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Sharks Seven Points out with 11 Games Left - Worcester Sharks Weekly

April 1, 2013 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Worcester Sharks News Release


Shark Snap Shot:

The Worcester Sharks (29-28-2-6, 66pts) chomped one out of a possible six points in three games last week. The Sharks began the week with a 3-1 loss vs. the Monarchs on Wednesday at the DCU Center followed by a 3-0 loss to the CT Whale in Hartford on Thursday. With Thomas Greiss making a conditioning start for Worcester on Saturday at the DCU Center, the Sharks allowed three goals late in a 5-4 overtime loss vs. the IceCaps to close out the week 0-2-1-0.

Goaltender Thomas Greiss made his first AHL appearance for Worcester since April 6, 2009 on Saturday and made 22 saves in the 5-4 overtime loss to the Icecaps. Greiss was recalled by San Jose on March 31.

Worcester is now seven points behind the 8th place Bears with two games in hand for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference (the Sharks have 11 games left in regular season). The Sharks will embark on a four game work week by kicking off a home-and-home series vs. the Sound Tigers at 7pm on Tuesday at the DCU Center followed by a School Day Game on Thursday in Bridgeport at 11am. The Sharks then host the Falcons on Saturday at 7pm and the Monarchs at 3pm on Sunday at the DCU Center.

The Worcester Sharks player of the week nominee is forward Bracken Kearns. Bracken had four points (2-2-4) in three games last week including his team leading 18th and 19th goals on Saturday vs. the IceCaps. The Kernel leads the Sharks in points (43), goals (19), assists (24), and shots (124).

More than a few things to know....

* The Sharks are currently in 4th place (29-28-2-6, 66pts) in the Atlantic Division and 12th place overall in the Eastern Conference. - the Sharks trail the 8th place Bears (Sharks have two games in hand) by seven points for the final playoff spot in the East. Worcester has lost four straight games (0-3-1-0).

* Playoff Primer courtesy of the AHL. Click HERE.

* The San Jose Sharks currently have 12 players on their roster that have spent time in Worcester (Couture, Desjardins, Pavelski, Sheppard, Wingels, Braun, Demers, Greiss, Kennedy, Irwin, and Tennyson, and Murray,)

* The San Jose Sharks are currently in 3rd place in the Pacific Division and 6th place in the Western Conference with 40 points and a 17-11-6 record.

* Forward Matt Pelech set the Worcester Sharks record for most penalty minutes in a single season on March 30 with a roughing minor. Pelech has 212 penalty minutes in 51gp this season. (Brennan Evans had 211 pims in 2007-08).

* Rookie Defenseman Matt Tennyson received his first NHL recall on March 30. Tennyson leads all Worcester d-men in pts (27), goals (5), and assists (22) in 60 games.

* Rookie Freddie Hamilton is the only Sharks player to play in all 65 games this season. Freddie has 21 points (9-12-21).

* Goaltender Thomas Greiss made 22 saves on 27 shots in a 5-4 overtime loss to St. John's on March 30 on a conditioning assignment. Greiss was recalled to San Jose on March 31.

* Goaltender Harri Sateri has made 12 straight starts for Worcester (4-6-1).

* Goaltender Alex Stalock was returned to Worcester on April 1 from the SJ Sharks. Al appeared in two games in relief with the SJ Sharks and has a 0-1-0 record with a 2.86GAA and a .846 save %. Stalock is currently tied with Thomas Greiss for the most wins in Worcester Sharks franchise history (74)

* Forward Tim Kennedy was called up by the SJ Sharks on Feb 12. Kennedy has two goals in 12 games with San Jose and is currently still on re-call. Tim is 2nd on the Worcester Sharks with 37 points (13-24-37) in just 37 games... Kennedy has a two game point streak (0-5-5) in Worcester.

* Matt Irwin was recalled again by the San Jose Sharks on Feb 25. Irwin has played 25 games with the SJ Sharks this season (5-49) and has averaged 19:04 of ice time. Matt is tied for the lead among SJ Sharks defensemen with five goals.

* All-Star Bracken Kearns leads Worcester in points (43), goals (19), power play goals (10), assists (24), and shots (124).

* Coach Roy Sommer currently ranks 4th in the AHL with 538 wins in his career (15th season) and 2nd in games coached in the AHL with 1181.

* The Sharks play four games this week and look to climb the ladder in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

o Tuesday at 7pm the Sharks host the Bridgeport Sound Tigers - game televised live on Charter TV3.

o Thursday at 11am the Sharks travel to Bridgeport to battle the Sound Tigers.

o Saturday at 7pm the Sharks host the Springfield Falcons on March of Dimes Night with a special appearance by NE Revolution goaltender Matt Reis! The Sharks will be wearing a special March of Dimes jersey that will be auctioned off during and after the game to benefit the March of Dimes!

o Sunday at 3pm the Sharks host the Manchester Monarchs on Pucks N Paws Day! Bring your dog to the game on Sunday!

Top 3... Last Week!

