Sharks Close out November 6-4-0-2

Published on November 30, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Worcester Sharks News Release


Shark Snap Shot:

The Sharks chomped four points in their first 4 games in 5 day stretch and concluded a stretch of 7 games in 10 days. Alex Stalock had a terrific week, getting the start in all four games and compiling a .935 save percentage during the stretch. Joe Loprieno scored his first professional goal on Saturday in a week that saw plenty of transactions from the NHL and ECHL.

Top 3!

#1 Alex Stalock makes 129 saves on 138 shots (.935%) and was the #1 star in Hershey on Wednesday and the #2 star in Providence on Friday!

#2 Joe Loprieno scores his first professional goal in his 58th professional game in 4-2 loss to Charlotte on Saturday!

#3 Dan DaSilva scores in 3rd straight game, giving the Sharks some wiggle room in a 4-1 victory on Providence on Friday!

Last Week: (2-2-0-0) 4pts, 4gp

Wed. 11/24 W Worcester SHARKS 3 @ Hershey Bears 2

Fri. 11/26 W Worcester SHARKS 4 @ Providence Bruins 1

Sat. 11/27 L Charlotte Checkers 4 @Worcester SHARKS 2

Sun. 11/28 L Manchester Monarchs 5 @ Worcester SHARKS 2

This week:

Wed. 12/1 Conneticut Whale @ Worcester SHARKS - 7:00pm

Sat. 12/4 Worcester SHARKS @ Conneticut Whale - 7:00pm

Sun. 12/5 Portland Pirates @ Worcester SHARKS - 3:00pm

Rewind the Tape:

11.24.10 - Worcester 3 - Hershey 2 - W - Giant Center

Alex Stalock was superb making 41 saves in net and Sean Sullivan scored in his third straight game as Worcester defeated the Bears 3-2 at the Giant Center in Hershey, PA on Wednesday night. Dan DaSilva and Tommy Wingels scored in the first period to charge out to a 2-0 lead as the Sharks improved to 7-0-0-0 when they score the first goal of the game.

11.26.10 - Worcester 4 - Providence 1 - W - Dunkin Donuts Center

Alex Stalock made 35 saves and Dan DaSilva scored in his third straight game as Worcester defeated the Bruins 4-1 at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence on Friday night. Jonathan Cheechoo, Nick Petrecki, and T.J. Trevelyan also scored for the Sharks as Worcester improved to 8-0-0-0 when they score the first goal of the game.

11.27.10 - Worcester 2 - Charlotte 4 - L - DCU Center

Joe Loprieno scored his first professional goal and Alex Stalock made 34 saves but Worcester got doubled up by the Checkers 4-2 at the DCU Center in Worcester on Saturday night as the Sharks had their three game winning streak snapped. Matt Irwin also scored for the Sharks and Worcester fell for the first time when leading after the first period (5-1-0-0) as the Checkers scored three unanswered goals.

11.28.10 - Worcester 2 - Manchester 5 - L - DCU Center

Manchester scored three 2nd period goals as the Sharks dropped a 5-2 decision at the DCU Center in Worcester on Sunday afternoon to close out their 4-in-5 stretch at 2-2-0-0. Jonathan Cheechoo and Matt Irwin scored for Worcester as the Sharks fell in their second straight game at the DCU Center. Worcester scored twice on the power play and Riley Gill made 8 saves on 10 shots in relief.

Sharks in the Atlantic: The Sharks are swimming in 3rd place with 24 points (10-7-1-3) in the Atlantic Division through 21 games, which is 8 points behind the first place Manchester Monarchs (24gp) and 5 points behind the 2nd place Portland Pirates (29 points), The 4th place Falcons have 23 points (23gp) while Bridgeport (22 points), Providence (21 points), and Connecticut (21points), round out a very choppy Atlantic Division.

400 WINS and chasing 1000 games....

400 WINS!....With the 4-1 victory vs. Springfield on November 1, 2009 head coach Roy Sommer became just the 4th coach in AHL history to reach the 400 win plateau.

