2001 vs Lowell 4-4 tie
The Worcester IceCats got two goals each from Mark Rycroft and Mike Peluso in a 4-4 tie with the Lock Monsters. After a scoreless opening period Stu Bodtker got Lowell on the board at 1:24 of the second stanza with a power play goal. With Jeff Daw in the penalty box for a high sticking major Rycroft would score twice, the first coming at 4:54 assisted by Vladimir Chebaturkin and Mike Van Ryn. Rycroft’s second came at 5:16, with Darren Clark and Doug Friedman assisting. Peluso scored the ‘Cats third goal on the major power play at 6:00, with Marc Brown and Andrei Troschinsky picking up points. Daw got one back for Lowell at 17:29, but Peluso made it 4-2 at 18:43, once again from Brown and Troschinsky. But the third period belong to the Lock Monsters as Stefan Rivard scored twenty seconds into the frame and then David Hymovitz tied it at 11:22. Both teams had two shots in overtime but neither could light the lamp. Curtis Sanford had 30 saves.
2002 vs Springfield 2-1 loss
The Worcester IceCats scored 56 seconds into the contest with the Falcons but didn’t light the lamp a second time in a 2-1 loss to Springfield. Steve Halko scored the ‘Cats goal, assisted by Justin Papineau and Darren Clark. Wyatt Smith would tie it at 10:53 on the power play, and Patrick Yetman scored the eventual game winner at 17:56 of the second. Reinhard Divis had 23 saves in the loss.
2005 vs Portland 7-3 win
(ICECATS) Jay McClement scored twice and added three assists as the Worcester IceCats beat the Portland Pirates 7-3 Wednesday night at the DCU Center. The win puts the ‘Cats two points behind third-place Lowell and three points ahead of fifth-place Providence, as both lost on Wednesday.
The IceCats exploded with a four-goal second period after ending the first tied 1-1. Konstantin Zakharov scored his fourth goal of the season, all which have come against Portland, to give the ‘Cats a 1-0 lead before the Pirates’ Trent Whitfield tied the game. The four-goal outburst began at 3:29 of the second period with Colin Hemingway’s first, and ended at 16:02 with McClement?s first of the game. Sandwiched in between were goals by Jon DiSalvatore and Jeff Hoggan. Brian Willsie made it a 5-2 game with 40 seconds left in the second period, and teammate Jared Aulin pulled the Pirates within two goals 3:29 into the third, but Matt Walker and McClement combined to give Worcester the four-goal win. Walker finished the night with a goal and two assists, while Hemingway and Zakharov each had a goal and assist. Curtis Sanford wrangled the win (18 saves). Portland goalie Kirk Daubenspeck entered the game with a 3-0 record vs. the ‘Cats and had allowed just two goals on 102 shots this season, but was replaced by Maxime Daigneault at the start of the third. Daubenspeck was chased after stopping 15 of 20.
2007 vs Hartford 4-1 win
The Worcester Sharks scored the final three goals of the game in a 4-1 win over the Wolf Pack. Grant Stevenson put the WorSharks on the board at 5:01 of the opening period on the power play when he tipped Garrett Stafford’s shot past ex-IceCats netminder Alex Westlund. Patrick Traverse had the secondary assist. Marvin Degon tied it on the power play at 4:25 of the second stanza, but at 11:59 Traverse gave Worcester its lead back when he backhanded the rebound of another Stafford shot in. Grant Stevenson had the second helper on the goal. Ashton Rome made it 3-1 at 19:00 when he tipped Scott Ferguson’s shot past Westlund. Stevenson picked up his second assist of the night on the play. Josh Prudden added an empty net goal at 19:10 of the third, assisted by Mathieu Darche and Mike Iggulden, for the 4-1 final. Thomas Greiss made 31 saves in the game, including one on a Lauri Korpikoski penalty shot bid at 3:46 of the second.
