1997 vs Portland 4-4 tie
The Worcester IceCats lost leads of 3-1 and 4-3, but with the point for the tie against the Pirates clinched home ice for the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs. Norm Batherson gave Portland the lead with the only goal of the first twenty minutes at 8:43 on the power play. Daniel Guerard got the score even at 2:34 of the second on the power play when he tipped Jamie Rivers’ pass right into the net. Nick Naumenko had the secondary assist. At 13:12 Chris Kenady made it 2-1 when he put back his own rebound while on his knees. Terry Virtue had the lone assist on the play. At 6:10 Rivers sent Mike Maneluk in all alone for the breakaway goal for the two goal ‘Cats lead. Andrew Brunette made it 3-2 after two with a goal at 8:25. Norm Batherson tied the game with an unassisted goal at 7:43 of the third, but Marquis Mathieu out Worcester back in the lead at 8:34 when converted on a two on one break in with Guerard. Kent Hulst then tied it 4-4 at 14:33 on the power play. Mike Buzak had 38 saves in earning the point.
1999 at Portland 1-0 loss
The Worcester IceCats needed the two points to stay in the AHL’s playoff race, and against a team that was using six try-out players totally flopped in a 1-0 loss to the Pirates. Mike Omicioli had the only goal of the game, at 15:43 of the first period with a power play goal. Martin Brochu stopped all 33 shots IceCats shots. Brent Johnson took the loss in goal.
2000 vs Syracuse 5-5 tie
(TICKER) Brian Bonin scored with 66 seconds left in regulation as the Syracuse Crunch rallied for a 5-5 tie with the Worcester Ice Cats. Bonin also set up a pair of second-period goals, giving him eight assists in four games against Worcester this season. Chris O’Sullivan’s goal 7:44 into the third period got the Crunch within 5-4. Alfie Michaud stopped 34 shots, including three in overtime, for Syracuse, which stretched its unbeaten streak to five games (4-0-1). Daniel Corso scored twice in a four-goal second period for the Ice Cats, who are 27-1-3 when leading after two. Cody Rudkowsky made 31 saves, including three in OT, for Worcester.
2003 vs Lowell 5-3 win
(ICECATS) The Worcester IceCats pounded Lowell with 53 shots and got their power play back on track in Wednesday night’s 5-3 victory at Worcester’s Centrum Centre. Johnny Pohl scored the game-winner for the ‘Cats, who are unbeaten in eight of their last nine games. The ‘Cats spotted Lowell a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Brad Rooney and Damian Surma. They rebounded in the second, out-shooting the Lock Monsters 26-1 and getting a goal from Captain Eric Nickulas. Jason Dawe and Jeff Panzer gave Worcester a 3-2 lead in the third, scoring within the first 1:11 of the final frame, but Surma tied the game for Lowell with a shorthanded goal at 7:02. Pohl’s 23rd goal of the season at 11:04 came off a one-timer on a cross-crease pass from Nickulas. Ernie Hartlieb followed up with an empty-netter at 19:19, moments after Reinhard Divis made a game-saving stop. With the goalie pulled, Lowell’s Daniel Goneau fired a wrister from in close, but Divis’ save paved the way for Hartlieb’s tally. Both Nickulas and Pohl scored on the power play, which had gone 0-for-20 over the last four-plus games. Jame Pollock’s return to the lineup (after missing 15 with an injury) sparked the man-advantage, as the blue-liner was involved in both power play goals. Lowell goaltender Rob Zepp held his club in the game, making a total of 48 saves. He faced 46 of those shots through the second and third periods.
2004 at Portland 3-1 loss
The Worcester IceCats committed the hockey cardinal sin of allowing a goal in the last minute of a period twice against the Pirates and lost 3-1 because of it. Both were scored by former ‘Cats forward Andrej Podkonicky, and the first gave Portland the lead with 17 seconds remaining in the first period. The second was at 19:04 on the power play that iced the game for Portland. Owen Fussey had the Pirates third goal, at 12:00 of the middle period. Trevor Byrne, from Greg Black and Blake Evans, made it 2-1 at 10:46 of the third period. Curtis Sanford had 24 saves in the loss.
