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Coach Roy Sommer to Break AHL Record with 1,257th Game Behind the Bench

March 25, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Worcester Sharks News Release


Shark Snap Shot: The Worcester Sharks (31-29-3-1, 66pts) chomped two out of a possible six points last week (1-2-0-0) in their 3rd consecutive 3-in-3 weekend. The Sharks currently sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, which is 11 points behind the 8th and final playoff spot held by the Providence Bruins (Sharks have two games in hand with 12 games remaining). Head Coach Roy Sommer is expected to surpass Frank Mathers (1256 games coached for the Hershey Bears) for the most games coached in AHL history on Wednesday, March 26 in Lewiston, ME vs. the Portland Pirates at 7pm.

The Sharks had their season long six game win streak snapped on Friday with a 4-2 loss to the Falcons at the DCU Center to kick off the 3-in-3 weekend. Worcester rebounded with an exciting come from behind 4-2 home win over the Hershey Bears on Saturday followed by a hard fought 2-1 loss in Providence on Sunday afternoon.

Several milestones were reached last weekend which included head coach Roy Sommer tying the AHL record for most games coached in the AHL as he tied Frank Mathers (1,256 games) on Sunday afternoon in Providence. Dan DaSilva surpassed the late Tom Cavanagh (138pts) for most points in franchise history with the game tying goal late in the 3rd period vs. the Bears on Saturday for career point # 139. DaSilva scored his 16th goal of the season in Providence on Sunday which extended his point streak to seven games (4-5-9) and gave him 59 goals as a member of the Worcester Sharks which tied him for the most in franchise history with Mike Iggulden and Riley Armstrong. Jimmy Bonneau surpassed 900 penalty minutes in the AHL with his 16th fighting major vs. Will Weber on Friday while Bracken Kearns had a solid week with points in all three games (1-3-4) for Worcester. Goaltender Harri Sateri continued his terrific play in net with a .929 save percentage in two games last week.

There was some action off the ice as well, as the Worcester Sharks loaned Lane Scheidl (March 23) and Kyle Bigos (March 25) to the Ontario Reign of the ECHL. Adam Schmidt (Holy Cross) made his professional debut on March 22 vs. Hershey after signing earlier in the week. Matt Tennyson was returned to Worcester from San Jose on March 24 and Mike Pereira (U-Mass Amherst) was released from his ATO contract on March 25.

The Worcester Sharks player of the week nominee is forward Dan DaSilva. The 28-year-old veteran from Saskatoon, SK recorded four points (3-1-4) to extend his point streak to seven games (4-5-9) in three games last week. DaSilva tied the late Tom Cavanagh (138pts) for the franchise lead in points on Friday with a goal and assist vs. the Falcons; took the franchise lead with 139 points with the game tying score on Saturday vs. the Bears, and scored in his 3rd consecutive game in the 2-1 loss to the Bruins on Sunday to lead the way offensively for the Sharks.

MILESTONE ALERT:

Head Coach Roy Sommer is tied with Frank Mathers (1256 games coached) for the most games coached in AHL history. Coach Sommer has coached 1256 AHL games - all with the SJ Sharks AHL affiliates. Coach Sommer will break the record on Wednesday, March 26 in Lewiston vs. the Portland Pirates.

LOOKING AHEAD:

The Worcester Sharks continue their four game road trip with three games this week.

On Wednesday, the Sharks travel to Lewiston, ME to battle the Portland Pirates at 7pm.

On Friday, the Sharks battle the Monarchs in Manchester at 7pm.

On Saturday, the Sharks head to Albany for the 1st and only time this season for a 5pm date with the Devils.

Few things to know....

* The Worcester Sharks are currently in 4th place (31-29-3-1, 66pts) in the Atlantic Division and 10th place overall in the Eastern Conference. - the Sharks trail the 8th and final playoff spot by 11 points with two games in hand over the Providence Bruins with 12 games remaining.

* The San Jose Sharks currently have 11 players on their roster that have spent time in Worcester (Couture, Desjardins, Pavelski, Sheppard, Wingels, Braun, Demers, Stalock, Irwin, Vlasic, Nieto).

* The San Jose Sharks are in 1st place in the Pacific Division and 2nd place in the Western Conference with 101 points and a 46-18-9 record.

* The Worcester Sharks are an impressive 9-1 in the shootout this season! 29.0% of the Sharks wins this season have come in the shootout!

* Forward Dan DaSilva has 33pts (16-17-33) in 49 games this season and is now the Worcester Sharks franchise leader 140 points (59-81-140) in 227 games. - DaSilva is riding a seven game point streak (4-5-9).

* Veteran Bracken Kearns played in his 500th AHL game on Dec 28 vs. the IceCaps and then was recalled by the SJ Sharks on Dec 28 and scored his 1st NHL goal in a 3-1 win over the Ducks on Dec 29. Bracken had three goals and an assist in 22 games with the SJ Sharks this season and was loaned back to Worcester on Feb 25. Kearns is riding a three game point streak in Worcester (1-3-4).

