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Sharks look to turn things around with three games this week

February 25, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Worcester Sharks News Release


Shark Snap Shot: The Worcester Sharks (23-25-3-1, 50pts) chomped zero out of a possible six points last week (0-3-0-0) in three divisional games and now have a season high six game losing streak (0-6-0-0). The Sharks currently sit in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, which is 14 points behind the 8th and final playoff spot held by the Norfolk Admirals (Sharks have one game in hand).

The Sharks began the week with their first home game in almost three weeks on Friday with a 5-1 loss to the IceCaps. Worcester fired a season high 50 shots on goal on Saturday - but St. John's swept the two game series with a 3-1 victory. The Sharks closed out the 3-in-3 weekend with a 4-2 loss in Manchester on Sunday for the season high 6th straight defeat.

Freddie Hamilton scored his team leading 15th goal vs. St. John's on Saturday while Sena Acolatse (5th), Dan DaSilva (12th), and Brodie Reid (8th) also scored for Worcester last week. Worcester fired a season high 50 shots on goal on Saturday and gave up a season low one shot in the first period to the Monarchs on Sunday but was still unable to come up with any points.

The Worcester Sharks player of the week nominee is rookie forward Rylan Schwartz. The 24-year-old from Wilcox, Saskatchewan picked up an assist and his first professional fighting major in three games last week.

The Sharks look to get back on track this week beginning with a 7pm start in Lewiston, ME on Thursday vs. the Portland Pirates (game was originally scheduled for Friday). After a Saturday night visit to Bridgeport for a 7pm tilt vs. the Sound Tigers, the Sharks return home to host the Springfield Falcons on Sunday at 3pm.

MILESTONE ALERT:

Head Coach Roy Sommer is 12 games away from tying Frank Mathers (1256 games coached) for the most games coached in AHL history. Coach Sommer has coached 1244 AHL games - all with the SJ Sharks AHL affiliates.

Forward Dan DaSilva ranks 2nd in franchise history with 130 points - trailing only the late Tom Cavanagh (138pts) by nine points for the most points in Worcester Sharks history.

Few things to know....

- The Worcester Sharks are currently in 4th place (23-25-3-1, 50pts) in the Atlantic Division and 11th place overall in the Eastern Conference. - the Sharks trail the 8th and final playoff spot by 14 points with one game in hand over the Norfolk Admirals.

- The San Jose Sharks currently have 11 players on their roster that have spent time in Worcester (Couture, Desjardins, Pavelski, Sheppard, Wingels, Braun, Demers, Stalock, Irwin, Vlasic, Nieto).

- The San Jose Sharks are in 2nd place in the Pacific Division and 4th place in the Western Conference with 80 points and a 37-16-6 record.

- Forward Dan DaSilva has 23pts (12-11-23) in 38 games this season and is now 2nd all-time in Worcester Sharks history with 130 points (55-75-129) in 216 games.

- Veteran Bracken Kearns played in his 500th AHL game on Dec 28 vs. the IceCaps and then was recalled by the SJ Sharks on Dec 28 and scored his 1st NHL goal in a 3-1 win over the Ducks on Dec 29. Bracken had three goals and an assist in 22 games with the SJ Sharks this season and was loaned back to Worcester on Feb 25.

- 2nd year pro Freddie Hamilton leads the club with 15 goals, 1st with 29 points (15-14-29), and tops with six 1st goals. Hamilton has already surpassed his point total from last season in just 42 games (76gp, 13-13-26) and has skated in 11 games with the SJ Sharks this season and is still looking for his 1st NHL point.

- Worcester Sharks alumni Matt Nieto (Oct 8 vs. NYR), Matt Pelech (Oct 10 at VAN), Bracken Kearns (Dec 29 vs. ANA), and Eriah Hayes (Jan 30 at CLG) each have scored their first career NHL goals for the SJ Sharks this season.

