Sharks earn five points in wild four game road swing

Published on January 19, 2009 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Worcester Sharks News Release


Rewind the Tape:

1.14.09 - Worcester 1 - Philadelphia 7 - Wachovia Spectrum

You know the feeling when the odds are against you. That's what the Sharks had to face on Wednesday night. Worcester, playing its second-ever game at the Wachovia Spectrum, which will be torn down following the season, was handed a quick 4-0 first period deficit before falling by a 7-1 final. One bright spot came from Lukas Kaspar and Ryan Vesce, as they combined on the Sharks' lone goal at 13:31 of the second period. The game involved three fights: Mike Moore vs. Matt Clackson, James McEwan vs. Clackson, and Frazer McLaren vs. Garrett Klotz. For McEwan, it was his first AHL fight in his AHL debut.

1.16.09 - Worcester 3 - Norfolk 2 (SO) - Norfolk Scope

In what has become an intense AHL rivalry, the Sharks used goals from Torrey Mitchell and Matt Fornataro to force overtime, while Fornataro added the game-winning goal in round seven of the shootout to spring Worcester to a 3-2 win over the Norfolk Admirals on Friday evening. Ryan Vesce and Jamie McGinn scored Worcester's other shootout goals while Justin Keller and Radek Smolenak scored in the shootout for Norfolk. Mitchell played in his first game of the season after suffering a leg injury during the preseason. Greiss bounced back from a tough game at Philly to make 31 saves for his 14th win of the season.

1.17.09 - Worcester 6 - Norfolk 5 (OT) - Norfolk Scope

Ryan Vesce scored at 3:04 of the overtime period as the Sharks scored five unanswered goals and shocked the fourth largest crowd in Admirals history with a come from behind 6-5 victory over the Admirals on Saturday night at the Scope Arena. Worcester's regulation goals came from Patrick Traverse, Riley Armstrong, Vesce, Jamie McGinn, and Jason Demers. Taylor Dakers bounced back from a tough first period to shutout the Admirals though the final two periods and overtime. After being winless when trailing after two periods, the Sharks staged their second comeback victory in as many nights.

1.18.09 - Worcester 2 - Hershey 3 (SO) - Giant Center

The Sharks fell victim to the best team in the AHL, dropping a heartbreaking 3-2 shootout decision on Sunday night at the Giant Center. Worcester failed to stand in the way of Alexandre Giroux's run at AHL history. The Hershey center tied Brett Hull's 14-game goal-scoring streak on Saturday and broke the league record at 13:33 of the third period. The crucial goal capped off a Bears third period onslaught which erased a 2-0 deficit to make it 2-2 heading into the extra session, the Sharks' third overtime game in as many nights. Jamie McGinn and Ryan Vesce scored Worcester's goals while Thomas Greiss impressed for a second straight game, finishing with 39 stops.

Sharks in the Atlantic...

The Sharks (23-18-0-2) swim in second place in the Atlantic Division with 48 points, three points behind the first place Providence Bruins. Worcester stands one point ahead of the Portland Pirates and Hartford Wolf Pack, who are tied for third. Just four points separate first place (Providence) and fourth place (Portland/Hartford) in a very choppy Atlantic Division.

Shark Bites:

*Derek Joslin, currently on recall with the San Jose Sharks, was named as a starter for Team Canada for the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Charter Communications.

*Sharks captain Ryan Vesce was named an AHL All-Star for the second time and will skate for Planet USA. Vesce was also named an All-Star his rookie season with the Springfield Falcons.

*Ryan Vesce is currently riding a team-high 11 game point streak (6-10-16) and has 32 points (13-19-32) in his last 26gp.

*Lukas Kaspar had a six-game point streak snapped Friday, but still has 12 points in his last 11 games (5-7-12).

*Cory Larose (3-4-7) is currently riding a five game point streak.

*The Sharks have 52 fighting major penalties this season through 43 games. 13 different players have dropped the gloves already this season (Frazer McLaren (15), Brett Westgarth (11), Mike Moore (7), Brad Staubitz (6), Jason Demers (2), Andrew Desjardins (2), Jamie McGinn (2), James McEwan (2), Tom Cavanagh, Dan DaSilva, Kyle McLaren, Brendan Buckley, and TJ Fox.

*Claude Lemieux has eleven points (3-8-11) in 23 games along with 24 penalty minutes and is +2 since his return to professional hockey with the Sharks on 11.28.08.

*With two comeback wins, the Sharks became the last team in the AHL to record a win when trailing after two periods of play. They were 0-14-0-0. They are also 11-1-0-0 when leading after the first period.

*Worcester leads the AHL with shots per game (38.28) and first in shots against per game (25.91)

*Frazer McLaren is 3rd among AHL rookies with 15 fighting major penalties.

*Steven Zalewski ranks 3rd among AHL rookies with 120 shots on goal.

Roster Moves:

On Tuesday, the Worcester Sharks signed James McEwan to a PTO and loaned P.J. Fenton to Phoenix (ECHL). Then on Wednesday, Torrey Mitchell was assigned to Worcester from San Jose on a conditioning assignment.

Top Sharks:

o Goals Armstrong (16)

o Game Winners Vesce (6)

o Assists Vesce (30)

o Points Vesce (44)

o Power play Points Vesce (1-2-13)

o Shots Vesce (128)

o PIM F. McLaren (103)

o Fighting Pen. F. McLaren (15)

o Plus/Minus Moore (+12)

o Wins Greiss (14)

o G.A.A. Greiss (2.62)

o Save % Greiss (.898)

o Shutouts Dakers (1)

Worcester to host the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Charter Communications!

The Sharks and the city of Worcester will host the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Charter Communications on January 25th and 26th at the DCU Center. Tickets are on sale to the general public now. The 2009 event in Worcester will mark the fourth time since it was revived in 1995 that the AHL All-Star Classic will take place in New England. The AHL All-Star Classic was last held in Massachusetts in 1959 at the Eastern States Coliseum in West Springfield.

Coming Up:

The Sharks close out the pre All-Star break schedule at Springfield (Fri.) and Lowell (Sat.). Worcester returns home on Friday, Jan. 30 vs. Springfield.

Be sure not to miss any of the action of the 2008-09 Worcester Sharks season and buy your tickets today! Fans can also purchase tickets to the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Charter Communications. Purchases can be made by visiting the box office, 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 January 19, 2009


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