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Sharks Sharp in Shootout, Sweep 3-In-3 Weekend - Worcester Sharks Weekly

March 11, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Worcester Sharks News Release


Shark Snap Shot: The Worcester Sharks (27-27-3-1, 58pts) chomped six out of a possible six points last week (3-0-0-0) in three games for their 2nd 3-in-3 sweep of the season. The Sharks currently sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, which is 12 points behind the 8th and final playoff spot held by the Albany Devils (Sharks have one game in hand with 18 games remaining).

The Sharks began the week with their 1st win of the season when allowing four goals in a game with a 5-4 shootout victory over the Bruins in Providence on Friday. Worcester returned home on Saturday and clipped the Pirates with a 3-2 win and closed out the weekend with their 9th shootout victory of the season in a 4-3 win over the Devils at the DCU Center on Sunday.

Freddie Hamilton continued to light the lamp for Worcester with his team leading 17th and 18th goals of the season and went 2-for-2 in the shootout which included the game winner on Sunday. Rookie Troy Grosenick picked up a pair of wins and improved to 5-0 this season in the shootout after a pair of SO victories while Harri Sateri was sharp with 28 saves and a first star performance on Saturday. Marek Viedensky recorded a point in all three games last weekend (2-2-4) and the Sharks improved to 20-4-1-1 (.808 points %) when scoring the first goal of the game as Worcester scored first in all three games last week. In addition, Matt Pelech returned to the lineup on Friday after missing 25 games with a broken hand - Pelech played defense in all three Sharks victories!

There was some action off the ice as well, as the San Jose Sharks traded James Livingston to the LA Kings for a draft pick on the NHL trade deadline on Wednesday and Yanni Gourde departed Worcester after the game on Saturday after signing his first NHL contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Livingston is set to return to the DCU Center on Sunday as a member of the Manchester Monarchs.

The Worcester Sharks player of the week nominee is forward Freddie Hamilton. The 22-year-old from Toronto, Ontario recorded four points (2-2-4), two shootout goals, eight shots, and was +2 in three games last week to lead the way offensively for the Sharks. Freddie leads Worcester in goals (18), points (34), first goals (9), and power play points (7-4-11).

The Sharks head to Providence on Friday to kick-off another 3-in-3 weekend vs. the Bruins at 7:05pm. Worcester travels to Bridgeport on Saturday for a 7pm duel vs. the Sound Tigers before returning home to host the Manchester Monarchs at 3pm. The Sharks will wear a specialty jersey on Sunday to support the SHINE Initiative on FINZ's birthday!

MILESTONE ALERT:

Head Coach Roy Sommer is 6 games away from tying Frank Mathers (1256 games coached) for the most games coached in AHL history. Coach Sommer has coached 1250 AHL games - all with the SJ Sharks AHL affiliates. Coach Sommer will tie the record on March 23 at Providence and break the record on March 26 in Lewiston vs. the Pirates.

Forward Dan DaSilva ranks 2nd in franchise history with 132 points - trailing only the late Tom Cavanagh (138pts) by six points for the most points in Worcester Sharks history.

Few things to know....

* The Worcester Sharks are currently in 4th place (27-27-3-1, 58pts) in the Atlantic Division and 10th place overall in the Eastern Conference. - the Sharks trail the 8th and final playoff spot by 12 points with one game in hand over the Albany Devils.

* 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 89 points and a 41-17-7 record.

* After their two shootout victories last weekend, the Worcester Sharks are an impressive 9-1 in the shootout this season! 33.3% of the Sharks wins this season have come in the shootout!

* Forward Dan DaSilva has 25pts (12-13-25) in 43 games this season and is now 2nd all-time in Worcester Sharks history with 132 points (55-77-132) in 221 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.

* John McCarthy returned to action on March 2 after missing seven games due to injury. J-Mac has three points (3-0-3) in seven games with Worcester after appearing in 36 games with the SJ Sharks (1-1-2).

* 2nd year pro Freddie Hamilton leads the club with 18 goals, 1st with 34 points (18-16-34), and tops with nine 1st goals. Hamilton has already surpassed his point total from last season in just 48 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 10-4-1 with the San Jose Sharks this season with a 1.85 GAA and a .932 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 32 goals in 65 games.

* Coach Roy Sommer currently ranks 4th in the AHL with 567 wins in his career (16th season) and 2nd in games coached in the AHL with 1250.

Top 3... Last Week!

1. Freddie Hamilton recorded three points (1-2-3), scored a shootout goal, fired five shots, and was +3 in the Sharks 5-4SOW at Providence on Friday!