- Worcester Sharks alumni Alex Stalock is an impressive 8-4-0 with the San Jose Sharks this season with a 1.67 GAA and a .938 save %. Stalock picked up his first NHL shutout with a 24 save performance in 3-0 win at Florida on Jan 16 and followed it up with a 1-0 shutout win a 1-0 win over the Jets on Jan 23 in San Jose. Stalock set the SJ Sharks franchise record for a 178:55 shutout streak this season.

- Current SJ Sharks forward and #WorSharks alum Joe Pavelski was named to the US Olympic men's hockey team and leads the Sharks with 29 goals in 59 games.

- Coach Roy Sommer currently ranks 4th in the AHL with 553 wins in his career (16th season) and 2nd in games coached in the AHL with 1244.

Top 3... Last Week!

1. Rylan Schwartz recorded an assist and his first professional fighting major in the Sharks 3-1 loss to the IceCaps on Saturday!

2. Dan DaSilva scored his 12th goal of the season and fired four shots in the Sharks 4-2 loss in Manchester on Sunday!

3. Brodie Reid scored his 8th goal of the season in Worcester' 4-2 loss in Manchester on Sunday!

Last Week: (0-3-0-0) 0pts, 3gp

Fri. 2/21 L St. John's IceCaps 5 @ Worcester SHARKS 1

Sat. 2/22 L St. John's IceCaps 3 @ Worcester SHARKS 1

Sun. 2/23 L Worcester SHARKS 2 @ Manchester Monarchs 4

This week:

Thu 2/27 Worcester SHARKS @ Portland Pirates - 7pm - in Lewiston, ME

Sat. 3/1 Worcester SHARKS @ Bridgeport Sound Tigers - 7pm

Sun. 3/2 Springfield Falcons @ Worcester SHARKS - 3pm

Rewind the Tape:

2.21.14 - St. John's 5 - Worcester 1 - L - DCU Center - Worcester, MA

The Worcester Sharks (23-23-3-1, 50pts) dropped a 5-1 contest to the St. John's IceCaps (30-19-1-3, 64pts) before 3,509 fans as the Sharks returned home to the DCU Center Friday evening for the first time since Feb. 1st. Worcester's Sena Acolatse (5th) scored the sole goal for the Sharks in the game while Troy Grosenick allowed four goals on 21 shots before he was replaced by Harri Sateri at the 8:02 mark of the second period. Carl Klingberg scored back-to-back in the first period for the IceCaps while Jason Jaffray, Blair Riley and Kyle MacKinnon accounted for St. John's three second period goals. Michael Hutchinson made 33 saves as Worcester dropped their season high 4th straight game in regulation and have been outscored 22-3.

2.22.14 - St. John's 3 - Worcester 1 - L - DCU Center - Worcester, MA

The Worcester Sharks (23-24-3-1, 50pts) were defeated again by the St. John's IceCaps (31-19-1-3, 66pts) by a score of 3-1 before 4,087 fans as they played the second of a two-game home series at the DCU Center Saturday evening. Freddie Hamilton (15th) scored the lone Worcester goal in their 3-1 loss as Worcester fired an outstanding 50 shots, but came up short as John Albert (13th), Patrice Cormier (5th) and Kyle MacKinnon (7th) all scored for the IceCaps and Michael Hutchinson made 49 saves in the win.

2.23.14 - Manchester 4 - Worcester 2 - L - Verizon Wireless Arena - Manchester, NH

The Worcester Sharks (23-25-3-1, 50pts) dropped their 6th straight game in regulation with a 4-2 loss to the first place Manchester Monarchs (36-14-2-6, 80pts) in front of 4,595 fans at the Verizon Wireless Arena on Sunday afternoon. Dan DaSilva (12th) and Brodie Reid (8th) scored for the Sharks while Troy Grosenick made 15 saves in the loss. Monarchs' rookie Nick Shore scored his 2nd goal of the game with just 67 seconds remaining in the third period to break a 2-2 tie as Mathias Niederberger made 30 saves for his first AHL win.

Sharks in the Atlantic:

The Sharks (23-25-3-1, 50pts in 52gp) are currently in 4th place in the Atlantic Division; which is 30 points behind the 1st place Monarchs (80pts in 58gp), 18 points behind the 2nd place IceCaps (68pts in 55gp), 15 points behind the 3rd place Bruins (65pts in 55gp), and three points ahead of the 5th place Pirates (47pts in 52gp) 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.