1. Bracken Kearns had three points (2-1-3) in the Sharks 5-4 overtime loss to the IceCaps on Saturday!

2. Peter Sivak scored twice in three games last week for Worcester!

3. Daniil Tarasov racked up three assists in the Sharks 5-4 overtime loss to the IceCaps on Saturday!

Last Week: (0-2-1-0) 1pt, 3gp

Wed. 3/27 L Manchester Monarchs 3 @ Worcester SHARKS 1

Thu. 3/28 L Worcester SHARKS 0 @ Connecticut 3

Sat. 3/30 OTL St. John's IceCaps 5 @ Worcester SHARKS 4 - overtime

This week:

Tue. 4/2 Bridgeport Sound Tigers @ Worcester SHARKS - 7pm

Thu. 4/4 Worcester SHARKS @ Bridgeport Sound Tigers - 11am

Sat. 4/6 Springfield Falcons @ Worcester Sharks - 7pm

Sun. 4/7 Manchester Monarchs @ Worcester SHARKS - 3pm

Rewind the Tape:

3.27.13 - Manchester 3 - Worcester 1 - L - DCU Center The Worcester Sharks (29-27-1-6, 65pts) fell to their Atlantic Division rivals the Manchester Monarchs (31-28-3-4, 69pts) on Wednesday evening in front of 1,908 fans at the DCU Center. With the loss, the Sharks remain six points behind the 8th place Hershey Bears in the Eastern Conference playoff picture with two games in hand and 13 games remaining. Harri Sateri made 22 saves on 25 shots in his 10th straight start in goal for Worcester before he was replaced by Thomas Heemskerk at 7:18 of the second period and the Sharks trailing 3-0. Peter Sivak scored the only goal for Worcester as Martin Jones made 40 saves for the win.

3.28.13 - Connecticut 3 - Worcester 0 - L - XL Center

The Worcester Sharks (29-28-1-6, 65pts) were shut out by the Connecticut Whale (33-26-5-3, 74pts) 3-0 on Thursday evening in front of 3,907 fans at the XL Center. With the loss, the Sharks remain six points behind the 8th place Hershey Bears in the Eastern Conference playoff picture with one game in hand and 12 games remaining. Harri Sateri made 10 saves on 11 shots in his 11th straight start in goal for Worcester before he was run over by Whale forward and former Sharks player Brandon Mashinter early in the 2nd period and replaced by Thomas Heemskerk. The Sharks have dropped three straight games in regulation for the first time this season.

3.30.13 - St. John's 5 - Worcester 4 - OTL - DCU Center The Worcester Sharks (29-28-2-6, 66pts) were defeated by the St. John's IceCaps (29-33-1-4, 63pts) by the count of 5-4 in overtime on Saturday evening in front of 4,143 fans at the DCU Center. With the overtime loss, the Sharks are now seven points behind the 8th place Hershey Bears in the Eastern Conference playoff picture with two games in hand and 11 games remaining. The Sharks led 4-2 late in the third period but the IceCaps forced overtime and birthday boy Ben Maxwell scored his 2nd of the game just 23 seconds into overtime. Goaltender Thomas Greiss made 22 saves in his first AHL game since Apr 10, 2009 for Worcester as the Sharks wasted a three point night by Bracken Kearns (2-1-3) and a third period penalty shot score by Jon Matsumoto. Rookie Daniil Tarasov added three assists and Peter Sivak also score for Worcester.

Sharks in the Atlantic:

The Sharks (29-28-2-6, 66pts in 65gp) are currently in 4th place in the Atlantic Division; which is 21 points behind the 1st place Bruins (87pts in 67gp), 13 points behind the 2nd place Pirates (79pts in 67gp) and three points behind the 3rd place Monarchs (69pts in 67gp). The Sharks have a three point edge over the 5th place IceCaps (63pts in 67gp) 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.

*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.

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 15seasons 1,181GP 538WINS

*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 (15th season) in the American Hockey League. His current regular season record is now: 538-464-49-49-51. (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 383 of the 538 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 2012-13 season: John McCarthy was named the Sharks 5th captain in team history on October 11, 2012. Alternate captains for this season: Home: Danny Groulx and Bracken Kearns. Away: Matt Pelech and Tim Kennedy.... Jimmy Bonneau, Brandon Mashinter, James Livingston, Jon Matsumoto, and Sena Acolatse have also all worn the "A" this season.

*From east to west..... Four Worcester Sharks players from the 2012-13 season are currently on the San Jose Sharks NHL roster (Irwin, Kennedy, Sheppard, Tennyson)

*Trade (sort of).... The San Jose Sharks assigned defenseman Danny Groulx to the Chicago Wolves while the Vancouver Canucks assigned defenseman Derek Joslin to the Worcester Sharks on Friday. Joslin had posted 8 assists, 10 points, and 40 penalty minutes in 53 games with the Wolves this season. The 26-year-old blueliner has amassed 28 goals, 81 assists, 109 points, and 153 penalty minutes in 260 career AHL tilts with Chicago, Worcester, the Cleveland Barons, and Charlotte Checkers spanning seven seasons (2006-present). He also has tallied 12 assists, 16 points, and 63 penalty minutes in 114 career NHL games with the San Jose Sharks and Carolina Hurricanes spanning four seasons (2008-12). Drafted by the San Jose Sharks in 2005, Joslin has 98 points (27-71-97) in 206 career games with the Worcester Sharks including (1-1-2) in five games this season. Derek is the Worcester Sharks franchise leader with most career power play goals by a defenseman with 16.

