1996 at Adirondack 3-1 win
The Worcester IceCats scored a goal in each of the three periods to defeat the Adirondack Red Wings 3-1. Yan Golubovsky put Adirondack in front with a goal at 9:50 of the opening period. Fred Knipscheer tied the game at 17:48 with Paul Broten and Craig Darby assisting. Darby would be credited with the unassisted game winner 12 seconds into the middle period in what the IceCats game notes say was a “phantom goal”. Chris Kenady made it the 3-1 final 11:03 into the third period, with Jamie Rivers and Harry York picking up helpers. Mike Buzak made 29 saves for the win.
1997 at Baltimore 3-3 tie
(BALTIMORE) The nicest thing Worcester IceCats coach Greg Gilbert had to say about his team after yesterday’s 3-3 overtime tie with the Bandits at Baltimore Arena was: “We were a disgrace, the way we played.” Good thing it wasn’t a loss. It wasn’t so much that Worcester had a chance to capture the American Hockey League’s New England Division title over Springfield with a win, but the manner in which the team blew a 3-1 lead and the way it has been playing lately. “Stupid, selfish,” were a couple of the words Gilbert used to describe his club’s 0-3-1 slide. “If we keep playing like this, we won’t be around long in the playoffs.” Gilbert’s counterpart, Moe Mantha, was pleased after a long weekend during which his team locked up a postseason berth. “It was a terrific weekend, a couple of wins over Philly and the tie today,” he said. “All that in what, 45 hours? We’re tired but it’s a nice tired.” The Bandits scored the first goal, Mike Pomichter getting his first in his third game here at the 7: 47 mark of the opening period. As quickly as the IceCats could make it down the other end, they tied it, Jason Zent doing the honors 14 seconds later at 8:01. The visitors then dominated the second period, a pair of tallies by Konstantin Shafranov putting them up, 3-1. “Then a guy [Bob Lachance] takes a dumb penalty [double minor for spearing] and gives them a goal in the last minute of the period. Awful,” Gilbert said. “We were playing so well and were really solid throughout much of the season. Now you can’t get these guys to listen. It’s an insult to the team and the coaching staff.” “He [Gilbert] certainly had a right to tee off on us today, the way we’ve been playing,” said Worcester’s Mike Maneluk, one of the key contributors to the Bandits’ late-season charge last season. After Bobby Wren had drawn the Bandits within a goal, Keith Aldridge got the marker that squared it midway through the third period. Despite Worcester’s 17 shots in the third period and three in overtime, the Bandits were able to hang on, due mainly to Mike Bales’ 37-stop effort in goal.
2001 vs Lowell 4-3 win (New England Division SF, lead 2-0)
The Worcester IceCats had two two-goal leads but needed a third period strike to finally defeat the Lowell Lock Monsters 4-3. Justin Papineau opened the scoring for the ‘Cats at 9:49 of the first period, with Mike Peluso and Jamie Thompson picking up assists. Andrei Troschinsky made it 2-0 with a power play goal at 17:09, with Peluso and Mark Rycroft picking up points on the play. Joe Corvo had a power play goal for Lowell at 19:18 to make it 3-1 after one. Peluso got Worcester’s two goal lead back with a second stanza power play marker at 5:54 with Troschinsky and Dan Trebil assisting. But the Lock Monster would tie it with the next two goals as Marko Tuomainen lit the lamp at 9:34 and David Hymovitz added a power play goal at 15:19. Rycroft would get the game winner at 6:54 of the third on a rare four on three goal, with Jame Pollock and Papineau getting the helpers. Dwayne Roloson had 28 saves in the win.