1200 GAMES... With the 5-1 loss in Lewiston, ME vs. the Pirates on November 8, 2013, head coach Roy Sommer became just the 2nd coach in AHL history to reach the 1,200 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.

400 WINS.... With a 4-3 victory over the Portland Pirates on Jan 12, 2014, associate coach David Cunniff picked up his 400th win an assistant/associate coach with the SJ Sharks top AHL affiliates.

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 16seasons 1,244GP 563 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 (16th season) in the American Hockey League. His current regular season record is now: 563-525-48-55-53. (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 406 of the 563 victories (72%).

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

Shark Bites:

Captains for the 2013-14 season: Rob Davison was named the Sharks 6th captain in team history on October 12, 2013. Alternate captains for this season: Bracken Kearns and Jimmy Bonneau. - Brodie Reid, Marek Viedensky, Freddie Hamilton, Sena Acolatse, Dan DaSilva, and Taylor Doherty have also worn the A this season.

From east to west..... The Worcester Sharks have already had seven players (16 call-ups) receive at least one call up to the San Jose Sharks already this season. (Pelech, McCarthy, Kearns, Hamilton, Nieto, Hayes, and Tennyson)

Breaking down October... The Sharks had a 2-3-0-0 (4pts in 5gp) record in October with 12 GF and 14 GA. PP was 5-27 (18.5%); opponents PP was 2-for-22 (9.0%), and the Sharks had 10 fighting majors in October.

Breaking down November... The Sharks had a 6-5-1-0 (13pts in 12gp) record in November with 26 GF and 35 GA. PP went 7-for-51 (13.7%); opponents PP went 11-for-60 (18.3%), and the Sharks had 18 fighting majors in November.

Breaking down December... The Sharks had a 5-5-1-1 (12pts in 12gp) record in December with 29 GF and 33 GA. PP went 6-for-54 (11.1%); opponents PP went 8-for-48 (16.7%), and the Sharks had 10 fighting majors in December.

Breaking down January.... The Sharks finished with a 8-5-1-0 (17pts in 14gp) record in January with 41 GF and 38 GA. PP went 14-50 (28.0%); opponents PP went 12-53 (22.6%) and the Sharks had eight fighting majors in January.

Breaking down February.... The Sharks are 2-7-0-0 (4pts in 9gp) record in February with 15 GF and 38 GA. PP is 4-33 (12.1%); opponents PP is 6-45 (13.3%) and the Sharks have 12 fighting majors in February.

1st pro fights.... Rylan Schwartz (vs. Eric O'Dell) and Lane Scheidl (vs. JC Lipon) each picked up their first professional fighting majors vs. the IceCaps on Feb 22.

Shot Clock.... The Sharks fired a season high 50 shots in their 3-1 loss to the IceCaps on Feb 22. Worcester held a 17-1 advantage just 6:45 into the hockey game. Goaltender Michael Hutchinson made 49 saves for St. John's.

Shot Clock X2.... Worcester allowed a season low one shot on goal in the first period at Manchester on Feb 23. - but it was a goal. The Sharks lost the game 4-2 despite outshooting the Monarchs 32-19.

Tough Stretch... the Sharks have lost six straight games (2/14-current), have been outscored 6-29 in the process, and have not had a lead in 360 minutes. Worcester has just six goals on 199 shots (3%) but has allowed 29 goals on 184 shots (15.5%) during the six game stretch. The back-to-back 3-in-3 weekend sweeps was the 1st time in franchise history the Sharks have come up empty in back-to-back 3-in-3 weekends

Let's Forget.... The Worcester Sharks were outscored 17-2 last weekend (Feb 14-16) and spent over 15 hours on the bus in a tough 3-in-3 weekend to Manchester, Binghamton, and Springfield. The Sharks went 1-8 on the power play and allowed 4 power play goals on 15 chances. Worcester suffered their worst loss in franchise history with an 8-0 loss in Binghamton on Feb 15. The Sharks allowed a season high 43 shots in Manchester on Feb 14.

