1995 at PEI 3-1 loss
The Worcester IceCats had very little had very little energy left after a long trip though eastern Canada, and it showed in a 3-1 loss to the Senators. Cal McGowan’s first-period goal at 19:53 was the only shot to beat PEI goalie Jean-Francois Labbe. McGowan and Denis Chalifoux played give and go, and Labbe made the save on Chalifoux’s shot but McGowan was there to bang the puck home. Shaun Kane had the secondary assist. Future IceCat and WorShark Patrick Traverse tied it at 7:51 of the second period, and Greg Pankewica have PEI the lead at 8:37. Pavol Demitra scored at 17:27 for the 3-1 final. Wayne Cowley made 24 saves in the loss.
1998 vs Syracuse 3-3 tie
The Worcester IceCats came back from two one goal deficits but then couldn’t hold on to the lead they grabbed in a 3-3 tie with the Syracuse Crunch. Lonny Bohonos got Syracuse on the board at 3:43 of the opeing period, but Mike Prokopec would tie it at 10:40 with Robert Petrovicky getting the assist. At 12:49 Domenic Pittis gave the Crunch their lead back, but at 17:12 Chris Kenady made it 2-2 with help from Jason Zent and Stephane Roy. Kenady would give the ‘Cats the lead at 8:18 of the third period with Michal Handzus picking up a point, but at 14:13 David Roche would tie it for the final time. Brent Johnson had 36 saves in the contest.
2000 at Saint John 5-4 OTL
(TICKER) Sergei Varlamov tied the AHL-season high with four goals, including the game-winner with just four seconds left in overtime, as the Saint John Flames edged the Worcester IceCats, 5-4. Varlamov opened the scoring 5:32 into the opening period and added a power-play goal late in the second period to tie the contest at 2-2. His third tally, also with the man-advantage, knotted the score at four with 8:56 remaining in the final period. Sean Matile turned away 39 shots to improve to 3-2-1 for Saint John, which defeated Worcester for the first time in four games. Jamie Thompson netted a pair of goals for the IceCats, who dropped to 1-2-8 in overtime contests. Jim Campbell, who has totaled four goals and three assists in four games versus the Flames, supplied Worcester with a 4-3 lead at 9:22 in the third period. Cody Rudkowsky surrendered all five goals on 49 shots for the IceCats.
2001 vs St. John’s 4-3 win
The Worcester IceCats surrendered 55 shots to the St John’s Maple Leafs but luckily Cody Rudkowsky was able to save 52 of them in a 4-3 ‘Cats win. After Rudkowsky made 20 saves in a scoreless first period Dan Corso put the IceCats on the board just thirty seconds into the middle frame on the power play, with Mike Van Ryn and Eric Boguniecki assisting. St John’s tied it 2:14 with a goal by Adam Mair, and a Donald MacLean power play strike at 8:41 gave them the lead. Boguniecki tied it for the ‘Cats on the power play at 14:53 with Dale Clarke and Mike Peluso earning points. Rudkowsky ended the frame stopping 19 of 21 Maple Leafs shots. In the third Peluso gave Worcester the lead on a power play tally at 2:00, with Clarke and Boguniecki getting the helpers, and then Andrei Troschinsky made it 4-2 at 5:58. Marc Brown and Mark Rycroft had the assists on the goal. Mair’s second of the contest at 7:08 would get St John’s within one, but that would be all the scoring in the game.
2005 vs Norfolk 3-1 loss
The Worcester IceCats and Norfolk Admirals were scoreless after 40 minutes, but in bad news for IceCats fans the third period belonged to Norfolk in a 3-1 ‘Cats loss. Marty Wilford gave the Admirals the lead 5:29 into period number three. Blake Evans, from Aris Brimanis and Erkki Rajamaki, tied the game at 11:51. But former ‘Cats captain Eric Nickulas would get the game winner for Norfolk at 14:03. Pavel Vorobiev added an empty net goal with nine seconds left in the game for the 3-1 final. Curtis Sanford had 23 saves in the loss.