* John McCarthy returned to action on March 2 after missing seven games due to injury. J-Mac has seven points (3-4-7) in 13 games with Worcester after appearing in 36 games with the SJ Sharks (1-1-2).

* 2nd year pro Freddie Hamilton leads the club with 19 goals, 1st with 37 points (19-18-37), and tops with nine 1st goals. Hamilton has already surpassed his point total from last season in just 54 games (76gp, 13-13-26) and has skated in 11 games with the SJ Sharks this season and is still looking for his 1st NHL point.

* Worcester Sharks alumni Matt Nieto (Oct 8 vs. NYR), Matt Pelech (Oct 10 at VAN), Bracken Kearns (Dec 29 vs. ANA), and Eriah Hayes (Jan 30 at CLG) each have scored their first career NHL goals for the SJ Sharks this season.

* Worcester Sharks alumni Alex Stalock is an impressive 11-4-2 with the San Jose Sharks this season with a 1.85 GAA and a .933 save %. Stalock picked up his first NHL shutout with a 24 save performance in 3-0 win at Florida on Jan 16 and followed it up with a 1-0 shutout win a 1-0 win over the Jets on Jan 23 in San Jose. Stalock set the SJ Sharks franchise record for a 178:55 shutout streak this season.

* Current SJ Sharks forward and #WorSharks alum Joe Pavelski was named to the US Olympic men's hockey team and leads the Sharks with 34 goals in 72 games.

* Coach Roy Sommer currently ranks 4th in the AHL with 571 wins in his career (16th season) and tied for 1st in games coached in the AHL with 1256.

Top 3... Last Week!

1. Dan DaSIlva broke the franchise record for most career points with the game tying goal in the Sharks 4-2 win over Hersey on Saturday!

2. Taylor Doherty scored the game winning goal with 4:50 remaining in the third period in the Sharks 4-2 victory over the Bears on Saturday!

3. Harri Sateri made 28 saves and kept the Sharks in the game with several great stops in the Sharks 2-1 loss at Providence on Sunday!

Last Week: (1-2-0-0) 2pts, 3gp

Fri. 3/21 L Springfield Falcons 4 @ Worcester SHARKS 2

Sat. 3/22 W Hershey Bears 2 @ Worcester SHARKS 4

Sun. 3/23 L Worcester SHARKS 1 @ Providence Bruins 2

This week:

Wed. 3/26 Worcester SHARKS @ Portland Pirates in Lewiston, ME - 7pm

Fri. 3/28 Worcester SHARKS @ Manchester Monarchs - 7pm

Sat. 3/29 Worcester SHARKS @ Albany Devils - 5pm

Rewind the Tape:

3.21.14 - Springfield 4 - Worcester 2 - L - DCU Center - Worcester, MA

The Worcester Sharks (30-28-3-1, 64pts) fall to the Springfield Falcons (39-18-1-5, 84pts) 4-2 before 4,241 fans as they had their win streak snapped at six Friday evening at the DCU Center. Dan DaSilva tied the Sharks record for most career points (138) with a goal and an assist in the loss. Springfield lit the lamp first with an early power play goal off a redirection from Andrew Joudrey (11th). In the second period, the Sharks answered with two goals of their own by Bracken Kearns (6th) and Dan DaSilva (14th, PPG), taking their only lead of the night. Springfield then took control of the third period and the game with goals by Dana Tyrell (12th), Matt Taormina (8th) and Sean Collins (13th). Troy Grosenick made 26 saves in the loss.

3.22.14 - Hershey 2 - Worcester 4 - W - DCU Center - Worcester, MA

The Worcester Sharks (31-28-3-1, 66pts) scored three goals late in the third period to stun the Hershey Bears (32-24-4-4, 72pts) with a 4-2 win before 4,820 fans Saturday evening at the DCU Center. With the victory, the Sharks are now nine points behind the 8th place Bruins with two games in hand for the final playoff spot in the East with 13 games remaining. The Sharks and Bears played a close game until six minutes remained in the third when Worcester notched three quick goals. Hershey's Casey Wellman (16th) opened the scoring with the first period's only goal before Freddie Hamilton (19th) even the game with the second period's lone tally. The Bears scored first in the third, with a goal by Nicolas Deschamps (14th) but the Sharks rallied with three consecutive scores by Dan DaSilva (15th), Taylor Doherty (4th) and Travis Oleksuk (14th). With his tying goal, DaSilva broke the Sharks' franchise record for points tallying his 139th.

