Worcester Sharks Claim Atlantic Division Title

Published on April 13, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Worcester Sharks News Release


Top 3!

#1 Sharks clinch first Atlantic Division title in front of 7,296 fans at the DCU Center in 3-0 win over Bruins on Saturday.

#2 Alex Stalock makes 19 saves in his 4th shutout and 39th win on Saturday!

#3 Dan DaSilva and Brandon Mashinter each scored their 20th goals of the season as the Sharks scored a franchise record NINE goals with win in Hartford on Wednesday!

Last Week: (2-2-0-0) 4pts, 4gp

Wed. 4/7 W Worcester SHARKS 9 @ Hartford Wolf Pack 2

Fri. 4/9 L Hartford Wolf Pack 3 @ Worcester SHARKS 2

Sat. 4/10 W Providence Bruins 0 @ Worcester SHARKS 3

Sun. 4/11 L Worcester SHARKS 2 @ Portland 5

Round 1:

Game 1 - Wed., Apr. 14 - Lowell at Worcester, 7:05 (Game A)

Game 2 - Thu., Apr. 15 - Lowell at Worcester, 7:05 (Game B)

Game 3 - Sat., Apr. 17 - Worcester at Lowell, 7:00

Game 4 - Tue., Apr. 20 - Worcester at Lowell, 7:00

*Game 5 - Wed., Apr. 21 - Worcester at Lowell, 7:00

*Game 6 - Sat., Apr. 24 - Lowell at Worcester, 7:05 (Game C)

*Game 7 - Sun., Apr. 25 - Lowell at Worcester, 5:05 (Game D)

Rewind the Tape:

4.7.10 - Worcester 9 - Hartford 2 - W - XL Center

The Sharks set a franchise record scoring nine goals and closed out a season long seven game road trip 4-2-1-0 with a 9-2 win in Hartford at the XL Center on Wednesday night. Nine players had a multi-point game for the Sharks, Worcester had three power play goals, and Alex Stalock made 24 saves in his 38th victory of the season. Justin Braun had three assists in his first pro game, Danny Groulx set a Sharks record with his 12th goal from the blue line, and Dan DaSilva and Brandon Mashinter each reached the 20 goal plateau as the Sharks exploded for a franchise record nine goals in the hockey game.

4.9.10 - Worcester 2 - Hartford 3 - L - DCU Center

Two nights after surrendering nine goals to the Sharks, Hartford enacted some revenge, never trailing, in a 3-2 victory over Worcester at the DCU Center. Julien Brouillette's early third period goal, his first of the season, proved to be the difference for the Wolf Pack who won the season series between the two clubs with a record of 5-3-0-0. Mike Moore and Danny Groulx tallied for the Sharks in the loss and Frank Doyle made 16 saves in the loss.

4.10.11 - Worcester 3 - Providence 0 - W - DCU Center

The Sharks added another feat to an already lengthy record-setting season with a 3-0 victory over the Providence Bruins on Saturday night at the DCU Center clinching the Atlantic Division crown in front of a sell-out crowd of 7,296. Derek Joslin's goal in the second period was all Worcester would need with Steven Zalewski and Dan DaSilva providing the insurance for the Sharks. Alex Stalock was tremendous in net once again as he won number 39 in his 4th shutout on the season.

4.11.11 - Worcester 2 - Portland 5 - L - Cumberland County Civic Center

The Sharks fell to the Portland Pirates 5-2 on Sunday afternoon at the Cumberland County Civic Center in the regular season finale for both clubs. Danny Groulx (14th) and Brandon Mashinter (22nd) scored for the Sharks as Worcester dressed 12 rookies in the game. Alex Stalock made 14 saves before bowing out to Frank Doyle in the loss.

Sharks in the Atlantic: Sharks take home Atlantic Division Title!

The Sharks finished swimming in 1st place with 104 points (49-25-3-3) in the Atlantic Division through 80 games, three points ahead of the second place Pirates, 9 points ahead of the third place Manchester Monarchs, and 16 points ahead of the fourth place Lowell Devils. The Sharks had an 18 point cushion over 5th place Sound Tigers, a 21 point edge over the 6th place Wolf Pack and a 26 point advantage over the 7th place Bruins. The 8th place Springfield Falcons (66 points) rounded out a very choppy Atlantic Division.

400 WINS!

*400 WINS!....With the 4-1 victory vs. Springfield on November 1st, head coach Roy Sommer became just the 4th coach in AHL history to reach the 400 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 1981-2009 15seasons 1,107GP 585 WINS

4. Roy Sommer 1998-current 12th season 960GP 442 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 (12th season) in the American Hockey League. His current regular season record after the win is now: 442-402-57-59.