2005 at W-B/Scranton 4-3 win OT
The Worcester IceCats overcame a two-goal third period deficit against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza, and then earned the extra point with an Eric Boguniecki overtime strike to beat the Penguins 4-3. After a scoreless first period the squads would exchange second stanza power play goals, with Ryan VandenBussche connecting for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at 12:18 and Brendan Buckley, from Jon DiSalvatore and Boguniecki, scoring at 18:30. The Penguins would the have two third period goals, from Erik Christensen at 3:10 and Ben Eaves at 7:45, to put the ‘Cats down 3-1. At 8:17 Colin Hemingway lit the lamp to make it a one-goal game, assisted by Konstantin Zakharov and Buckley. The IceCats then tied it when Buckley scored his seocnd of the game scored at 12:50, with Boguniecki and Ryan Ramsay earning the helpers. That got the game to the extra session, setting up Boguniecki’s game winner at 3:18, with Jay McClement and Buckley assisting. Jason Bacashihua had 30 saves in the victory.
2008 at Springfield 4-2 loss
(WORSHARKS) Despite taking a quick lead, the Worcester Sharks saw the Springfield Falcons score three consecutive goals in a 4-2 defeat on Wednesday evening at the Mass Mutual Center. The Sharks (27-35-5-6), who dressed seven rookies, came out strong and capitalized at 1:55 of the first period behind Craig Valette’s third goal of the season. Matt Jones caused a turnover at center ice and led Lukas Kaspar into the offensive zone. Kaspar unleashed a shot at the top of the left wing circle. Springfield goaltender Devan Dubnyk made the save, but the lively rebound bounced to Valette in between the faceoff circles and his subsequent shot found the left side of the net for the 1-0 advantage. Despite controlling the first 20 minutes, Worcester did not enter the first intermission with the lead. On its second power play, Springfield found the back of the net for the tie score at 18:40. Liam Reddox made a pass from behind the goal line along the right wing boards. Grant Potulny was stationed in front of Worcester netminder Dimitri Patzold and easily redirected the puck into the open net. Rob Schremp was credited with the other assist on the play. Neither team lit the lamp in a minor penalty-filled second period. The best opportunity came when Springfield had a 1:34 man advantage midway through the period, but the Sharks penalty kill came up big. The Falcons took their first lead of the game at 3:09 of the third period when Liam Reddox scored his 16th goal of the season. Viacheslav Trukhno carried the puck down the right wing side and made a backhand centering pass from behind the goal line. Reddox was there and easily buried the opportunity for the 2-1 lead. Schremp tallied his second assist of the evening on the play. Springfield extended its lead 3:13 later when a Schremp shot from behind the net deflected off a Worcester stick and the back of Patzold’s skate before inching over the goal line. Reddox and T.J. Kemp were credited with the assists. The Sharks cut the lead to 3-2 at 18:23 of the third when Mike Iggulden tallied his 25th goal of the season. Valette and Jamie McGinn were force checking behind the net when McGinn’s centering pass came in front to Iggulden who made a flick over the glove hand. Despite a flurry of bids to tie the score, Troy Bodie added an empty net goal at 19:14 for the 4-2 win.
2010 at Providence 3-1 loss
(WORSHARKS) T.J. Trevelyan scored his team leading 26th goal of the season but the Sharks could only manage one goal on 49 shots as they fell 3-1 in Providence at the Dunkin Donuts Center on Friday night. Dany Sabourin made 48 saves in net for the Bruins and the Sharks allowed two power play goals for the first time in 12 games. Maxime Sauve (1st) gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead with a power play goal in his first professional game at 3:32. Sauve fired the puck from the right wing wall and the puck bounced off a body in front of the crease and past Stalock. The Sharks trailed 1-0 after twenty minutes and were outshot 14-12. Each team scored in the middle period with the Bruins taking a 2-0 lead at 12:15. Devin Timberlake jammed home his 2nd goal in his 2nd professional game after a tricky play behind the Sharks net by Alaine Goulet. Alaine skated behind the Sharks net and reversed it to the far side and found Timberlake. Just 57 seconds later, former Bruin T.J. Trevelyan (26th) scored at 13:12 after James Marcou, playing in his first professional game had his shot blocked and bounced to a wide open Trevelyan. The Sharks trailed 2-1 after forty minutes outshooting the Bruins 30-21. Maxime Sauve (2nd) struck again on the power play as his shot from the left side on the rush beat Alex Stalock at 8:42 to give the Bruins a 3-1 lead. Dany Sabourin made 19 more saves in the third period as the Sharks fell 3-1. Win the loss, Worcester’s record falls to (47-23-2-3, 99 points) and they now lead the Atlantic Division by three points over Portland. Worcester has five regular season games left this season (3 road, 2 home) and have a franchise best 99 points this season.