2007 vs Providence 4-3 loss
(BRUINS) The Providence Bruins defeated the Worcester Sharks 4-3 Friday evening at the DCU Center. The P-Bruins got goals from David Krejci, Sean Curry, Marco Rosa and Nate DiCasmirro. The Sharks scored the lone goal in the opening period. At the 17:30 mark, Torrey Mitchell took a hard hit along the boards, but bounced back to his skates and created a 2-on-1 opportunity. He passed the puck to Craig Valette, who sent it into the net, giving Worcester the 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission. Riley Armstrong had the second assist. In the second period the P-Bruins tied the game at one while on the power play at the 5:44 mark. Sean Bentivoglio worked the puck down the right boards and into the corner for Ben Walter. He sent a pass to Krejci who waited backdoor. With Worcester goaltender Thomas Greiss on the wrong side of the net Krejci scored top shelf. Providence took its first lead of the game at the 16:17 mark. Curry took a shot from the right face-off circle and sent the puck between the legs of Greiss and into the net. Bentivoglio picked up his second assist of the game, while Mark Stuart had the other. The P-Bruins went into the second intermission leading 2-1. In the third period, Worcester tied the game at three at the 10:13 mark. Armstrong scored on a shot from the point with Patrick Traverse and Brennan Evans grabbing the assists. Providence quickly answered back with a goal 18 seconds later. Rosa held the puck in the right face-off circle and put the puck between the legs of Greiss and into the net. Nate Thompson and DiCasmirro had the assists. The Sharks tied the game at three just over two minutes later. At the 13:34 mark, Mike Iggulden tallied with Tom Cavanaugh and Mathieu Darche earning the assists. Providence took the lead for good at the 16:58 mark. Rosa started a 2-on-1 with DiCasmirro, who took the puck and put it into the net. Dennis Packard had the second assist and the P-Bruins held on for the 4-3 victory. Hannu Toivonen stopped 24 of 27 shots for the P-Bruins, while Greiss made 25 saves for the Sharks. Providence was 1 for 3 on the power play, while Worcester went 0 for 4 on the man-advantage.
2008 vs Springfield 4-2 win
(WORSHARKS) For the second straight Sunday, the Worcester Sharks defeated the Springfield Falcons by a final score of 4-2, this time riding a pair of goals from Tom Cavanagh and a strong performance by rookie goaltender Taylor Dakers in front of 6,266 fans on Fan Appreciation Day. The Sharks finish the season on a three-game winning streak and wins in five of the last seven games. Worcester finishes in sixth place in the Atlantic Division with a 32-37-5-6 record and 75 points. Worcester got the hometown crowd on its feet early with a goal less than two minutes into the game. The sequence started when Dennis Packard sprung Graham Mink into the offensive zone. The Sharks captain carried the puck until he was at the right faceoff dot where he centered to Tom Cavanagh at the edge of the crease. His ensuing shot beat Springfield netminder Devan Dubnyk high for his 18th goal of the season. It only took Springfield 23 seconds to answer back and tie the game at one. Viacheslav Trukhno put a shot toward net from the left wing circle. Justin Chwedoruk was camped in front of Dakers and redirected the low shot just inside the right post for his first goal of the season (and AHL career). Bryan Lerg was credited with his first professional point on the play. Worcester retook the lead only 22 seconds into its first power play of the game. Brad Staubitz was the benefactor, scoring his sixth goal of the season. His rocket from inside the left point found its way through traffic and inside the left post for the 2-1 lead at the 18:08 mark. Steven Zalewski and Lukas Kaspar were credited with the assists on the play. The Sharks upped their lead at 4:05 of the second period with another quick and successful power play chance. Derek Joslin shot the puck toward net from in between the blue line and left wing circle. Halfway into its flight, Cavanagh made the tip into the top right corner of the net for the two-goal advantage. Mike Iggulden was credited with the other assist on the play. Only 31 seconds later, Ashton Rome scored his seventh goal of the season for the 4-1 lead. Kaspar made the rush into the right wing circle. He curled and dragged before passing across to Rome who easily beat Dubnyk from point blank range. Riley Armstrong was credited with the other assist on the play. The Falcons cut the lead to 4-2 at 15:18 of the second when T.J. Kemp put home his eighth goal of the year. His shot from in between the faceoff circles beat Dakers over his glove hand. Lerg and Liam Reddox recorded the assists. It looked like Springfield would cut the lead to one at 5:26 of the third period when referee Dean Morton signaled a penalty shot for Grant Potulny. On the subsequent bid, Potulny skated in and opted for his backhand, but lost the handle allowing the Sharks to retrain the two-goal advantage. The Falcons pulled Dubnyk, but couldn’t beat Dakers, leading to the 4-2 final score.