3.23.14 - Providence 2 - Worcester 1 - L - Dunkin Donuts Center - Providence, RI

Head Coach Roy Sommer tied the American Hockey League record for most regular-season games by a head coach (1,256) but his Worcester Sharks (31-29-3-1, 66ts) dropped a hard fought 2-1 decision to the Providence Bruins (34-23-2-7, 77pts) in front of 8,869 fans at the Dunkin Donuts Center on Sunday afternoon. With the loss, the Sharks are now 11 points behind the 8th place Bruins with two games in hand for the final playoff spot in the East with 12 games remaining. Dan DaSilva (16th) extended his point streak to seven games (4-5-9) and tied a franchise record with his 59th career goal for Team Teal, but it was the only shot that found its way past goaltender Malcolm Subban who finished with 38 saves. Harri Sateri was spectacular in net for Worcester with 28 saves but Justin Florek (16th) and Zach Trotman (6th) scored goals for Providence. Sunday's game was the 1,256th of Sommer's AHL head coaching career, tying the record held by Hockey Hall of Fame honored member Frank Mathers. Mathers coached the Hershey Bears from 1956-73 and again in 1984-85.

Sharks in the Atlantic:

The Sharks (31-29-3-1, 66pts in 64gp) are currently in 4th place in the Atlantic Division; which is 26 points behind the 1st place Monarchs (92pts in 67gp), 20 points behind the 2nd place IceCaps (86pts in 65gp), 11 points behind the 3rd place Bruins (77pts in 66gp), and 10 points ahead of the 5th place Pirates (56pts in 63gp) to round out a very choppy Atlantic Division.

Coaching Milestones....

*1000 GAMES... With the 3-1 victory at Springfield on January 14, 2011, head coach Roy Sommer became just the 4th coach in AHL history to reach the 1,000 games plateau.

*1200 GAMES... With the 5-1 loss in Lewiston, ME vs. the Pirates on November 8, 2013, head coach Roy Sommer became just the 2nd coach in AHL history to reach the 1,200 games plateau.

*500 WINS!.... With a 3-2 shootout victory in Hershey on February 11, 2012, head coach Roy Sommer became just the 4th coach in AHL history to reach the 500 win plateau.

*400 WINS.... With a 4-3 victory over the Portland Pirates on Jan 12, 2014, associate coach David Cunniff picked up his 400th win an assistant/associate coach with the SJ Sharks top AHL affiliates.

AHL COACHING WINS - ALL-TIME

1. Fred "Bun" Cook 1937-56 19seasons 1,171GP 636 WINS

2. Frank Mathers 1956-85 18seasons 1,256GP 610 WINS

3. John Paddock 1981-2010 16seasons 1,125GP 589 WINS

4. Roy Sommer 1998-current 16seasons 1,256GP 571 WINS

*Worcester Sharks Head Coach Roy Sommer, who plays a major role in developing players for the San Jose Sharks, is currently the longest-tenured coach (16th season) in the American Hockey League. His current regular season record is now: 571-529-48-55-53. (W-L-T-OTL-SOL)

*In Coach Sommer's first AHL victory.... The Kentucky Thoroughblades defeated the Albany River Rats 6-4 at the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky on October 17th 1998. Coincidentally, Associate Coach David Cunniff recorded an assist as a member of the River Rats in the hockey game.

*Associate Coach David Cunniff has joined Coach Sommer in 414 of the 571 victories (73%).

*ECHL... Coach Sommer also has 176 wins in the ECHL coaching in five seasons with Roanoke Valley and Richmond.

Shark Bites:

*Captains for the 2013-14 season: Rob Davison was named the Sharks 6th captain in team history on October 12, 2013. Alternate captains for this season: Bracken Kearns and Jimmy Bonneau. - Brodie Reid, Marek Viedensky, Freddie Hamilton, Sena Acolatse, Dan DaSilva, and Taylor Doherty have also worn the A this season.

*From east to west..... The Worcester Sharks have already had eight players (17 call-ups) receive at least one call up to the San Jose Sharks already this season. (Pelech, McCarthy, Kearns, Hamilton, Nieto, Hayes, Tennyson, and Doherty)

*Breaking down October... The Sharks had a 2-3-0-0 (4pts in 5gp) record in October with 12 GF and 14 GA. PP was 5-27 (18.5%); opponents PP was 2-for-22 (9.0%), and the Sharks had 10 fighting majors in October.

*Breaking down November... The Sharks had a 6-5-1-0 (13pts in 12gp) record in November with 26 GF and 35 GA. PP went 7-for-51 (13.7%); opponents PP went 11-for-60 (18.3%), and the Sharks had 18 fighting majors in November.

*Breaking down December... The Sharks had a 5-5-1-1 (12pts in 12gp) record in December with 29 GF and 33 GA. PP went 6-for-54 (11.1%); opponents PP went 8-for-48 (16.7%), and the Sharks had 10 fighting majors in December.

*Breaking down January.... The Sharks finished with a 8-5-1-0 (17pts in 14gp) record in January with 41 GF and 38 GA. PP went 14-50 (28.0%); opponents PP went 12-53 (22.6%) and the Sharks had eight fighting majors in January.