Improving!.... Several players have already matched or surpassed their point totals from last year for the Worcester Sharks!

- Freddie Hamilton (15-14-29pts in 42gp) has already surpassed his 13-13-36pts in 76gp last year!

- Travis Oleksuk (10-7-17pts in 50gp) has already surpassed his 3-10-13pts in 60gp last year!

- Yanni Gourde (3-16-19pts in 20gp) has already surpassed his 8-6-14pts in 54gp last year!

- Jimmy Bonneau (2-2-4pts in 32gp) has already surpassed his 1-1-2pts in 26gp last year!

Odd Numbers.... Worcester is 18-12-1-0 when they score a power play goal.... 8-4-1-0 when they score a power play goal on the road.... The Sharks are 9-0-0-0 when they score at least four goals in a game.... Worcester is 11-2-0-0 when they allow two goals or less.... The Sharks are 16-9-3-1 in games that are decided by two goals or less... but 7-15-0-0 in games decided by three goals or more.

What a crowd (s)!.... the Sharks welcomed 9,055 fans at the newly renovated DCU Center on Jan 25th in a 3-2 loss to the Bruins. - it was the 3rd largest crowd in franchise history! In addition, another 5,091 fans came the very next day to cheer the Sharks to a 4-3 shootout victory over the Monarchs. 14,146 fans enjoyed the two Sharks games on Jan 25 and 26!

What a crowd Take 2... the Sharks welcomed 7,966 fans at the DCU for the 3rd annual PINK in the RINK game vs the Bruins on Feb 1!

TRADE!!!!.... The Sharks traded Curt Gogol and Riley Brace to the Minnesota Wild organization for Chad Rau on Feb 6. Rau, a 27-year-old forward from Eden Prairie, MN was a teammate of Dan DaSilva last year in Houston (AHL) and joined the Sharks with 299 games in the AHL with 147 points (63-84-147) - in addition to nine games with the Minnesota Wild in 2011-12 (2-0-2). Chad played four productive years at Colorado College and was originally drafted by the Maple Leafs in 2005. Rau has played eight games in Worcester (0-2-2) and wears #20 for Team Teal.

Reunion.... the Sharks signed Yanni Gourde (PTO) on Jan 6....

Yanni Gourde returns for his second tour of duty with the Worcester Sharks as the 22-year-old from St. Narcisse, QC ranked 7th in the ECHL in scoring with 34 points (15-19-34) and was 2nd in the ECHL with 112 shots on goal in 30 games as of Jan 6. The second year pro played 54 games with the Worcester Sharks last year and recorded 14 points (8-6-14) in 54 games. Yanni has been on FIRE with the Sharks this season with 19 points (3-16-19) in 20 games. - Yanni had 14pts in 54 games all of last year for Worcester!

3-in-3 Sweep... the Sharks swept a 3-in-3 weekend on Jan 10-12 (3-1W vs HFD, 5-1W vs. NOR, 4-3W vs. POR) - it was the first six point weekend since April 11-13 of 2010!

3-in-3 Sweep - Reversed.... The Sharks were swept in a 3-in-3 weekend on Feb 14-16. (5-1L at MCH, 8-0L at BNG, 4-1L at SPR) - it was the 6th time in franchise history and the 2nd time this year (Nov 8-11)

3-in-3 Sweep - Reversed X2 ... the Sharks were swept in a 3-in-3 weekend on Feb 21-2. (5-1L vs. STJ, 3-1L vs. STJ, 4-2L at MCH) - it was the 7th time in franchise history and the 1st time ever the Sharks have been swept in two consecutive 3-in-3 weekends.

Shutout Streak.... The Sharks went a franchise record of 163:12 without scoring a goal but broke the streak in the 2nd period on Dec 27- and then the Sharks scored three goals in a 3:16 spell late in the second period vs. the St. John's IceCaps.

