1997 vs Providence 5-4 win (New England Division SF, lead 1-0)
The Worcester IceCats allowed four power play goals by the Bruins, but countered with four special teams tallies of their own in a 5-4 win over Providence. The Baby-Bs took a 2-0 first period lead on power play goals by Landon Wilson (9:29) and Barry Richter (14:20). Jamal Mayers cut the lead in half at 16:38 on the power play with a 15-foot backhander. Jason Zent and Rory Fitzpatrick had the assists on the goal. In the middle frame the IceCats would get three goals, the first coming from Jamie Rivers 28 seconds into the frame when refired the puck on net after his first shot was blocked. Bob Lachance and Justin Hocking earned points on the play. At 13:41 Libor Zabransky blasted a 45-foot blast on the power play to light the lamp with Terry Virtue assisting, and at 16:40 Zent scored shorthanded when he and Mayers broke in two on one. Brett Harkins would get the Bruins within one with a power play goal at 1:23 of the third period, but Mayers would score again on the power play at 12:46 to make it 5-3. Virtue and Zabransky had the helpers on the goal. Mattias Timander scored a power play goal at 17:10, but that would be it for the scoring in the game. Jamie McLennan made 29 saves in the game.
2000 vs Portland 5-2 win (New England Division SF, win series 3-1)
(TICKER) Shawn Mamane notched a goal and an assist and Brent Johnson made 29 saves as the Worcester IceCats defeated the Porland Pirates, 5-2, to win their first-round, best-of-five playoff series in four games. Mamane scored with 3:16 left in the opening period, staking Worcester to a 4-0 advantage. Johnson, who stopped 19 shots in the second session, posted a .946 save percentage in the series. Jim Campbell and Bryan Helmer each supplied a pair of assists for Worcester, which outscored Portland, 17-8, in the four games. Matt Herr and Glen Metropolit scored for the Pirates, who forced Game Four with a double-overtime victory on Saturday.
2003 vs Binghamton 1-0 loss (Eastern Conference QF, eliminated 3-0)
(ICECATS) The Worcester IceCats saw their playoff run end with Friday night’s 1-0 loss to the Binghamton Senators at Worcester’s Centrum Centre. The Senators swept the best-of-five series three games to none. Josh Langfeld scored the game’s only goal mid-way through the second period. Bob Wren set up his power play tally. Langfeld and Wren combined on the overtime-winner in Game One of the series, capping a Binghamton comeback. In that game, Worcester held a 2-1 lead, but with 16 seconds remaining in regulation, Brad Smyth scored to force sudden death. Worcester’s Curtis Sanford made 27 saves in the loss. Senators goalie Ray Emery, who led the AHL with seven regular season shutouts, stopped all 29 shots he faced.
2004 vs Manchester 2-0 loss (Atlantic Division SF, lead 2-1)
(ICECATS) The Worcester IceCats dropped a 2-0 decision last night in Game Three of their Atlantic Division semifinal series against the Manchester Monarchs at Worcester’s Centrum Centre. The IceCats still lead the best-of-seven series, two-games-to-one. Worcester came out firing in the first period, looking to build on the momentum they gained by taking the first two games in Manchester. However, both goalies — the Monarchs’ Adam Hauser and the ‘Cats Curtis Sanford — made some key saves, and the game remained scoreless through the first two periods.
In the third period, Manchester’s Chris Schmidt skated down the left-wing on an odd-man rush, drawing three Worcester defenders to cover him. Schmidt then slid a pass through the slot to Scott Barney on the right-wing, and he slapped it past Sanford to give Manchester a 1-0 lead at 4:04. The Monarchs added a power play goal at 9:21 when Yanick Lehoux wristed the puck through a crowd and by Sanford. Pavel Rosa extended his points streak versus the IceCats to 11 games with an assist on the play.