2008 at Providence 2-1 SOL
(WORSHARKS) For the second straight night, the Worcester Sharks earned a point but fell in a shootout, this time losing a 2-1 heartbreaker to the Providence Bruins at the Dunkin Donuts Center on Sunday. With both Springfield and Manchester idle, the Sharks move to within two points of the Monarchs for fifth place and within eighth of the Falcons for the fourth and final playoff spot. Worcester goaltender Thomas Greiss stood tall, stopping 38 of 39 shots and stifling the Bruins’ attack, but Providence scored an extra attacker goal with 40 seconds remaining and won the game in a shootout to steal two points. Both teams had a handful of opportunities in the first period, but neither could light the lamp. The Sharks had a five-minute power play at 6:39, but Providence goaltender Tuukka Rask came up with timely saves to keep the game scoreless. Greiss stood tall as well, making eight saves of his own. Providence came out flying in the second, but could not find a way to beat Greiss. At 2:30, Byron Bitz made a bid for the inside of the left post, but Greiss made the quick left pad save. Less than a minute later, Greiss had three successive saves moving around his crease to rob Providence of a goal. Worcester turned Greiss’ effort into a 1-0 lead when Tom Walsh scored his third goal of the season at 6:00 of the second period. He wristed a laser from just inside the left point which found the top right corner of the net. It hit iron before crossing the goal line for the all-important first goal. Derek Joslin and Craig Valette were credited with the assists on the play. Greiss continued to stand tall, shutting down the Bruins with more spectacular stops. In total, he made 16 saves in the second period, allowing the Sharks to take a 1-0 lead into the locker room. The Bruins continued to control play in the third and were unable to find the back of the net until 19:20. With the extra attacker, Sean Curry took a shot from in between the faceoff circles. He took a wrist shot that deflected off a Sharks player and over Greiss’ left shoulder for the equalizer. Brett Skinner and Aaron Slanttengren was credited with the assists on the play. After a scoreless overtime, Brett Skinner was the Bruins’ first shooter in the shootout and was the only player on either side to find the back of the net. Graham Mink did have a wrist shot that beat Rask, but hit the left post to deny Worcester any hope of the victory.
2011 vs Hershey 3-2 win
(WORSHARKS) The Sharks kicked off a 4-game-in-5-day stretch with a 3-2 victory over the defending Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears at the DCU Center on Wednesday night. Jon Landry, Brandon Mashinter, and Matt Irwin scored for the Sharks while Tyson Sexsmith made 31 saves in net for his 2nd AHL win of the season. Rookie Dmitri Orlov (1st) scored his first goal in North America with a wicked shot from the left circle at 7:35 to give the Bears a 1-0 lead. Holy Cross alum and Lexington, MA native Jon Landry (3rd) tied the score for the Sharks as he picked up a loose puck on top of the crease and zipped the puck past Nolan Schaefer at 11:06. Worcester outshot the Bears 16-9 after twenty minutes. The Sharks killed off a 5-on-3 power play for the Bears early in the second period with some good stops by goaltender Tyson Sexsmith. Brandon Mashinter (13th) scored the only goal of the period after he intercepted a clearing attempt from deep in the left corner and fired the puck past Nolan Schaefer from the tough angle at 7:32. The Sharks led 2-1 after forty minutes of play. Matt Irwin (10th) scored his first goal in 15 games with a quick wrist shot on the point on the power play at 8:13 of the third period to give Worcester a 3-1 lead. The Bears got back within a goal as Maxime Lacroix (4th) finished a rush down the right wing and roofed a backhand at 12:28. Hershey had great pressure late in the third period but the Sharks held on for the 3-2 victory. The Sharks record improves to 29-23-4-8 with 70 points and to 17-10-2-4 at the DCU Center.