2012 vs St. John’s 3-1 loss
(WORSHARK) Veteran Ben Guite scored the only goal for Worcester in a fast moving up and down battle in a 3-1 loss to the St. John’s IceCaps at the DCU Center on Friday night. Harri Sateri made 25 saves and Dylan Demelo recorded his first career point (assist) as the Sharks dressed 11 rookies in the loss. The first period had a strong tempo with both teams skating well in a scoreless frame. Newcomers Jay Silvia and Bobby Farnham each had a breakaway try for Worcester but were stopped with nice stops by IceCaps goaltender Eddie Pasquale. Harri Sateri was sharp in goal for Worcester making 13 saves in the scoreless first period. Three goals were scored in the second period with the IceCaps grabbing a 2-1 lead through 40 minutes of play. Defenseman Travis Ramsey (4th) gave the IceCaps 1-0 lead after he fired a twirling puck from the right point that dipped through traffic and snuck through the pads of Harri Sateri at 6:04. Ben Guite (4th) sent a blast from the center slot after a great feed from the right corner by Brandon Mashinter at 11:32 to tie the score at 1-1. Just a few minutes later, Jason King (22nd) ripped a shot from the right circle at 13:41 to put St. John’s ahead 2-1. The Sharks outshot the IceCaps 12-6 in the middle frame. Eddie Pasquale made 10 more saves in the third period, saving the best with a glove stop on Matt Irwin’s blast on the power play with eight minutes remaining. Jon Albert scored an empty net goal late as the IceCaps clinched the 2nd spot in the Eastern Conference with a 3-1 victory at the DCU Center. Worcester’s record falls to 30-32-4-8, with 72pts and currently in 13th place in the Eastern Conference with 2 games remaining.
2013 vs Norfolk 4-3 OTL
(WORSHARKS) The Worcester Sharks (30-32-4-6, 70pts) fell to the Norfolk Admirals (37-30-4-1, 79pts) by the count of 4-3 in overtime on Saturday evening in front of 6,247 fans at the DCU Center on Fan Appreciation Night presented by Southbridge Savings Bank. With the overtime loss, the Sharks are now officially eliminated from the Calder Cup playoffs. James Livingston (7th), Matt Pelech (3rd), and Eriah Hayes (1st) scored for Worcester and Harri Sateri made 45 saves in the OT loss. Sami Vatanen (9th) won the game with a power play overtime strike for Norfolk at 3:24 as the Sharks dropped their 8th straight game on home ice (0-5-3-0). The Sharks final regular season home game is Wednesday at 7pm vs. the Springfield Falcons. Heavyweights Jimmy Bonneau (11th FM) and Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond (8th FM) dropped the mitts on the opening faceoff for a marathon battle to set the tone early. The Sharks took a 1-0 lead at 4:29 as James Livingston (7th) slammed home a loose rebound from the right slot after Frederik Andersen made an initial save on a Riley Brace shot from the left circle. The assist extended Brace’s point streak to four games (3-2-5) in his first four professional games. Worcester went ahead 2-0 as Matt Pelech (3rd) scored on a blast from the right point through a screen in the second straight game at 11:43 assisted by Sena Acolatse and James Livingston. Harri Sateri made 10 saves in the first as the Sharks led 2-0 through 20 minutes. Norfolk fired 23 shots in the 2nd period and scored twice to tie the game at 2-2. Patrick Maroon (24th) fired home a third rebound try from on top of the Worcester crease at 5:36 to get the Admirals within a goal. Devante Smith-Pelly (13th) tied the score at 2-2 with an unassisted strike at 11:55 past Harri Sateri with a wicked snap shot from in between the faceoff circles. The game was tied 2-2 after 40 minutes with Norfolk outshooting Worcester 33-23. Wellesley, MA native Chris Wagner (8th) gave Norfolk their first lead of the night after he found a bouncing puck loose on top of the net after a blocked shot in front just 13 seconds into the 3rd period to put the Admirals ahead 3-2. But the Sharks would tie the score at 3-3 at 7:14 as Eriah Hayes (1st) score his first professional goal firing home a Riley Brace centering pass on the blocker side of the Norfolk netminder. Neither team would score again in the 3rd period with the Admirals holding a 12-11 shot advantage. In overtime, Riley Brace was whistled for a faceoff violation at 2:54 and First Team AHL All-Star Sami Vatanen (9th) fired a one timer from 40 feet off the post and past Sateri for the game winner at 3:24.
2018 at Adirondack 3-0 loss (North Division SF, trail 1-0)
(RAILERS) The Worcester Railers HC(0-1) made their Kelly Cup playoff debut with a 3-0 loss in Game 1 of the North Division Semifinals over the host Adirondack Thunder(1-0) in front of 3,540 fans at the Cool Insuring Arena on Friday evening. The Thunder scored in all three periods and MacKenzie Blackwood made 27 saves for the shutout win as Worcester outshot Adirondack 27-21. Mitch Gillam made 18 saves in his first professional playoff game in a feisty affair that saw 17 penalties whistled throughout the game. A hard hitting first period saw the Thunder score the only goal to take a 1-0 lead through 20 minutes. Tim Harrison (1st) deflected a shot from the point by Dylan Olsen that fluttered past Mitch Gillam at 8:58. Shots were 8-5 in favor of the Railers after the first period as MacKenzie Blackwood made a few nice stops on Matt Lane and Jeff Kubiak. The Thunder built on their lead as Paul Rodrigues (1st) struck on the power play from 25 feet with a quick snap shot through a screen at 7:54 of the second period. Shots were 11-9 in favor of Worcester in the second period as the physical play picked up another notch. Brian Ward (1st) banked a shot off Mitch Gillam from a tough angle at 5:50 of the third period to put the Thunder ahead 3-0. The third period saw nine penalties doled out which included a fight between Yanick Turcotte and Brian Ward at 18:50. Mackenzie Blackwood made seven more saves in net for a 27 save shutout as the Thunder took Game 1 by the score of 3-0.