2011 vs Providence 4-1 loss
(WORSHARKS) The Sharks fell 4-1 to the Providence Bruins in front of 8,075 fans at the DCU Center on Saturday night. Worcester failed to take advantage of The Connecticut Whale losing to the Springfield Falcons and remain two points out of a playoff spot with four games left in the season. T.J. Trevelyan was the only goal scorer for Worcester and Carter Hutton had 22 saves in the Sharks loss. The Sharks were stunned at 1:51 in the first period when Jamie Arniel (23rd) snuck one past Carter Hutton from the top of the crease giving the Bruins a very early 1-0 lead. Worcester’s hard work finally paid off at 19:04 when T.J. Trevelyan (17th) jammed in a power play goal giving the Sharks a 1-1 tie to take with them into the locker room. Worcester came out skating hard and controlling the puck early in the second period. Providence capitalized on their first chance when Lane MacDermid (7th) found the loose puck and put in a snap shot from outside the slot at 5:22. The Sharks picked up their physical play and went on another late power play but couldn’t cash in on the Bruins. Worcester headed into the third period losing 2-1 despite outshooting Providence 23-13. The play in the third period went back and forth with both teams trading chances. Providence tallied a dagger at 7:46 when Maxime Sauve (20th) skated in 1-on-3 and wristed in the puck from the left circle extending the Bruins lead 3-1. The Sharks tried a late push with the goalie pulled but Michael Hutchinson protected the Bruins lead and Jeremy Reich scored on the empty net giving the Baby Bruins a 4-1 win. The Sharks record is now 35-29-4-8 with 82 points. Worcester has 4 games remaining on their 80 game AHL regular season schedule (1 home, 3 away)
2013 vs Bridgeport 4-2 loss
(WORSHARKS) The Worcester Sharks (29-29-2-6, 66pts) were defeated by the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (28-28-6-5, 67pts)by the count of 4-2 on Tuesday evening in front of 1,777 fans at the DCU Center. With the loss, the Sharks remain seven points behind the 8th place Hershey Bears in the Eastern Conference playoff picture with one game in hand and 10 games remaining. Alex Stalock made his first start with Worcester in over a month after he was loaned back from San Jose yesterday and made 31 saves in the loss. Boston University alum Matt Nieto made his professional debut for the Sharks and recorded an assist as Worcester matched a season high 5th straight loss (0-4-1-0). The Sharks led 2-0 early in the first period after goals by Daniil Tarasov and Freddie Hamilton but the Sound Tigers scored four unanswered goals. The Sharks came out flying in the opening period grabbing a 2-0 lead in the first seven minutes on just three shots. Daniil Tarasov (10th) broke in on Rick DiPietro and slid a backhander into the net at 1:26 to give Worcester a 1-0 lead. After Jimmy Bonneau (10th FM) and Blair Riley (17th FM) scrapped at 3:29, rookie Freddie Hamilton (10th) sniped a wicked shot top shelf from 10 feet to give the Sharks a 2-0 lead. Sebastian Stalberg and Matt Nieto picked up assists on the score. The 5th overall pick in the 2011 NHL draft, Ryan Strome (1st) scored his first goal in his first professional game with a quick shot after a faceoff win in the Worcester zone past Alex Stalock to get Bridgeport on the board at 17:59. The Sharks led 2-1 after 20 minutes despite getting outshot 14-11. The Sound Tigers scored the only two goals in the middle frame to grab a 3-2 lead. Former Worcester Sharks defenseman Ty Wishart (6th) sent a cross ice feed from Matt Donovan past a diving Alex Stalock to tie the score at 2-2. Joe Diamond (1st) scored his first pro goal deflecting a cross ice feed by Ryan Strome with :53 seconds remaining in the period to put Bridgeport up 3-2 through 40 minutes of play. Brandon DeFazio (11th) added insurance at 5:10 of the third period with a wrap-around-score to put Bridgeport ahead 4-2. Worcester was outshot 12-6 in the final frame as Taylor Doherty (2nd and 3rd FM) fought Joe Diamond and Nathan McIver in the third period in the 4-2 loss. The Sharks are now 13-14-2-4 at the DCU Center this season.