*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, Assistant Coach David Cunniff recorded an assist as a member of the River Rats in the hockey game.

*Assistant Coach David Cunniff has joined Coach Sommer in 288 of the 442 victories (65%).

Shark Bites:

*Captains for the 2009-10 season: Captain Ryan Vesce (2nd year), Assistant Captains Derek Joslin (2nd year) and Mike Moore (1st year).... T.J. Trevelyan, Joe Callahan, Steven Zalewski, Frazer McLaren, and Dwight Helminen have also worn the "A" on their jerseys.

*From east to west..... The Sharks had 12 players that saw action in both the AHL and NHL this season (McLaren, Zalewski, Vesce, Joslin, McGinn, Couture, Callahan, Ferriero, Mitchell, Demers, McCarthy, and Helminen). The Sharks had 11 players accomplish that feat last season. Logan Couture, Ryan Vesce, Benn Ferriero, Jason Demers, and Frazer McLaren have each recorded their first NHL goals this season. Jamie McGinn, Torrey Mitchell, Logan Couture, and Jason Demers are currently (April 14) on recall to San Jose. The Worcester Sharks had 67 CALL-UPS this season to San Jose.

*You always remember your first..... Dennis McCauley (10/10), John McCarthy (10/9), Brandon Mashinter (10/9), Logan Couture (10/10), Dean Strong (10/30), Nick Petrecki (1/23), Kevin Henderson (3/21), Tony Lucia (3/27), and James Marcou (4/7) all scored their first professional regular season goals this season.

*57.... Since a 3-1 loss in Portland on November 20th, the Sharks went 41-15-3-2 in their final 61 games.

*Quickest to 31 wins... the Sharks hit the 31 win plateau in game #49 this season on February 5th. The Sharks hit 31 wins on March 6th last season in game #61, on April 12th in game #79 in 2007-08, and on March 16th in game #67 in 2006-07.

*55 shots... the Sharks set an AHL high this season with 55 shots on goal vs. the Bruins on Saturday, January 9th... the highest total in Sharks history... The Sharks had 21 shots in the 1st, 15 in the 2nd, and 19 in the 3rd...Danny Groulx had ten shots in the game and Benn Ferriero had eight.

*9 goals.... The Sharks scored NINE goals for the first time in franchise history in Hartford in a 9-2 victory over the Wolf Pack on Wednesday, April 7. T.J. Trevelyan and Brandon Mashinter had two goals, while Danny Groulx, John McCarthy, Cory Quirk, Dan DaSilva, and James Marcou also scored goals for the Sharks. Worcester fired 38 shots on goal and scored three power play goals in the game. Worcester scored three goals in the first, one in the second, and five in the third period.

*The Comeback.... The Sharks trailed 5-1 with just over 23 minutes left against the Pirates on Sunday, January 10th before scoring FIVE unanswered goals to win in overtime.... The four goal deficit victory tied a Sharks record.

*3rd Best PP on Road... the Sharks had the 3rd best power play on the road this season at a 20.0% rate. Overall, the Sharks power play ranked 11th in the AHL (18.6%).

*The PP with Logan and Demers... the Sharks power play is 41-166 (24.7%) with Logan Couture in the lineup and 21-167 (12.5%) with OUT him in the lineup... the Sharks are 17-61 (27.9%) with Couture and Jason Demers both in the lineup... and 45-272 (16.5%) without BOTH of them not in the lineup.... Worcester had 41 power play goals in Logan's 42 games but just 21ppg in the 38 games without Couture.

*PK climbing the ladder!... Worcester killed off 92-of-104 (88.4%) penalties in their last 30 games as the penalty kill finished 81.8% good for 17th in the AHL.

*These Sharks know how to score!... Worcester finished 2nd in the AHL averaging 3.44 goals per game! The Sharks had 12 players with over 10 goals this season and five with at least 20 goals.

*Don't allow FOUR!... Team Teal went 42-5-1-0 in games when they allow three goals or less!

*Home Cooking!.... the Sharks went 21-5-2-1 in their last 29 games at the DCU Center...the Sharks finished 26-11-2-1 at the DCU Center this season!

*Kick off the New Year!... the Sharks finished January with a 9-2-2-0 record (20 points).

*March Madness... the Sharks went 11-4-0-0 (22 points) in the month of March, including 5-0-0-0 at home! Good for the most productive month in franchise history!

