Sharks Closing in on 1,000,000 Fans After Home Opener Sellout

October 22, 2012 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Worcester Sharks News Release


The Worcester Sharks (0-3-0-1, 1pt) chomped out zero of a possible four points in two games last week as they are still in search of their first victory of the young season. The Sharks dropped a 7-4 decision in Lewiston, ME on Friday to the Portland Pirates before returning home to a sellout crowd at the DCU Center on Saturday and fell 4-0 to the Albany Devils.

The Worcester Sharks player of the week nominee is rookie forward Freddie Hamilton. In two games last week; Hamilton recorded his first two professional points (0-2-2), fired three shots, finished -1, and looked impressive up front for the Sharks.

Few things to know....

- The Sharks are expecting to welcome their 1,000,000th fan through the DCU Center turnstiles this weekend. Currently, the Sharks have had 997,473 fans attend a regular season game in the 6+ years in Worcester.

- The Sharks are currently in 14th place in the Eastern Conference (0-3-0-1, 1pt).

- Coach Roy Sommer currently ranks 4th in the AHL with 509 wins in his career (15th season).

- Rookie Freddie Hamilton recorded his first two professional points (0-2-2) in the Sharks 7-4 loss to the Pirates in Friday.

- Sena Acolatse and Tim Kennedy each scored their first goals of the season at the Pirates on Friday.

- Defenseman Matt Pelech dressed in his 300th career AHL game on Saturday vs. Albany.

- Worcester hosts the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Friday at 7:30pm, travel to Manchester to battle the Monarchs on Saturday at 7pm, before returning home to host the Sound Tigers again on Sunday at 3pm.

Top 3... Last Week!

1. Sena Acolatse scored his first goal of the season and fired five shots on goal in the Sharks 7-4 loss at the Pirates on Friday!

2. Freddie Hamilton grabbed two assists in the Sharks loss at the Pirates on Friday!

3. Jon Matsumoto had his best game with the Sharks on Saturday as he fired 7 shots on goal in the Sharks 4-0 loss to Albany!

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

Fri., 10/19 L Worcester SHARKS 4 @ Portland Pirates 7

Sat. 10/20 L Albany Devils 4 @ Worcester SHARKS 0

This week:

Fri. 10/26 Bridgeport Sound Tigers @ Worcester SHARKS - 7:30pm

Sat. 10/27 Worcester SHARKS @ Manchester Monarchs - 7:00pm

Sun. 10/28 Bridgeport Sound Tigers @ Worcester SHARKS - 3:00pm

Rewind the Tape:

10.19.12 - Worcester 4 - Portland 7 - L - Androscoggin Bank Colisee

Sebastian Stalberg, Sena Acolatse, Yanni Gourde, and Tim Kennedy scored for the Sharks, but it wasn't enough as the Sharks fell 7-4 to the divisional rival Portland Pirates at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee on Friday night. Alex Stalock made 22 saves in goal and rookie Freddie Hamilton picked up his first two professional points with a pair of assists in the loss.

10.20.12 - Worcester 4 -Albany 0 - L - DCU Center

Worcester outshot Albany 30-27, but it wasn't enough as the Sharks fell 4-0 to the Albany Devils in the Sharks 7th home opener in front of a sellout crowd of 6,659 fans at the DCU Center on Saturday night.

Albany netminder Keith Kinkaid made 30 saves in goal and Jacob Josefson picked up two goals to lead the way offensively for the Devils. Harri Sateri made 23 saves in the loss for Worcester as the Sharks fell to 3-2-1-1 in home openers at the DCU Center.

Sharks in the Atlantic: The Sharks are swimming in 5th place with 1 point (0-3-0-1) in the Atlantic Division through 4 games, which is 5 points behind the first place Manchester Monarchs (6pts in 4gp), 3 points behind the 2nd place Providence Bruins (4pts in 4gp) and St. John's IceCaps (4pts in 4gp), and 1 point behind the 4th place Portland Pirates (2pts in 3gp) 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.