2007 at Manchester 5-2 loss (Atlantic Division SF, trail 1-0)
(MONARCHS) Defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky collected three points to lead the Manchester Monarchs past the Worcester Sharks 5-2 in front a crowd of 3,182 at the Verizon Wireless Arena to take game one of the best of seven 2007 Calder Cup Atlantic Division Semifinals Series A. The Monarchs got on the scoreboard first with a goal from Tverdovsky at 1:57 of the first period. Left wing Noah Clarke collected a loose puck along the left boards in Shark territory and passed it back to defenseman Doug Nolan. The veteran defefenseman fed the puck to a wide open Tverdovsky who let off a blistering one-timer, beating Worcester goaltender Thomas Greiss under the glove. The Sharks tied the score at 5:24 of the opening period with a goal from right wing Graham Mink. Center Josh Prudden collected an errant pass from a Monarch defenseman and found Mink crashing to the net. Mink broke in all alone on Monarchs goaltender Barry Brust. The Worcester forward was able to get Brust to the ice and roofed it over his glove. With the Monarchs on a 5-on-3 advantage, they took a 2-1 lead on a goal from defenseman Peter Harrold. Right wing Lauri Tukonen was stationed on the right face-off circle and sent a pass back to Tverdovsky at the right point. Tverdovsky slid a pass to the left point where an open Harrold fired a one-timer under the glove of Greiss at 11:52 of the first frame. The Monarchs struck again a minute and twenty-three seconds later with a goal from right wing John Zeiler. Tverdovsky was in the defensive zone and sent a cross ice pass to Harrold on the left side. The defenseman settled the puck and passed it to Zeiler streaking down the right side. The rookie broke in one-on-one with a Sharks defenseman. The right wing got off a wrist shot that snuck under the left arm of the Sharks goaltender. After a goaltender change for Worcester, the Monarchs increased their lead to 4-1 at 5:02 of the second period with a goal from center Marty Murray. Left wing Matt Moulson sent a pass back to the left point that was cradled by defenseman Jeff Likens. The rookie defenseman saw Murray streaking to the net and sent a frozen rope toward the net. Murray tipped it home over the right pad of Sharks goaltender Dimitri Patzold. Worcester cut the lead in half at 7:45 of the third period with a power play goal from right wing Grant Stevenson. Defenseman Patrick Traverse fed the puck over to the right point where defenseman Garrett Stafford uncorked a one-timer toward the net. Stevenson was able to get a stick on the shot and redirected it through the legs of Brust. Manchester regained the three goal lead at 9:54 of the final frame. Likens took a slap shot from the right point while left wing Petr Kanko was all alone in front of the net and tipped it over the arm of Patzold. Manchester’s defenseman T.J. Kemp also recorded an assist on the on the goal. Brust took the win with 27 saves on 29 shots. Greiss took the loss saving 8-of-11 shots. Patzold came in and stopped 18 pucks in over 46 minutes of play. Manchester went 2-for-8 with the man advantage. Worcester was 1-for-6 on the power play.
2009 at Hartford 5-3 loss (Atlantic Division SF, trail 2-0)
(WORSHARKS) The Sharks battled back from 3-0 down to tie the score at three, but it wasn’t enough as the Wolf Pack scored two in the third period for a 5-3 final in Game 2 of the Atlantic Division Quarterfinals on Saturday evening. It was a penalty filled affair as the team’s combined for 76 minutes. The penalties led to a number of power play chances as the Sharks were 1-for-13 and Hartford was 1-for-7. Hartford got off to a quick start with a power play goal only 3:40 into the game for the 1-0 lead. Artem Anisimov stole the puck from Kyle McLaren behind the net and his ensuing wraparound shot beat Worcester goalie Thomas Greiss five-hole for his second goal of the series. The Wolf Pack made it 2-0 at 7:08 when Jordan Owens made a steal along the far wall. His initial shot was saved, but he converted on the rebound attempt. Bobby Sanguenetti fired a tough angle wrist shot that deflected off a Sharks defenseman and past the outstretched glove of Griess for the 3-0 advantage at the 12:01 mark. The Sharks continued to be frustrated by Hartford goalie Matt Zaba, but the team’s 35th shot found the back of the net to turn the momentum in its favor. Brendan Buckley’s shot from the right point traveled harmlessly toward goal, bouncing past Zaba to make it 3-1 at 9:51 of the second period. It was Buckley’s first goal of the playoffs, this after one goal the entire regular season. Only 29 seconds later, Andrew Desjardins took a feed from Frazer McLaren and beat Zaba five-hole to make it 3-2. Worcester came all the way back to tie the score behind a Riley Armstrong power play tally at 14:57, the team’s first man advantage goal on its 10th opportunity of the evening. His slap shot was stopped, but trickled over the goal line to make it 3-3. It only took 2:23 of the third period for the Wolf Pack to retake the lead at 4-3. Jordan Owens fed the puck to Dane Byers who centered in front. Mike Ouellette finished the play with a backhand shot through the pads. Mark Bell added an empty net goal with 4.6 seconds remaining for the 5-3 final.
