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Sharks Do Unthinkable, But Fall 5-4 In OT

March 21, 2008 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Worcester Sharks News Release


WORCESTER - In perhaps the wildest ending in Worcester Sharks history, the Sharks scored two goals in the final 21 seconds of the third period to force overtime, but fell to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, 5-4 in the extra session on Friday evening.

The Sharks took a 2-0 lead into the third period before allowing four straight Sound Tiger goals to give Bridgeport a two-goal lead with under 45 seconds remaining in the hockey game. Ashton Rome scored with just 21 seconds remaining and Tom Walsh scored the unbelievable tying goal with just 2.5 seconds left in the third period.

Worcester (27-30-5-6, 65 points) did earn a valuable point, moving to within four points of the fifth-place Manchester Monarchs and seven of the fourth-place Springfield Falcons.

The Sharks' defense held the Sound Tigers without a shot on goal until the 10:55 mark of the first period. Worcester finally capitalized on a chance of its own when Derek Joslin scored his ninth goal of the season at 13:59. Tom Cavanagh won the offensive zone faceoff directly back to Joslin at the point. The Sharks defenseman one-timed the puck past Bridgeport goaltender Mike Morrison, finding the top right corner of the net for his ninth goal of the season.

Late in the first, Kip Brennan was whistled for a five-minute kneeing penalty. The Sharks did not score on the extended man advantage, but were able to find the back of the net two seconds after the penalty expired. Cavanagh made a pass from the right wing circle intended for Mike Iggulden at Morrison's doorstep. Bridgeport's Ben Walter deflected the feed, but Iggulden still scooped up the puck and beat the Bridgeport netminder five-hole for his 24th goal of the season at 1:40 of the second. Dennis Packard was credited with the other assist on the play.

The Sound Tigers opened the third period on a furious surge, quickly tying the score at two. It started at 29 seconds when Colton Fretter gathered a loose puck in a goal-mouth scramble and slid the puck past Sharks goaltender Dimitri Patzold for his seventh goal of the season. Sean Bentivoglio and Dustin Kohn were credited with the assists. Less than three minutes later at 2:53, Fretter netted his second of the game to even the score. Trevor Smith carried the puck behind the net and found Fretter just in front of the crease, who subsequently beat Patzold five-hole. Bentivoglio tallied his second assist of the period on the play.

Bridgeport took its first lead of the game at 11:49 when Tyler Mosienko scored his first-career AHL goal. Packard was whistled for a two-minute crosschecking minor, giving the Sound Tigers a crucial late-game power play. Walter carried the puck out of the right wing boards and put a shot on net. His initial shot was saved, but Mosienko was on the spot and stuffed it past the goal line. Mark Wotton picked up the other assist on the play.

It looked like the game would be over when Tyler Haskins added an empty net goal at 19:21, but the Sharks came back strong. Ashton Rome started the unthinkable rally, taking a pass from Craig Valette and beating Morrison from point-blank range. The Sharks lost the ensuing draw, but had one last push up ice. Tom Walsh took a shot from just inside the left point. It bounced off Wotton and into the net for the 4-4 tie.

Bridgeport crashed the party at 4:25 of overtime when Drew Fata took a shot from the point. Patzold made the save, and didn't get a whistle from referee Kyle Rehman. The puck squirted behind him before Matt Keith finished it off.

The Sharks close out their four-game home stand on Saturday evening when they face the Albany River Rats at 7:05 p.m. It is Guns N' Hoses Night as the Worcester police department will face the fire department prior to the Sharks game. Fans can explore fire engines and police vehicles in the plaza. It is also FINZ's birthday party celebration! For more information or to purchase tickets, log on to sharksahl.com or call the Sharks offices at 508-929-0500.

NOTES: Derek Joslin's first period goal was only his second scored even strength while seven have come on the power play ... Riley Armstrong was hurt at 16:38 of the first when he was kneed by Kip Brennan. Brennan was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct. Armstrong would return for a shift in the second, but could not finish the game ... Tom Cavanagh tied his season-high with two assists for the second-consecutive game ... Mike Iggulden finished the four-game season series with six points (3g, 3a) ... With his second period assist, Dennis Packard extended his season-high point streak to four games ... Tom Walsh's goal was his second in as many games ... Lukas Kaspar has picked up an assist in two-straight ... Ashton Rome's goal was his first point in 20 games ... Oren Eizenman's assist was his first-career AHL point ... The final attendance figure was 4,183 ... Patzold had 25 saves on 29 shots for the Sharks while Morrison made 31 stops on 35 shots for Bridgeport ... Power plays: Worcester: 0 for 5, Bridgeport 1 for 5 ... Niche Hospitality Group Three Stars: Mezcal 3rd Star: Walsh (game-tying goal), Bocado 2nd Star: Fretter (2g), Block 5 1st Star: Keith (GWG)

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