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 1981-2009 15seasons 1,107GP 585 WINS

4. Roy Sommer 1998-current 13th season 981GP 452 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 (13th season) in the American Hockey League. His current regular season record after the win is now: 452-409-58-62.

Coach Sommer will coach his 1,000th AHL game on January 11, 2011 when the Sharks host the Albany Devils.

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, Assistant Coach David Cunniff recorded an assist as a member of the River Rats in the hockey game.

Assistant Coach David Cunniff has joined Coach Sommer in 298 of the 450 victories (66%).

Shark Bites:

Captains for the 2010-11 season: Captain Jay Leach (1st year), Assistant Captains on the road: Jonathan Cheechoo (1st year) and Nick Petrecki (1st year). Assistant Captains at home: Andrew Desjardins (1st year) and Sean Sullivan (1st year)

From east to west..... The Sharks had 12 players that saw action in both the AHL and NHL last season (McLaren, Zalewski, Vesce, Joslin, McGinn, Couture, Callahan, Ferriero, Mitchell, Demers, McCarthy, and Helminen). The Worcester Sharks have had 5 CALL-UPS this season to San Jose... Currently; Benn Ferriero, Mike Moore, Logan Couture, Jason Demers, Derek Joslin, John McCarthy, Jamie McGinn, Joe Pavelski, Devin Setoguchi, Marc-Edourd Vlasic, and Doug Murray are all former Worcester Sharks that are currently playing with the San Jose Sharks.

Home openers... the Sharks are 2-1-1-1 in five home openers at the DCU Center, including a 4-3 overtime loss to the Bruins on Saturday. Worcester was the last team in the AHL to host their home opener, and October 23rd was the Sharks latest home opener on record. The Sharks lost in a shootout 5-4 to Portland in 2006, defeated Portland 3-2 in 2007, defeated the Bruins in overtime 3-2 in 2008, and lost to Lowell 7-5 in 2009.

Score first... the Sharks have scored FIRST 8 times in 21 games this season (8-0-0-0) after scoring first in 42-of-80 games last season (34-6-0-2).... Benn Ferriero has scored the first goal in three games while Jonathan Cheechoo (2), Sean Sullivan, and Dan DaSilva (2) have the others... Worcester is the only team that has a perfect record when scoring the first goal of the game.

Slim Margins... 11 of the Sharks 21 games have been decided by one goal this season... Worcester is 6-1-1-3 in those eight games.

Don't allow 4... The Sharks are 10-2-0-2 when they allow three goals or less in a game...BUT... Worcester is 0-5-1-1 when they allow four goals or more.

Quarter Mark... the Sharks finished the 1st quarter of the AHL season with a 10-6-1-3 record good for 24 points through 20 games. It was the best first quarter by the Worcester Sharks in five seasons.

Braun in NHL... Justin Braun made his NHL debut in Vancouver on Nov 26... Justin played 16:56 in the loss to the Canucks... Braun recorded two assists in his 2nd NHL game in a 4-3W in Edmonton ob Nov 24 and was the #3 star with a +2 rating in 22:48 of action.... He had two points (3-7-10) in 17 games at the time of his recall on Nov 23.

Sullivan Scores... Sharks defenseman Sean Sullivan already has 6 goals (2 GWG) this season from the Sharks blue line, good for 3rd in the AHL. The 26-year-old from Boston, MA had 12 goals and 49 points in San Antonio last season.

Give me Moore... #8 has played 154 games in a Worcester Sharks jersey (11th all-time) and has compiled 43 points (10-33-43) and 232 penalty minutes. His +28 is 4th best in Sharks history. He recorded his first professional two goal game on November 14 vs. Norfolk and was the #1 star. Moore scored his first NHL goal in his 2nd NHL game in a 4-3OTL in Colorado on November 17th. Mike scored at 9:14 of the 2nd period on a slap shot assisted by Dany Heatley on Peter Budaj to give the Sharks a 3-1 lead.