2007 vs Norfolk 4-3 win
(ADMIRALS) The Norfolk Admirals’ (39-16-4-1) third period comeback bid fell one goal short, as they lost to the Worcester Sharks (27-22-3-6) 4-3 on Sunday night at the DCU Center. Graham Mink gave the Sharks the lead just 5:10 into the first period. Mink collected the puck off a turnover in the Norfolk zone and sent a shot high on Norfolk netminder Corey Crawford from the top of the crease. Carl Corazzini tied the game for the Admirals under a minute into the second period. Worcester goalie Thomas Greiss mishandled the puck behind the net and had to scramble back to the crease. Corazzini collected the puck near the corner boards and banked it off Greiss’ leg pad so that it just crossed the goal line only 37 seconds into the second stanza. Worcester then scored three goals in a 3:06-span in the middle of the second period to take a commanding three-goal lead after two periods. After Crawford denied shots by Brennan Evans and Brad Staubitz, Ashton Rome collected a rebound in the slot and beat Crawford at 7:00. Grant Stevenson deflected a shot into the Admirals’ net at 9:07. Mike Iggulden then capitalized on another Norfolk turnover to score Worcester’s fourth goal at 10:06. David Bolland began Norfolk’s comeback bid with a tally 3:10 into the final frame. Bolland flew down the left wing and moved Greiss out of position with a deke before circling around the net and scoring on a wraparound. Troy Brouwer closed the gap to one goal for the Admirals three minutes later. Bolland fed the puck to the right point where Brouwer sent a one-timer past Greiss at 6:29. The Admirals peppered Greiss with 14 shots in the final frame – including many in the game’s final minutes. However, they were unable to find the equalizer. Crawford (27 shots, 23 saves) got the loss for the Admirals in playing the first two periods. Mike Brodeur (7 shots, 7 saves) played the third period and did not receive a decision. Thomas Greiss (36 shots, 33 saves) picked up the victory for Worcester. Norfolk was 0-3 on the power play while Worcester was 0-2.
2009 vs Lowell 4-3 win OT
(WORSHARKS) Mike Moore’s overtime goal after a goal mouth scramble gave Worcester an entertaining 4-3 victory over the Lowell Devils on Wednesday night at the DCU Center and catapulted the Sharks into fourth place in the Atlantic Division. Worcester would keep control of the puck deep in the Lowell zone for the majority of a physical first period of play but the Devils would strike first. RW Patrick Davis would score from just outside the right of the crease at 14:36 after the initial shot from the right point was blocked in front. The lead would not last long, as Jamie McGinn would score his 19th goal of the season on a feed by Lukas Kaspar from behind the net at 18:39 to tie the game 1-1. The Sharks would take their first lead of the game after a great pass from Lukas Kaspar that would slide through the top of the crease and be deflected in by Cory Larose to give the Sharks a 2-1 lead 5:40 into the 2nd period. Alexander Vasyunov would score the equalizer for the Devils when he cleaned up a rebound in front of a cluttered net at 10:36. The Sharks would retake the lead as Kaspar buried a rebound after a diving shot attempt by Vesce to put the Sharks up 3-2 at 18:31. Worcester outshoot Lowell 23-11 through 40 minutes of play. The Devils would pour on the chances in the third period firing 12 shots on Thomas Greiss. With 4:25 left in third period, Michael Swift scored for Lowell after a feed behind Thomas Greiss from Nicolas Bergfors set up the rookie to tie the game at 3-3 to force overtime. Both teams after several glorious chances in overtime and at 2:15 Worcester defenseman Mike Moore would stuff the game winner into a congested Devil net past Jeff Frazee to give to Sharks a 4-3 victory. The win improves Worcester’s record to 29-25-1-2 good for 61 points through 57 games and puts them in fourth place in the Atlantic Division.