2. Harri Sateri made 28 saves for his 14th win of the season in the Sharks 3-2 vs. the Pirates on Saturday!

3. Marek Viedensky extended his point streak to three games (2-2-4) with his 6th goal and added an assist in the Sharks 4-3SOW vs. Albany on Sunday!

Last Week: (3-0-0-0) 6pts, 3gp

Fri. 3/7 SOW Worcester SHARKS 5 @ Providence Bruins 4

Sat. 3/8 W Portland Pirates 2 @ Worcester SHARKS 3

Sun. 3/9 SOW Albany Devils 3 @ Worcester SHARKS 4

This week:

Fri. 3/14 Worcester SHARKS @ Providence Bruins - 7:05pm

Sat. 3/15 Worcester SHARKS @ Bridgeport Sound Tigers - 7pm

Sun. 3/16 Manchester Monarchs @ Worcester SHARKS - 3pm

Rewind the Tape:

3.7.14 - Providence 4 - Worcester 5 - SOW - Dunkin Donuts Center - Providence, RI

The Worcester Sharks (25-27-3-1, 54ts) won a back and forth high scoring affair with a 5-4 shootout win over the Providence Bruins (31-20-1-7, 70pts) in front of 9,363 fans at the Dunkin Donuts Center on Friday evening. The Sharks lead 1-0, 2-1, trailed 3-2, and led 4-3 before the Bruins forced overtime midway through the third period. Freddie Hamilton (1-2-3), Yanni Gourde (1-1-2), and Dylan DeMelo (0-2-2) all recorded multi point games for Worcester and Troy Grosenick stopped all four shooters in the shootout for his 12th win of the season. Marek Viedensky (5th) and Daniil Tarasov (13th) scored in the third period for Worcester as the Sharks solved goaltender Malcolm Subban for the first time in six tries this season.

3.8.14 - Portland 2 - Worcester 3 - W - DCU Center - Worcester, MA

The Worcester Sharks (26-27-3-1, 56pts) defeated the Portland Pirates (21-26-2-8, 52pts) 3-2 before 5,455 fans at the DCU Center on Saturday evening. Before the game, the Worcester Police Department and the Worcester Fire Department faced off for a friendly tilt on Heroes Night as the firemen topped the policemen 6-1 and took home the Heroes Award. Freddie Hamilton (18th), Brodie Reid (9th) & Eriah Hayes (7th) all scored for the Sharks in their 3-2 defeat of the Portland Pirates. Hamilton and Reid's first period goals gave Worcester a lead that would remain throughout the game, while Hayes' third period goal sealed the Sharks' victory. The Pirates' Daine Todd (3rd) and Jordan Martinook (10th) scored for the Pirates, with Martinook's goal coming late in the third with an extra skater. Harri Sateri earned the game's first star as he stopped 28 of 30 shots.

3.9.14 - Albany 3 - Worcester 4 - SOW - DCU Center - Worcester, MA

The Worcester Sharks (27-27-3-1, 58pts) earned their second shootout victory of the weekend against the Albany Devils (30-19-3-7, 70pts) with a final score of 4-3 before 3,678 fans on Sunday afternoon at the DCU Center. With the win, the Sharks sweep a weekend, earning 6-of-6 points for first time since January 10th, 11th and 12th when they won consecutive contests at home against Hartford, Norfolk and Portland. Netminders Troy Grosenick and Keith Kinkaid met again in opposing nets after both playing for Union in college. After an exciting and close 60 minutes of regulation, the game was decided in a shootout with goals from Daniil Tarasov and Freddie Hamilton, while Grosenick made four of five shootout saves and 37 in regulation for the win. Worcester took an early 2-0 lead after Marek Viedensky (6th) and Rylan Schwartz (5th) scored, but the Devils kept the game close after a second period tally by Reid Boucher (16th). Worcester regained its lead in the third period with a goal from John McCarthy (3rd), but the Devils forced a scoreless overtime after back-to-back third period marks by David Wohlberg (4th) and Harri Pesonen (9th).

Sharks in the Atlantic:

The Sharks (27-27-3-1, 58pts in 58gp) are currently in 4th place in the Atlantic Division; which is 28 points behind the 1st place Monarchs (86pts in 63gp), 18 points behind the 2nd place IceCaps (76pts in 59gp), 14 points behind the 3rd place Bruins (72pts in 61gp), and six points ahead of the 5th place Pirates (52pts in 59gp) 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 1,250GP 567 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: 567-527-48-55-53. (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 410 of the 567 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 eight players (17 call-ups) receive at least one call up to the San Jose Sharks already this season. (Pelech, McCarthy, Kearns, Hamilton, Nieto, Hayes, Tennyson, and Doherty)

*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 finished 2-8-0-0 (4pts in 10gp) record in February with 19 GF and 44 GA. PP went 4-38 (10.5%); opponents PP went 7-50 (14.0%) and the Sharks had 13 fighting majors in February.