Who's your BF?... Sharks 2nd year forward Benn Ferriero started his sophomore campaign on FIRE with NINE goals through 10 games to lead the Sharks offensively. Benn has played two games with the San Jose Sharks this season has a goal. (at Edmonton on Nov 27)

Sheriff back in town... Frazer McLaren returned to Worcester on Nov 20 after beginning the season with the San Jose Sharks. Frazer has played in 133 games in a Worcester Sharks sweater accumulating 24 points (11-13-24) and 346 penalty minutes. McLaren ranks 3rd all time in penalty minutes by a Worcester Sharks player (Brennan Evans 381, and Brad Staubitz 462)

Sharks in the Atlantic... the Sharks have a 7-2-1-2 record against Atlantic Division prey this season.

Good when leading... the Sharks have a 5-1-0-0 when leading after the 1st period of play and a perfect 8-0-0-0 when leading after the 2nd period of play this season. The Sharks are 1 of 5 teams with a perfect record when leading 2nd period.

Reunion of sorts...Jonathan Cheechoo returns to the Sharks organization in Worcester and will once again play for head coach Roy Sommer.... Coach Sommer coached Cheechoo in Kentucky and Cleveland in the AHL before his NHL days. Cheechoo had 56-63-119pts in 137 games under Coach Sommer. "Cheech" ranks 1st in Worcester with 20 points (7-13-20) in 21 games this season.

Familiar Faces...19 players return to the 2010-11 roster from the regular season Atlantic Division championship team including four 20 goal scorers (DaSilva, Mashinter, Trevelyan, and Zalewski) and team MVP Alex Stalock.

56... The Sharks allowed a franchise record 56 shots on goal in Norfolk on Saturday, October 16th in a 7-2 loss to the Admirals... the previous high for most shots allowed in a game was on April 6, 2007 when the Sharks allowed 52 shots in a 4-1 win over the Wolf Pack at the DCU Center.

47... Carter Hutton made 47 saves in his Sharks debut on Saturday, October 16th in Norfolk... the 47 saves are an AHL high by a netminder this season.

Nice Start... Carter Hutton made his first start of the season on Sunday, October 31st in Providence and made 37 saves to pick up the victory in a 6-1 win over the Bruins.

Sweet 16...The Worcester Sharks are the 16th professional team that Sharks captain has suited up for in this, his 10th professional season (Mississippi - ECHL, Springfield - AHL, Augusta - ECHL, Long Beach - ECHL, Providence - AHL, Trenton - ECHL, Bridgeport - AHL, Boston - NHL, Norfolk - AHL, Tampa Bay - NHL, Portland - AHL, Lowell - AHL, New Jersey - NHL, Montreal - NHL, San Jose - NHL, and Worcester - AHL)

Young Guns... the Sharks have TEN rookies, including three from UMASS-Amherst (Braun, Irwin, and Marcou) and two from UMASS-Lowell (Hutton and Schaus).

Vets... Three veterans will provide leadership for the Sharks squad this season, which include: former Maurice Richard winner Jonathan Cheechoo, former Boston Bruins defenseman Jay Leach, and the leading goal scorer for the Sharks from last season, T.J. Trevelyan.

I'll take a draft....EIGHT Worcester Sharks players were drafted by the San Jose Sharks. (Braun, Cheechoo, Lucia, McLaren, Petrecki, Stalock, Wingels, and Zalewski)

You always remember your first pro..... Justin Braun (UMASS-Amherst) scored his first professional goal vs. Providence on October 23... Matt Irwin (UMASS-Amherst) scored his first professional goal vs. Rochester October 29... Joe Loprieno scored his first professional goal vs. Charlotte on November 27.

Firsts last Week... Joe Loprieno scored his first professional goal vs. Charlotte on November 27... Riley Gill saw his first AHL action on November 28, making 8 saves in relief of Alex Stalock vs. Manchester... Jason Pitton and Jim McKenzie played their first games in a Worcester Sharks jersey on November 27 vs Charlotte.... Dan DaSilva picked up his first fighting major vs. Jordan Nolan on November 28 vs. Manchester.

