Hartford Howls To Season Sweep, Defeat Sharks 3-2
March 28, 2008 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Worcester Sharks News Release
HARTFORD, CT - A late Tom Cavanagh goal proved to be too little too late as the Worcester Sharks dropped their eighth and final decision to the Hartford Wolf Pack, 3-2 on Friday evening at the XL Center in Hartford.
With the loss, the Sharks (27-32-5-6) fall to 12 points behind the Manchester Monarchs for the fourth and final Atlantic Division playoff spot.
Despite no first-period scoring, both teams came out with an edge in an extremely hard-checking and physical stanza. At 52 seconds, Pierre Parenteau stole the puck and passed to Mike Oullette in front of the net. Worcester goaltender Thomas Greiss came out strong and made the solid positional save to keep the game scoreless. One of the Sharks' best opportunities came when Oren Eizenman made a bid for his first-career AHL goal. The play did draw a penalty though, giving Worcester its second power play opportunity.
Early in the second period, Greiss was whistled for delay of game after playing the puck outside of the trapezoidal area. The Wolf Pack capitalized on the man advantage when Hugh Jessiman scored his 14th goal of the season. Greg Moore made the pass from the left wing circle across to Jessiman who subsequently found the inside of the left post for the 1-0 advantage at 2:57. Moore and Thomas Pock were credited with the assists.
Hartford extended its lead at 13:23 when Corey Potter took a shot from the left point. Greiss made the save, but Dane Byers was right at the doorstep and readjusted to his forehand, easily finding the open net for his 22nd goal of the season. Jessiman picked up the other assist on the play.
Brennan Evans scored his first goal of 2007-08 at 18:23 on one of the strangest bounces off the back boards. His shot came from just inside the left point. The wide shot bounced off the boards and back in front where Hartford netminder David LeNeveu inadvertently kicked the puck into the net. Tom Cavanagh tallied the lone assist on the play.
The Wolf Pack answered right back with a crucial tally, extending their lead to two goals heading into the second intermission. Off the faceoff, Ivan Baranka carried the puck in between the circles and unleashed a shot that was blocked. Lauri Korpikoski collected the loose puck and beat Greiss inside the left post for the 3-1 score. Moore was credited with his second assist of the game on the play.
The Sharks cut the lead to 3-2 when Lukas Kaspar made a pass from behind the net in front to Cavanagh. His ensuing shot found the top left corner of the net for his 16th goal of the season at 19:19. Worcester made a late rush, but was unable to tie the score giving Hartford the 3-2 victory.
The Sharks continue a three-in-three road weekend on Saturday with a trip to Lowell followed by a tilt vs. Providence on Sunday afternoon. Worcester also plays in Springfield the following Wednesday before returning to the DCU Center on Friday, April 4 for a 7:05 p.m. affair with the Portland Pirates. For more information or to purchase tickets, log on to sharksahl.com or call the Sharks offices at 508-929-0500.
NOTES: Defenseman Patrick Traverse made his return to the lineup after missing the previous 11 games with an injury ... Brennan Evans and Hugh Jessiman dropped the gloves at 12:38 of the first period. After Evans made a huge open-ice hit on Artem Anisimov, Jessiman dropped his gloves and skated 25 feet to Evans, instigating the fight. Each got in a few punches, with Jessiman holding the slight advantage ... Tom Cavanagh tallied an assist for his fourth-straight game, tying a season-high ... Jessiman had a Gordie Howe Hat Trick with a goal, assist, and fight ... The Sharks didn't lead in any of the eight games of the season series ... The final attendance figure was 5,082 ... Greiss had 25 saves on 28 shots for the Sharks while LeNeveu made 20 stops on 22 shots for Hartford ... Power plays: Worcester: 0 for 5, Hartford: 1 for 4 ... Niche Hospitality Group Three Stars: Mezcal 3rd Star: LeNeveu (20 saves on 22 shots), Bocado 2nd Star: Moore (2a), Block 5 1st Star: Jessiman (1g, 1a, and a fight)
By: Justin Lafleur
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