4-1 Loss Puts Sharks Streak on Ice
Published on December 3, 2008 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Worcester Sharks News Release
WORCESTER- After a night of physical, hot-tempered hockey and 118 combined penalty minutes, the Worcester Sharks came up on the short end of a 4-1 score against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Wednesday night at the DCU Center. Two power play goals and solid goaltending vaulted the Penguins, who snapped Worcester's three game home winning streak.
A fortuitous bounce on the game's first power play gave Wilkes-Barre the game's first goal midway through the opening period. A slap shot from blueliner Ben Lovejoy was knocked down in front of the net by teammate Ryan Stone. The puck rebounded off the skate of Sharks defenseman Derek Joslin and rolled across the goal line. Stone, who was credited with the goal, notched his sixth tally of the year on the play.
Two equally unusual plays both appeared to produce a tying goal for Worcester in the following minutes. A loose puck in front of the net disappeared underneath Penguins goaltender Adam Berkhoel, and not until after the pile of skaters had been untangled did referee Jamie Koharski rule that the puck never crossed the goal line.
Moments later, Lukas Kaspar appeared to have Berkhoel beat as the netminder scrambled back into position, but Kaspar's shot hit the base of the far post and caromed back into play.
TJ Kemp caught the Sharks in a line change just prior to the first intermission and fed Chris Minard on a clean breakaway. Minard went low on Worcester backstop Thomas Greiss, and his team-leading 17th goal of the season gave the Penguins a 2-0 lead after twenty minutes.
Kaspar redeemed himself eight minutes into the middle frame when he charged into the Penguins zone and set up linemate Steven Zalewski with a crisp centering feed. Zalewski one-timed the puck past Berkhoel, giving him sixteen points on the year - tied for eighth among AHL rookies.
Wilkes-Barre, however, regained the two goal advantage a mere 21 seconds later. Luca Caputi followed up his own close-range shot and poked the puck under Greiss at 8:45 of the second period, giving the visitors a 3-1 edge.
That score would hold into the third period, at which time Sharks defenseman Mike Moore attempted to spark Worcester by dropping the gloves to do battle with Penguins winger Tim Wallace. Moore wrapped up Wallace and landed a series of solid punches before dragging Wallace to the ice. Brad Staubitz and Paul Bissonnette would follow suit, engaging in a battle of their own just over a minute later.
The Penguins responded, holding Worcester without a shot on net for the first eleven minutes of the final period. They also capitalized on a too many men penalty against the Sharks, as Lovejoy punched home an insurance goal on the power play at 7:46.
The fights would continue long after the scoring was complete, however, with battles raging between Brad Staubitz and Paul Bissonnette, Kyle McLaren and Deryk Engelland, Jamie McGinn and Danny Richmond, and Frazer McLaren and Bissonnette.
NOTES: Three Stars: (3) Stone (1g, 1a) (2) Berkhoel (win, 27 saves) (1) Lovejoy (1g, 1a)...Attendance for the contest was 2,071... Greiss saved 28 of 32 shots for the Sharks, while Berkhoel stopped 27 of 28 for Wilkes-Barre...Worcester went 0/3 on the power play; Wilkes-Barre went 2/6... Staubitz, Frazer McLaren, McGinn, Bissonnette and Richmond all received ten minute misconducts between 11:22 and 11:24 of the third period... 63 of Worcester's 67 penalty minutes came in the third period.
Worcester returns to action this Friday evening with a 7:30pm puck drop in Manchester before heading back to the DCU Center for Sunday's 4:05pm Unum Cup matchup with the Portland Pirates. The Sharks will also host Springfield next Wednesday, December 10th in a makeup of the postponed November 15th contest. Tickets issued for the original date will be honored on December 10th or may be exchanged for tickets to any future Sharks home game this season.
American Hockey League Stories from December 3, 2008
- Wolves Fall 7-6 In Offensive Showdown with Peoria - Chicago Wolves
- Rivermen Outlast Wolves to Win Wild One - Peoria Rivermen
- Rodney Lifts Albany To 3-2 Shootout Victory - Albany River Rats
- Hartford Hands Sound Tigers First Overtime Defeat of the Season - Bridgeport Islanders
- Devils Beat Falcons For Fourth Straight Win at Home - Albany Devils
- 4-1 Loss Puts Sharks Streak on Ice - Worcester Sharks
- Falcons Fall To Devils 6-4 - Springfield Falcons
- San Jose Sharks Recall RW Tom Cavanagh and Reassign RW Riley Armstrong - Worcester Sharks
- Rats Scuttle Past Admirals in Shootout - Norfolk Admirals
- Wolf Pack Defeat Tigers in Overtime, 4-3 - Connecticut Whale
- Perrault and Zimmerman Join Rampage - San Antonio Rampage
- Houston Aeros sign Deitsch, Hamilton to PTO contracts - Houston Aeros
- Two Games for One on Saturday - Cleveland Monsters
- IceHogs to Appear on Comcast's "Absolute Zero" - Rockford IceHogs
- Stuffed Toy Toss This Sunday Night - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Pirates Help Unveil Room at Gary's House - Portland Pirates
- Family Fun Packs and Student Rush Nights Highlight Special Ticket Offers for Upcoming Admirals Homes - Norfolk Admirals
- Coyotes Acquire Joakim Lindstrom From Anaheim - San Antonio Rampage
- Watch the Admirals and River Rats Square Off at Lendy's Cafe on Friday - Norfolk Admirals
- Ortmeyer Reassigned to Milwaukee - Milwaukee Admirals
- Take the Rivermen Bus Trip to Milwaukee - Peoria Rivermen
- AHL Quick Hits - AHL
- Darling Recalled By Penguins - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
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