Streakers... Matt Irwin has points in three straight games (2-1-3)... Alex Stalock has made 5 straight starts in goal.

Stole it from Bill Ballou... Brandon Mashinter became the 3rd Worcester Sharks player to reach the 100 games played plateau against Manchester on November 28... The Sharks are 6-1-0-0 when there two referees calling penalties.

Stole it from Bill Ballou 2... The Sharks did not have a single power play in their 4-3W over Springfield on Nov 21 - it marked the first time in 337 regular season games the Sharks did not have a power play chance.

Crazed Rat grabs 30... with his game winning goal on Nov 21st vs. the Falcons, Andrew Desjardins became the 9th player in franchise history to score 30 goals.

Plus Players... Andrew Desjardins ranks 1st in franchise history with a +41 followed by fellow Crazed Rat Dan DaSilva who is +39.

Massachusetts... The Sharks have THREE players born and raised in Massachusetts (Sean Sullivan - Boston, Corey Quirk - Brockton, and Benn Ferriero - Essex) In all, the Sharks have 13 American born players and ten Canadians.

Breaking down the scoring... The Sharks have scored 56 goals this season... 19 on the power play, 35 even strength goals, and 2 shorthanded tallies.

Pit stop for Pitton... Jason Pitton made his debut with the Sharks on Nov 27 picking up a fighting major (Blanchard) and an assist in the first period. The native of Brampton, ONT enters his 5th professional season and the Sharks are his 7th pro team.

Goals for Petrecki... 2nd year defenseman Nick Petrecki has 5 points (3-2-5) and 46 penalty minutes in 21 games for the Sharks this season....His two game winners rank 2nd in the AHL among defensemen.... The 21-year-old from Schenectady, NY had 14 points last season (2-12-14) with the Sharks.

Loprieno the forward... D-Man Joe Loprieno has played forward the last three games for the Sharks and scored his first pro goal in the first period vs. Charlotte on Nov 27.

Feeling Special... Worcester ranks 10th in the AHL on the PK at 84.4% (12-for-77) and 5th in the AHL on the power play with a 21.3% conversion rating (19-for-89)... The Sharks have scored three power play goals in three games this season.

Man advantage a rarity... the Sharks have the fewest power play chances in the AHL with 89 (4.23 per game) but have been shorthanded the fewest amount of times at 77 (3.67 per game)

Good Sharks!... The Sharks rank 28th in the AHL with just 14.62 penalty minutes per game.

Follow the AHL leaders.... Alex Stalock ranks 2nn with 457 saves and 4th in minutes played with 1008... Sean Sullivan is tied for 2nd among AHL defensemen with 6 goals and 2 game winners.... Nick Petrecki is tied for 2nd with 2 game winning goals.

Stalock the stopper... Sharks goaltender Alex Stalock has allowed just 22 goals in his last 11 games after allowing 25 goals in his first 7 games.... Alex ranks 4th in the AHL with 1008 minutes played and 2nd in saves with 457.

Mr. Dependable.... Andrew Desjardins has dressed in 175 straight games for Worcester breaking the record held by Derek Joslin (114 games).... Desjardins has the 2nd longest streak in the AHL (Nick Dodge in Charlotte).

Five for fighting...The Sharks have 18 fighting majors this season... (Garet Hunt 3, Brandon Mashinter 4, Sean Sullivan 2, Jay Leach 2, Nick Petrecki 4, Andrew Desjardins 1, Dan DaSilva 1, and Jason Pitton 1). The Sharks had 73 fighting majors last season, 78 fighting majors in 2009-10, 68 fighting majors in 2007-08 and 54 in 2006-07.