Solved the Bruins....Worcester started the season 0-5-0-1 vs. the Bruins this season and were outscored 9-26 in the process before the Sharks took game 7 on Feb 1 by the score of 3-2. The two teams meet five more times this season.

3 is the magic number.... The Sharks are 20-4-0-1 when they score at least three goals in a hockey game....BUT.... the Sharks are 3-23-2-1 when they allow three or more goals in a hockey game.

Sharks win close games... Worcester is 12-6-3-1 in 1-goal games this season.

More Goals Late.... the Sharks have scored 28 goals in the 1st, 43 in the 2nd, and 46 goals in the 3rd period this season... the Sharks have allowed 42 goals in the 1st, 53 in the 2nd, and 61 goals in the 3rd.

Battling Back... four of the 23 wins for the Sharks this season have occurred when the team was trailing after 40 minutes of play.

Barely outshot... Worcester has only been outshot 14 times this season... the 2nd fewest in the AHL this season.

8 Goal Explosion!... the Worcester Sharks scored eight goals vs. the Portland Pirates on Dec 6 - setting a franchise record for most goals scored at the DCU Center! - heading into that game (18th game), the Sharks had not scored more than three goals in a game!

Monster Night.... The line of Freddie Hamilton (2-1-3), Matt Nieto (2-3-5), and Daniil Tarasov (1-2-3) combined for 11 points, 18 shots, and a combined +12 in the Sharks 8-2 win over the Pirates on Dec 6.

Monster Night Take 2....The line of Travis Oleksuk (1-2-3), Dan DaSilva (3-1-4), and Yanni Gourde (0-4-4) combined for 11 points, 13 shots, and a combined +11 in the Sharks 6-3 win at Portland on Jan 21

Allowing 8... the Sharks allowed eight goals in a 8-2 loss in Providence on Jan 5 - tying a franchise record for most goals allowed in a game.

Allowing 8 x2... the sharks suffered their worst loss in franchise history in a 8-0 loss in Binghamton on Feb 15.

Multi-Point Game....Tough Guy Jimmy Bonneau had two assists in the Sharks 8-2 win over the Portland Pirates on Dec 6... his 1st multi point game as a member of the Sharks in game #88.

Welcome Back... Dan DaSilva returned to the Worcester Sharks on Nov 20 after leading the ECHL with 26 points (7-19-26) in just 14 games for the Ontario Reign and was recently named the ECHL Player of the Week for Nov 11-17. DaSilva currently ranks 2nd all-time in Worcester Sharks history with 130 points (55-75-130) in 216 games for Team Teal and is the franchise leader in playoff points with 18 (5-13-18) in 23 Calder Cup playoff games. A member of the original Crazed Rats Line with John McCarthy and Andrew Desjardins; DaSilva had his best professional season with the Sharks in 2010-11 as he set career highs in points (53), goals (21), assists (32), and was +23 as the Sharks won the regular season Atlantic Division title with a 49-25-0-6 record. DaSilva was signed to a standard player AHL contract on Dec 12 for the rest of the season.

Shooting %... the Sharks as a team have a 6.9% shooting percentage which is 30th in the AHL. - Worcester had just six goals in their last 199 shots on goal (3%).

Strange but true... the Sharks have more fighting majors (31) than goals (28) in the first period this season... the 28 goals scored are the fewest in the AHL.

3 in the 1st....it took 43 games but the Sharks finally scored three goals in the 1st period in their 5-2 win over the Falcons on Jan 31.

Thanks Ballou... despite being 7-1 in the shootout this season, the Sharks are just 28W-44L overall (38.9%)

Shootout Success... the Sharks are 7-1 in the shootout this season with a 41% scoring percentage (5th) and a 79.5% saves percentage (4th). Dan DaSilva is 4-for-6 in the shootout with two game winners while Yanni Gourde is 2-for-2 this season!

Home shutout... the 27 save shutout by Troy Grosenick on Nov 2 vs. the St. John's IceCaps at the DCU Center was the 1st shutout on home ice for the Sharks in almost a year. Alex Stalock had the last shutout on Nov 4, 2012 vs. the Manchester Monarchs in a 1-0SOW. Coincidentally, Stalock also made 27 saves in the victory.