*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.

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 15seasons 1,120GP 509 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 (15th season) in the American Hockey League. His current regular season record is now: 509-469 -49 -47-46. (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 355 of the 509 victories (70%).

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

Shark Bites:

*Captains for the 2012-13 season: John McCarthy was named the Sharks 5th captain in team history on October 11, 2012. Alternate captains for this season: Home: Danny Groulx and Bracken Kearns. Away: Matt Pelech and Tim Kennedy.

*From east to west..... The Worcester Sharks had 9 players (11 call-ups) receive at least one call up to the San Jose Sharks last season. Overall the Worcester Sharks have had 39 different players receive at least one call up to the San Jose Sharks over the last six seasons.

*Season Openers... the Sharks fell to to 4-2-0-1 in season openers after their 4-2 loss in Norfolk on Oct 12.

*Home Openers... the Sharks dropped to 3-2-1-1 in home openers at the DCU Center after their 4-0 loss to the Albany Devils on Oct 20.

*Score first... the Sharks scored FIRST 39 times in 80 games last season (29-8-1-1); but have yet to score first in four games this year.

*Let's break this streak... the Sharks are 0-7-0-3 in their last ten road games dating back to the end of last season.

*First goal of the season goes to... Sebastian Stalberg scored the first Worcester Sharks goal of the season on Friday at Norfolk, joining: Mathieu Darche in 2006, Graham Mink in 2007, Cory Larose in 2008, Andrew Desjardins in 2009, Jonathan Cheechoo in 2010, and Curt Gogol in 2011.

*Starting Goalies... Alex Stalock allowed three goals on 24 shots on Friday at Norfolk to kick off the 2012-13 season. Past starting goaltenders on opening night include; Dmitri Patzold 3GA in 2006, Thomas Greiss 2GA in 2007, Thomas Greiss 5GA in 2008, Alex Stalock 2GA in 2009, Alex Stalock 5GA in 2010, and Tyson Sexsmith 3GA in 2011.

*Pro Debuts: Two players made their professional debuts in the Sharks 4-2 loss in Norfolk on Oct 12;

Freddie Hamilton and Travis Oleksuk.

*4 National Champions... The Sharks have four 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... Nick Petrecki with Boston College in 2008... and Tim Kennedy with Michigan State in 2007.

*5 years and counting... Sharks forward Jon Matsumoto has recorded at least 20+ goals (20,29,30,20,23) in five straight seasons in the AHL heading into his first season with Worcester in 2012-13. Jon has yet to find the back of the net this season through 4 games.

*Young Guns... the Sharks dressed six rookies in the season opener on Oct 12 in Norfolk. (Yanni Gourde, Travis Oleksuk, Sebastian Stalberg, Matt Tennyson, and Freddie Hamilton )

*Breaking down October... The Sharks are 0-3-0-1 (1pt in 4gp) record in October with 9 GF and 19 GA. PP is 3-23 (13.0%), opponents PP is 4-for-17 (23.5%), and the Sharks have three fighting majors in October.

*OT? The Worcester Sharks finished 12th in the AHL with 18 games (23.6%) that went into overtime in 2012-13. The Sharks finished 4-4 in OT and 2-8 in the shootout. In 2012-13, the Sharks are 0-1 in the shootout.

*Leaders among us... Sebastian Stalberg is tied for 2nd among AHL rookies with three goals and tied for 1st with two power play goals.... Matt Irwin is tied for 12th in scoring among AHL defensemen with four points (0-4-4).... Matt Pelech ranks 2nd among AHL defensemen with 22 penalty minutes.

*Nice Crowd... The Sharks had 14 crowds over 5,000 fans during the 2011-12 season, and welcomed a sellout crowd (6,659) in the home opener on Oct 20 vs. the Devils.

