Today in Worcester hockey history: February 20

1996 vs Cape Breton 4-2 loss
The Worcester IceCats came back twice from one-goal deficits but couldn’t do it a third time in a 4-2 loss to the Oilers. Eric Landry got Cape Breton on the board with an unassisted shorthanded goal at 12:27. That goal would stand up until the late moments of the middle period when Ken Sutton tied it at 19:16. Jarrett Dueling and Derek Armstrong assisted on the play. The Oilers would take the lead 28 seconds later when Blake Knox scored at 19:44. Alex Vasilevskii tied the game a second time at 4:03 of the third on a delayed penalty call, with Jamie Rivers and Fred Knipscheer providing the helpers. But the Oilers grabbed the next two, with George Breen scoring at 13:10 and Jiri Slegr hitting an empty net at 19:18 for the 4-2 final. Jamie McLennan made 27 saves in the loss.

1998 at Rochester 5-4 win
(ROCHESTER) The youngsters playing hockey during the first intermission last night no doubt dreamed of playing some day as pros. Later they saw the embodiment of that dream. Rochester native Rory Fitzpatrick, whose first appearance at the Rochester Community War Memorial was as a youth hockey player, scored the go-ahead goal as the Worcester IceCats downed the Rochester Americans, 5-4. Fitzpatrick, who also had an assist and broke up a third-period 2-on-1 break by the Amerks, was voted the game’s first star. “It was a thrill for me,” Fitzpatrick said. “I had a lot of friends here. I had to settle down because it was exciting. I always think defense first, and figure my offense will come around in a situation like that.” The key situation came with 12:04 to play, breaking a 3-3 tie. With Rochester’s Rumun Ndur in the penalty box, the ‘Cats put on power-play pressure. A shot by Jamal Mayers rebounded to the high slot. Fitzpatrick skated in from the blue line and drilled the puck past Amerks goalie Martin Biron. “There’s a little pressure always on a guy coming back home,” Worcester coach Greg Gilbert said. “Fitzie hadn’t been playing up to par. Sometimes, one game can turn things around. We’ll see.” The team also could use a turnaround. Though they are on a season-high three-game road unbeaten streak (2-0-1), the ‘Cats are just 4-5-1 in their last 10 games. At 25-22-5, they broke a third-place tie in the AHL’s New England Division and moved two points ahead of New Haven. Rochester (18-28-10), on a 2-8-1 free fall, dropped into a tie for the last playoff position in the Western Conference. The actual game-winning goal came nearly five minutes later, at 12:43, when the puck bounced over the top of the Rochester net into the crease. Jason Zent knocked it in for his 17th goal. Rochester protested mildly, saying that Zent was in the crease. “It’s tough to see from the bench,” Gilbert said. “But it’s up to the referee to make the call, and it’s free game whenever the puck’s in the net before the player gets there.” The IceCats needed that one, for Steven King banged in his second goal of the night, and 21st this season, on a power play at 14:44. After that, the visitors withstood Rochester, even holding the Amerks without a shot during a 6-on-4 advantage in the game’s final 40 seconds. Rochester scored first, but the IceCats came back with two goals for a 2-1 lead after the opening 20 minutes. The Amerks twice came back in the second period to tie the score, with King’s score with 3:31 remaining sending the teams into intermission tied, 3-3. Rochester’s Vaclav Varada opened the scoring with a power-play goal 8:04 into the game. Nick Naumenko was off the ice for holding when Tim Murray passed from the left point to the right faceoff circle to set up Varada’s 23rd goal this season. Leading the IceCats back for their first lead was Rookie of the Year candidate Michal Handzus. He and Justin Hocking assisted Derek Diener’s second goal this season at 11:17. It came off a faceoff, with Diener beating Rochester defenseman Dean Melanson to fire the puck past Biron. Handzus then scored himself at 13:40. Fitzpatrick beat Sergei Klimentiev, then centered a pass to Handzus for his 21st goal. In the second period, the IceCats outshot the home team, 12-7, but were outscored, 2-1. That frustration was evident on King’s goal. Worcester killed off a tripping penalty to Robert Petrovicky without allowing a shot. But immediately after, Klimentiev and Casselman got off shots. Worcester goalie Frederic Cassivi allowed rebounds on both, and King batted in the second. Before that, Varada had tied the score with his second goal of the game at 6:55, tipping Murray’s drive from the right point over Cassivi’s left shoulder. Then Mayers gave the IceCats a short-lived 3-2 lead on a power play at 12:49. Petrovicky passed from behind the net to Mayers in the right faceoff circle.