2022 at Trois-Rivières 3-0 win
(RAILERS) The Worcester Railers HC (32-31-4-2, 70pts) took down the Trois-Rivières Lions (32-29-5-1, 70pts) on Wednesday night by the final score of 3-0 in front of a crowd of 3442 at Colisée Vidéotron. The Railers are back in Trois-Rivières, QC at the Colisée Vidéotron on Friday, April 15th to take on the Trois-Rivières Lions at 7:00 p.m. It was a record setting night for Jordan Lavallee-Smotherman (2-0-2), who became the first player to reach the thirty-goal plateau in Railers history. He was able to net one midway through the first, as both teams went quiet in the second. Blake Christensen (1-0-1) opened up the third with a goal in his first game back in seven games for Worcester, which was his team leading fifth against the Lions this season. Lavallee-Smotherman wrapped things up with an empty netter late in the third to help Worcester to come away with the 3-0 win over Trois-Rivières. Ken Appleby was spectacular in net all night long for Worcester, recording 43 saves for his first shutout of the season. The captain for the Railers, Jordan Lavalle-Smotherman (29th) would set a franchise record for most goals scored by a member of the Railers in a single season at 29 to put Worcester up 1-0. Smotherman received a cross-ice feed from Bobby Butler and wristed one past Arturs Silovs for the tally with 7:53 left in the first. Worcester would receive a look at the man-advantage with 6:27 left in the first, but couldn’t capitalize, as their struggles on the power-play continued.Anthony Repaci went down with an injury late in the first period, and after attempting a few shifts early in the second, would not return to action for the Railers for the rest of the night. Trois-Rivières outshot Worcester in the first 14-10. It would be a very quiet second period, as neither team managed to get on the board in the middle frame. Trois-Rivières did get the one power-play in the period, but Ken Appleby and the Railers were able to turn the Lions aside to preserve their 1-0 lead. Trois-Rivières continued to outshoot Worcester, holding a 10-5 lead in shots upon the end of the period. The Lions were now outshooting the Railers 24-15 on the game. Blake Christensen (18th), back off of the injury reserve for his first game in seven contests for the Railers would find the back of the net to extend Worcester’s lead to 2-0. Max Newton would find Christensen low along the near goal line, as Christensen then found some space beneath the pads of Arturs Silovs for the marker. It was Christensen’s team leading fifth goal of the season against the Lions. With the goalie pulled, Jordan Lavallee-Smotherman (30th) wristed a puck down the length of the ice and nailed the empty net to secure the victory for the Railers on Wednesday night, 3-0. Ken Appleby stood on his head all night long for the Railers, as he was able to stifle the Lions for all 60 minutes, making 43 saves in the shutout effort. Trois-Rivières outshot Worcester 19-5 in the third, and 43-20 on the game. Notes: Three Stars: 3rd Star: Arturs Silovs (17 saves, 2GA, .895 SV%), 2nd Star: Jordan Lavallee-Smotherman (2-0-2, +2, 4 shots), 1st Star: Ken Appleby (43 saves, 0GA, 1.000 SV%) Final shots were 43-20 in favor of Trois-Rivières… Arturs Silovs (5-3-1) made 17 saves on 19 shots for Adirondack… Ken Appleby (14-11-1) made 43 saves on 43 shots for Worcester, while Colten Ellis served as the backup… Worcester went 0-for-2 on the power play while Trois-Rivières went 0-for-1… Austin Osmanski (INJ), Grant Jozefek (IR), Chris Ordoobadi (DNP), Ethan Price (DNP), and Mitchell Balmas (DNP)… Blake Christensen led the Railers in shots with 5… The Railers are now 5-3-0-0 all-time vs. the Lions and 3-0-0-0 at the Colisée Vidéotron against Trois-Rivières.
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