Wolf Pack Devoured by Worcester Sharks, 9-2

Published on April 7, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Connecticut Whale News Release


Hartford, CT, April 7, 2010 - T.J. Trevelyan and Brandon Mashinter each scored two goals, and Dan DaSilva and Corey Quirk each had a goal and an assist, as the Worcester Sharks stormed the Hartford Wolf Pack Wednesday, 9-2, before 1,961 at the XL Center.

The nine goals set franchise record for the four-year Sharks for goals in a game and moved them three points ahead of the idle Portland Pirates in the battle for first place in the Atlantic Division. The Sharks (48-23-3-3), who had scored only three goals in their previous two games, improved their AHL third-best road record to 23-13-1-2 in the finale of a season-high, seven-game road trip on which they were 4-2-1-0.

Meanwhile, the Wolf Pack (33-33-6-5), who had won five of their previous seven games, tied their season high for goals allowed and largest margin of defeat in a 9-2 loss at Hershey on Dec. 6. They remained five points behind the Bridgeport Sound Tigers for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with three games left in the regular season, starting Friday night in Worcester.

"We didn't help ourselves in any area of the game," Wolf Pack coach Ken Gernander said. "We made it easy for a good team. Right now, it's the most discouraging loss of the season. They had puck possession, we didn't finish our hits, we didn't force their defense to move the puck, just let them skate up the ice, we didn't front any shots, we didn't box out, we didn't eliminate sticks, we didn't do much of anything. And we took penalties.

"I'm very frustrated because there were a lot of things that weren't good. If it was one mistake that cost us the game or one bad bounce or something along those lines, but no. It was a lot of different things, so I'm quite frustrated."

The Wolf Pack actually almost took the lead at 40 seconds, but Alex Stalock (38-16-2-2), named to the AHL All-Rookie team last week after setting a league record for victories for first-year players, robbed Derek Couture from 20 feet out in the slot and then smothered Corey Potter's rebound bid.

Given that reprieve, the Sharks took the lead for good 47 seconds later as Matt Zaba, making his first start in eight games since March 20 when he was pulled in a 4-3 loss to Springfield, gave up a juicy rebound on Derek Joslin's shot from the left point that was banged in by DaSilva. Justin Braun got the secondary assist on his first pro shift after being named Hockey East defensive player of the year in his senior season at UMass-Amherst.

The Sharks made it 2-0 at 7:32 when Trevelyan took a pass from Quirk, burst in off right wing and converted his own rebound after beating Potter and Dane Byers to the puck.

The Wolf Pack nearly got to 2-1 on their first power play, but Byers and Bobby Sanguinetti misfired on rebounds after Couture's shot. Zaba made a brilliant glove save on a wide-open Trevelyan's bid from 25 feet in the slot with 51 seconds left in the first period after a Donald Brashear giveaway.

But with 1.2 seconds to go, Braun's shot from the right point was deflected in by Mashinter.

The Wolf Pack nearly cut into their deficit at 1:32 of the second period, but Evgeny Grachev, scoreless in 24 games since Feb. 12, had his bid in the slot stopped by Stalock.

But the Wolf Pack got to 3-1 when Byers skated down left wing and centered to Kris Newbury, who beat Nick Schaus to the puck and deflected it past Stalock at 4:00 for the Wolf Pack's 17th shorthanded goal, tying Hershey and Binghamton for the league lead. The goal extended Newbury's point streak to eight games and gave him 16 points in 15 games since joining the Wolf Pack after being acquired from the Detroit Red Wings for Jordan Owens on March 3.

The Wolf Pack didn't allow a shot during a Sharks 5-on-3 power play for 1:14, then Stalock flicked out his left skate to stop Julien Brouillette's slap shot at 10:55. With 3:04 left in the period, referee Terry Koharski whistled Newbury for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, 10-minute misconduct and game misconduct for arguing AHL first-team defenseman Danny Groulx should have been called for slashing Jared Nightingale on a breakaway.

Ten seconds after Newbury's dismissal, Trevelyan's shot from the left circle deflected off Potter's leg and fluttered over Zaba to give the Sharks a 4-1 lead.

The Sharks then broke it open with two goals in 48 seconds in the opening 1:27 of the third period. First, DaSilva stole the puck from Couture, circled into the slot and passed to John McCarthy, who one-timed a shot past Zaba at 39 seconds. James Marcou, playing his second pro game after three years at UMass-Amherst, then deflected in Ryan Vesce's shot for a 6-1 lead. Zaba was pulled after allowing six goals on 27 shots and replaced by Cameron Talbot, making his AHL debut after signing an amateur tryout contract March 31 after playing three seasons with Alabama-Huntsville, where he had a 15-44-6 record with a 3.03 goals-against average and .909 save percentage.

Talbot stopped the first three shots he faced, but the Sharks scored on their next two, as Quirk, another UMass-Amherst product, made a diving deflection of Braun's pass at 6:48 and Mashinter deflected in Groulx's shot from the left point during a power play. The three UMass-Amherst alums finished with two goals and five assists and were plus-six.

Byers got the Wolf Pack to 8-2 on a power play at 10:45, converting Heikkinen's shot that had been deflected by Couture. Groulx's power-play goal with 6.3 seconds enabled the Sharks to set a franchise record for goals in a game.

"We had a poor start, and they came at us and didn't let up," Wolf Pack forward Brodie Dupont said. "It wasn't a very good effort on our part in the position that we are. Mathematically we're still in it, but we've got to pray for some help around the league and do our part."

After the rematch with the Sharks Friday night, the Wolf Pack host the Springfield Falcons on Fan Appreciation Night Saturday night, when the players will be wearing specialty jerseys to be given to lucky fans after the game and former coach John Paddock will be honored for his recent induction into the AHL Hall of Fame. And the Wolf Pack and CT Lottery are presenting a special ticket offer for the game. Fans redeeming a non-winning CT Lottery draw ticket at the XL Center box office when purchasing a Red-Level ticket will receive another Red-Level ticket free. The offer is valid for adults 18 years of age or older on the day of the game and for a maximum of two tickets.

The Wolf Pack ends the regular season in Bridgeport Sunday at 3 p.m., and the 2009-10 GEICO Connecticut Cup will be on the line. The Wolf Pack (4-3-0-2 against the Sound Tigers) has one fewer standings point than Bridgeport (5-3-1-0) through the first nine games of the season series. The Wolf Pack is 1-1-0-2 in their four previous visits to the Arena at Harbor Yard.

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American Hockey League Stories from April 7, 2010


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