*Worcester/Manchester Rivalry Renewed on Saturday... the Sharks and Monarchs combined for 567 penalty minutes in the 12 games (275WOR, 292 MCH) and 25 sets of fighting major penalties in 2011-12. Worcester went 3-6-2-1 vs. Manchester last season and the series featured a pre game brawl in the series final at the DCU Center on April 10. The Sharks travel to Manchester on Saturday, Oct 27 in the first of 12 meetings this season.

*PP Specialist...Matt Irwin's 15 career power-play goals have put him in good position to set some team records, but he is not there yet. He tied the record for most power-play goals in a season by a Sharks defenseman with nine in 2011-12, also done by Garrett Stafford in 2006-07. The career record is 16, done by Derek Joslin.

*Tallest Shark.... Worcester Sharks rookie defenseman Taylor Doherty is the tallest player in team history standing at 6'7" 235lbs.

*First Pro Goals this season... still waiting!

*Great first impression... Sebastian Stalberg became just the 6th Sharks player to score in his professional debut in 2011-12 joining Joe Pavelski, Nate Raduns, Tony Lucia, Cam MacIntyre, and Curt Gogol (Thanks Bill Ballou, Worcester TG)

*Sharks in the Atlantic... Worcester went 15-21-3-5 in the Atlantic Division in 2011-12 and is 0-1-0-0 in divisional games in 2012-13.

*20 goal scorers?... The Sharks have four players that have scored at least 20+ goals in a season in the AHL... John McCarthy scored 20 goals last year for Worcester, Jon Matsumoto has score 20+ goals in AHL in each of the last five seasons, Bracken Kearns has scored 20+ goals in each of the last two seasons, and Brandon Mashinter scored 22 goals with Worcester in 2009-10.

*These Sharks have teeth Take 2?.... Worcester finished 1st in the AHL in penalty minutes averaging 21.32 penalty minutes per game and were 1st with 120 fighting major penalties in 2011-12. Worcester ranks 6th this season with 21.75 penalty minutes per game this season.

*Welcome back Groulx... Defensemen Danny Groulx is back with the Sharks after spending the last two seasons in the KHL. With Worcester in 2009-10, Groulx was named the Best Defensemen in the AHL (Eddie Shore Award) and First Team AHL All-Star as he racked up 66 points (14-52-55) in 80 games.

*Sherriff McLaren... Sharks tough guy Frazer McLaren ranks 1st all-time in Worcester Sharks history with 492 penalty minutes (47 FM) in 195 games.

*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 had five players from Hockey East Schools (Irwin - UMass-Amherst, McCarthy - BU, Reid - NU, Petrecki - BC, Stalberg - Vermont)

*Rookies... the Sharks have dressed 6 rookies already this season. (Travis Oleksuk, Sebastian Stalberg, Matt Tennyson, Freddie Hamilton, Yanni Gourde, and Mikael Tam)

*I'll take a draft... Eight Worcester Sharks players were drafted by the San Jose Sharks. (McLaren, Hamilton, Stalock, Doherty, McCarthy, Petrecki, Sateri, and Viedensky,)

*NHL Experience.... The Sharks have nine players on their roster with NHL experience led by James Sheppard with 224.... Breaking down the rest....Tim Kennedy 112, John McCarthy 51, Frazer McLaren 39, Jon Matsumoto 14, Bracken Kearns 5, Matt Pelech 5, Brandon Mashinter 13, and Alex Stalock 1.

*Franchise player?... Sharks forward Brandon Mashinter ranks in the top 10 in many of the Worcester Sharks all-time records.... Mash ranks 4th all time in goals (52), 4th in games played (210), 8th in points (104), 8th in penalty minutes (286) and 4th in fighting majors with 30.... Brandon is also the only Sharks player to record two seasons of double digits in goals and fighting major penalties (2009-10 and 2010-11).