*Breaking down February.... The Sharks finished 2-8-0-0 (4pts in 10gp) record in February with 19 GF and 44 GA. PP went 4-38 (10.5%); opponents PP went 7-50 (14.0%) and the Sharks had 13 fighting majors in February.

*Breaking down March.... The Sharks are 8-3-0-0 (16pts in 11gp) record in March with 35 GF and 24 GA. PP is 8-46 (17.3%); opponents PP is 5-37 (13.5%) and the Sharks have 11 fighting majors in March.

*Streakers... Dan DaSilva (4-5-9) have a seven game point streak.... Brodie Reid (2-2-4) and Bracken Kearns (1-3-4) each have a three game point streak.

*Notables....Harri Sateri has a 1.65 GAA and a .932 save % in his last nine starts... Taylor Doherty is +5 in his last 12.... John McCarthy is 1-4-5 in last 6.... Konrad Abeltshauser is 1-6-7 last 6... Travis Oleksuk is 4-7-11 in last 12.

*Shot Clock.... The Sharks fired a season high 50 shots in their 3-1 loss to the IceCaps on Feb 22. Worcester held a 17-1 advantage just 6:45 into the hockey game. Goaltender Michael Hutchinson made 49 saves for St. John's.

*Shot Clock X2.... Worcester allowed a season low one shot on goal in the first period at Manchester on Feb 23. - but it was a goal. The Sharks lost the game 4-2 despite outshooting the Monarchs 32-19.

*Shot advantage... Worcester had outshot their opponents 252-152 in during a seven game stretch (Feb 22 - March 8) averaging 36.0 shots per game and allowing just 21.7 shots against per game.

*11... the Sharks allowed a franchise low 11 shots in a 2-1 loss to the Falcons on March 2 which included one shot against in the third period.

*Improving!.... Several players have already matched or surpassed their point totals from last year for the Worcester Sharks!

* Freddie Hamilton (19-18-37pts in 54gp) has already surpassed his 13-13-36pts in 76gp last year!

* Travis Oleksuk (14-14-28pts in 62gp) has already surpassed his 3-10-13pts in 60gp last year!

* Taylor Doherty (4-9-13pts in 60gp) has already surpassed his 1-9-10pts in 40gp last year!

* Jimmy Bonneau (2-2-4pts in 39gp) has already surpassed his 1-1-2pts in 26gp last year!

* Marek Viedensky (6-15-21 in 49gp) has a career high in points already this season!

*Odd Numbers.... Worcester is 22-13-1-0 when they score a power play goal.... 10-4-1-0 when they score a power play goal on the road.... The Sharks are 15-1-0-0 when they score at least four goals in a game.... Worcester is 14-4-0-0 when they allow two goals or less.... The Sharks are 22-13-3-1 in games that are decided by two goals or less... but 8-15-0-0 in games decided by three goals or more.

*3 is the magic number.... The Sharks are 27-5-0-1 when they score at least three goals in a hockey game....BUT.... the Sharks are 6-25-2-1 when they allow three or more goals in a hockey game.

*What a crowd (s)!.... the Sharks welcomed 9,055 fans at the newly renovated DCU Center on Jan 25th in a 3-2 loss to the Bruins. - it was the 3rd largest crowd in franchise history! In addition, another 5,091 fans came the very next day to cheer the Sharks to a 4-3 shootout victory over the Monarchs. 14,146 fans enjoyed the two Sharks games on Jan 25 and 26!

*What a crowd Take 2... the Sharks welcomed 7,966 fans at the DCU for the 3rd annual PINK in the RINK game vs the Bruins on Feb 1!

*Holy Cross Alum.... Adam Schmidt joined Patrick Rissmiller, Jon Landry, and Jay Silva as former Crusaders that have dressed for the Worcester Sharks... Schmidt is the all-time leader with 151 games played for Holy Cross.

*TRADE!!!!.... The Sharks traded Curt Gogol and Riley Brace to the Minnesota Wild organization for Chad Rau on Feb 6. Rau, a 27-year-old forward from Eden Prairie, MN was a teammate of Dan DaSilva last year in Houston (AHL) and joined the Sharks with 299 games in the AHL with 147 points (63-84-147) - in addition to nine games with the Minnesota Wild in 2011-12 (2-0-2). Chad played four productive years at Colorado College and was originally drafted by the Maple Leafs in 2005. Rau has played 16 games in Worcester (0-4-4) and wears #20 for Team Teal.

*3-in-3 Sweep... the Sharks swept a 3-in-3 weekend on Jan 10-12 (3-1W vs HFD, 5-1W vs. NOR, 4-3W vs. POR) - it was the first six point weekend since April 11-13 of 2010!