1999 vs New Haven 2-1 win
The Worcester IceCats launched 51 shots on goal and only managed to score twice, but it was enough in their 2-1 win over the Beast of New Haven. Andrej Podkonicky had the only ‘Cats goal in a 24 shot first period when he beat Beast netminder Mike Fountain at 3:38. Jochen Hecht and Marty Reasoner had the assists on the goal. Neither team scored in the middle stanza. Derek Bekar made it 2-0 at 10:09 of the third with Tyler Willis earning a point on the goal. Craig Ferguson cut the ‘Cats lead in half at 16:21, but that would be all the scoring. Fountain finished the game with 49 saves. Scott Roche had 27 saves in the win.

2000 vs Hartford 4-3 loss
(TICKER) Jason Dawe scored a pair of power-play goals, including the eventual game-winner early in the third period, as the Hartford Wolf Pack for a 4-3 victory over the Worcester IceCats. Dawe’s first goal tied it at 3-3 with 7:48 left in the second. He added the tie-breaking tally seven minutes into the third for Hartford, which has won eight of its last nine games. Jean-Francois Labbe turned away 32 shots and Jason Doig had a goal and an assist for the Wolf Pack, who are 6-4-2 when tied after two periods. Ladislav Nagy scored twice for Worcester, which dropped to 3-3 against the Wolf Pack this ssason.

2002 vs Albany 2-1 win
The Worcester IceCats got two goals from Greg Davis and Reinhard Divis made them stand up in a 2-1 win over the River Rats. After a scoreless first period Davis’ first goal got the ‘Cats on the board in the second stanza at 8:07, assisted by Tyler Rennette. It was Rennette’s only point for Worcester that season. Davis made it 2-0 at 1:35, with Eric Boguniecki and Justin Papineau providing the helpers. Steve Guolla spoiled Divis’ shutout bid at 13:02. Divis ended the game with 22 saves.

2005 at Bridgeport 4-1 loss
(SOUND TIGERS) The Bridgeport Sound Tigers beat the Worcester IceCats 4-1 at home Sunday. After a scoreless first period, Worcester opened the scoring 7:42 into the middle frame when Jay McClement beat Sound Tiger goalie Dieter Kochan for a shorthanded goal and a 1-0 IceCats lead. It was McClement’s fourth shorthanded goal and tenth overall of the season. The Sound Tigers tied the game at 1-1 when Brendan Yarema redirected a Richard Seeley points shot past Worcester netminder Jason Bacashihua for his fourth goal of the season. Seeley and Jody Robinson each recorded an assist on the play at 11:08. A little over two minutes later, the Sound Tigers took their first lead at 2-1 when Justin Mapletoft scored his sixth goal of the season, shorthanded. It was Mapletoft’s first shortie of the year and came at 13:08 off assists by Justin Papineau and Seeley. The Sound Tigers upped their lead to 3-1 10:03 into the third period when John Morlang scored his second goal of the season with the lone assist going to Steve Regier. Morlang, who had four points and was a +5 while playing for the United Hockey League’s Danbury Trashers Saturday night, had a chance for another goal after the IceCats pulled Bacashihua in favor of an extra attacker but passed on an easy shot at the open net and fed Sean Bergenheim who scored his 15th of the season, tying him with Rob Collins for the team lead in that category, to ice the win at 4-1 with 1:30 left to play. The Sound Tigers were 0 for 6 on the power play while Worcester was 0 for 7 and had a 27-26 shots on goal advantage.

2009 at Springfield 2-1 win OT
(WORSHARKS) Riley Armstrong scored his 18th goal of the season with just 44 seconds left in overtime after a nice deflection in front to give the Sharks a thrilling 2-1 victory over the Falcons in Springfield on Friday night. The Sharks would shutdown the Falcons for the entire first period. Tom Cavanagh would shuffle in a loose rebound at 6:21 after a faceoff win by Steven Zalewski and a right point shot by Brendan Buckley. The goal was Cavanagh’s 11th of the season and it was just the second time during the seven game road trip that the Sharks scored the first goal of the hockey game. Andrew Desjardins knocked down Tim Sestito with a heavy left hand after they exchanged blows at 14:15. Worcester outshot Springfield 11-3 through twenty minutes. The Falcons would tie the score at 1-1 when Charles Linglet drilled a one timer shot past Thomas Greiss at 6:57 of the second period for his 2nd of the season. Linglet finished a nice feed from Truhkno to tie the score. The second period was a wide open one as the two teams combined for 29 shots. The score was tied after forty minutes. After a scoreless third period, the Sharks would strike in overtime. T.J. Fox would keep in a loose puck and send over to Jason Demers on the right side. Demers fired a wrist shot from on top of the right circle and was deflected in by Riley Armstrong to give the Sharks the overtime victory. The win propels Worcester’s record to 28-24-0-2 and concludes their seven game road trip 2-5-0-0 on their seven game road trip.

