Sharks' offense explodes - crushing Phantoms 6-1 in front of BIG DCU Center crowd
March 21, 2015 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Worcester Sharks News Release
Worcester, MA -The Worcester Sharks (34-23-4-2, 74pts) dismantled the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (29-26-6-1, 65pts) 6-1 in front of 6,131 fans at the DCU Center on Saturday evening. Prior to the game, the Sharks hosted the 2015 MSCHA High School All-Star Classic. New England Patriots' Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler (presented by Scrub-a-Dub) also made an appearance and signed autographs before Sharks' action got underway.
Six players scored for Worcester in the 6-1 rout of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Veteran John McCarthy (1-1-2, +2) scored his franchise-leading 61st goal and rookie Daniel Ciampini (1-1-2, +1) notched his first professional goal. Sharks' goaltender Aaron Dell picked up his 10th win of the season, making 28 saves on 29 shots from the Phantoms to remain undefeated in regulation on home ice. Sharks' coach, Roy Sommer, earned his 610th win, which puts him second all-time in the AHL. With the victory, Worcester remains in the 9thth spot in the Eastern Conference, one point behind the Springfield Falcons (Sharks have two games in hand).
The Sharks got off to a scorching start, scoring three goals in the first period. Worcester's new forward from Union College, Daniel Ciampini (1st), ripped a one-timer from in front of the crease after a behind-the-net feed from Jimmy Bonneau 5:46 into the first frame. At the 10:57 mark, defenseman Matt Taormina fired a shot from the left point, which was then tipped into the net by Lerg (13th) for the Sharks' second goal and Lerg's fifth in three games. Worcester's center Rylan Schwartz (4th) got in on the action at 16:03, finding the back of the net from the bottom of the left circle to give the Sharks the 3-0 lead. Worcester's goaltender Aaron Dell stopped all 9 shots that came his way in the first frame as the Sharks had the three-goal advantage through twenty minutes.
Worcester continued to pour it on in the second period. At the 2:57 mark, Jimmy Bonneau ripped a shot from the right point, which was deflected by Ryan Carpenter (10th) into the net for the Sharks' fourth goal. At 6:29, a skirmish broke out behind the Lehigh Valley net between Sharks' right winger Eriah Hayes and Phantoms' blueliner Oliver Lauridsen, resulting in penalties on both sides. Forward Willie Coetzee (9th) netted the puck from the slot after a feed from Micheal Haley for the fifth Worcester goal. Dell added 7 more saves to his total, preserving the Sharks' commanding 5-0 lead heading into the second intermission.
Lehigh Valley finally got on the board at 4:55 of the third period during a power play when blueliner Brandon Manning (11th) found the back of the net from the bottom of the right circle following a feed from forward Zach Stortini, bringing the score to 5-1 Worcester. At the 15:45 mark of the third period, veteran John McCarthy (12th) lit up the lamp for Worcester's sixth goal after a nice feed across the slot from Eriah Hayes, which made it 6-1 Sharks. Worcester would hold on for the victory, as Aaron Dell made 12 saves on 13 shots from the Phantoms in the final frame.
The Sharks overall record improves to 34-23-4-2, 74pts, and 20-10-2-1, 43pts at the DCU Center this season.
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