2011 vs Portland 3-2 SOL
(WORSHARKS) The Worcester Sharks fell to the Portland Pirates 3-2 in the shootout in a hard hitting, fast paced, defensive battle on Friday night at the DCU Center. Benn Ferriero and T.J. Trevelyan each had a goal and an assist and Tyson Sexsmith made 29 saves in his first AHL start of the season in the loss. Ferriero tied the score with 55 seconds left in the third period with a power play goal and the extra attacker as the Sharks battled back from a 2-0 deficit. The first 20 minutes of Friday night’s divisional matchup made for a hard hitting and offensive first period. Portland forward, Colin Stuart would level Sharks’ defenseman, Nick Schaus into the boards resulting in a five-minute-major, but the Sharks were unable to capitalize on the opportunity. Pirates’ forward Maxime Legault (11th) would then put Portland up 1-0 at the 12:13 mark, a score which would stand for the remainder the period. The Sharks and Pirates combined for 29 shots on goal (Portland 17, Worcester 12) in the first. Despite the excess in shots both goalies kept their teams in the game, with the Sharks’ Tyson Sexsmith stopping 16 pucks, and Pirates’ goalie Jhonas Enroth stopping all 12 of Worcester’s shots. In the second period, Portland would add to their lead when Maxime Legault and Derek Whitmore (21st) connected on a two-on-one break away to make it 2-0 at 5:44. The Sharks’ were reenergized just seconds later when newly acquired center, Mike Swift, dropped the mitts with Paul Byron at 5:57 in an entertaining bout and the Sharks seemed to respond. The Sharks would then cut the deficit in half at 13:43 with a T.J. Trevelyan(13th) goal after a terrific centering feed be Benn Ferriero. After 29 combined shots in the 1st period, the Pirates and Sharks would put up another 24 in the second. The third period was just as hard hitting as the first two. Both teams continued to gut it out on the ice deep into the period. Late in the third period and with the Sharks on the power play, Roy Sommer pulled goalie Tyson Sexsmith for the 6-on-4 advantage. After a failed one-timer, forward Benn Ferriero (12th) drove home a blast from on top of the left circle to knot the score at 2 and send the game into overtime. In overtime, great goaltending and defense would result in a scoreless five minutes which would lead to a shootout to decide the game. After missing their first two shots, Mike Swift gave the Sharks a glimmer of hope netting the only Sharks shootout goal of the night. However, it would prove to be too-little-too-late, as Portland would land all three of their shots, putting the game out of reach. The Sharks record falls to 26-21-3-7 with 62 points and to 14-9-1-4 at the DCU Center.
2012 vs Portland 5-1 loss
(WORSHARKS) Nathan Moon scored in his second straight game, but it was the only Sharks score in a disappointing 5-1 loss to the Portland Pirates at the DCU Center on Saturday on Massachusetts Special Olympics Night. Harri Sateri was pulled in goal after allowing three goals on 18 shots as Worcester dropped their third straight game in regulation for the first time this season. The Pirates took charge in the opening frame outshooting the Sharks 17-9 and grabbing two goals for a 2-0 advantage through 20 minutes. Mathieu Beaudoin (5th) gave Portland a 1-0 lead at 1:43 with a rebound score past Harri Sateri. Ryan Duncan (11th) finished off a tic-tac-toe play on the power play with a great shot from in between the circles over the shoulder of Sateri at 11:24 to give Portland a 2-0 edge. Sharks killer Andy Miele assisted on both goals in the period as the Pirates led 2-0 through 20 minutes. Portland went ahead 3-0 at 4:02 after Harri Sateri misplayed the puck behind the net and Jordan Szwarz centered the puck from behind the net and Evan Bloodoff (3rd) fired the puck into the empty net. Sharks coach Roy Sommer pulled Sateri right after in favor of Tyson Sexsmith at 4:02 and turned the momentum in favor of the Sharks for a moment. Nathan Moon (9th) got Worcester on the board at 9:36 with a terrific deflection on a shot by Brodie Reid at 9:38 past Marc Cheverie. But the Pirates would regain a three goal lead again as Jordan Schwarz (6th) struck one past Tyson Sexsmith at 16:21 for a 4-1 Pirates lead through 40 minutes. Ryan Duncan (11th) put the game away early in the third period at 1:51 with his second tally of the game for a 5-1 Pirates advantage. The Sharks were not able to find the back of the net on 13 3rd period shots past Marc Cheverie as the Pirates ended their three game losing skid and moved one point behind the Sharks in the Atlantic Division. Worcester’s record falls to 24-20-4-5 (57pts in 53gp) and 12-11-0-2 at the DCU Center.