2010 at Hartford 4-2 loss
(WORSHARKS) Dwight Helminen and Cory Quirk scored late in the third period, but the damage had already been done in the first, as the Sharks fell to the Wolf Pack 4-2 at the XL Center on Saturday night. Dale Weiss scored two first period goals for the Wolf Pack as they broke a franchise record five game losing streak. The loss broke a four game winning streak for Worcester as the Sharks finished their road trip 4-2-0-0 and begin a three game home stand vs. the 2nd place Pirates on Wednesday. The Wolf Pack scored three goals on their first seven shots on goal just 9:13 into the opening period. Derek Couture (8th) scored on a rebound chance in the crease after the initial shot by Jared Nightingale broke off Alex Stalock’s pads at 5:41. After a turnover in the Sharks zone Dale Weise (17th) was set up in front of the net by Brodie Dupont at 6:22 to give the Wolf Pack a 2-0 lead. Dale Weiss (18th) struck again, this time on a shorthanded rush down the right side at 9:13 as his snap shot from the right circle beat Stalock blocker side to give Hartford a three goal advantage after twenty minutes of play. Neither team found the back of the net in a physical second period. Steven Zalewski had the best chance for Worcester as he hit the post after a give-and-go with Benn Ferriero. John McCarthy and Jared Nightingale dropped the mitts at 3:25 in an entertaining bout in the Wolf Pack zone. The Sharks trailed 3-0 after two periods of play. Corey Locke (23rd) gave Hartford a 4-0 lead after he kept in a clearing attempt and fired a rocket from the left circle at 12:28. The Sharks spoiled Matt Zaba’s shutout attempt as Dwight Helminen (10th) scored at 17:32 and Cory Quirk (6th) fired the puck off the crossbar and in at 19:23 as Hartford held on for the 4-2 victory. Worcester’s record falls to 35-17-2-2 (74 points) in the Atlantic Division with a three point advantage over the Pirates and Monarchs.

2011 at Providence 4-3 win SO
(WORSHARKS) The Sharks led 2-0 and 3-1 but had to wait till the 6th round of the shootout to defeat the Bruins 4-3 on Sunday afternoon at the Dunkin Donuts Center to break a three game losing skid (0-2-1-0). Andrew Desjardins, Mike Swift, and Jamie McGinn scored for the Sharks and Jeff Jakaitis made 29 saves in net for Worcester in his first career AHL victory. Dan DaSilva scored in Round 6 of the shootout as the Sharks ended their season long five game road trip 2-2-1-0. The Sharks scored twice in the opening period to grab a 2-0 lead over the Bruins. Andrew Desjardins (11th) sent a backhander over the shoulder of Michael Hutchinson at 10:20 to give the Sharks a 1-0 lead. Desjardins was alone ten feet on top of the crease after he was set up nicely by T.J. Trevelyan. Mike Swift (17th) scored his first goal in a Sharks uniform on the power play after he collected his own rebound down low on the right side and zipped the puck past a sprawled out Hutchinson at 15:45. Worcester outshot the Bruins 19-10 in the first period and led 2-0. Providence cut the lead in half when Jordan LaValee-Smotherman (8th) tipped in a shot from the point past Jeff Jakaitis at 2:58. The Sharks made it 3-1 when Jamie McGinn (4th) fired a rebound past Hutchinson at 14:11 on the power play. Providence got back within a goal when Zach Hamill (5th) scored a rebound power play goal of his own at 18:27. Worcester led 3-2 after forty minutes of play. David Ling tied the score at 3-3 on the power play after he poked in a loose puck at the side of the net at 11:18 of the third period to force overtime. The Sharks fired the only three shots on goal in the extra session before the game headed to the shootout. Worcester grabbed goals by Mike Swift, T.J. Trevelyan, and the eventual winner by Dan DaSilva in round 6 of the shootout and Jeff Jakaitis made four saves for the 4-3 victory. The 4th place Sharks record improves to 26-20-3-6 with 61 points and to 12-12-2-3 on the road.

