Sharks Fall Short 2-0 in Front of 7,966
February 2, 2013 - American Hockey League (AHL) - Worcester Sharks News Release
Worcester, MA- The Worcester Sharks (20-18-1-5, 46pts) fell to the division rival Providence Bruins (25-16-0-3, 53pts) 2-0 on Saturday evening in front of 7,966 fans at the DCU Center. The game marked the annual Pink in the Rink game, benefitting the Cup Crusaders.
The Sharks fell behind early in the first period on a goal from Providence's Craig Cunningham (10th) and weren't able to erase the deficit. Alex Stalock was stellar, turning aside 23 out of the 24 shots that he saw. Unfortunately for the Sharks, Bruins goalie Niklas Svedberg had quite the game as well. Svedberg picked up his second shutout of the season, stopping all 26 shots that he faced. Kyle MacKinnon (7th) added an empty netter late to secure the victory for the Bruins. Worcester dropped their sixth straight home game (0-4-0-2) and fell under .500 at the DCU Center in the loss.
It was all Providence in the early stages of the first period. Just 2:33 into the period, their relentless pressure paid off. After a puck emerged out of a scrum in the slot, Torey Krug found Craig Cunningham (10th) far post with a nice feed, who buried the puck into an empty cage, giving Providence a 1-0 lead. Near the midway point of the period, Matt Pelech (12th FM) and Bobby Robins (26th FM) dropped the gloves in a heavyweight bout, with Pelech scoring the take down after several bombs were thrown. Almost seven minutes after he dropped the gloves for the first time, Robins (27th FM) dropped the gloves again, this time with James Livingston (3rd FM). However, not many punches were landed as the two players fell to the ice after a short fight. Providence outshot the Sharks 13-2 in the first period. Each team failed to convert on one power play chance.
Curt Gogol (5th FM) and Providence's Tyler Randell (3rd FM) dropped the gloves at the opening faceoff of the second period, with Randell getting the better of the fight after Gogol's sweater was pulled over his head. No one scored in the period, but there were plenty of chances. Thanks to the posts, the score stayed 1-0 Bruins, as Providence rang two posts and Worcester rang one. Worcester carried the play in the second, outshooting the Bruins 11-4.
The Sharks outplayed the Bruins for the majority of the third period, particularly down the stretch, but couldn't find the equalizer. Providence's Kyle MacKinnon (7th) added an empty net goal with just 11.9 seconds remaining in regulation to secure the victory for the Bruins after a pass from Carter Camper. The Sharks threw 13 shots at the net in the final period of play, but fell just short, as Niklas Svedberg was up to the task, turning aside everything that came his way.
The Sharks overall record falls to 20-18-1-5 (46pts in 44gp) and 8-9-1-3 (20pts in 21gp) at home this season.
• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...
American Hockey League Stories from February 2, 2013
- Cundari Powers Rivermen Past Wolves - Peoria Rivermen
- Crunch Struggle against Amerks - Syracuse Crunch
- Brock Nelson's first pro hat trick propels Sound Tigers to 4-1 victory - Bridgeport Islanders
- Falcons edge Connecticut - Connecticut Whale
- Wolves Struggles against Peoria Continue, Fall 5-3 - Chicago Wolves
- Petr Mrazek Earns First Pro Shutout - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Heat Shut Out 1-0 in Grand Rapids - Abbotsford Heat
- Hershey Leaves Bitter Taste with Monarchs - Manchester Monarchs
- Penguins Grind out Goalie-Duel Win - Adirondack Phantoms
- Sharks Fall Short 2-0 in Front of 7,966 - Worcester Sharks
- Penguins Down Phantoms for Fifth Straight Home Win - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Falcons Quiet Whale - Springfield Falcons
- Whale Draw Second-Largest Crowd in Franchise History - Connecticut Whale
- Sound Tigers Claw Past Admirals - Norfolk Admirals
- Devils Shut out by Pirates - Albany Devils
- Bears Fire Away, Defeat Monarchs - Hershey Bears
- Bruins Extend Streak to Five - Providence Bruins
- IceCaps Blank Senators to Sweep Series - St. John's IceCaps
- B-Sens Fall to IceCaps, 1-0 - Binghamton Senators
- Toronto Downs Hamilton 4-2 - Toronto Marlies
- Marlies Defeat Bulldogs 4-2 - Hamilton Bulldogs
- American Hockey League Announces Suspension - AHL
- Dallas Recalls Reilly Smith from Texas - Texas Stars
- Falcons Game Preview: Springfield At Connecticut, Game #44 - Springfield Falcons
- Sound Tigers Recall Reiter - Bridgeport Islanders
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.