2022 at Idaho 5-4 OTL
The Worcester Railers HC (21-20-3-1, 46pts) fell to the Idaho Steelheads (29-20-2-1, 61pts) in overtime on Friday night by the final score of 5-4 in front of a crowd of 5277 at Idaho Central Arena. The Railers are back at Idaho Central Arena to take on the Idaho Steelheads on Saturday, February 26th at 9:10 p.m. EST. Idaho opened things up with a goal midway through the first, making it 1-0 Steelheads. Myles McGurty (1-0-1) responded 4:35 later with his first of the season, tying things up 1-1. Idaho quickly bounced back and regained the lead forty-five seconds later, and would go into the locker room up 2-1. Reece Newkirk (1-0-1) drilled one home on the power play quickly in the second and tied things up at 2-2. Idaho controlled the middle of the frame, recording two power play goals to jump ahead 4-2. Cole Coskey (1-2-3) scored Worcester’s second power play goal of the night with just 1:27 left in the frame to make it a 4-3 game. Worcester once again found themselves heading into the break down by a goal. Nolan Vesey (1-1-2) notched the third power play goal of the night for Worcester 6:28 into the third, as the game was once again tied up at 4-4. In overtime it would be Idaho’s own third goal on the power play of the evening, as the Steelheads emerged victorious, 5-4. The Worcester penalty kill was tested early against Idaho. The Railers found themselves in a three-on-five situation for 49 seconds, with Charlie Spetz and Nick Albano having gone to the box for holding and high sticking respectively. Much like it has been for the entirety of their western road trip, Worcester’s penalty kill stayed hot, as the Steelheads failed to capitalize on the chance. Idaho would ultimately break through first as Darren Brady (5th) weaved his way into the attacking end and unleashed a wrist shot between the hashmarks to beat Ellis and make it 1-0 Steelheads. The Railers responded five minutes later as Myles McGurty threw the puck on net from the left boards and ended up beating Jake Kupsky in net for Idaho, tying the game 1-1 with 3:53 left in the first. Just forty-five seconds later, Colton Kehler (11th) gloved down a flying puck in the right side of the Worcester zone and then sent a wrist shot past Ellis to put Idaho back ahead going into the break, 2-1. Shots in the first favored Idaho 14-13. Worcester spent the first 1:55 of the second period on their own five-on-three situation, thanks penalties taken by Mason Mitchell and Colby McAuley during a scrum at the end of the first period. For the seventh straight game, and ninth game out of the last ten, Worcester came through on the power play. Sixty-two seconds into the period, Reece Newkirk received a dot-to-dot pass from Cole Coskey, and then beat Kupsky far side and tied the game 2-2. Mid way through the period, the Idaho power play got to work. On the man-advantage, Colby McAuley cranked a slapshot from the left side which was saved by Ellis, but Matt Tugnutt (6th) batted in the rebound out in front to put Idaho back ahead 3-2. Tugnutt (7th) followed up again on the power play six minutes later as he received a backdoor feed from A.J. White and tapped it home, pushing the Steelheads lead to 4-2. With only 1:27 to go in the period, Worcester scored on the power play for the second time in the game and got back to within one. Cole Coskey ripped a heavy wrist shot from atop the right circle, beating Kupsky and getting Worcester within one. Shots in the second favored Idaho 21-6. Idaho outshot Worcester 35-19 through 40. For the third time on the night, Worcester’s power-play was able to connect. Nolan Vesey (10th) was parked out in front as Nick Alabno unleashed a clapper from atop the point. Vesey was able to deflect the puck past Kupsky on the way in, and tied the game 4-4 with 13:32 left in regulation. Neither team would budge for the remainder of the frame, as the game would head into overtime tied 4-4. Shots in the third favored Idaho 10-6, and in the game favored the Steelheads 45-25. 4:07 into the seven minute three-on-three overtime period, Worcester’s Anthony Repaci was called on a holding penalty, giving the Steelheads their eighth man-advantage of the night. Despite numerous impressive saves made by Colten Ellis for the Railers in the overtime period, Idaho was able to capitalize on the power play for the third time of the game, as A.J. White (18th) released a wrist shot from the right side to sound the horn and give Idaho the 5-4 overtime victory. Shots in the overtime period were in favor of Idaho 4-2, as they outshot Worcester 49-27 in the game. Notes: Three Stars: 3rd Star: Colten Ellis (44 saves, 5 GA, .898 SV%), 2nd Star: Matt Tugnutt (2-0-2, 2PPG, 4 shots), 1st Star: A.J. White (1-2-3, GWG, +2, 4 shots)…Final shots were 49-27 in favor of Idaho… Jake Kupsky (13-9-0) made 23 saves on 27 shots for Idaho… Colten Ellis (12-4-3) made 44 saves on 49 shots for Worcester, while Jimmy Poreda served as the backup… Worcester went 3-for-7 on the power play while Idaho went 3-for-8… Will Cullen (DNP), Blake Christensen (DNP), Ross Olsson (DNP), John Furgele (IR), Bobby Butler (IR), and Grant Jozefek (IR) did not dress for Worcester… Liam Coughlin now has assists in seven straight games for the Railers… Worcester has now scored power play goals in their last seven games… Austin Osmanski, Reece Newkirk, and Cole Coskey each led the Railers in shots with 4… The Railers are now 1-0-1-0 all-time vs. the Steelheads and 1-0-1-0 at the Idaho Central Arena against Idaho.
