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Falcons Fly Over Sharks, 4-1

March 15, 2008 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Worcester Sharks News Release


SPRINGFIELD, MA - A strong second period wasn't enough as the Worcester Sharks fell behind early and were unable to claw back in a 4-1 loss to the Springfield Falcons on Saturday night.

With the loss, the Sharks (26-29-4-6) fall to eight points behind the Falcons for the fourth and final playoff spot.

The Falcons came out strong and capitalized toward the end of their first power play at 4:55 of the first period. Liam Reddox made a pass from behind the net that trickled to Viacheslav Trukhno. Trukhno's wrist shot from the right faceoff circle knuckled under the glove hand of Sharks goaltender Thomas Greiss for the 1-0 lead. Rob Schremp picked up the other assist on the play.

Springfield capitalized on a fortunate bounce at 11:10 of the period. After a dump in the zone, Stephane Goulet threw the puck in front of the net. It redirected off the skate of Greiss and over the goal line for the 2-0 advantage. Trukhno and Brad Farynuk were credited with the assists.

At 15:28, it looked like Worcester had cut the lead in half, but referee Terry Koharski had blown the play dead thinking Springfield goaltender Jeff Deslauriers had covered up. Derek Joslin's long shot from the point was saved by Deslauriers and snuck behind him. A Sharks player knocked the puck into the net, but it didn't matter.

In the second period, the Falcons missed a handful of golden opportunities to extend their lead and the Sharks capitalized by cutting the lead in half at 10:35. Grant Potulny had a wide open net on a rebound, but missed the net. On Worcester's ensuing rush up ice, Tom Cavanagh skated down the right wing side and made a pass to Dennis Packard in front of the net. Packard's initial shot was saved, but the second opportunity found the back of the net for his eighth of the season. Graham Mink picked up the other assist on the play.

Craig Valette was called for a five minute major penalty for boarding at 15:28 of the second giving the Falcons a golden opportunity to add insurance. Less than two minutes later, Riley Armstrong was also whistled for a penalty, giving Springfield two full minutes of a two-man advantage. The Worcester penalty kill continued to do a tremendous job of limiting Springfield's rush into the offensive zone, and when they did, Greiss came up with timely saves. The power play was negated when Cavanagh drew a penalty on Theo Peckham at 18:58. After Greiss made another tremendous save on a Potulny breakaway, the Sharks went into the locker room with a 2-1 deficit.

The Falcons quickly regained the momentum with a tally 1:40 into the third period. Schremp centered the puck from along the right wing boards to Ben Simon. Simon redirected the puck to the top left corner of the net for the crucial insurance goal. T.J. Kemp picked up the other assist on the play.

Springfield opened up its first three-goal lead of the evening at 7:35 of the third. Ryan Garlock made a touch pass to Colin McDonald who subsequently fired the shot past Greiss for his 12th of the season and the 4-1 lead, which stood as the final.

The Sharks host the Hartford Wolf Pack to finish the "3 in 3" weekend on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. The Sharks will be sporting special St. Patrick's Day jerseys that will then be auctioned off for charity. For more information or to purchase tickets, log on to sharksahl.com or call the Sharks offices at 508-929-0500.

NOTES: With his assist in the second period, Graham Mink extended his point streak to three games. He now has 14 points (8 goals, 6 assists) in the last 11 games ... The Sharks were snake bitten all night with the goal that they were attacking at in the first and third period: In the first, referee Terry Koharski blew his whistle thinking Jeff Deslauriers had covered up, which negated a Sharks goal. At 4:05 of the third period, the Sharks thought they cut into the lead when Koharski pointed to the net signaling a goal, but the goal light never went on and the puck never went in. Later in the third, the red light went on even though the puck never crossed the goal line ... This was only the second game of the season series (out of seven) that there wasn't a fight in the game ...The final attendance figure was 3,847 ... Greiss had 21 saves on 25 shots for the Sharks while Deslauriers made 22 stops on 23 shots for Springfield ... Power plays: Worcester: 0 for 3, Springfield 1 for 5 ... Niche Hospitality Group Three Stars: Mezcal 3rd Star: McDonald (1g), Bocado 2nd Star: Schremp (2a), Block 5 1st Star: Trukhno (1g, 1a)

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