Score first... the Sharks have scored FIRST 22 times in 52 games this season (16-4-1-1) - Freddie Hamilton 6, Daniil Tarasov 2, Rylan Schwartz 1, Brodie Reid 1, Bracken Kearns 1, Eriah Hayes 1, Dan DaSilva 3, Lane Scheidl 2, Jimmy Bonneau 1, Travis Oleksuk 2, and Konrad Abeltshauser 1.

Just like in college.... Sharks rookie forward Eriah Hayes led the NCAA last season with 186 shots on goal with Minnesota State - Mankato... Hayes is 3rd on the Worcester Sharks with 104 shots on goal through 34 games this season. Hayes also has a goal and 16 shots in 15 games for the SJ Sharks this season.

Pro Debuts: Konrad Abeltshauser (Oct 12 at SPR) and Troy Grosenick (Oct 20 vs. WBS).

3-for-3!...veteran defenseman Rob Davison became the second player (Jonathan Cheechoo is the other) to play for the SJ Sharks AHL affiliate in three different cities after his game for Worcester on Oct 12 at Springfield. Davison played 72 games for the Kentucky Thoroughblades in 2000-01 and 112 games for the Cleveland Barons in 2001-03! Davison has played 718 games in his professional career.

3 National Champions... The Sharks have three 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... and Nick Petrecki with Boston College in 2008. Memorial Cup... rookie defenseman Konrad Abeltshauser won the Memorial Cup in 2013 with the Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) and was named to the 2013 Memorial Cup All-Star Team.

Young Guns... the Sharks have dressed nine rookies already this season. (Troy Grosenick, Konrad Abeltshauser, Eriah Hayes, Rylan Schwartz, Riley Brace, Dylan Demelo, Tyler Gron, Lane Scheidl, and Scott Fleming)

Tallest Shark.... Worcester Sharks rookie defenseman Taylor Doherty is the tallest player in team history standing at 6'7" 235lbs.... Doherty scored his first professional goal in game #70 and added an assist in the Sharks 3-2OTL to the IceCaps on Nov 3, 2012. Doherty has four goals in 154 games with the Worcester Sharks.... Doherty is 2nd on Worcester with 95 penalty minutes and 4th with five fighting majors.... Doherty scored his 1st professional game winning goal in the 4-3W vs. Portland on Jan 10 and received his 1st NHL recall on Jan 21 and did not dress in two games for the SJ Sharks before getting assigned back to Worcester on Jan 26.

Four straight seasons with 20?.... Forward Bracken Kearns scored his 21 goals last season and hit the 20 goal plateau for the third straight season having scored 20 and 22 goals the previous two seasons with San Antonio.... Bracken has five goals and 13 assists in 27 games this season. Kearns played in his 500th AHL game in the Sharks 5-2 win vs. St. John's on Dec 27 and then scored his 1st NHL goal in the SJ Sharks 3-1 win vs. Anaheim Ducks on Dec 29. - Kearns has three goals in the NHL this season in 22 games.

First Pro Goals this season... Konrad Abeltshauser scored his 1st pro goal (JF Berube) in 2-1SOW at Manchester on Dec 8....Dylan Demelo scored his 1st (Malcolm Subban) in 8-2L at Providence on Jan 5.

Sharks in the Atlantic... Worcester went 19-14-3-4 in the Atlantic Division in 2012-13 and is 14-17-1-1 vs. the Atlantic this season.

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 four players from Hockey East Schools; (McCarthy - BU, Reid - NU, Petrecki - BC, Stalberg - Vermont)

I'll take a draft... Ten Worcester Sharks players were drafted by the San Jose Sharks. (Abeltshauser, Davison, Hamilton, Doherty, McCarthy, Nieto, Petrecki, Sateri, Viedensky, and Crane)

NHL Experience.... The Sharks have nine players on their roster with NHL experience led by Rob Davison with 219.... Breaking down the rest....John McCarthy 83, Matt Pelech 13, Bracken Kearns 27, Matt Tennyson 4, Freddie Hamilton 11, Matt Nieto 44, Nick Petrecki 1, Eriah Hayes 15, and Chad Rau 9.

