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Sharks Drop Final Regular Season Home Game at DCU Center 5-4 to Pirates

April 19, 2015 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Worcester Sharks News Release


Worcester, MA-The Worcester Sharks (41-29-4-2, 88pts) dropped a close game to the Portland Pirates (39-28-7-2, 88pts) in front of 6,242 fans at the DCU Center on Fan Appreciation Day on Sunday afternoon, as this marked the last regular season game that the Sharks will play at the DCU Center before heading to San Jose. With the loss, the Sharks take the 7th place spot in the Eastern Conference in the final game of the season and will play the Hershey Bears in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs.

Portland's right winger Henrik Samuelsson (2-1-3, +3) led the way for the Pirates in the 5-4 victory that put them into the playoffs. Four Worcester players, including Travis Oleksuk (1-0-1, E), Matt Taormina (1-1-2, E), Barclay Goodrow (1-1-2, -1), and Gus Young (1-0-1, E), scored goals in the loss. After replacing Louis Domingue in net, Pirates' Mike McKenna made 7 saves on 7 shots for his 27th win of the season. Portland outshot Worcester 39-25 in the victory. Both teams are now headed to the Calder Cup Playoffs, which begin on Friday at the DCU Center.

Portland kicked off the scoring 59 seconds into the game when center Christian Dvorak (1st) scored in front of the crease after a behind-the-net pass from right winger Henrik Samuelsson, giving the Pirates a 1-0 lead. At the 8:19 mark, Worcester center Travis Oleksuk (10th) scored on a backhander from in tight on a rebound following a shot by Matt Tennyson on a power play to tie the game at 1. Less than two minutes later, defenseman Matt Taormina (11th) hammered a shot home from the right point, beating Pirates' netminder Louis Domingue to give the Sharks a 2-1 lead. Worcester was outshot 13-11 by Portland in the first frame but held the one-goal lead through twenty minutes.

At 2:35 of the second period, Worcester right winger Barclay Goodrow (2nd) scored in tight after a feed across the goalie crease from Chris Tierney to give the Sharks a 3-1 lead. At the 10:52 mark, Portland center Brendan Shinnimin (22nd) ripped a shot from the top of the right circle to get the Pirates back within one goal. Worcester defenseman Gus Young (5th) lit up the lamp at 12:16 after launching a shot from the left point, as the Sharks regained the two-goal lead. Portland outshot Worcester 11-7 in the period, but the Sharks had the 4-2 advantage heading into the second intermission.

Portland's right winger Henrik Samuelsson (17th) tipped one in close on a power play after a shot from the point at 1:19 of the third period to get the Pirates within one. At the 6:46 mark, Samuelsson (18th) struck again after scoring in front of the goalie crease, tying the game at 4 a side. With 43 seconds left in the game, Portland center Alexandre Bolduc (23rd) found the back of the net from the right circle for the game-winner, scoring unassisted for the Pirates fifth goal. Portland would hold on for the win, outshooting Worcester 14-6 in the final period.

The Sharks overall record falls to 41-29-4-2, 88pts and 22-13-2-1, 47pts at the DCU Center this season.

Notes: Three Stars: 3rd star: Alexandre Bolduc (1-0-1, +3) 2nd star: Barclay Goodrow (1-1-2,-1) 1st star: Henrik Samuelsson (2-1-3, +3)... Final shots were 39-25 in favor of Portland... Louis Domingue/ Mike McKenna made 21 saves on 25 shots for Portland...Aaron Dell made 34 saves on 39 shots for Worcester ..... Worcester went 1-for-4 on the power play while Portland went 1-for-3... Dylan DeMelo, Eriah Hayes, Evan Trupp, John McCarthy, Daniil Tarasov, Joakim Ryan, Willie Coetzee, Jeremy Langlois, Petter Emanuelsson, Julius Bergman and JP Anderson did not dress for Worcester.... The Sharks earned the 7th place spot in the Eastern Conference...The Sharks are in the playoffs for the first time since 2010; they start the first round against the Hershey Bears on Friday night at the DCU Center.

Coming up....

On Friday at 7pm, the Sharks host the Hershey Bears at the DCU Center in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Score a Family Fun Pack (4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, and 4 sodas) starting at just $79 by calling 508-929-0500 or visit www.SharksAHL.com.

You can listen to all games live on WTAG Worcester or watch online for a small fee at www.AHLLive.com.

Worcester celebrates 20 years of AHL hockey!

The 2014-15 season marks the 20th season of AHL action at the DCU Center in the city of Worcester. Over 3.8 million fans have attended either an IceCats (11 seasons) or Sharks (9th season) game in downtown Worcester since 1994.

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! Group tickets for the 2014-15 season are on sale now by contacting the Worcester Sharks Office at 508.929.0500 or by crashing the net at www.SharksAHL.com.

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American Hockey League Stories from April 19, 2015


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