*March by the numbers.... The Sharks finished with a 4-7-1-1 (10pts in 13gp) record in March with 31GF and 39GA. PP went 7-52 (13.5%), opponents PP went 10-47 (21.3%) and the Sharks had six fighting majors in March.

*Streakers... Harri Sateri has started 12 straight games (4-6-1).... The Sharks have lost four straight games (0-3-1-0).

*New faces... Worcester Sharks signed forward Lane Scheidl (SHY-DELL) to an amateur tryout agreement (ATO) on March 21. The 5-11, 190lbs forward and native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan led the Regina Pals (WHL) with 80 points (41-39-80) in 72 games this season. The 21-year-old was named the Pats Player of the Year and the Three Stars Award winner and led the Pats with 16 power play goals. Scheidl accumulated 186 points (88-98-186) in 277 career games in the WHL with Vancouver, Red Deer and Regina. Lane has one point (0-1-1) in three games with Worcester.

In addition, the Sharks signed forward Peter Sivak (SEE-VACK) to a professional tryout agreement (PTO) on March 20. Sivak led the San Francisco Bulls (ECHL) and was 4th in the ECHL with 33 goals. The 5-10, 180lbs forward from Cheb, Czech Republic had 56 points (33-23-56) in 64 games with the Bulls and led the ECHL with 266 shots on goal. The 31-year-old has 181 pts (86-95-181) in 356 games in Slovakia and 22 points (4-18-22) in 97 games in the Czech Republic on his international resume. Sivak has three goals in six games for Worcester.

*New Faces Round 2..... the Worcester Sharks signed forward Dane Walters to an amateur tryout agreement (ATO) on March 29. The 5-11, 190lbs forward and native of St. Paul, Minnesota was the captain of the Western Michigan University Broncos and was named the CCHA's Best Defensive Forward this season. The 24-year-old recorded 12 goals, 13 assists, and 25 points in 38 games in 2012-13.

Walters accumulated 83 points (39-44-83) in 144 career games with the Broncos over four seasons and was a teammate of Matt Tennyson. Dane will wear #46 for the Worcester Sharks and began practicing with the club on March 29 and is still looking on making his professional debut.

*Score 3!... the Worcester Sharks are 25-4-1-3 when they score at least three goals in a game.... But just 4-22-1-3 when they score two goals or less in a game this season.

*Tough scoring goals... the Sharks have been held to one goal or fewer in 21 of their 65 games this season (32.3%). Worcester has a 1-20-0-0 record in those 21 games.

*Power Play Drought... since scoring four power play goals vs. the Penguins on March 13th, the Sharks power play is just 1-for-28 in their last seven games.

*Remaining schedule... the Sharks have six games remaining at home this season (Bridgeport, Springfield, Manchester, Norfolk X2, and Springfield).... Just five games left on the road (Bridgeport, Bridgeport, Manchester, Wilkes-Barre, and Syracuse)!

*Harri likes the Road... Sateri has a 9-7-2 record on the road this season for the Sharks!

*Al likes the DCU.... Stalock has an 8-4-3 record and a .940 save % at the DCU Center this season for the Sharks!

*AHL Deal.....Defenseman Denny Urban was signed to a standard AHL player contract on Feb 1... the Pittsburgh, PA native and Robert Morris alum has been impressive in his first AHL action with the Sharks as he has 15 points (4-11-15) in 32 games with Worcester... Urban was named an ECHL All-Star starter as he scored 13 goals with the Reading Royals at the time of his signing with the Sharks to a PTO.

*AHL Deal 2.... Defenseman Adam Comrie was signed to a standard AHL player contract on Feb 6. Comrie was originally drafted by the Florida Panthers with the 80th pick in the 2008 NHL draft. The 6-4 215lb native of Ashburn, Virginia played in 45 games this season for the Reading Royals (ECHL) posting 33 points (17-16-33) and 106 penalty minutes. Adam has played 44 games in the AHL with the Rochester Americans. Comrie has nine points (2-7-9) and is +2 in 18 games for Worcester.

*Score first... the Sharks have scored FIRST 31 times in 65 games this season with a 19-9-1-2 record in those games. (Tim Kennedy 4, Yanni Gourde 1, Freddie Hamilton 3, John McCarthy 1, Brodie Reid 2, Travis Oleksuk 1, Matt Tennyson 2, Jon Matsumoto 3, James Livingston 4, James Sheppard 1, Denny Urban 1, Daniil Tarasov 1, Danny Groulx 1, Marek Viedensky 2, Sebastian Stalberg 2, and Peter Sivak 1).