2022 at Newfoundland 4-0 loss
(RAILERS) The Worcester Railers HC (29-28-4-2, 64pts) lost to the Newfoundland Growlers (38-16-6-2, 84pts) on Saturday night by the final score of 4-0 at the Mary Brown’s Centre. The Railers are back in St. John’s Newfoundland at the Mary Browns Centre on Sunday, April 3rd to take on the Newfoundland Growlers at 2:30 p.m. Newfoundland again stymied the Railers on offense, as Worcester struggled to score against the Growlers for the second straight game. Zach O’Brien scored for the second straight night, as Isaac Johnson, Tyler Boland, and Gordie Green each scored for Newfoundland to give the game its final score of 4-0. Worcester opened up the game on a four-minute double minor, as Nathan Noel committed a high sticking penalty on Jacob Hayhurst, drawing blood just 15 seconds into the game. The Railers were dry on the man advantage, as the game remained 0-0 after four minutes of powerplay time for Worcester. Zach O’Brien (26th) found the back of the net for the third time in two games against the Railers for Newfoundland midway through the first. While on the power play, O’Brien carried the puck down the right side then ripped a wrist shot high glove side on Colten Ellis, making it 1-0 Growlers. Both goalies stayed strong the rest of the frame, as the game was 1-0 heading into the second period. Shots in the period favored Newfoundland 13-10. Newfoundland again potted a goal midway through the period as Isaac Johnson (12th) made a nice move down the left side and deked around Ellis across the front of his crease, extending the Growlers lead to 2-0 with 10:13 left in the frame. Worcester had two separate powerplay opportunities in the period, but much like the first, were unable to convert. The score going into the second would be 2-0, as Chase Perry in net for Newfoundland had made 14 saves on 14 shots through two periods. Shots in the period favored Newfoundland 12-4, and on the game favored the Growlers 25-14. In the third, the Growlers were able to tack on two more goals. First, it was Tyler Boland (10th) with 10:45 left in the game who was able to split through the Railers defense and beat Ellis on the backhand to make it 3-0 Newfoundland. Just 1:30 later, Todd Burgess found Gordie Green (14th) out in front, as green one-timed the pass on net and past Ellis to give the game its final score of 4-0. Worcester had another two chances on the man-advantage, but came up short each time. Newfoundland outshot Worcester 10-5 in the third, and 35-19 on the game. Notes: Three Stars: 3rd Star: Tyler Boland (1-0-1, +1, 4 shots), 2nd Star: Chase Perry (19 saves, 0 GA, 1.000 SV%), 1st Star: Zach O’Brien (1-0-1, +1, 2 shots)… Final shots were 35-19 in favor of Newfoundland… Chase Perry (2-0-0) made 19 saves on 19 shots for Newfoundland… Colten Ellis (15-9-5) made 31 saves on 35 shots for Worcester, while Matt Jenkins served as the backup… Worcester went 0-for-5 on the power play while Newfoundland went 2-for-3… Grant Jozefek (IR), Liam Coughlin (IR), Blake Christensen (IR), Felix Bibeau (IR), Chris Ordoobadi (IR), Cole Coksey (DNP), Mitchell Balmas (DNP), and Brendan Less (DNP)… Charlie Spetz and Anthony Repaci each led the Railers in shots with 3… The Railers are now 6-17-1-1 all-time vs. the Growlers and 2-9-1-1 at Mary Brown’s Centre against Newfoundland.
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