2023 at Jacksonville 4-1 loss
The Worcester Railers HC (25-23-3-0 55 points) lost to the Jacksonville Icemen (33-16-2-0 68 points) in front of 12,563 people at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena by a final score of 4-1. Worcester closes out their 3-in-3 tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. against the Savannah Ghost Pirates. Craig Martin (1-0-1) scored first, sneaking a shot past Appleby. Anthony Repaci (1-0-1) tied it up in the second. Luke Lynch (1-0-1) broke the tie after an unlucky bounce for Worcester. The Icemen scored two empty net goals from, Zach Jordan (1-0-1), and Derek Lodermeier (1-0-1) to give the game its final score of 4-1. The Icemen struck first in this contest, thirteen minutes into the first period. Craig Martin (13th) was able to just sneak a cheeky shot past Railers goalie Ken Appleby. A few minutes later on an offensive rush the Icemen pushed the puck into the back of the net after skating directly into Appleby. The officials waved it off after a review, and the score remained 1-0. The Railers nearly capitalized on a two-on-two break. Nick Fea had the puck on the far side of the Ice and Brent Beaudoin moving with him on the near side. Fea went out wide and sent a pass to Beaudoin, he fired the shot, but a cross-crease save by Icemen goalie Olof Lindbom stopped the puck. Ken Appleby had his turn to make a cross-crease save minutes later as he dove from one side to the other making the save. With ten seconds left in the period Worcester hopped on the power play after Zach Jordon shoved Max Johnson. The power play carried into the second period as Worcester failed to score to end the period. Worcester started the second period with one minute and fifty seconds left on the powerplay. Worcester, who has been really hot on the powerplay as of late, was unable to make anything happen on the powerplay. Anthony Repaci (17th) tied it up later in the period by threading the needle. He snuck the puck in between Lindbom and the post to tie it up and extend his point streak to thirteen. Worcester was on the wrong side of a bad bounce when the puck went off of a Railers defenseman and bounced right to the stick of Luke Lynch (12th) who was wide open on the backside of Appleby. Lynch scored, making it a one goal game once again. Worcester entered the third period down by one goal, with twenty minutes to play. Halfway through the third period and the Railers still trailed by one despite some really good looks at Lindbom. With six minutes to play, Johnson caught an elbow to the face and gave Worcester a five-on-four advantage. Worcester had a handful of good opportunities but weren’t able to score. With two minutes left Appleby vacated the cage for the extra skater. The Railers kept control of the puck for a minute and fifteen seconds but a missed shot by the Railers defense led to an Icemen goal scored by Zach Jordan (17th). The Railers pulled Appleby again looking to find two goals in forty seconds and the Icemen scored again on the empty net this time it was Derek Lodermeier (15th), as the Railers fell 4-1. Notes: 3rd Star Craig Martin (1-0-1), 2nd Star: Luke Lynch (1-0-1), 1st Star: Olaf Lindbom (36 saves on 37 shots). Brent Beaudoin led the Railers in shots with 7. Four Icemen were tied with 3 three shots leading their team. Ken Appleby had 20 saves on 22 shots. Worcester is now (25-24-3-0 55 points) on the season.
-30-
210Sports 