*3-in-3 Sweep X2... the Sharks swept their 2nd 3-in-3 weekend on March 7-9 (5-4SOW at PRO, 3-2W vs. POR, 4-3SOW vs. Albany)

*3-in-3 Sweep X3... the Sharks swept their 2nd consecutive 3-in-3 weekend on March 14-16 (4-3OTW at PRO, 4-0W at BRI, 5-1W vs. Manchester)

*3-in-3 Sweep - Reversed.... The Sharks were swept in a 3-in-3 weekend on Feb 14-16. (5-1L at MCH, 8-0L at BNG, 4-1L at SPR) - it was the 6th time in franchise history and the 2nd time this year (Nov 8-11)

*3-in-3 Sweep - Reversed X2 ... the Sharks were swept in a 3-in-3 weekend on Feb 21-2. (5-1L vs. STJ, 3-1L vs. STJ, 4-2L at MCH) - it was the 7th time in franchise history and the 1st time ever the Sharks have been swept in two consecutive 3-in-3 weekends.

*Shutout Streak.... The Sharks went a franchise record of 163:12 without scoring a goal but broke the streak in the 2nd period on Dec 27- and then the Sharks scored three goals in a 3:16 spell late in the second period vs. the St. John's IceCaps.

*No Lead streak...the first goal by Freddie Hamilton at 5:38 of the 1st period on March 1 at Bridgeport snapped a 425 minute and 37 second span that the Sharks had not have a lead.

*Solved the Bruins....Worcester started the season 0-5-0-1 vs. the Bruins this season and were outscored 9-26 in the process before the Sharks took game 7 on Feb 1 by the score of 3-2. The Sharks have won three of last four games vs. the Bruins with the two teams meeting two more times this season including April 4 at Providence. - Malcolm Subban in 6-0-1 vs. the Sharks this season!

*Sharks win close games... Worcester is 17-8-3-1 in 1-goal games this season - nine of the 17 wins have come in the shootout!

*More Goals Late.... the Sharks have scored 38 goals in the 1st, 55 in the 2nd, and 60 goals in the 3rd period this season... the Sharks have allowed 50 goals in the 1st, 65 in the 2nd, and 71 goals in the 3rd.

*Battling Back... six of the 31 wins for the Sharks this season have occurred when the team was trailing after 40 minutes of play.

*Barely outshot... Worcester has only been outshot 16 times this season... the fewest in the AHL this season.

*8 Goal Explosion!... the Worcester Sharks scored eight goals vs. the Portland Pirates on Dec 6 - setting a franchise record for most goals scored at the DCU Center! - heading into that game (18th game), the Sharks had not scored more than three goals in a game!

*Monster Night.... The line of Freddie Hamilton (2-1-3), Matt Nieto (2-3-5), and Daniil Tarasov (1-2-3) combined for 11 points, 18 shots, and a combined +12 in the Sharks 8-2 win over the Pirates on Dec 6.

*Monster Night Take 2....The line of Travis Oleksuk (1-2-3), Dan DaSilva (3-1-4), and Yanni Gourde (0-4-4) combined for 11 points, 13 shots, and a combined +11 in the Sharks 6-3 win at Portland on Jan 21

*Allowing 8... the Sharks allowed eight goals in a 8-2 loss in Providence on Jan 5 - tying a franchise record for most goals allowed in a game.

*Allowing 8 x2... Worcester suffered their worst loss in franchise history in an 8-0 loss in Binghamton on Feb 15.

*Multi-Point Game....Tough Guy Jimmy Bonneau had two assists in the Sharks 8-2 win over the Portland Pirates on Dec 6... his 1st multi point game as a member of the Sharks in game #88.

*Welcome Back... Dan DaSilva returned to the Worcester Sharks on Nov 20 after leading the ECHL with 26 points (7-19-26) in just 14 games for the Ontario Reign and was named the ECHL Player of the Week for Nov 11-17. DaSilva currently ranks 1st all-time in Worcester Sharks history with 140 points (59-81-140) in 227 games for Team Teal and is the franchise leader in playoff points with 18 (5-13-18) in 23 Calder Cup playoff games. A member of the original Crazed Rats Line with John McCarthy and Andrew Desjardins; DaSilva had his best professional season with the Sharks in 2010-11 as he set career highs in points (53), goals (21), assists (32), and was +23 as the Sharks won the regular season Atlantic Division title with a 49-25-0-6 record. DaSilva was signed to a standard player AHL contract on Dec 12 for the rest of the season.

*Shooting %... the Sharks as a team have a 7.4% shooting percentage which is 30th in the AHL.

*3 in the 1st....it took 43 games but the Sharks finally scored three goals in the 1st period in their 5-2 win over the Falcons on Jan 31.

*Games past regulation.... Worcester has an AHL best .714 win percentage in games that are decided after 60 minutes of play (24 of 28 possible points).