*First Rounders... the Sharks have three players that were drafted in the first round of the NHL Draft... James Sheppard was the 9th overall pick by Minnesota in 2006, Matt Pelech was the 26th overall pick by Calgary in 2005, and Nick Petrecki was the 28th pick overall by San Jose in 2007.

*Sheppard in AHL... with 224 NHL games under his belt before an AHL conditioning stint for four games last year with Worcester, Sharks forward James Sheppard signed an AHL contract at the start of the 2012-13 season. The 9th overall draft selection by the Wild in 2006, has three points (1-2-3) in four games with the Sharks this season.

*Closing in on Greiss.... Sharks netminder Alex Stalock has 59 career wins with Worcester, trailing only Thomas Greiss (74) for the most in franchise history.

*200 games... Sharks defensemen Nick Petrecki is 6th in Sharks history with 204 games played... Nick also ranks 4th in penalty minutes with 360.

*Younger Brother... Sebastian Stalberg joined Worcester on March 15, 2012 after he signed an NHL contract with San Jose and finished his junior season at the University of Vermont. Sebastian is the younger brother of Viktor Stalberg, who currently plays with the Chicago Blackhawks. Sebastian has recorded seven points (6-2-8) in 17 career games with Worcester. The native of Gothenburg, Sweden finished with 27 goals in 106 games with Vermont.

*Older Brother... Sharks forward Freddie Hamilton made his professional debut with the Sharks on Friday in Norfolk. Freddie recorded 86 points (35-51-86) with Niagara (OHL) in 61 games last season. Freddie is the older brother of the Dougie Hamilton who was drafted by the Boston Bruins with the 9th pick overall in 2011. Dougie is currently still playing in Niagara. Freddie picked up his first professional points with a pair of assists at the Pirates on Oct 19.

*Like Father, Like Son... Rookie Curt Gogol finished 3rd on the Sharks with 167 penalty minutes and 2nd with 19 fighting majors through 53 games in 2011-12... his father Brent racked up 892 penalty minutes in 157 professional games in the IHL, CHL, EHL, and the AHL including 380 pims in 1978-79 in 57 games with the Flint Generals.

*Piling up the PIMS with Pelech... Defenseman Matt Pelech played in his 300th AHL game on Oct 20 vs. the Devils. The 6-foot-5 bruising defenseman from Toronto, ONT has accumulated 784 penalty minutes and 62 fighting majors in those games.

*Major Bonneau... Worcester Sharks tough guy Jimmy Bonneau racked up 22 fighting majors in 54 games in 2011-12 for the Sharks. Bonneau has set the Worcester Sharks record for most fighting majors in a season surpassing Frazer McLaren (21 in 2008-09). Jimmy has 92 fighting majors in 241 AHL games along with 721 penalty minutes.... Jimmy has yet to suit up in 2012-13 as he is serving an eight game AHL suspension.

*Acolatse can throw... Worcester Sharks rookie defenseman Sena Acolatse has been quite impressive in his first seven professional hockey fights this season. The 5-11, 205 pounder and native of Hayward, CA native fought Richard Clune, Brett Hextall, Dane Byers, Stephane Veilleux, Andre Deveaux, J.D. Watt, and Garth Murray in 2011-12. Sena led the Prince George Cougars in WHL with 15 fighting majors in 66 games in 2010-11, and also added 15 goals. Acolatse added eight goals from the blue line for Worcester in 2011-12.