*Points in Bunches... Sharks forward Tim Kennedy leads the team with 12 multi point games this season. Kennedy has 28 points (10-18-28) in those 12 games this season... Bracken Kearns ranks 2nd with nine multi-point games (10-13-23) and leads Worcester with four two goal games.

*We miss Kennedy.... The Worcester Sharks are 9-16-1-2 when Tim Kennedy is not in the lineup. Worcester has been outscored 62-85 in those 28 games and the power play is just 11.6% (13-112) when #22 is not in the lineup

*AHL Player of the Week!.... for the 3rd time in franchise history the Sharks had the AHL's player of the week awarded on Dec 3 . Tim Kennedy was named the AHL's POW (joining Thomas Greiss and Tommy Wingels) after posting five goals (5-0-5), +5, and a shootout score in three games for the Sharks. Kennedy currently is 2nd on the Sharks with 37 points (13-24-37) in 37 games... Kennedy is currently on recall with the San Jose Sharks and has two goals in 12 games.

*Pro Debut: Forward Daniil Tarasov made his professional debut on Nov 4 vs. the Monarchs. The 21-year-old became the first player born in Russia (Moscow) to suit up for the Worcester Sharks. Daniil scored 47 goals in 60 games last year for the Indiana Ice of the USHL. Tarasov had 14 points (3-11-14) in 17 games with San Francisco in the ECHL and 21 points (9-12-21) in 32 games with Worcester.

*5 National Champions... The Sharks have five 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... Nick Petrecki and Mike Brennan with Boston College in 2008... and Tim Kennedy with Michigan State in 2007.

*5 years and counting... Sharks forward Jon Matsumoto has recorded at least 20+ goals (20,29,30,20,23) in five straight seasons in the AHL heading into his first season with Worcester in 2012-13. Jon has 14 goals through 57 games this season for Worcester and currently is tied for the team lead with three game winning goals.

*OT? The Worcester Sharks have played 16 games in OT this season with a .500 point % in those games. The Sharks are 2-2 in overtime and 6-6 in the shootout.

*Score on the power play and win?... the Sharks are 23-6-0-3 when they score a power play goal this season, 15-3-0-1 on the road when they score on the man advantage. Worcester is 9-1-0-0 when they score at least two power play goals in a game this season!

*Keeping your hat on (Thanks Ballou)... Worcester has gone 248 games since one of its players recorded a hat trick. That is easily the longest active streak in the AHL. The Sharks' last hat trick belongs to Dan DaSilva, who scored three times in Portland during a 5-2 Worcester victory in Portland 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 157 games. In the meantime, Worcester has had 49 two-goal games, including five each by Benn Ferriero, Brandon Mashinter and T.J. Trevelyan. In all, Worcester players have recorded hat tricks only seven times in the franchise's 541 games. The Sharks are 7-0 in those games and 1-11-3 in the 15 games in which the opposition has had a hat trick.

*Shootout scorers.... The Sharks rank 23rd in the AHL with a .258 scoring percentage (16-for-62) in the shootout. (McCarthy 2-for-5, Sheppard 4-for-7, Matsumoto 3-for-10, Tim Kennedy 1-for-8, Sebastian Stalberg 0-for-2, Travis Oleksuk 0-for-5, Brandon Mashinter 1-for-2, Brodie Reid 0-for-6, Denny Urban 3-for-4, Daniil Tarasov (1-for-5), Tommy Grant (0-for-1), Danny Groulx (0-for-1), Patrick Rissmiller (0-for-1) Bracken Kearns (0-for-1), Marek Viedensky (1-for-2) Sean Acolatse (0-for-1), and Freddie Hamilton (0-for-1)

*Shootout stoppers...the Sharks rank 5th in the AHL with a .766 save % in the shootout (15 goals on 64 chances)... Harri Sateri has allowed just 5 goals on 30 chances (.833 save %) and has stopped 25 of his last 28 chances.

*Nice Crowd... The Sharks have welcomed 12 crowds over 5,000 fans during the 2012-13 season (6,659 on Oct 20 - 5,098 on Nov 17 - 6,621 on Deb 8, 5,008 on Dec 28, 6,503 on Dec 29, 6,959 on Jan 19, 8,189 on Jan 26, 7,966 fans on Feb 2, 5,045 on Feb 23, 7,804 on Mar 9, 5,865 on Mar 15, and 6,557 on Mar 23)

*1,000,000th fan... The Sharks welcomed their 1,000,000th fan (season ticket holder Peter West) through the DCU Center turnstiles on Oct 28. Currently, the Sharks have had 1,133,536 fans attend a regular season game in the 6+ years in Worcester. (4,198 average in 270 home games).

*Most fans to watch the Sharks... the crowd of 11,152 at the Dunkin Donuts Center on Feb 17 to watch the Sharks lose 3-1 to the Bruins was the largest crowd (home or away) ever to watch a Worcester Sharks game.