Keeping your hat on (Thanks Ballou)... Worcester had gone 263 games without one of its players recording a hat trick before Daniil Tarasov scored three goals in Springfield on Oct 26. That was easily the longest active streak in the AHL. The Sharks' last hat trick had belonged to Dan DaSilva, who scored three times in Manchester during a 5-2 Worcester victory in Manchester on Feb. 14, 2010. No Worcester player has recorded a hat trick on home ice in more than three years, or since P.J. Fenton had one on Feb. 28, 2009 in the Sharks' 7-3 victory over Springfield. The home-ice drought has lasted for 188 games. In all, Worcester players have recorded hat tricks only nine times in the franchise's 565 games. The Sharks are 9-0 in those games and 1-15-3 in the 19 games in which the opposition has had a hat trick.

Brothers... Sebastian Stalberg is the younger brother of Viktor Stalberg, who currently plays with the Nashville Predators.... Freddie Hamilton is the older brother of Dougie Hamilton, who currently plays with the Boston Bruins.... Rylan Schwartz is the younger brother of Jayden Schwartz, who currently plays for the St. Louis Blues.

Franchise Player... Sharks defensemen Nick Petrecki is 1st in Sharks history with 272 games played (surpassed Mike Moore on Dec 8 at MCH)... Nick also ranks 2nd in penalty minutes with 520 (Frazer McLaren had 577).... Nick made his NHL debut in San Jose's 3-2SOW over the Anaheim Ducks on 1/29/13 and played 11:58... the 216 games before his first NHL game was the most of any Worcester Sharks graduate to San Jose.

200/50.... John McCarthy played in his 200th game for the Sharks on Jan 26, 2013... J-Mac scored his 50th goal as a member of the Worcester Sharks joining Riley Armstrong, Mike Iggulden, Graham Mink, and Brandon Mashinter as the only five players to score 50+ goals as a member of the Worcester Sharks... JMac has played 36 games (1-1-1) this season for the SJ Sharks this season and is 1-1-2 in three games with Worcester.

Piling up the PIMS with Pelech... Forward/Defenseman Matt Pelech played in his 300th AHL game on Oct 20, 2012 vs. the Devils. The 6-foot-4 bruising defenseman turned forward from Toronto, ONT has accumulated 1,045 penalty minutes and 82 fighting majors in 363 AHL games. "Pelly" led the Sharks with 238 penalty minutes last season in 58 games. #23 is only the 2nd player in Worcester Sharks history to hit the 200 pim plateau (Evans 211 in 2007-08). Matt led the Worcester Sharks with 17 fighting majors and had one fighting major (Jared Boll) in two games last year with the SJ Sharks in 2012-13... Pelech has 22 penalty minutes and his 1st NHL goal in six games with San Jose this season.... With his two game suspension this season by the AHL, Pelech has missed 19 games due to suspension in the last 28 months with the Worcester Sharks. Pelech has missed the last 22 games due to a broken hand suffered in a fight with Bobby Robins on Jan 3.

Major Bonneau... Worcester Sharks tough guy Jimmy Bonneau has racked up 46 fighting majors in 112 games for the Worcester Sharks. Bonneau has set the Worcester Sharks record for most fighting majors in a season in 2011-12 with 22, surpassing Frazer McLaren (21 in 2008-09). Jimmy has 118 fighting majors in 306 AHL games along with 889 penalty minutes.... Jimmy has 13 fighting majors and 87 penalty minutes through 30 games this season.... Bonneau scored his 2nd goal of the season in his 300th AHL game in the Sharks 4-3SOW vs. Manchester on Jan 26.

