Vesce Lights Out in Overtime
December 10, 2008 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Worcester Sharks News Release
WORCESTER- Wednesday night's contest at the DCU Center was fairly mundane for more than two periods and patently exciting for the third period, but it all led up to Ryan Vesce's second overtime game-winning goal on home ice this season. Vesce's goal, which came 48 seconds into overtime, backed a 32 save performance by Sharks netminder Taylor Dakers as the Sharks downed the Springfield Falcons 3-2 in overtime.
After generating just two shots in the period's first nine minutes, the Sharks took advantage of a tipped shot to slip the puck past Springfield netminder Devan Dubnyk and take a 1-0 lead. Kyle McLaren's shot from the right point was redirected by TJ Fox at 9:42, earning Fox his second goal of the year.
Falcons tough guy Hans Benson engaged Worcester's Brad Staubitz in a fight just after the ensuing faceoff, but it didn't swing the momentum. Rather, consecutive penalties against Springfield gave the Sharks a chance to pull further ahead, but Worcester failed to light the lamp through four minutes of power play time prior to the first intermission.
Springfield took offensive control early in the middle frame, forcing Dakers to make 11 saves over a nine minute stretch. Among them was an impressive denial of Falcons forward Ryan Potulny six minutes into the period. Dakers benefited from some help along the way, however, when a two-on-zero break ended with Cory Urquhart firing a five-foot shot off the post.
Dakers held fast until five minutes into the third, when a deep turnover led to trouble for Worcester. Falcons winger Carl Corazzini won the puck in the right corner and fed it to linemate Derek Bekar behind the goal line. Bekar kicked the puck to himself in front of the net and beat Dakers with a turnaround wrist shot from just outside the crease to tie the game.
The Sharks answered back just three minutes later, regaining the lead at 8:54. Dubnyk made the initial save on Patrick Traverse's slap shot, but the puck fell to the stick of Jamie McGinn, who was camped at the near post and tucked the puck in behind Dubnyk for his eighth goal of the season.
Even quicker than they regained the lead, Worcester surrendered it again - a mere 1:10 later - in similar fashion. This time it was Springfield's Guillaume Lefebvre who capitalized on a rebound to notch his first goal of the year and tie the contest at 2-2. Dakers was tested again down the stretch and stoned a clean breakaway from Viacheslav Trukhno to force overtime and set up Vesce's game-winner.
Worcester continues a busy stretch with three more divisional matchups this weekend, beginning with a 7:00pm contest this Friday against the Hartford Wolf Pack. The Sharks travel to Lowell on Saturday for another 7:00pm game before hosting a 4:05pm rematch against Hartford on Sunday at the DCU Center.
NOTES: Three Stars: (3) Kyle McLaren (assist) (2) Taylor Dakers (win, 32 saves) (1) Ryan Vesce (game-winning goal)... Jason Demers had the only multi-point game for the Sharks, his third of the season... TJ Fox has scored both of his goals this year against the Falcons... 32 saves for Dakers is a new season high...Tonight's game was a makeup of the 11/15 game which was postponed due to an electrical failure... The first 500 fans in attendance received a free Sharks flashlight courtesy of Home Depot... In celebration of the lights remaining on for the entirety of the contest, all fans received a voucher good for a free ticket to a future Sharks home game... Attendance for the contest was 6,983, an official sellout...Dakers saved 32 of 34 shots for the Sharks, while Dubnyk stopped 28 of 31 for Portland... Both teams were 0/5 on the power play.
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