2012 vs Portland 6-4 win
(WORSHARKS) 11 different players recorded at least one point for the Sharks including goaltender Tyson Sexsmith (assist) as the Sharks rolled to a 6-4 victory over the Portland Pirates at DCU Center on Friday evening. Tim Kennedy (1-2-3) and John McCarthy (1-2-3) each had three points and Brandon Mashinter extended his point streak to five games (4-3-7) with his 15th goal and an assist as the Sharks scored six goals for the first time since the home opener vs. the Devils on Oct 15. Tyson Sexsmith picked up his 12th win of the season with 38 saves and Jimmy Bonneau picked up his team leading 20th fighting major in the victory. The Sharks five game home stand continues on Saturday night with a 7pm battle vs. the Bruins. The Sharks came out buzzing and grabbed a 2-0 lead after 13 minutes of play. Curt Gogol (5th) scored on a wrap around attempt past goaltender Justin Pogge at :28 seconds to give Worcester an early 1-0 lead. Brandon Mashinter (15th) roofed a loose rebound on top of the crease to extend his point streak to five games at 12:43 to give the Sharks a 2-0 lead. The Pirates grabbed two quick strikes to tie the game at 2-2 in a three minute span. Brett Sterling (24th) deflected a Mathieu Brodeur shot from the point through the pads of Tyson Sexsmith at 13:42 and Evan Bloodoff (4th) scored on a wrap around at 16:42 to even the score. But the Sharks took a 3-2 advantage with John McCarthy (15th) ripping a snap shot from the right circle on a 3-on-2 rush past Pogge at 19:23. The Sharks lead 3-2 after 20 minutes with each team firing 13 shots on goal. With Peter Mannino in net for the Pirates in the second period, Worcester grabbed the only two goals in the middle frame in the unlikeliest of ways. Tony Lucia (5th) kicked a puck from his side on the ice towards the net and off a Pirates stick past netminder Peter Manino at 1:49 to give the Sharks a 4-2 lead. Nathan Moon (10th) deflected a puck off his skate after a centering feed by Jack Combs at 15:27 to give the Sharks a three goal edge. Tyson Sexsmith made 11 saves in the period as the Sharks lead 5-2 through 40 minutes. The Pirates peppered Sexsmith with 18 shots in the 3rd period and former Sharks winger Ashton Rome (4th and 5th) scored twice at 2:45 and 16:59 but Tim Kennedy (9th) ripped a laser past Mannino at 6:44 for the only scoring in the final period. The Pirates had a 6-on-3 advantage late but the Sharks held on for the 6-3 victory. Worcester’s record improves to 26-21-4-7, with 63pts and currently percentage points ahead of the Manchester Monarchs for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with three games in hand.
2013 vs Providence 4-3 SOL
(WORSHARKS) The Worcester Sharks (26-23-1-6, 59pts) fell to the Atlantic Division leading Providence Bruins (35-18-0-5, 73pts) in a 4-3 shootout loss on Saturday evening in front of 7,804 fans at the DCU Center. Harri Sateri was superb with 39 saves on 42 shots, but his counterpart, Niklas Svedberg made 45 saves on 48 shots including 16 saves on 17 shots in the third period. Worcester’s Captain John McCarthy scored with just one minute left in the third period to tie the game and force overtime but Worcester was unable to find one more tally in the overtime period. Even strength goals by Sebastian Stalberg and Freddie Hamilton filled out the Worcester scoring. With both goalies playing stellar in the opening frame, the teams were only able to light the goal lamp once as they combined for 28 shots but just one goal. Worcester would get the lone goal at 7:40 of the first period as Sebastian Stalberg (9th) would put home a rebound past netminder Niklas Svedberg, off a low wrist from Denny Urban. After Svedberg threw his stick, James Livingston was rewarded a penalty shot, but was denied high glove-side by Svedberg at 13:33. Harri Sateri looked very sharp in the first period as he made 13 saves on 13 shots including a unbelievable split save on Jamie Tardif to keep Providence off the board. At the end of one period Worcester led on the scoreboard and in shots with a 15 to 13 advantage. In the middle frame, Providence would start the scoring early as they would strike less than a minute into the second period on a power play. Craig Cunningham (19th) would be on the receiving end