*Breaking down March.... The Sharks are 4-1-0-0 (8pts in 5gp) record in March with 15 GF and 12 GA. PP is 1-16 (6.3%); opponents PP is 1-16 (6.3%) and the Sharks have four fighting majors in March.

*Streakers... the Sharks have won three straight games.... Marek Viedensky (2-2-4) has a three game point streak.... Brodie Reid (1-1-2) and Eriah Hayes (1-1-2) each have a two game point streak.... Troy Grosenick has won two straight games.

*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.

*Shot advantage... Worcester had outshot their opponents 252-152 in during a seven game stretch (Feb 22 - March 8) averaging 36.0 shots per game and allowing just 21.7 shots against per game.

*11... the Sharks allowed a franchise low 11 shots in a 2-1 loss to the Falcons on March 2 which included one shot against in the third period.

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

* Freddie Hamilton (18-16-34pts in 48gp) has already surpassed his 13-13-36pts in 76gp last year!

* Travis Oleksuk (12-10-22pts in 56gp) has already surpassed his 3-10-13pts in 60gp last year!

* Taylor Doherty (3-9-12pts in 54gp) has already surpassed his 1-9-10pts in 40gp last year!

* Jimmy Bonneau (2-2-4pts in 34gp) has already surpassed his 1-1-2pts in 26gp last year!

* Marek Viedensky (6-12-18 in 43gp) has a career high in points already this season!

*Odd Numbers.... Worcester is 19-12-1-0 when they score a power play goal.... 8-4-1-0 when they score a power play goal on the road.... The Sharks are 11-1-0-0 when they score at least four goals in a game.... Worcester is 12-3-0-0 when they allow two goals or less.... The Sharks are 20-11-3-1 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 13 games in Worcester (0-3-3) and wears #20 for Team Teal.

*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 X2... the Sharks swept their 2nd 3-in-3 weekend on March 7-9 (5-4SOW at PRO, 3-2W vs. POR, 4-3SOW vs. Albany)

*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.

*No Lead streak...the first goal by Freddie Hamilton at 5:38 of the 1st period on March 1 at Bridgeport snapped a 425 minute and 37 second span that the Sharks had not have a lead.

*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 Sharks have defeated the Bruins in the last two games with the two teams meeting four more times this season including March 14 at Providence.

*3 is the magic number.... The Sharks are 23-5-0-1 when they score at least three goals in a hockey game....BUT.... the Sharks are 5-24-2-1 when they allow three or more goals in a hockey game.

*Sharks win close games... Worcester is 16-7-3-1 in 1-goal games this season - none of the 16 wins have come in the shootout!

*More Goals Late.... the Sharks have scored 36 goals in the 1st, 46 in the 2nd, and 52 goals in the 3rd period this season... the Sharks have allowed 46 goals in the 1st, 62 in the 2nd, and 66 goals in the 3rd.

*Battling Back... five of the 27 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 15 times this season... the 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... Worcester 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 132 points (55-77-132) in 221 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 7.1% shooting percentage which is 30th 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.

*Games past regulation.... Worcester has an AHL best .692 win percentage in games that are decided after 60 minutes of play (22 of 26 possible points).

*Thanks Ballou... despite being 9-1 in the shootout this season, the Sharks are just 30W-44L overall (38.9%)

*Shootout Success... the Sharks are 9-1 in the shootout this season with a 41% scoring percentage (4th) and an 81.1% saves percentage (2nd). Dan DaSilva is 5-for-7 in the shootout with three game winners - the three game winners are tied for the most in the AHL.

*Oh boy...Troy in the Shootout!.... goaltender Troy Grosenick is 5-0 this season in the shootout - 2nd most shootout wins in the AHL.... Troy has stopped 20 of 23 shootout attempts (.870%).

*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 26 times in 58 games this season (20-4-1-1) - Freddie Hamilton 9, 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, Konrad Abeltshauser 1, and Marek Viedensky 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 113 shots on goal through 40 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 722 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 160 games with the Worcester Sharks.... Doherty is 2nd on Worcester with 107 penalty minutes and 3rd with seven 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 14 assists in 33 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 16-18-1-1 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 50, 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 191 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 277 games played (surpassed Mike Moore on Dec 8 at MCH)... Nick also ranks 2nd in penalty minutes with 531 (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 3-0-3pts in seven 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 missed 25 games due to a broken hand suffered in a fight with Bobby Robins on Jan 3 and returned to the lineup on March 7.