*Sharks rule the Atlantic... the Sharks had 35 WINS in Atlantic Division games (35-18-3-2).

*4th BEST in AHL... the Sharks finished with the 4th best winning percentage in the AHL with a .650 clip; trailing the Bears (.769), Bulldogs (.719), and Chicago (.656).

*Firsts this Week... James Marcou scored his first professional goal in Hartford on Wednesday... Justin Braun recorded three assists and was +4 in his pro debut in Hartford on Wednesday.

*Stole it from Bill Ballou... John McCarthy registered the 10,000th shot in team history at 5:06 of the first period against the Bears on March 14... John McCarthy's goal :10 seconds into the 2nd period on March 20th against the Bruins was the fastest the Sharks have scored to open a period.

*Desjardins likes going FIRST... Andrew Desjardins led the Sharks with NINE first goals this season... Andrew had 19 goals this season to surpass his eight goal total last season, his first in the AHL. Andrew also finished 2nd on the Sharks in +/- at +29 and penalty minutes with 126.

*Double D's...Dan DaSilva established AHL career highs in goals (21), assists (32), and points (53) in his first full season with the Sharks!

*Crazed Rats... the line of DaSilva, Desjardins, and McCarthy finished with a combined rating of a +88.

Double T's... T.J. Trevelyan finished tops on the club with 28 goals (28-16-44) despite missing 17 games to injury (broken jaw).

*Groulx leading the way... Defenseman Danny Groulx had a career year for the Sharks this season ranking 1st in the AHL with 66 (14-52-66) points from the blue line to set a Worcester Sharks franchise record with points be defenseman. The eight year professional had 40 points (6-34-40) in 80 games last season in Rockford which was, until this season, his highest point total since he had 112 points (29-83-112) in 68 games with Victoriaville in the QMJHL in 2001-02.

*Throw the Hats! The Sharks have two hat tricks in a six game span! Dennis McCauley in Springfield on Wednesday, Feb 3 and Dan DaSilva in Manchester on Feb 14. Worcester had gone 68 games without a hat trick (P.J. Fenton) between hat tricks before McCauley found the back of the net three times on the 3rd.

*First period advantage.... Worcester outscored their opponents 73-59 (+14) in the first period, 91-88 (+3) in the 2nd, and lead 105-86 (+19) in the third period. The Sharks are 27-3-0-2 when leading after twenty minutes of play this season.

*Extra, Extra.... The Sharks went 3-3 in OT this season (McGinn, Couture, and Helminen) after going 7-1 last year in the overtime period.

*Young Guns....The average age of the Sharks roster is 23 (Currently the youngest team in the AHL as of Feb 25) which includes 15 rookies, five 2nd year players and two third year players. At the age of 29, Frank Doyle is the oldest while Nicholas Petrecki at 20 years old and seven months is the youngest.

*Massachusetts... The Sharks have FIVE players born and raised in Massachusetts (John McCarthy - Andover, Corey Quirk - Brockton, Dennis McCauley - Billerica, Joe Callahan - Brockton, and Benn Ferriero - Essex)

*3 Top Rookies... Worcester had three of the top 11 rookie point scorers in the AHL this season... Couture (3rd), Ferriero (6th), and McCarthy (11th).

*Logan among rookies... Despite only playing 42 games, Couture finished 3rd in the AHL in rookie scoring with 53 points (20-33-53)... top 10 with 20 goals....7th among rookies with 33 assists... Logan became the first Sharks rookie in team history to record 20 goals in a season.

*Logan among everyone... Logan finished 2nd in the AHL with NINE game winning goals in just 42 games played.

*Who's your BF?.... Benn Ferriero finished 6th in the AHL among rookies with 50 points (19-31-50) in just 58 games played this season... and led all rookies with three shorthanded goals... and was perfect in the shootout (4-for-4).

*Between the pipes.... Rookie Alex Stalock led the AHL with 39 wins and 2nd in minutes played with 3534 and 4th in saves with 1522...Stalock had the 12th most wins in AHL history in a single season and the most ever by a rookie netminder ... Stalock surpassed Thomas Greiss (30 wins in 2008-09) for most wins by a Sharks goaltender in a season in franchise history.

*Need to score 1st... Worcester went 34-6-0-2 (.833) in 42 games they scored the first goal of the game... the Sharks went just 15-19-3-1 when allowing the first goal... the AHL average winning percentage is .745% when scoring the first goal of the hockey game.

*All four years....Defenseman Derek Joslin is the only Sharks player to suit up in all four seasons in Worcester.

