Sharks Chomp 6th Straight in 5-1 Win over Manchester
March 16, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Worcester Sharks News Release
Worcester, MA - The Worcester Sharks (30-27-3-1, 64pts) topped the Manchester Monarchs (40-17-2-6, 88pts) 5-1 before 4,645 fans as they played the final of three consecutive weekend games Sunday afternoon at the DCU Center. With the win, the Sharks swept the weekend, earning 6-of-6 points for the second weekend in a row. In the game, the Sharks sported specialty SHINE Initiative jersey to raise awareness about mental illness in children and young adults as a mainstream health issue.
The Sharks racked up four goals the second period on just nine shot - the first time the Sharks have scored four goals in a period all season The Monarchs put up the first tally of the night with a goal by Andrew Crescenzi, but the Sharks answered with five of their own, including two on the power play. The Sharks' four second period goals were netted by Travis Oleksuk (1-2-3), Mike Pereira (1-0-1), Daniil Tarasov (2-0-2), and Brock Higgs (1-1-2). Tarasov scored again in the third, solidifying the game at 5-1. In the win, tender Harri Sateri put on a solid performance making 26 saves.
The first period resulted in a lone Monarchs tally as the Sharks entered the second period trailing 1-0. The period opened with some action when Jimmy Bonneau (15th FM) and Andy Andreoff (10th FM) dropped the gloves for an evenly fought battle just 1:55 in. After 16:26 of back and forth hockey, the Monarchs broke the tie with just their second shot on goal. Ian O'Connor skated down the right side of the Sharks' defensive zone and sent a pass out to the slot from deep in the right corner of the boards. Andrew Crescenzi (2nd) read the play well and gave Manchester the lead with a shot by Sateri's glove-side. As the clock expired, Mike Pereira tried to even the game with a rush down the ice, but Monarchs' tender Jean-Francois Berube remained strong down to the last second making all seven necessary saves. Shots for the period were 7-3 in favor of Worcester.
The Sharks scored four goals in a period for the first time all season and brought the score to 4-1 in the second. Worcester's first three goals came within 3:53 of each other. The first occurred at 3:17 on a Sharks' power play when Dan DaSilva cycled the puck from the low right to the open left point where Travis Oleksuk (13th) sniped a shot for Worcester's first mark of the afternoon. Then at 5:24, Mike Pereira (1st) scored his first goal as a professional when he picked up a pass from Chad Rau and skated the puck through the offensive zone and across the front of the net. After a quick dangle, Pereira snuck the puck between Berube's right pad and the left post. The third mark at 7:10, came after Oleksuk hoisted a lifted pass over a pressuring defenseman to Tarasov (16th) directly in front of the Monarchs' net, where he finished the play. The Sharks' final tally of the second came at 12:12 from Brock Higgs (3rd) in his debut at the DCU Center. Higgs picked up a pass from Rylan Schwartz in the middle of the offensive zone and rocketed a shot through the Monarchs' defense and Berube. The Monarchs switched out Berube for Mathias Niederberger for the remainder of the game after Higgs' goal. While the Sharks' offensive put up some work taking nine shots, their defense kept the Monarchs off the board as Sateri stopped all 14 of the Manchester's shots.
The Sharks furthered their scoring in the closing period with another insurance goal, making the final 5-1 over Manchester. The third period tally came at 15:14 on a power play when Oleksuk dished the puck from the point to Higgs just outside the right post where he took a shot that was pushed aside by Niederberger. Tarasov (17th) awaited the rebound and buried it for his second of the night. Shots for the final period were 10-5 in favor of Manchester.
The Sharks' overall record improves to 30-27-3-1, 64pts and 15-12-0-1, 31pts at home.
Notes: Three Stars: 3rd star: Harri Sateri (26 Saves, 16th Win) 2nd star: Brock Higgs (1-1-2) 1st star: Daniil Tarasov (2-0-2, PPG)...Final shots were 27-21 in favor of Manchester...Jean-Francois Berube made 11 saves on 15 shots for Manchester while Mathias Niederberger made 5 saves on 6 shots...Harri Sateri made 26 saves on 27 shots for Worcester....Worcester went 2-4 on the power play while Manchester went 0-4.... Sena Acolatse (inj), Lane Scheidl (inj), Brodie Reid (inj), Eriah Hayes (inj), and Matt Pelech (vet) did not dress for Worcester...The Sharks are 37-41-4 in 82 career matchups with the Manchester...The Sharks swept the weekend going 3-0-0-0 for the second consecutive weekend and are now on a six-game win streak, marking their longest of the season...Schwartz (1-3-4) and DaSilva (1-4-5) extended their point streaks to four games while Abeltshauser (1-4-5), Higgs (3-2-5) and Oleksuk (1-4-5) extended their point streaks to three games...Kyle Bigos, Brock Higgs and Mike Pereira all made their debuts at the DCU Center in the game...Eight different Sharks picked up assists tonight including DaSilva, Bigos, Rau, Abeltshauser (2), Oleksuk (2), Hamilton, Schwartz and Higgs.
Coming up...
The Sharks have another three-game weekend ahead, opening with two contests at home before closing out the weekend on the road. The weekend kicks-off on Friday, March 21st when the Sharks host the Springfield Falcons at the DCU Center for a 7:30 p.m. puck-drop on $2-$2-$2 Friday! Also, before the game fans can get their picture taken with the World Series Trophy from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Then on Saturday, March 22nd, the Sharks will get a visit from the Hershey Bears for a 7:00 p.m. showdown at the DCU Center. Before Saturday's game is the 4th annual MSHCA High School All-Star Classic presenter by Shriners, featuring a girls' game at 1:45 p.m. and a boys' game at 4:00 p.m. Worcester will then close out its weekend on Sunday, March 23rd at 3:05 p.m. with a roadie versus Providence at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.
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