*Thanks Ballou... despite being 9-1 in the shootout this season, the Sharks are just 30W-44L overall (38.9%)

*Shootout Success... the Sharks are 9-1 in the shootout this season with a 41% scoring percentage (4th) and an 81.1% saves percentage (2nd). Dan DaSilva is 5-for-7 in the shootout with three game winners - the three game winners are tied for the most in the AHL.

*Oh boy...Troy in the Shootout!.... goaltender Troy Grosenick is 5-0 this season in the shootout - 2nd most shootout wins in the AHL.... Troy has stopped 20 of 23 shootout attempts (.870%).

*Home shutout... the 27 save shutout by Troy Grosenick on Nov 2 vs. the St. John's IceCaps at the DCU Center was the 1st shutout on home ice for the Sharks in almost a year. Alex Stalock had the last shutout on Nov 4, 2012 vs. the Manchester Monarchs in a 1-0SOW. Coincidentally, Stalock also made 27 saves in the victory.

*Score first... the Sharks have scored FIRST 28 times in 64 games this season (22-4-1-1) - Freddie Hamilton 9, Daniil Tarasov 2, Rylan Schwartz 1, Brodie Reid 1, Bracken Kearns 1, Eriah Hayes 1, Dan DaSilva 3, Lane Scheidl 2, Jimmy Bonneau 1, Travis Oleksuk 2, Konrad Abeltshauser 1, Marek Viedensky 1, Rob Davison 1, and Brock Higgs 1.

*Just like in college.... Sharks rookie forward Eriah Hayes led the NCAA last season with 186 shots on goal with Minnesota State - Mankato... Hayes is 4th on the Worcester Sharks with 123 shots on goal through 44 games this season. Hayes also has a goal and 16 shots in 15 games for the SJ Sharks this season.

*Pro Debuts: Konrad Abeltshauser (Oct 12 at SPR), Troy Grosenick (Oct 20 vs. WBS), Brock Higgs (Mar 14 at PRO), Mike Pereira (Mar 15 at BRI), and Adam Schmidt (Mar 22 vs. HER)

*3-for-3!...veteran defenseman Rob Davison became the second player (Jonathan Cheechoo is the other) to play for the SJ Sharks AHL affiliate in three different cities after his game for Worcester on Oct 12 at Springfield. Davison played 72 games for the Kentucky Thoroughblades in 2000-01 and 112 games for the Cleveland Barons in 2001-03! Davison has played 728 games in his professional career.

*2 National Champions... The Sharks have three players that have won the NCAA Division 1 Championship.... Travis Oleksuk with University Minnesota Duluth in 2011... John McCarthy was co-captain for Boston University in 2009. *Memorial Cup... rookie defenseman Konrad Abeltshauser won the Memorial Cup in 2013 with the Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) and was named to the 2013 Memorial Cup All-Star Team.

*Young Guns... the Sharks have dressed 12 rookies already this season. (Troy Grosenick, Konrad Abeltshauser, Eriah Hayes, Rylan Schwartz, Riley Brace, Dylan Demelo, Tyler Gron, Lane Scheidl, Scott Fleming, Brock Higgs, Mike Pereira, and Adam Schmidt)

*Tallest Shark.... Worcester Sharks rookie defenseman Taylor Doherty is the tallest player in team history standing at 6'7" 235lbs.... Doherty scored his first professional goal in game #70 and added an assist in the Sharks 3-2OTL to the IceCaps on Nov 3, 2012. Doherty has five goals in 166 games with the Worcester Sharks.... Doherty is 2nd on Worcester with 107 penalty minutes and 3rd with seven fighting majors.... Doherty scored his 1st professional game winning goal in the 4-3W vs. Portland on Jan 10 and received his 1st NHL recall on Jan 21 and did not dress in two games for the SJ Sharks before getting assigned back to Worcester on Jan 26.

*Four straight seasons with 20?.... Forward Bracken Kearns scored his 21 goals last season and hit the 20 goal plateau for the third straight season having scored 20 and 22 goals the previous two seasons with San Antonio.... Bracken has six goals and 17 assists in 38 games this season. Kearns played in his 500th AHL game in the Sharks 5-2 win vs. St. John's on Dec 27 and then scored his 1st NHL goal in the SJ Sharks 3-1 win vs. Anaheim Ducks on Dec 29. - Kearns has three goals in the NHL this season in 22 games.

*First Pro Goals this season... Konrad Abeltshauser scored his 1st pro goal (JF Berube) in 2-1SOW at Manchester on Dec 8....Dylan Demelo scored his 1st (Malcolm Subban) in 8-2L at Providence on Jan 5.... Brock Higgs scored his 1st (Kevin Poulin) in 4-0W at Bridgeport on Mar 15.... Mike Pereira scored his 1st (JF Berube) in 5-1W vs. Manchester on Mar 16.

*Sharks in the Atlantic... Worcester went 19-14-3-4 in the Atlantic Division in 2012-13 and is 18-19-1-1 vs. the Atlantic this season.