of a nice pass from Torey Krug as he tapped one past Sateri at 0:21. Cunningham (20th) would strike on the power play again as he put back the rebound from a Chris Bourque shot in the slot to give Providence a brief 2-1 lead at 11:39. Less than a minute and a half later, Freddie Hamilton (8th) jumped out of the penalty box and received a pass from Travis Oleksuk that sprung him on a breakaway where he would make a unbelievable deke move and roof a backhand past Svedberg to tie the game at 2. Providence looked to be on the verge of taking a 3-2 lead in closing seconds of the period but Adam Comrie blocked a shot that was bound for the empty net to keep the game tied at 2. Providence out shot Worcester 15 to 11 in the period as they gained a 28 to 26 advantage in shots. After consecutive back and forth periods of play, Worcester seemed to have a majority of the opportunities to break the tie in the third period but Niklas Svedberg remained up to the task. Providence would take the lead late in third period as Christian Hanson (9th) took a cross ice pass from Matt Bartkowski and blasted a slap shot past Sateri making it 3-2 Providence at 16:36 of the third. With relentless pressure for the remainder of the period, Worcester’s captain John McCarthy (9th) buried a loose puck among a huge pile of players to tie game at 3-3 at 19:00 with the extra attacker. As the game headed to overtime Worcester outshot Providence 17 to 11 in the third and 43 to 39 in regulation. During the overtime period Worcester again had the majority of the scoring chances as they outshot Providence 5 to 3 in the extra time but weren’t able to find the back of the net. Both goalies each had a spectacular save in the overtime period to keep the game tied at 3. At the end of the overtime period Worcester held a 48-43 advantage in shots. In the shootout, goals by Craig Cunningham and Trent Whitfield led Providence to the shootout win as Denny Urban was the only Worcester skater to score in the shootout. Both Travis Oleksuk and Freddie Hamilton rang the post in the shootout but were unsuccessful. The Sharks overall record falls to 26-23-1-6 (59pts in 56gp) and 10-10-1-4 (25pts in 25gp) on home ice this season.
2014 vs Albany 4-3 win SO
(WORSHARKS) The Worcester Sharks (27-27-3-1, 56pts) earned their second shootout victory of the weekend against the Albany Devils (30-20-3-6, 69pts) with a final score of 4-3 before 3,678 fans on Sunday afternoon at the DCU Center. After an exciting and close 60 minutes of regulation, the game was decided in a shootout with goals from Daniil Tarasov and Freddie Hamilton, while Grosenick made four of five shootout saves and 37 in regulation for the win. Worcester took an early 2-0 lead after Marek Viedensky (6th) and Rylan Schwartz (5th) scored, but the Devils kept the game close after a second period tally by Reid Boucher (16th). Worcester regained its lead in the third period with a goal from John McCarthy (3rd), but the Devils forced a scoreless overtime after back-to-back third period marks by David Wohlberg (4th) and Harri Pesonen (9th). The Sharks scored the only goal of the first period and took a 1-0 lead of the game in the opening 20 minutes. The lone score came in the final minutes, at 16:21, when Dylan DeMelo rifled a shot from the right side that Kinkaid pushed aside with his left pad. Marek Viedensky (6th) then attacked the rebound and buried the biscuit into the open left side of the net, nabbing the lead for Worcester. The Sharks were outshot 15-3 in the period, but tender Troy Grosenick put on a great performance stopping all 15 of Albany’s attempts. The middle 20 minutes resulted in a-goal-a-piece as the Sharks held onto their lead for the entire second period of action and took a 2-1 lead into the third. Worcester brought the game to 2-0 at 8:52 when Eriah Hayes fed the puck to the slot from behind the Devils’ net where Viedensky ripped a shot in attempt to notch his second of the game. Kinkaid went down to make the save, but Rylan Schwartz (5th) scooped up the rebound giving the Sharks a two-goal lead. At 16:34, Reid Boucher (16th) lit the lamp behind Grosenick for the first time making the score 2-1. Mattias Tedenby wrapped around the right of the net and dished the puck across the paint to Boucher