2015 vs Norfolk 5-2 win
(WORSHARKS) The Worcester Sharks (27-17-4-2, 60pts) kicked off their 3-in-3 weekend with a 5-2 victory over the Norfolk Admirals (21-25-3-3, 48pts) in front of 3,187 fans at the DCU Center on Friday night. Five Worcester players scored, including Evan Trupp (1-1-2), Trevor Parkes (1-0-1), Willie Coetzee (1-0-1, GWG), Evan Trupp (1-1-2), and Micheal Haley (1-0-1) in the Sharks’ offensive onslaught. Aaron Dell was solid in net, picking up his 6th win and making 32 saves on the 34 shots that came his way. The Sharks have won seven of their last eight home games as Konrad Abeltshauser, Bryan Lerg, and Travis Oleksuk all picked up two assists as Worcester scored three power play goals in their second straight game. Worcester opened up the scoring on a power play at 5:22 into the first period when defenseman Dylan DeMelo (5) ripped a one-timer from the left point after a solid feed from fellow defenseman Konrad Abelthauser. With 49 seconds left in the first period, Trevor Parkes (2) flipped the puck past Norfolk netminder Jason LaBarbera in front of the crease, making it 2-0 Sharks. Worcester goaltender Aaron Dell stopped all nine shots that came his way in the first frame. The Sharks outshot Norfolk 14-9 and took the two-goal advantage into the first intermission. Admirals’ center Antoine Laganiere (8th) got Norfolk on the board at the 4:53 mark of the second period when he snuck one past Dell in front of the crease, cutting Worcester’s lead to one. At the 16:05 mark, Willie Coetzee (5th) fired a one-timer from the left circle after a feed from forward Evan Trupp during a power play to give the Sharks a two-goal lead once again. Just over two minutes later, Trupp (10th) launched one from in front of the blue line, finding the back of the net and giving the Sharks the 4-1 lead. Norfolk outshot Worcester 16-14 in the second period, but the Sharks held the three-goal lead through forty minutes. At 3:13 of the third period, Sharks’ left winger Micheal Haley (15th) tacked on another after scoring from in front of the crease, making it 5-1 Worcester. Norfolk forward Matt Bailey (4th) snuck one past Dell from in tight to make it 5-2. It would be too little, too late for the Admirals as the Sharks held on for the 5-2 victory. Worcester outshot Norfolk 35-34 as Aaron Dell notched his 6th victory of the year with 32 saves on 34 shots. The Sharks overall record improves to 27-17-4-2, 60pts and 15-7-2-1, 33pts at the DCU Center this season.

2019 at Manchester 7-2 loss
(RAILERS) The Worcester Railers HC (23-22-5-3, 54pts) continued their season long seven-game road trip with a disappointing 7-2 loss to the host Manchester Monarchs (28-24-1-1, 58pts) in front of 1,214 fans at the SNHU Arena on Wednesday evening. With the loss, the Railers are now four points behind the Manchester Monarchs and the Brampton Beast for the 4th and final playoff spot in the North Division. David Quenneville and Bo Brauer (1-1-2) scored for Worcester while Evan Buitenhuis made 32 saves in net as the Railers fell to 2-2-1-0 on their seven-game road trip. Tyler Barnes had his point streak end at a franchise record 13 games (11-6-17) as Worcester allowed a season high seven goals in the loss. Sam Kurker (1-3-4), Tony Cameranesi (2-1-3), and Travis Walsh (2-1-3) led the Monarchs offensively while goaltender Charles Williams made 29 saves in net for the win. The two teams combined for three goals within a 60 second span midway through the first period as Manchester grabbed a 2-1 lead. David Kolomatis (12th) scored a shorthanded breakaway goal at 9:10 followed by a blast by Railers defenseman David Quenneville (3rd) at 9:55 to tie the score at 1-1. Tony Cameranesi (18th) put Manchester back ahead just 15 seconds later as he was the trailer on a 3-on-2 rush and buried a snap shot from 25 feet at 10:10. Shots were 19-9 in favor of Manchester through 20 minutes of play. Manchester would score three more times in the second period as Bo Brauer (4th) got the only Railers goal as he struck on the power play at 3:12 just 25 seconds after Travis Walsh (5th) scored another shorthanded goal for the Monarchs. Sam Kurker (8th) made it 4-2 Monarchs at 11:21 followed by Alex Rauter (11th) at 14:42 to give Manchester a 5-2 lead through 40 minutes of play. Shots were 27-21 in favor of the Monarchs after two periods. The Monarchs scored twice more in the third period as Travis Walsh (6th) scored his second of the game at 10:06 and Tony Cameranesi (19th) scored on the power play at 14:29. Shots were 12-10 in favor of the Monarchs in the third period as the Railers fell 7-2.

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