*Worcester/Manchester Rivalry... the Sharks and Monarchs combined for 567 penalty minutes in the 12 games (275WOR, 292 MCH) and 25 sets of fighting major penalties in 2011-12. Worcester went 3-6-2-1 vs. Manchester last season and the series featured a pre game brawl in the series final at the DCU Center on April 10. The Sharks are 5-4-0-0 vs. Manchester this season with 11 sets of fighting majors. The two teams battle on Mar 27 at DCU Center.

*Sharks/Pirates Rivalry... the Sharks and the Pirates had a bench clearing brawl in Portland on April 7, 2012 after the 12th and final meeting between the two teams. The bad blood has carried over this season with the Sharks finishing with a 6-5-0-1 record in the season series that saw 35 fighting majors penalties and 521 total penalty minutes (250 WOR, 271 POR). The two teams combined for 15 fighting majors and 143 penalty minutes in a 5-1 Sharks victory on Nov 24 at the DCU Center.

*Crazy 8's - the Sharks set a home ice Worcester hockey record with eight fighting majors vs. the Pirates in a 5-1 win on Nov 24 at the DCU Center.

*PP Specialist...Matt Irwin's 15 career power-play goals have put him in good position to set some team records, but he is not there yet. He tied the record for most power-play goals in a season by a Sharks defenseman with nine in 2011-12, also done by Garrett Stafford in 2006-07. The career record is 16, done by Derek Joslin.... Irwin made his NHL debut with the SJ Sharks on Jan 20 in a 4-1 win at Calgary and scored his first NHL goal on Jan 26 in a 4-0 win vs. Colorado... Irwin is currently on recall with the San Jose Sharks and has five goals in 26 games.

*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. Doherty missed 29 games with a leg injury before returning back to the lineup on Feb 22.

*Penalty Shot!.... Brandon Mashinter was denied on a penalty shot late in the 3rd period at Hershey on Dec 15 as Braden Holtby made the save, Daniil Tarasov was denied by Martin Jones on Feb 22, and Jon Matsumoto scored on Eddie Pasquale on Mar 30. The Sharks are 3-for-12 in penalty shot situations in franchise history with Mash as the only player ever to take more than one (0-for-2)... Mash was traded to the NY Rangers organization on Jan 16.

*First Pro Goals this season... Travis Oleksuk and Taylor Doherty each scored their first professional goals on Nov 3... Freddie Hamilton scored his first on Nov 9, and Mike Banwell scored his first snipe on Jan 26.

*Sharks in the Atlantic... Worcester is 19-13-2-5 in divisional games in 2012-13

*3rd period Heroes... Worcester is 6-21-0-4 when trailing after two periods of play this season. (6 wins 2nd most in AHL).... the Sharks were 5-44-4-7 in that situation the last two seasons combined.

*20 goal scorers?... The Sharks have three players that have scored at least 20+ goals in a season in the AHL... John McCarthy scored 20 goals last year for Worcester, Jon Matsumoto has score 20+ goals in AHL in each of the last five seasons, and Bracken Kearns has scored 20+ goals in each of the last two seasons.

*These Sharks have teeth Take 2?.... Worcester finished 1st in the AHL in penalty minutes averaging 21.32 penalty minutes per game and were 1st with 120 fighting major penalties in 2011-12. Worcester ranks 8th with 19.75 penalty minutes per game this season and 8th with 69 fighting majors.

*90 PIMS... the Sharks recorded a then AHL high 90 penalty minutes in Worcester's 5-4 win at Providence on Dec 21. (15 minors, 2 majors, 3 misconducts, 2 game misconducts)

*Yanni scores shorthanded.... Finally!... Sharks rookie forward Yanni Gourde scored the first Sharks shorthanded goal of the season on Dec 2 in Providence. The Sharks had not scored a shorthanded goal in their previous 70 games spanning 306 shorthanded opportunities.

*Sherriff McLaren... Sharks tough guy Frazer McLaren ranks 1st all-time in Worcester Sharks history with 577 penalty minutes (54 FM) in 217 games. Frazer had an AHL single game high this season with 37 penalty minutes on Dec 21 at Providence. Watch Frazer's marathon fight vs. Joel Rechlicz from Jan 8 by clicking here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?veJhIFfNb-n4. Frazer was picked up by the Toronto Maple Leafs on waivers on Jan 31.

*Tennyson chipping in... rookie defenseman Matt Tennyson has been impressive from the blue line this season! The Minneapolis, MN native and former SJ Jr. Shark has 27 points (5-22-27) through 60 games this season. Tennyson has 16 power play points (3-13-16) and received his first NHL recall on March 30.

*Massachusetts!... the Sharks have had two players that that hail from Massachusetts that suited up for the team this season (John McCarthy - Andover and Patrick Rissmiller - Belmont) In addition, associate coach David Cunniff hails from South Boston.