*Massachusetts!... the Sharks have one player that hails from Massachusetts that suited up for the team this season (John McCarthy - Andover) In addition, associate coach David Cunniff hails from South Boston.

*Hockey East Alumni!... the Worcester Sharks have had five players from Hockey East Schools; (McCarthy - BU, Reid - NU, Petrecki - BC, Stalberg - Vermont, Pereira - U-Mass Amherst)

*I'll take a draft... Ten Worcester Sharks players were drafted by the San Jose Sharks. (Abeltshauser, Davison, Hamilton, Doherty, McCarthy, Nieto, Petrecki, Sateri, Viedensky, and Crane)

*NHL Experience.... The Sharks have nine players on their roster with NHL experience led by Rob Davison with 219.... Breaking down the rest....John McCarthy 83, Matt Pelech 13, Bracken Kearns 27, Matt Tennyson 4, Freddie Hamilton 11, Matt Nieto 58, Nick Petrecki 1, Eriah Hayes 15, and Chad Rau 9.

*Keeping your hat on (Thanks Ballou)... Worcester had gone 263 games without one of its players recording a hat trick before Daniil Tarasov scored three goals in Springfield on Oct 26. That was easily the longest active streak in the AHL. The Sharks' last hat trick had belonged to Dan DaSilva, who scored three times in Manchester during a 5-2 Worcester victory in Manchester on Feb. 14, 2010. No Worcester player has recorded a hat trick on home ice in more than three years, or since P.J. Fenton had one on Feb. 28, 2009 in the Sharks' 7-3 victory over Springfield. The home-ice drought has lasted for 195 games. In all, Worcester players have recorded hat tricks only nine times in the franchise's 565 games. The Sharks are 9-0 in those games and 1-15-3 in the 19 games in which the opposition has had a hat trick.

* Brothers... Sebastian Stalberg is the younger brother of Viktor Stalberg, who currently plays with the Nashville Predators.... Freddie Hamilton is the older brother of Dougie Hamilton, who currently plays with the Boston Bruins.... Rylan Schwartz is the younger brother of Jayden Schwartz, who currently plays for the St. Louis Blues.

*200/50.... John McCarthy played in his 200th game for the Sharks on Jan 26, 2013... J-Mac scored his 50th goal as a member of the Worcester Sharks joining Riley Armstrong, Mike Iggulden, Graham Mink, and Brandon Mashinter as the only five players to score 50+ goals as a member of the Worcester Sharks... JMac has played 36 games (1-1-1) this season for the SJ Sharks this season and is 3-4-7pts in 13 games with Worcester.

*Piling up the PIMS with Pelech... Forward/Defenseman Matt Pelech played in his 300th AHL game on Oct 20, 2012 vs. the Devils. The 6-foot-4 bruising defenseman turned forward from Toronto, ONT has accumulated 1,045 penalty minutes and 82 fighting majors in 366 AHL games. "Pelly" led the Sharks with 238 penalty minutes last season in 58 games. #23 is only the 2nd player in Worcester Sharks history to hit the 200 pim plateau (Evans 211 in 2007-08). Matt led the Worcester Sharks with 17 fighting majors and had one fighting major (Jared Boll) in two games last year with the SJ Sharks in 2012-13... Pelech has 22 penalty minutes and his 1st NHL goal in six games with San Jose this season.... With his two game suspension this season by the AHL, Pelech has missed 19 games due to suspension in the last 28 months with the Worcester Sharks. Pelech missed 25 games due to a broken hand suffered in a fight with Bobby Robins on Jan 3 and returned to the lineup on March 7.

*Major Bonneau... Worcester Sharks tough guy Jimmy Bonneau has racked up 49 fighting majors in 119 games for the Worcester Sharks. Bonneau has set the Worcester Sharks record for most fighting majors in a season in 2011-12 with 22, surpassing Frazer McLaren (21 in 2008-09). Jimmy has 121 fighting majors in 314 AHL games along with 906 penalty minutes.... Jimmy has 16 fighting majors and 104 penalty minutes through 39 games this season.... Bonneau scored his 2nd goal of the season in his 300th AHL game in the Sharks 4-3SOW vs. Manchester on Jan 26.

*Five for fighting... The Sharks have 70 fighting majors through 64 games and rank 10th in the AHL (Kearns 4, Bonneau 16, Davison 6, Gogol 9, Doherty 7, Pelech 5, Tarasov 2, Hayes 1, Demelo 1, Brace 1, Tennyson 1, Viedensky 1, Acolatse 6, Petrecki 4, DaSilva 2, Schwartz 1, Scheidl 1, Bigos 1, McCarthy 1). The Sharks had 84 fighting majors in 2012-13, 120 fighting majors in 2011-12 (1st in AHL), 81 fighting majors in 2010-11, 73 fighting majors in 2009-10, 78 fighting majors in 2008-09, 68 fighting majors in 2007-08 and 54 in 2006-07.