*Five for fighting...The Sharks finished with 120 fighting majors in 2011-12 (franchise record) good for 1st in the AHL... this season, the Sharks have three fighting majors through four games and raked 17th in the AHL (Pelech 2, Kearns 1). The Sharks had 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: 0-3-0-1, 1 point - 5th in Atlantic

Win percentage: .125% - 28th in AHL

Home Record: 0-1-0-0

Away Record: 0-2-0-1

Attendance: 6,659 through 1 game (6,659 average - 9th in AHL)

Goals Scored: 9, 2.25 goals per game, 25th in AHL

Goals Allowed: 19, 4.75 goals against per game, 28th in AHL

Shots per game: 31.25 -10th in AHL

Shots allowed per game: 27.50 - 10th in AHL

Score 1st: 0-0-0-0 when scoring first (.000%)

1 goal games: 0-0-0-1 in one goal games

PP: 12.5%, 19th in AHL (3-23)

PK: 76.5%, 20th in AHL (4-17)

SHG - 0 shorthanded goals scored

SHGA - 2 shorthanded goals allowed

PIMS - 21.75 penalty minutes per game, 6th in AHL

Fighting Majors: 2- 4th in AHL

OT Games - 1 - (0-0 record in OT)

SO Games - 1 - (0-1 record in SO)

Roster Players - the Sharks have used 21 players this season

Goalies - the Sharks have used 2 goaltenders this season

Players receiving call-ups to San Jose - 0

NHL debuts - 0 Worcester players made their NHL debuts this season

Call-ups to San Jose - 0 different call-ups to San Jose this season

Coming and goings from the Shark Tank:

Date Player Team Transaction

10/17/2012 Mikael Tam (D) Worcester ADD Recalled from loan to San Francisco (ECHL)

Top Worcester Sharks:

o Goals Stalberg (3)

o Game Winners

o Assists Irwin (4)

o Points Irwin (0-4-4)

o Power play Points Stalberg (2-0-2) and Irwin (0-2-2)

o Shots Stalberg (16 shots)

o PIM Pelech (22)

o Fighting Pen. Pelech (2)

o Plus/Minus several tied at EVEN

o Wins

o G.A.A. Sateri (3.37)

o Save % Sateri (.873)

o Shutouts

Sharks in the ECHL:

The San Francisco Bulls are 2-1-0-2 (6pts in 5gp) and currently in 2nd place in the Pacific Division.

Sharks players under an AHL contract currently playing in Bakersfield include:

G Taylor Nelson (1-0-1 record) with a 2.88 GAA and a .882 save %

G Thomas Heemskerk (1-1-1 record) with a 3.58 GAA and a .900 save %

Week ahead for the Bulls:

Fri. Oct 26 at 11:15pm (EST) at Alaska

Sat. Oct 27 at 11:15pm (EST) at Alaska

Sun. Oct 28 at 7:05pm (EST) at Alaska

Coming Up for the Worcester Sharks:

The Sharks are getting geared up for their first 3-in-3 weekend of the 2012-13 season!

On Friday, kick off the weekend with a $2-$2-$2 Friday ($2 hot dogs, popcorn, and soda) as the Sharks host the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at 7:30pm. College student tickets are only $9 on Fridays with a valid student ID!

On Saturday, the Sharks travel to Manchester for their 1st of 12 meetings vs. their divisional rivals! Catch the action LIVE on WTAG!

On Sunday, the Sharks welcome back the Sound Tigers at 3pm for a Monster MASH(inter)! Celebrate Halloween early and trick-or-treat in the concourse! Join us for the annual on-ice costume parade during the first intermission! The first 2,000 fans will receive a FREE Sharks player poster! Also, it will be another $5 KIDS Sunday, with a purchase of a full price adult ticket.

Score a family fun pack today for only $79! Four tickets, four hot dogs, and four sodas for a portion of the price! Available only through the Sharks front office for every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday games this season! Click HERE to purchase today!

In addition, 2012-13 Flex ticket packages are on sale now! Score your 40 or 10 ticket flex package by contacting the Worcester Sharks front office at 508-929-0500. You decide how many tickets and how many games YOU want to attend while saving $$$ off box office pricing! It is that EASY!

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 ticket representatives Jason Jones, Jonathan Forsberg, Kristyn Galante, Sarah Farley, and Ben Masse as they are taking deposits for the Sharks 7th season in Worcester! Jump in today and save up to 45% 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 2012-13 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 October 22, 2012


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