*Hockey East Alumni!... the Worcester Sharks have six players from Hockey East Schools (Irwin - UMass-Amherst, McCarthy - BU, Reid - NU, Petrecki and Brennan - BC, Stalberg - Vermont)

*International Flair... On March 30 the Sharks were represented by eight different countries on their active Roster.... United States, Canada, Finland, Sweden, Russia, Czech Rep, Slovakia, and Germany)

*BC leading the way.... The Sharks signed BC alum Mike Brennan to a PTO on Nov 27. Brennan became the 5th former BC defensemen and 6th player overall that has suited up for the Sharks over the last seven seasons. Brennan has four points (0-4-4) in 26 games for the Sharks and 2 fighting majors.

*Rookies... the Sharks have dressed 14 rookies already this season. (Travis Oleksuk, Sebastian Stalberg, Matt Tennyson, Freddie Hamilton, Yanni Gourde, Mikael Tam, Daniil Tarasov, Mike Banwell, Denny Urban, Sacha Guimond, Andy Bohmbach, Michael Pelech, William Wrenn, Thomas Heemskerk, and Lane Scheidl)

*I'll take a draft... Seven Worcester Sharks players were drafted by the San Jose Sharks. (Hamilton, Stalock, Doherty, McCarthy, Petrecki, Sateri, and Viedensky,)

*Franchise player traded... Sharks forward Brandon Mashinter ranked in the top 10 in many of the Worcester Sharks all-time records.... Mash ranks 4th all time in goals (54), 2nd in games played (236), 7th in points (108), 6th in penalty minutes (320) and 4th in fighting majors with 34.... Brandon is also the only Sharks player to record two seasons of double digits in goals and fighting major penalties (2009-10 and 2010-11).... Mash was traded to the NY Rangers for Tommy Grant and a 7th round conditional pick on Jan 16.

*Whale turned Shark.... Tommy Grant, 26, had posted 16 points (9-716) in 34 games with Connecticut (AHL) this season before getting traded to the Sharks on Jan 16. Last season with Connecticut, the six-foot-two, 195-pound North Vancouver, British Columbia native notched 23 points (11-1223) with 39 penalty minutes in 72 games. Grant has three points (1-2-3) in 16 games with Worcester and five points (1-4-5) in four games with the SF Bulls... Grant is currently with the SF Bulls.

*50 saves... Harri Sateri made an AHL high 50 saves in the Sharks 3-2SOW at Providence on Dec 2. Sateri also went 5-for-5 in the shootout in the victory. The 50 saves was the 2nd most ever by a Sharks netminder. Thomas Greiss holds the record with 51 saves in a 4-1 win vs. Hartford on April 6, 2007.

*First Rounders... the Sharks have three players that were drafted in the first round of the NHL Draft... James Sheppard was the 9th overall pick by Minnesota in 2006, Matt Pelech was the 26th overall pick by Calgary in 2005, and Nick Petrecki was the 28th pick overall by San Jose in 2007.

*No sophomore jinx for Brodie... 2nd year player Brodie Reid continues to impress this season for Worcester... Reid had 25 points (10-15-25) in 66 games last year for Worcester as a rookie but already has 21 points (10-11-21) in 34 games this season for the Sharks... Brodie has missed the last 12 games due to injury.

*Sheppard in AHL... with 224 NHL games under his belt before an AHL conditioning stint for four games last year with Worcester, Sharks forward James Sheppard signed an AHL contract at the start of the 2012-13 season. The 9th overall draft selection by the Wild in 2006, has 23 points (8-15-23) and an AHL high 4 shootout goals in 34 games with the Sharks this season. Sheppard is currently on recall with the SJ Sharks and has four (1-3-4) points in 26 games.

*Tying Greiss.... Sharks netminder Alex Stalock has 74 career wins with Worcester, tying Thomas Greiss (74-61-6) for the most in franchise history. Stalock is 74-49-9 with the Worcester Sharks... Al has 42 wins at the DCU Center, 30 wins on the road and has won 12 games vs. the Bruins (most vs. any team.)

*Stalock in the NHL.... Alex Stalock replaced Antti Niemi in the 3rd period on March 9 in the SJ Sharks game vs. the St. Louis Blues with the game tied at 3-3. Stalock picked up his first NHL loss with a 4-3 OT loss to the St. Louis Blues. Al made six saves on seven shots in 15:34 of action. It was 767 days between NHL appearances for the Sharks. Stalock is 0-1-0 with a 2.86GAA and a .846 save % with the SJ Sharks.

*Stalock likes the Falcons.... Alex Stalock is 11-0-1 all-time vs. the Springfield Falcons.

*200 games... Sharks defensemen Nick Petrecki is 3rd in Sharks history with 231 games played... Nick also ranks 3rd in penalty minutes with 439.... Nick made his NHL debut in San Jose's 3-2SOW over the Anaheim Ducks on 1/29 and played 11:58... he was returned to Worcester on Feb 3... the 216 games before his first NHL game was the most of any Worcester Sharks graduate to San Jose.

*200/50.... Captain John McCarthy played in his 200th game for the Sharks on Jan 26... 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.