who had the entire left side open to complete the play. The Devils outshot the Sharks again, with shots at 13-10 for the period. The third period forced overtime action as the Devils tied the game at 3-3 after the Sharks went ahead 3-1. The Sharks scored first at 3:16 after great forechecking by Bracken Kearns and Dan DaSilva caused a Devils turnover behind their net. Kearns gained possession and gave the puck to John McCarthy (3rd) who sent it home from just outside the right hash to make it 3-1. Albany then scored back-to-back at 5:26 and 14:24 to even the game and force extra time. The first occurred when David Wohlberg (4th) went to send the puck to the front of the Worcester net from behind, but it took a bounce off the back of Grosenick and proceeded over the goal-line. Harri Pesonen (9th) then evened the game with a tally off a rebound from Grosenick’s pad after an initial shot by Mike Sislo. Shots in the final period of regulation were at 11-6, with Albany holding the upper hand. Neither team found the back of the net in overtime despite three shots for Worcester and one try for Albany. Both tenders were on their game and pushed aside all of the opposing team’s attempts to seal the game with an overtime goal, forcing the game to be decided in a shootout. Worcester took the game, and their third of the weekend, after going 2 for 5 in the shootout with goals by both Daniil Tarasov and Freddie Hamilton. Grosenick was solid in net nabbing the win for the Sharks with four huge saves between the pipes, while Mike Sislo earned Albany’s only goal. The Sharks’ overall record improves to 27-27-3-1, 58pts and 14-12-0-1, 29pts at home.
2019 vs Norfolk 6-1 win
(RAILERS) The Worcester Railers HC (28-22-5-4, 65pts) extended their point streak to six games (5-0-1-0) with their season high fifth straight win after an exciting 6-1 victory over the visiting Norfolk Admirals (23-30-4-3, 53pts) in front of 6,166 fans at the DCU Center on Saturday evening. With the win, the Railers remain one point behind the Manchester Monarchs and Brampton Beast for the 4th spot in the North Division. Tommy Kelley (1-1-2), Bo Brauer, Ryan Hitchcock (2-1-3), Barry Almeida (1-2-3), and Ross Olsson all scored for Worcester while Blake Wojtala made 26 saves in net in his professional debut for the win. Ty Reichenbach made 20 saves in net for the Admirals as the Railers improved to six games over .500 for the first time this season. The game featured several fights and a wild brawl with just 11.5 seconds left which included both goaltenders and all 10 skaters on the ice for a total of 111 penalty minutes in the game. Worcester scored two goals in a 43 second span early in the first period to take a 2-0 lead. Tommy Kelley (4th) snapped a shot from 48 feet through the pads of Ty Reichenbach at 5:36 and Bo Brauer (7th) was the trailer on an odd man rush at 6:17. Yanick Turcotte (14th FM) dropped the mitts on the ensuing faceoff and knocked down Ludlow Harris Jr after a few quick right hands. Goaltender Evan Buitenhuis left the game with an injury just after the three-minute mark and was replaced by Blake Wojtala who entered the game for his professional debut. Shots were 9-6 in favor of Worcester through 20 minutes.
Ryan Hitchcock (14th) finished off a nice 2-on-1 rush with Tyler Barnes at 3:43 to give Worcester a 3-0 lead early in the second period. Norfolk would get on the board with a shorthanded tally at 14:07 as Domenic Alberga (13th) deflected a centering feed to cut the Railers lead to 3-1. Shots were 19-17 in favor of Worcester through 40 minutes as Worcester took a 3-1 lead into the second intermission. Barry Almeida (19th) gave Worcester a 4-1 lead at 6:41 of the third period after another great feed by Tyler Barnes. After David Quenneville and Ross Olsson picked up their first professional fighting majors for Worcester, Ryan Hitchcock (15th) scored on a beautiful end to end rush at 16:15 to put Worcester ahead 5-1. Ross Olsson (1st) would score his first professional goal at 17:49 before a wild brawl broke out with just 11.5 seconds remaining. Daniel Maggio jumped Ross Olsson which led to a wild scrum and several fights which included an altercation between both goaltenders as the Railers wrapped up with an impressive 6-1 home victory.
