Worcester IceCats Earn 3-1 Win

Published on November 22, 2002 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Worcester IceCats News Release


WORCESTER, MA-- The Worcester IceCats earned their third consecutive win Friday night as they defeated the Portland Pirates 3-1 at Worcester's Centrum Centre. With an assist in the game, 'Cats forward Justin Papineau extended his point-scoring streak to nine games. His rare inability to notch a goal halted his goal-scoring streak at five games, one shy of a club record.

The Pirates jumped on top first when Mel Angelstad lit the lamp, taking advantage of a delayed penalty. In a goalmouth scramble, the towering winger shot the puck past Worcester goaltender Curtis Sanford at 16:20 of the first.

The teams went scoreless for almost an entire period following the Portland goal. However, the 'Cats seemed to be silently strategizing and stepped up late in the second, capitalizing twice on the power play. With a 5-on-3 advantage, Jame Pollock led the IceCats in scoring three unanswered goals for the victory. Pollock's goal at 15:24 was set up by Papineau.

Just 23 seconds later, while Pollock's goal was still being announced over the PA system, 'Cats forward Marc Brown found the back of the Portland net, beating Pirates goaltender Sebastien Charpentier and sending the Centrum Centre crowd into a frenzy.

With just over a minute remaining on the third period clock, the Pirates decided to send Charpentier to the bench to allow for an extra skater. Worcester's Mark Rycroft used the opportunity to seal Portland's fate as he sent the puck into an empty net with two ticks left on the clock.

Curtis Sanford was in goal as Worcester improved their 2002-2003 record to 9-6-1-1 and stopped 30 of 31 shots. The 'Cats, meanwhile, hit the Portland net 22 times.

The IceCats host the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks at 7:05 PM Saturday evening before heading north for a Sunday afternoon rematch with the Pirates in Portland. After one game in the NHL, the' Cats expect to have forward Sergei Varlamov back in the lineup versus the Ducks, while center Steve Dubinsky has been recalled by the St. Louis Blues.

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American Hockey League Stories from November 22, 2002


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