Five for fighting... The Sharks have 59 fighting majors through 52 games and rank 10th in the AHL (Kearns 3, Bonneau 13, Davison 4, Gogol 9, Doherty 5, Pelech 5, Tarasov 2, Hayes 1, Demelo 1, Brace 1, Tennyson 1, Viedensky 1, Acolatse 6, Petrecki 3, DaSilva 2, Schwartz 1, Scheidl 1). The Sharks had 84 fighting majors in 2012-13, 120 fighting majors in 2011-12 (1st in AHL), 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.

The East is Tough... the top 12 teams in the AHL in fighting majors all hail from the Eastern Conference. Hamilton ranks 13th with 55 fights this season.

Season by the numbers... Record: 23-25-3-1, 50 points - 4th in Atlantic Win percentage: .481% - 23rd in AHL, 11th in East Home Record: 12-11-0-1 Away Record: 11-14-3-0 Attendance: 93,279 through 24 games this season - 3,887 average - 24th in AHL Goals Scored: 124, 2.38 goals per game, 29th in AHL Goals Allowed: 160, 3.08 goals against per game, 23rd in AHL Shots per game: 32.92 - 3rd in AHL Shots allowed per game: 28.10 - 3rd in AHL Score 1st: 16-4-1-1 when scoring first (.773%) 1 goal games: 12-6-3-1 in one goal games PP: 16.7%, 15th in AHL (36-215) PK: 82.7%, 15th in AHL (39-226) SHG - 4 shorthanded goals scored SHGA - 9 shorthanded goals allowed PIMS - 19.08 penalty minutes per game, 11th in AHL Fighting Majors: 59 - 10th in AHL OT Games - 11 - (0-3 record in OT) SO Games - 8 - (7-1 record in SO) Roster Players - the Sharks have used 31 players this season Goalies - the Sharks have used 2 goaltenders this season Players receiving call-ups to San Jose - 7 NHL debuts - 2 Worcester Sharks alumni making their NHL debuts this season Call-ups to San Jose - 17 different call-ups to San Jose this season

Coming and goings from the Shark Tank:

Date Player Team Transaction

02/25/2014 Bracken Kearns (C) Worcester ADD Returned on loan from San Jose (NHL)

Top Worcester Sharks: o Goals Hamilton (15) o Game Winners Tarasov (3) o Assists Gourde (16) o Points Hamilton (15-14-29) o Power play Points Kearns (3-7-10), Tarasov (5-5-10), Hamilton (6-4-10) o Shots DaSilva and Livingston (113) o PIM Gogol (149) o Fighting Pen. Bonneau (13) o Plus/Minus Bonneau (+2) o Wins Sateri (12) o G.A.A. Grosenick (2.49) o Save % Grosenick (.911) o Shutouts Grosenick (1)

Sharks in the NHL:

The San Jose Sharks sit in 2nd place in the Pacific Division and 5th place in the Western Conference with 80 points and a 37-16-6 record.

Worcester Sharks alumni include: Logan Couture, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Tommy Wingels, Jason Demers, Matt Nieto, Matt Irwin, Andrew Desjardins, Justin Braun, James Sheppard, and Alex Stalock.

Week ahead for the SJ Sharks;

Thur. 7pm (EST) at Philadelphia

Fri. 7pm (EST) at Buffalo

Sun. 3pm (EST) at New Jersey

Coming Up for the Worcester Sharks: The Sharks head to Lewiston, ME on Thursday for a 7pm battle vs. the Portland Pirates.

After a rare Friday night off, the Sharks head to Bridgeport on Saturday to face the Sound Tigers at 7pm.

Worcester returns home on Sunday with a 3pm start vs. the Springfield Falcons on $5 Kid's Sunday presented by Hebert Candies! The first 2,000 fans will receive a Back to the Future movie poster presented by WTAG featuring Logan Couture, Tommy Wingels, and Matt Irwin!

Score a Family Fun Pack (4 tickets, 4 hotdogs, and 4 sodas) for any Friday, Saturday, or Sunday game starting at just $79!

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 account executives Kristyn Galante, Erin Croce, Sean West, Amanda Perkins, Peter Kelly, Andrew Nawn, and Mike Connole today! Jump in today and save up to 40% 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 2014-15 are already on 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 February 25, 2014


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