2014 vs St. John’s 6-0 loss
(WORSHARKS) St. John’s Mike Hutchinson posted his third shutout of the season as the Worcester Sharks (35-34-4-2, 76pts) were slated by the St. John’s IceCaps (45-23-2-5, 94pts) 6-0 before 4,909 fans at the DCU Center Friday evening. After 60 minutes of play, the Sharks couldn’t break through St. John’s tender Mike Hutchinson who registered his 3rd shutout win of the season after making all 23 saves on the Sharks shots. Four of the IceCaps scorers posted a multiple point night including Eric O’Dell (1-1-2), Ben Chiarot (1-1-2), Carl Klingberg (1-1-2) and Jerome Samson (1-3-4) while Kyle Mackinnon and J.C. Lipon also posted goals in the IceCaps 6-0 win. The Sharks fired 23 shots, led by Rylan Schwartz (5) and Daniil Tarasov (4) but Worcester couldn’t break by Hutchinson and were shut out for the second consecutive time on home ice and for the seventh time this season. Harri Sateri made 22 saves in 28 shots in net for Worcester as the Sharks fall to 1-4-1-0 on their season ending home stand. The IceCaps took a two-goal lead in the first period as they found the back of the net twice, while blanking the Sharks. The opening marker occurred at 11:56 after a battle for the puck along the right side of the boards in Worcester defensive was won by St. John’s. After gaining possession, J.C. Lipon sent the puck from behind the Sharks net to Eric O’Dell (17th), who was wide open in the paint to send it top-shelf of Sateri for the lead. The second tally came just minutes later, at 14:15 when a St. John’s face-off win in the left stick-side circle went back to Ben Chiarot, who wristed a shot from the center of the blue line that was tipped in front by Kyle MacKinnon (12th) to put Worcester behind two. Shots for the period were 8-6 in favor or the Sharks, but Hutchinson pushed aside all eight of Worcester’s chances. St. John’s doubled up on the scoring in the middle frame, holding a comfortable 4-0 advantage over Worcester after 40 minutes. The third IceCap goal came at 11:13 off an odd man rush out of the St. John’s defensive zone. Jerome Samson dished a pass across the right of the IceCaps offensive zone to Josh Lunden (4th), who retrieved it just outside Sateri’s stick-side post before roofing it bar-down. Then, just over two minutes later at 13:58, J.C. Lipon chipped the puck in from the neutral zone to Ben Chiarot (6th) who picked it up at the blue line and skated through the IceCaps’ offensive end before sniping a low ripper from the left circle below the glove of Sateri and into the far side of the net to make it 4-0. Worcester was outshot 11-8 in the period. The IceCaps again added two goals in the final period to seal the win at 6-0. The fifth tally of the night came on an IceCaps power play at 7:29 when Carl Klingberg (22nd) took a shot from the glove-side right circle that caught a piece of Sateri’s pad before trickling into the net. The sixth and final marker of the evening occurred at 16:04 when Jerome Samson (26th) wheeled through the offensive zone cutting off his defenseman before crossing the front of the net and chipping the puck between Sateri and the right post. The Sharks were outshot 9-7 in the final period. The Sharks’ overall record falls to 35-34-4-2, 76pts and 18-17-1-1, 38pts at home.
