler heads prevailed as the Railers fell 4-2 on the road.
2019 at Allen 6-2 win
(RAILERS) The Worcester Railers HC (22-20-5-3, 50pts) continued their season long seven-game road trip with a 6-2 victory over the host Allen Americans (16-31-4-2, 38pts) in front of 3,991 fans at the Allen Event Center on Friday evening. Bo Brauer, Ivan Kosorenkov, Mike Cornell (GWG), Josh Holmstrom (1-1-2), and Barry Almeida (1-1-2) all scored for Worcester while Evan Buitenhuis made 32 saves in net and Yanick Turcotte picked up a pair of fighting major penalties and an assist. Tyler Barnes extended his point streak to a franchise record 11 games (10-5-15) with an assist as Worcester won for just the second time this season when trailing after 40 minutes of play (2-14-2). Worcester scored a franchise record five goals in the third period and scored a season high six goals overall as Allen netminder Kyle Hayton made 35 saves in the loss in net. Worcester had just under seven minutes of power play time in the first period but trailed 1-0 through 20 minutes of play. Braylon Shmyr (14th) snagged a rebound score at 16:58 for the only strike of the opening frame. Yanick Turcotte (8th FM) dropped the mitts against Emerson Clark in a physical period that saw Worcester outshot the Americans 19-13 through 20 minutes. After Yanick Turcotte (9th FM) dropped the mitts with Jacob Doty and Mike Cornell (7thFM) dropped Braylon Shmyr with a series of uppercuts in the first 12 minutes of the second period, the Railers finally broke through as Bo Brauer (3rd) struck on the power play with a snap shot from the left circle at 15:53 to tie the score at 1-1. But the Americans went back ahead less than a minute later as Dante Salituro (11th) ripped home a bouncing loose puck in the slot at 16:51 to give Allen a 2-1 lead through 40 minutes. The Railers would clobber the Americans in the third period with five goals to pull away with the 6-2 road victory. Ivan Kosorenkov (8th) tied the score at 3:45 after a give and go with Yanick Turcotte and Mike Cornell (4th) scored an unassisted tally with a 50-foot wrist shot at 5:23 for the eventual game winner. Josh Holmstrom (12th) made it 4-2 at 9:38 and Ryan Hitchcock (10th) added another at 15:18 which extended Tyler Barnes point streak to 11 games with an assist. Barry Almeida (14th) added the 5th goal of the period – a franchise record at 16:56 after a faceoff win by Ryan Hitchcock to give Worcester the 6-2 road win.
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