*Can't score if you don't shoot.... The Sharks ranked 1st in the AHL with 35.79 shots per game, including a franchise record 55 shots on goal against the Bruins on Saturday, January 9th.... Danny Groulx ranked 1st among AHL defensemen and 2nd overall with 264 shots on goal.

*Keep it close... the Sharks went 21-6-3-3 in one-goal hockey games... the Sharks finished 28-19-0-0 in games decided by two or more goals.... The Sharks finished 4th in the AHL with 21 one-goal victories with ten of those coming on the road.

*Follow the leaders.... Danny Groulx was 1st in the AHL among d-men with 52 assists, 1st in shots with 264, and 1st in points (14-52-66).... Logan Couture 2nd in the AHL with nine game winning goals, 3rd in rookie scoring (20-33-53). Rookie Alex Stalock 1st in the AHL with 39 wins and 2nd in minutes played (3534).... Benn Ferriero led all AHL rookies with THREE shorthanded goals and 6th in rookie scoring with 50 points (19-31-50) in just 58 games played and 4th in power play points with 20, and John McCarthy was 3rd among rookies with a +36 rating and 11th with 41 points (15-27-42).

*Mr. Dependable.... Sharks defenseman Danny Groulx has played in 188 straight games, the current longest streak in the AHL... he dressed in all 80 games last season in Rockford.... Andrew Desjardins has dressed in 154 straight games for Worcester breaking the record held by Derek Joslin (114 games).

*John +1... Worcester Sharks rookie John McCarthy finished with a +36 rating this season setting a franchise record. He ranked 3rd among AHL rookies.

*Mr. 1000! On Friday, February 19th in Binghamton, Worcester Sharks Head Equipment Manager Vinny Ferraiuolo suited up for his 1000th game as an Equipment Manager in Professional Hockey. Vinny is in his 13th season as an equipment manager, his 5th as head equipment manager with the San Jose Sharks top affiliate in the AHL.

*20 goals! The Sharks had FIVE players reach the 20 goal mark for the season... Trevelyan (28), Zalewski (22), Mashinter (22), DaSilva (21), and Couture (20).

*20-10 Vision.... Sharks rookie forward Brandon Mashinter finished with 22 goals and 13 fighting major penalties.... The first Sharks player ever to have double digits in both categories over the course of a season.

*10-10 Vision... rookie Dennis McCauley joined Mashinter with double digits in goals (10) and fighting majors (10).

*11 and 8.... After setting a Worcester Sharks record last season with 21 fighting major penalties, Frazer McLaren had 11 fights in the AHL and eight fights in the NHL this season.

*Rookies Scoring... before this season, the Sharks had never had a rookie 20 goal scorer. Logan Couture (20) and Brandon Mashinter (22) each accomplished that feat this season.

*Hey Shorty it's your birthday!... the Sharks scored 12 shorthanded goals this season (Ferriero 3, Zalewski 2, Couture 1, Desjardins 1, McGinn 1, Wilson 1, McCarthy 1, Groulx 1, and Quirk 1)

*Five for fighting...The Sharks finished with 73 fighting major penalties this season ... (Brandon Mashinter 13, Dennis McCauley 10, Brett Westgarth 3 with Worcester - 9 total, Frazer McLaren 11, Nicholas Petrecki 8, Joe Loprieno 4, John McCarthy 3, Mike Moore 6, Steven Zalewski 2, Joe Callahan 1, Andrew Desjardins 6, Dan DaSilva 3, Jamie McGinn 1, Derek Joslin 1, and Kevin Henderson 1). The Sharks had 78 fighting majors last season, 68 fighting majors in 2007-08 and 54 in 2006-07.

*Olympics... FOUR former Worcester Sharks played in Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Thomas Greiss and Dmitri Patzold for Germany, Doug Murray for Sweden, and Joe Pavelski for USA.

*All-Stars!....

Logan Couture, Danny Groulx, and Alex Stalock represented the Sharks in the 2010 Time Warner Cable AHL All-Star Classic held January 18th and 19th at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, Maine. Former AHL All-Stars for the Worcester Sharks include: Mathieu Darche (2007), Mike Iggulden (2008), Derek Joslin (2009), and Ryan Vesce (2009).

*League Awards!

*Logan Couture and Alex Stalock were named to the AHL All-Rookie team. Worcester was the only team in the AHL to have two players named to the squad.

*Danny Groulx was named to the First Team AHL All-Star and won the Eddie Shore Award as the Best Defenseman in the AHL.