2015 at Manchester 4-2 loss
(WORSHARKS) The Worcester Sharks (41-28-4-2, 88pts) dropped their final regular season road game of the season in a 4-2 loss to the host Manchester Monarchs (50-16-6-3, 109pts) in front 9,132 fans at the Verizon Wireless Arena on Saturday evening. With the loss, the Sharks remain in 7th place in the Eastern Conference with one game remaining in the regular season. Rookie Nikolay Goldobin scored twice for Worcester while Troy Grosenick made 34 saves in net. Manchester scored three times in the first period and picked up their 50th win of the season as goaltender JF Berube made 28 saves in net for the win. The Sharks finished with a 19-16-2-1 record on the road this season. Manchester scored in the first and last minute of the first period to grab a 3-2 lead through the first period of play. Michael Mersch (22nd) deflected home a shot after an offensive zone faceoff win at 32 seconds of the opening period to put Manchester up 1-0. Nikolay Goldobin (2nd) roofed a backhander from in tight past JF Berube at 5:39 to tie the score at 1-1. Scott Sabourin (5th) pushed a rebound past Troy Grosenick at 12:06 to put Manchester on top 2-1. Nikolay Goldobin (3rd) tied the score again at 15:23 after Evan Trupp won the puck off the fore check and found Nikolay in the right faceoff circle who then whipped a shot off the crossbar and into the net. Jordan Weal intercepted a Taylor Doherty pass inside the Sharks zone and zapped a shot past Grosenick at 19:38 to give Manchester a 3-2 lead after 20 minutes. Shots were 15-12 in favor of Worcester in the first period. 23 total shots were fired in the second period and each team went 0-for-1 on the power play in a scoreless second period. The Sharks trailed 3-2 after 40 minutes with each team registering 25 shots through two periods of play. Worcester was outshot 13-5 in the third period as Josh Gratton (6th) scored an empty netter at 18:48 to give the Monarchs a 4-2 victory. The Sharks overall record falls to 41-28-4-2, 88pts and 19-16-2-1, 41pts on the road this season.
2018 at Adirondack 2-1 loss (North Division SF, trail 3-1)
(RAILERS) The Worcester Railers HC (1-3) trail the best of seven North Division Semifinals 1-3 after a 2-1 Game 4 loss to the host Adirondack Thunder (3-1) in front of 2,718 fans at the Cool Insuring Arena on Wednesday evening. Barry Almeida scored for Worcester while Eamon McAdam made 26 saves in net for the Railers but Brian Ward broke a 1-1 tie midway through the second period for the eventual game winner. MacKenzie Blackwood stood tall again for Adirondack as he made 28 saves to pick up the win while Ryan Schmelzer also score for the Thunder to put Worcester down 3-1 in the series. The Thunder grabbed a 1-0 lead with a fluky goal at 8:07 as Ryan Schmeltzer (2nd) threw a puck to the front of the net from the left corner that went off the skate of Matty Gaudreau and between the pads of Eamon McAdam for the only score in the opening frame. Shots were 10-8 in favor of Adirondack through 20 minutes. Worcester finally got on the board on the power play as Barry Almeida (2nd) fired a wicked shot on a one timer from the right circle after a nice feed from Kellen Jones at 11:12 to tie the score at 1-1. Just over 90 seconds later, Adirondack went back ahead as Brian Ward (3rd) deflected a Mike Bergin shot from the point at 12:44 to give the Thunder a 2-1 lead. Eamon McAdam made several nice saves in the final five minutes of the middle frame to keep the score close headed into the second intermission. Neither team found the back of the net in the third period, despite the Thunder having almost a full two minute 5-on-3 power play advantage at the nine-minute mark. Worcester outshot Adirondack 12-5 in the third period and pulled the goalie late but still could not find the tying score.
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