Coming and goings from the Shark Tank:

11.23.10 - Justin Braun recalled to San Jose

11.26.10 - Benn Ferriero recalled to San Jose

11.27.10 - Tommy Wingels recalled to San Jose

11.27.10 - Worcester Sharks sign Jason Pitton and Jim McKenzie to PTO's

11.29.10 - Jim McKenzie released from PTO

11.29.10 - Tommy Wingels loaned to Worcester from San Jose

11.29.10 - Mike Moore recalled by San Jose

Top Worcester Sharks:

o Goals Ferriero (10) - currently on recall to San Jose

o Game Winners Desjardins, Petrecki, and Sullivan (2)

o Assists Cheechoo (13)

o Points Cheechoo (7-13-20)

o Power play Points Cheechoo (4-6-10)

o Shots Cheechoo (61)

o PIM Petrecki (46)

o Fighting Pen. Mashinter and Petrecki (4)

o Plus/Minus Desjardins (+8)

o Wins Stalock (9)

o G.A.A. Hutton (1.95)

o Save % Hutton (.940)

o Shutouts

Sharks in the Pacific:

The San Jose Sharks are 11-7-4 with 26 points through 22 games and is currently in 4th place in the Pacific Division trailing the first place Dallas Stars by 3 points.

Logan Couture (8-5-13) and John McCarthy (2-2-4) have played very well in San Jose to start the season. Logan is 3rd on the team lead with 8 goals. Former Worcester Sharks; Joe Pavelski, Devin Setoguchi, and Torrey Mitchell have all scored goals for San Jose. Derek Joslin has returned to the lineup and has an assist in six games. Justin Braun has 2 points (0-2-2) in two games and Benn Ferriero has a goal in two games played.

Tue: Det @ SJ - Thu: SJ @ Ott - Sat: SJ @ Mtl

Sharks in the ECHL:

The Stockton Thunder are 8-4-1-3 with 20 points in 16 games and are tied with the Las Vegas Wranglers for 1st place in the Pacific Division in the ECHL. Ryan Constant (AHL contact) and Tyson Sexsmith (NHL contract), are all in Stockton to begin the season. Sexsmith is 3-1-1-1 with a 2.93 GAA and a .881 save % and one fighting major.

Coming Up:

On Wednesday, the Sharks host the Connecticut Whale at 7pm! Enjoy $1 hot dogs the entire game! Unemployed Sharks fans can receive up to four free tickets for their family with state ID and proof of unemployment courtesy of Sharks Charities. For more information please visit SharksAHL.com.

On Saturday, the Sharks travel to Hartford for a 7pm date with the Conneticut Whale... listen to the game live on WTAG!

On Sunday, the Sharks host the Portland Pirates at 3pm in a battle for the Unum Cup! The Sharks are 0-0-0-1 vs. the Pirates this season. Its $5 Kids Sundays presented by Papa Gino's! Kids 12-and-under are just $5 with a purchase of an adult gold level ticket! With each complete purchase (along with the purchase of an adult gold level ticket) fans will receive a FREE large cheese pizza coupon to be used at participating Papa Gino's locations. The $5 Kids Sunday ticket offer will only be available at the DCU Center Box Office on the day of the game.

Get your family fun pack (4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, and 4 sodas) for just $69 for all Friday and Saturday games! (must be purchased through the Sharks front office in advance at 508-929-0500)

Marina Riva, Chris Curtis, Jonathan Forsberg, Jason Jones, Kristen Moore, and Matt Renzulli are taking deposits for the Sharks 5th season in Worcester! Jump in today and save over 30% off box office prices! Some of the exclusive benefits for full season ticket holders will include:

Guaranteed same seat for all 40 home dates and playoff home games at the DCU Center

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

Five FREE friends and family vouchers

Exclusive events with the Worcester Sharks players

Merchandise discounts and much, much, more!

Season ticket packages and group tickets for the 2010-11 season are on sale now by contacting the Worcester Sharks Office at 508.929.0500 or by crashing the net at www.SharksAHL.com .

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 .

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American Hockey League Stories from November 30, 2010


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