Season by the numbers... Record: 31-29-3-1, 66 points - 4th in Atlantic Win percentage: .516% - 18th in AHL, 10th in East Home Record: 16-13-0-1 Away Record: 15-16-3-0 Attendance: 120,294 through 30 games this season - 4,010 average - 23rd in AHL Goals Scored: 163, 2.55 goals per game, 25th in AHL Goals Allowed: 190, 2.97 goals against per game, 20th in AHL Shots per game: 32.88 - 3rd in AHL Shots allowed per game: 27.80 - 3rd in AHL Score 1st: 22-4-1-1 when scoring first (.821%) - 3rd in AHL 1 goal games: 17-8-3-1 in one goal games PP: 16.5%, 17th in AHL (44-267) PK: 82.8%, 13th in AHL (46-268) SHG - 5 shorthanded goals scored SHGA - 9 shorthanded goals allowed PIMS - 18.16 penalty minutes per game, 13th in AHL Fighting Majors: 70 - 10th in AHL OT Games - 14 - (1-3 record in OT) SO Games - 10 - (9-1 record in SO) Roster Players - the Sharks have used 34 players this season Goalies - the Sharks have used 2 goaltenders this season Players receiving call-ups to San Jose - 8 NHL debuts - 2 Worcester Sharks alumni making their NHL debuts this season Call-ups to San Jose - 18 different call-ups to San Jose this season

Coming and goings from the Shark Tank: Date

Player

Team

Transaction

03/25/2014

Kyle Bigos (D)

Worcester

DEL Returned on loan to Ontario (ECHL)

03/24/2014

Matt Tennyson (D)

Worcester

ADD Returned on loan from San Jose (NHL)

03/23/2014

Lane Scheidl (LW)

Worcester

DEL Loaned to Ontario (ECHL)

03/19/2014

Adam Schmidt (RW)

Worcester

ADD Signed to ATO

Top Worcester Sharks: o Goals Hamilton (19) o Game Winners Tarasov (4) o Assists Gourde (20) o Points Hamilton (19-18-37) o Power play Points Tarasov (7-6-13) o Shots DaSilva (141) o PIM Gogol (149) o Fighting Pen. Bonneau (16) o Plus/Minus Tarasov and Bigos (+5) o Wins Sateri (17) o G.A.A. Grosenick (2.73) o Save % Grosenick (.902) o Shutouts Grosenick and Sateri (1)

Sharks in the NHL:

The San Jose Sharks sit in 1st place in the Pacific Division and 3rd place in the Western Conference with 101 points and a 46-18-9 record.

Worcester Sharks alumni include: Logan Couture, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Tommy Wingels, Jason Demers, Matt Nieto, Matt Irwin, Andrew Desjardins, Justin Braun, James Sheppard, and Alex Stalock.

Week ahead for the SJ Sharks;

Mon. 9pm (EST) at Calgary

Tue. 9:30pm (EST) at Edmonton

Thu. 10:30pm (EST) vs. Winnipeg

Sat. 3pm (EST) at Colorado

Coming Up for the Worcester Sharks:

On Wednesday, the Sharks travel to Lewiston, ME to battle the Portland Pirates at 7pm.

On Friday, the Sharks battle the Monarchs in Manchester at 7pm.

On Saturday, the Sharks head to Albany for the 1st and only time this season for a 5pm date with the Devils.

Score a Family Fun Pack (4 tickets, 4 hotdogs, and 4 sodas) for any Friday, Saturday, or Sunday game starting at just $79!

Bring a group to sing the national anthem, book a fundraising event, host a birthday party, or have a blast in the high fin tunnel.... secure your personalized Sharks experience today!

Contact Worcester Sharks account executives Kristyn Galante, Erin Croce, Sean West, Amanda Perkins, Peter Kelly, Andrew Nawn, and Mike Connole today! Jump in today and save up to 40% off box office prices! Some of the exclusive benefits for full season ticket holders will include:

* Guaranteed same seat for all 38 home dates and playoff home games at the DCU Center

* Priority access to purchase tickets to other DCU Center events (subject to availability)

* Seven FREE friends and family vouchers

* Exclusive events with Sharks players

* Merchandise discounts and much, much, more!

Season ticket packages and group tickets for the 2014-15 are already on season are on sale now by contacting the Worcester Sharks Office at 508.929.0500 or by crashing the net at www.SharksAHL.com.

Socialize with the Worcester Sharks all year long! Join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WorcesterSharks, follow us on Twitter @WorcesterSharks, and download the Worcester Sharks App for free on your Droid or iPhone today!

All games can be heard live on 580AM and 94.9FM WTAG, as well as online through AHL Live, by following the link on the Sharks website at www.SharksAHL.com.



American Hockey League Stories from March 25, 2014


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