*Major Bonneau... Worcester Sharks tough guy Jimmy Bonneau has racked up 46 fighting majors in 114 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 308 AHL games along with 889 penalty minutes.... Jimmy has 13 fighting majors and 87 penalty minutes through 32 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 64 fighting majors through 58 games and rank 10th in the AHL (Kearns 4, Bonneau 13, Davison 5, Gogol 9, Doherty 7, Pelech 5, Tarasov 2, Hayes 1, Demelo 1, Brace 1, Tennyson 1, Viedensky 1, Acolatse 6, Petrecki 4, 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 10 teams in the AHL in fighting majors all hail from the Eastern Conference. Lake Erie ranks 11th with 63 fights this season.

Season by the numbers... Record: 27-27-3-1, 58 points - 4th in Atlantic Win percentage: .500% - 20th in AHL, 10th in East Home Record: 14-12-0-1 Away Record: 13-15-3-0 Attendance: 106,588 through 27 games this season - 3,948 average - 24th in AHL Goals Scored: 143, 2.47 goals per game, 26th in AHL Goals Allowed: 178, 3.07 goals against per game, 24th in AHL Shots per game: 32.84 - 4th in AHL Shots allowed per game: 27.81 - 3rd in AHL Score 1st: 20-4-1-1 when scoring first (.808%) 1 goal games: 16-7-3-1 in one goal games PP: 15.6%, 23rd in AHL (37-237) PK: 83.0%, 14th in AHL (42-247) SHG - 5 shorthanded goals scored SHGA - 9 shorthanded goals allowed PIMS - 18.55 penalty minutes per game, 13th in AHL Fighting Majors: 64 - 10th in AHL OT Games - 13 - (0-3 record in OT) SO Games - 10 - (9-1 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 - 8 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

03/09/2014

J.P. Anderson (G)

Worcester

DEL Reassigned by San Jose (NHL) to Worcester (AHL)

03/08/2014

Yanni Gourde (LW)

Worcester

DEL Released from PTO

03/05/2014

James Livingston (RW)

Worcester

DEL Recalled from loan by San Jose (NHL)

03/05/2014

Matt Nieto (LW)

Worcester

DEL Recalled from loan by San Jose (NHL)

03/05/2014

Matt Nieto (LW)

Worcester

ADD Returned on loan from San Jose (NHL)

03/05/2014

Matt Tennyson (D)

Worcester

DEL Recalled from loan by San Jose (NHL)

03/05/2014

Matt Tennyson (D)

Worcester

ADD Returned on loan from San Jose (NHL)

Top Worcester Sharks: o Goals Hamilton (18) o Game Winners Tarasov (3) o Assists Gourde (20) o Points Hamilton (18-16-34) o Power play Points Tarasov (5-6-11), Hamilton (7-4-11) o Shots DaSilva (129) o PIM Gogol (149) o Fighting Pen. Bonneau (13) o Plus/Minus Bonneau and Tarasov (+2) o Wins Sateri (14) o G.A.A. Grosenick (2.67) o Save % Grosenick (.904) o Shutouts Grosenick (1)

Sharks in the NHL:

The San Jose Sharks sit in 2nd place in the Pacific Division and 4th place in the Western Conference with 89 points and a 41-17-7 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;

Tue. 10:30pm (EST) vs. Toronto

Thu. 7pm (EST) at Columbus

Fri. 7pm (EST) at NY Islanders

Sun. 4pm (EST) at NY Rangers

Coming Up for the Worcester Sharks:

On Friday, the Sharks head to Providence to kick-off another 3-in-3 weekend vs. the Bruins at 7:05pm.

On Saturday, Worcester travels to Bridgeport to battle the Sound Tigers at 7pm.

On Sunday, the Shark host the Manchester Monarchs at 3pm.Worcester will wear a specialty SHINE Initiative jersey to raise awareness about mental illness in children and young adults as a mainstream health issue. The specialty jerseys will be auctioned off throughout and after the game. A few jerseys will be auctioned off on eBay beginning on March 23rd with a portion of the proceeds to benefit the SHINE Initiative.

In addition, wish FINZ a Happy Birthday on Sunday and celebrate with the following mascots;

* Sonar (Hartford Wolf Pack)

* Orson (Polar Beverages)

* Piere (Assumption College)

* Digger (Wachusett Dirt Dawgs)

* Slyde (New England Revolution) Kid's tickets are just $5 on Sundays presented by Hebert Candies! (must purchase a full price adult ticket for offer - also receive a FREE ice cream sundae voucher to be redeemed at Hebert Candies Mansion)

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 March 11, 2014


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