*Younger Brother... Sebastian Stalberg joined Worcester on March 15, 2012 after he signed an NHL contract with San Jose and finished his junior season at the University of Vermont. Sebastian is the younger brother of Viktor Stalberg, who currently plays with the Chicago Blackhawks. Sebastian has 14 points (10-5-15) in 56 games with the Sharks this season. The native of Gothenburg, Sweden finished with 27 goals in 106 games with Vermont.

*Older Brother... Sharks forward Freddie Hamilton made his professional debut with the Sharks on Friday in Norfolk. Freddie recorded 86 points (35-51-86) with Niagara (OHL) in 61 games last season. Freddie is the older brother of the Dougie Hamilton who was drafted by the Boston Bruins with the 9th pick overall in 2011. Dougie is currently attending the Boston Bruins training camp. Freddie has 21 points (9-12-21) in 65 games this season. Freddie is the only skater to appear in all 65 games this season for Worcester.

*Brothers on the same line... for the first time in Worcester's AHL history, two brothers suited up in the same game for the same Worcester team on Jan 19. Matt and Michael Pelech skated on the same line along side Tommy Grant in the Sharks 2-1 loss to Adirondack. Michael picked up an assist and Matt picked up his team leading 10th and 11th fighting majors in the loss.

*Like Father, Like Son... Rookie Curt Gogol finished 3rd on the Sharks with 167 penalty minutes and 2nd with 19 fighting majors through 53 games in 2011-12... his father Brent racked up 892 penalty minutes in 157 professional games in the IHL, CHL, EHL, and the AHL including 380 pims in 1978-79 in 57 games with the Flint Generals. Curt has 7 fighting majors, 139 penalty minutes, and 3 goals through 36 games this season.

*Piling up the PIMS with Pelech... Forward/Defenseman Matt Pelech played in his 300th AHL game on Oct 20 vs. the Devils. The 6-foot-5 bruising defenseman turned forward from Toronto, ONT has accumulated 974 penalty minutes and 75 fighting majors in 343 AHL games. "Pelly" leads the Sharks with 212 penalty minutes this season in 51 games. #23 is only the 2nd player in Worcester Sharks history to hit the 200 pim plateau (Evans 211 in 2007-08). Pelech has been suspended twice by the AHL this season totaling 7 games. Matt currently leads the Sharks with 15 fighting majors and has one fighting major (Jared Boll) in two games with the SJ Sharks this season.

*Major Bonneau... Worcester Sharks tough guy Jimmy Bonneau racked up 22 fighting majors in 54 games in 2011-12 for the Sharks. Bonneau has set the Worcester Sharks record for most fighting majors in a season surpassing Frazer McLaren (21 in 2008-09). Jimmy has 103 fighting majors in 270 AHL games along with 780 penalty minutes.... Jimmy has 8 fighting majors and 50 penalty minutes through 22 games this season.

*Acolatse can throw... Worcester Sharks rookie defenseman Sena Acolatse has been quite impressive in his first eight professional hockey fights this season. The 5-11, 205 pounder and native of Hayward, CA native fought Richard Clune, Brett Hextall, Dane Byers, Stephane Veilleux, Andre Deveaux, J.D. Watt, and Garth Murray in 2011-12. Sena led the Prince George Cougars in WHL with 15 fighting majors in 66 games in 2010-11, and also added 15 goals. Acolatse added eight goals from the blue line for Worcester in 2011-12. Sena has 4 fights (Hanson, Lane, Louis, Andreoff) this season through 40 games. Sena has missed 19 games with a broken jaw before returning March 1.

*Five for fighting... The Sharks finished with 120 fighting majors in 2011-12 (franchise record) good for 1st in the AHL... this season, the Sharks have 69 fighting majors through 65 games and rank 8th in the AHL (Pelech 15, Kearns 7, Bonneau 9, McLaren 7, Banwell 1, Gogol 7, Mashinter 4, Acolatse 4, Reid 1, Gourde 1, Brennan 2, Livingston 4, Tam 3, Petrecki 3, Doherty 1). The Sharks had 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.

Season by the numbers...

Record: 29-28-2-6, 66 points - 4th in Atlantic and 12th in Eastern Conference

Win percentage: .598% - 23rd in AHL

Home Record: 13-13-2-4

Away Record: 16-15-0-2

Attendance: 142,831 through 32 games (4,463 average)

Goals Scored: 163, 2.51 goals per game, 24th in AHL

Goals Allowed: 186, 2.86 goals against per game, 19th in AHL

Shots per game: 30.06 - 15th in AHL

Shots allowed per game: 30.08 - 16th in AHL

Score 1st: 19-9-1-2 when scoring first (.661%)

1 goal games: 17-7-2-6 in one goal games

PP: 15.5%, 21st in AHL (45-290)

PK: 82.4%, 19th in AHL (51-289)

SHG - 4 shorthanded goals scored

SHGA - 6 shorthanded goals allowed

PIMS - 19.75 penalty minutes per game, 8th in AHL

Fighting Majors: 69 - 8th in AHL

OT Games - 16 - (2-2 record in OT) - Hamilton and Petrecki OTG

SO Games - 12 - (6-6 record in SO)