2022 at Maine 6-3 win
(RAILERS) The Worcester Railers HC (23-22-4-2) defeated the Maine Mariners (24-22-4-2) 6-3 in front of a crowd of 2,100 at the Cross Insurance Arena on Wednesday night. The Railers are back in action Friday night at the DCU Center at 7:05 p.m. vs. the Adirondack Thunder. The Railers never trailed in the game leading 1-0 after the first and 4-2 after the first. Jordan Lavallee-Smotherman (2-1-3), Nolan Vesey (0-2-2), Reece Newkirk (0-2-2), and Anthony Repaci (0-2-2) all registered multi-point games while 10 different skaters registered a point. Colten Ellis was outstanding in between the pipes finishing the game with 36 saves including 15 in the final period. Maine received goals from Brendan Robbins (1-1-2), Tyler Hinam (1-1-2), and Marc-Olivier Duquette (1-0-1) while Steffanos Lekkas made 24 saves in net for the loss. Cole Coskey (9th) would break the ice with just 4:27 to play in the first period when Jordan Lavallee-Smotherman found Coskey through the high slot who wrister one past Steffanos Lekkas to give Worcester a 1-0 lead. Colten Ellis was perfect in the opening 20 minutes of play making 12 saves as the Railers were outshot 12-7. The Railers received their first power-play of the game 48 seconds into the second period and right as it expired Ross Olsson (18th) in the right circle received a feed from Reeece Newkirk at the far circle and Olsson wasted no time ripping it over the far shoulder of Lekkas to give Worcester a 2-0 lead at 2:48. 1:26 later Marc-Olivier Duqette (6th) would find the back of the net to cut the Railers lead down to 2-1. With 9:47 left in the frame Bobby Butler thought he gave Worcester a 3-1 lead but after a lengthy review it was rule goaltender interreference on the ice. At 13:18 Brent Beuadoin (13th) would be set up from Anthony Repaci and Nolan Vesey to make it 3-1 Worcester. Jordan Lavallee-Smotherman (23rd) would make it 4-1 with a rebound in front at 17:54 of the second. 51 seconds later Tyler Hinam (5th) at the top of the crease would deflect one past Colten Ellis to cut the Railers lead down to 4-2. Worcester outshot Maine 14-11 in the second and led 4-2 through 40 minutes of play. Colten Ellis was put to the task in the first half of the third and stood tall making countless tremendous stops. At 10:43 of the third Jacob Hayhurst (12th) below the right circle received a feed from Nolan Vesey and smashed it home to give Worcester a 5-2 lead. The Railers lead would be cut back to two as Brendan Robbins found the back of the cage for Maine 65 seconds later making it a 5-3 Railers lead. With roughly three minutes remaining in regulation Maine would pull their goaltender and Jordan Lavallee-Smotherman (24th) would polish it off with an empty-netter from Cole Coskey with 2:23 to play. Ellis ended up making 15 saves in the third period en route to a 6-3 Worcester victory. Notes: Three Stars: 3rd Star: Tyler Hinam (1-1-2, +1, 6 shots) 2nd Star: Nolan Vesey (0-2-2, +1) 1st Star: Jordan Lavallee-Smotherman (2-1-3, +1, 2 shots)…Final shots were 39-30 in favor of Maine… Stefanos Lekkas (14-12-2) made 24 saves on 29 shots for Maine… Colten Ellis (13-5-5) made 36 saves on 39 shots for Worcester, while Ken Appleby served as the backup… Worcester went 0-for-2 on the power play while Maine went 0-for-1… Blake Christesen (DNP), Chris Ordoobadi (DNP), Ethan Price (DNP), John Furgele (DNP) Connor McCarthy (IR), and Grant Jozefek (IR) did not dress for Worcester… Ken Appleby was ressaigned by the New York Islanders to Worcester from the Bridegport Islanders on Wednesday… Jimmy Poreda was released on Wednesday… Bobby Butler was activated from the IR and played his first game since February 6th… The Railers are now 15-15-5-3 all-time vs. the Mariners and 4-11-2-2 at the Cross Insurance Arena vs. Maine.
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