Roster Players - the Sharks have used 41 players this season

Goalies - the Sharks have used 3 goaltenders this season

Players receiving call-ups to San Jose - 12

NHL debuts - 2 Worcester players made their NHL debuts this season (Matt Irwin and Nick Petrecki)

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

04/01/2013

Alex Stalock (G)

Worcester

ADD Returned on loan from San Jose (NHL)

04/01/2013

Matt Nieto (RW)

Worcester

ADD Signed to ATO

03/31/2013

Thomas Greiss (G)

Worcester

DEL Recalled from loan by San Jose (NHL)

03/30/2013

Matt Tennyson (D)

Worcester

DEL Recalled from loan by San Jose (NHL)

03/29/2013

Dane Walters (RW)

Worcester

ADD Signed to ATO

03/29/2013

Thomas Heemskerk (G)

Worcester

DEL Reassigned by San Jose (NHL) to San Francisco (ECHL)

03/28/2013

Thomas Greiss (G)

Worcester

ADD Conditioning loan from San Jose (NHL)

03/28/2013

Tommy Grant (LW)

Worcester

DEL Reassigned by San Jose (NHL) to San Francisco (ECHL)

Top Worcester Sharks:

o Goals Kearns (19)

o Game Winners Hamilton, Matsumoto, Tarasov (3)

o Assists Kennedy, and Kearns (24)

o Points Kearns (19-24-43)

o Power Play Points Kennedy (5-11-16), Tennyson (3-13-16), and Kearns (10-6-16)

o Shots Kearns (124 shots)

o PIM Pelech (212)

o Fighting Pen. Pelech (15)

o Plus/Minus Livingston (+12)

o Wins Stalock (15)

o G.A.A. Stalock (2.48)

o Save % Stalock (.917)

o Shutouts Sateri and Stalock (1)

Sharks in the NHL

The San Jose Sharks are 17-11-6 (40pts in 34gp) and currently in 3rd place in the Pacific Division and 6th in the Western Conference. San Jose has won four straight games.

Former Worcester Sharks players on the San Jose Sharks roster include; (Couture, Murray, Desjardins, Pavelski, Sheppard, Wingels, Braun, Demers, Greiss, Kennedy, Irwin, Tennyson).

Matt Irwin has five goals in 25 games for the SJ Sharks.

Click here for a full SJ Sharks update.

Week ahead for San Jose:

* Mon. April 1 at 10:30pm (EST) vs. Vancouver

* Wed. April 3 at 10:30pm (EST) vs. Minnesota

* Fri. April 5 at 10:30pm (EST) vs. Calgary

* Sun. April 7 at 4pm (EST) vs. Dallas

Sharks in the ECHL:

The San Francisco Bulls finished with a 25-38-2-7 (59pts in 72gp) and grabbed the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Bulls face the #1 seeded Alaska Aces in the first round of the Kelly Cup playoffs.

Sharks players under an AHL contract currently playing in San Francisco include:

* G Taylor Nelson (11-20-5 record) with a 3.53 GAA and a .890 save %.

* G Thomas Heemskerk (14-17-1 record) with a 3.10 GAA and a .906 save %.

* D Mikael Tam had 12 points (3-9-12) and 75 pims in 37 games.

* F Tommy Grant had five points (1-4-5) in five games.

Week ahead for the Bulls:

* Game 1 - Fri. April 5 at 11:15pm at Alaska

* Game 2 - Sat. April 6 at 11:15pm at Alaska

* Game 3 - Thu. April 11 at 10:15pm vs. Alaska

* Game 4 - Fri. April 12 at 10:15pm vs. Alaska

Coming Up for the Worcester Sharks:

The Sharks have a four game work week in their quest towards a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference!

On Tuesday, the Sharks host the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at 7pm. The game will be televised live on Charter TV3.

On Thursday, the Sharks travel to Bridgeport to battle the Sound Tigers with a special 11am School Day Game start.

On Saturday, the Sharks host the Springfield Falcons at 7pm on March of Dimes Night with a special appearance and signing by NE Revolution netminder Matt Reis! The Sharks will wear a special March of Dimes jersey that with be auctioned off during the game to benefit the March of Dimes!

On Sunday, the Sharks host the Manchester Monarchs at 3pm on Pucks N Paws Day! Bring your dog to the hockey game! Kid's tickets just $5 dollars with the purchase of an adult ticket!

Score a family fun pack today for only $79! Four tickets, four hot dogs, and four sodas for a portion of the price! Available only through the Sharks front office for every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday games this season!

2013-14 season ticket packages are on sale now! JUMP IN and contact the Worcester Sharks front office at 508-929-0500. Save $$$ and receive exclusive benefits!

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 ticket representatives Jason Jones, Jonathan Forsberg, Kristyn Galante, Sarah Farley, and Ben Masse for your customized ticket package today! Jump in today and save up to 45% off box office prices!

Call the Sharks front office at 508.929.0500 or crash 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 April 1, 2013


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