*Mike Moore was named the Sharks "Man of the Year" for his dedication to the Worcester community over the course of the season.

*Team Awards!

MVP - Alex Stalock

Star of the Year - Alex Stalock

Rookie of the Year - Logan Couture

Unsung Heroes - Crazed Rats Line: DaSilva, Desjardins, and McCarthy.

*Team Record Breaking Season!

*The Sharks took home their first Atlantic Division Title this season with 104 points (49-25-3-3).

*49 Wins... The Sharks record for most wins in a season was 42 set in 2008-09... Worcester had 49 wins this season, with the 43rd coming in Lowell on Sunday, March 21st.

*104 points.... The Sharks record for most points in a season was 93 points set in 2006-07.

*275 goals!... The Sharks had 275 goals scored this season (3.44 goals per game). The team record for most goals in a season was 247 back in 2006-07.

*Home Cooking!.... The Sharks went 26-11-2-1 at the DCU Center this season ! Worcester had a franchise best 24 wins at home in 2006-07...

*Road Warriors!... The Sharks finished 23-14-1-2 on the road this season! Worcester had a franchise best 19 wins on the road last season.

Coming and goings from the shark tank:

No transactions this week.

Top Worcester Sharks:

o Goals Trevelyan (28)

o Game Winners Couture (9)

o Assists Groulx (52)

o Points Groulx (14-52-66)

o Power play Points Zalewski (9-16-25)

o Shots Groulx (264)

o PIM McLaren (148)

o Fighting Pen. Mashinter (13)

o Plus/Minus McCarthy (+36)

o Wins Stalock (39)

o G.A.A. Stalock (2.63)

o Save % Stalock (.908)

o Shutouts Stalock (4)

Sharks in the Pacific:

The San Jose Sharks finished 51-20-11 with 113 points and won their Second Consecutive Western Conference Regular Season Championship and the Team's fifth Pacific Division Championship and third consecutive.

Jamie McGinn had 13 points (10-3-13) in 59 games played... Jason Demers had 21 points in 51 games....Brad Staubitz had three goals and three assists along with 110 penalty minutes through 47 games.... Former Worcester Shark Devin Setoguchi had 36 points (20-16-36) through 70 games... Torrey Mitchell had two goals and nine assists in 56 games... Logan Couture had nine points (5-4-9) in 25 games... Thomas Greiss finished 7-4-1 with 2.69 GAA and a .912 save%.

Sharks in the ECHL:

The Kalamazoo Wings finished the regular season 42-20-6-4 with 94 points in the ECHL and 1st place in the North Division. The Wings fell to the Reading Royals three games to two in the first round of the Kelly Cup playoffs.

Matt Jones had 28 points (17-11-28) in 35 games...Mitch Versteeg had 20 points (5-15-20) in 63 games... Dean Strong had 16 goals and 21 assists in 34 games played... Louis Liotti had a goal and 12 assists in 52 games... and Will Colbert had 9 points (4-5-9) in 37 games played.

Coming Up:

Round 1 Dates And Times

Atlantic Division Semifinal - Series "A" in a 2-3-2 format

A1-Worcester Sharks vs. A4-Lowell Devils

Game 1 - Wed., Apr. 14 - Lowell at Worcester, 7:05 (Game A)

Game 2 - Thu., Apr. 15 - Lowell at Worcester, 7:05 (Game B)

Game 3 - Sat., Apr. 17 - Worcester at Lowell, 7:00

Game 4 - Tue., Apr. 20 - Worcester at Lowell, 7:00

*Game 5 - Wed., Apr. 21 - Worcester at Lowell, 7:00

*Game 6 - Sat., Apr. 24 - Lowell at Worcester, 7:05 (Game C)

*Game 7 - Sun., Apr. 25 - Lowell at Worcester, 5:05 (Game D)

The first round single game playoff prices at the DCU Center are as follows;

ADULT: GOLD LEVEL: $18.25 TEAL LEVEL: $15.25

SENIOR/CHILDREN (2-12): GOLD LEVEL: $11.75 TEAL LEVEL: $11.75

As of now, only the first two Sharks home games in the first round are on sale "Games A & B". Other home games will go on sale as necessary. Get your family fun pack (4 tickets, 4 hot dogs and 4 sodas) or the fan pack (4 tickets and 4 autographed Sharks camouflage hats) today for just $69.

Ticket strips for the first round (possible four games) and the entire playoff package (possible 16 games) are on sale now. Save up to 20% off Box Office prices by purchasing the first round or the entire playoff package today! For more information call the Sharks front office at 508-929-0500.

Playoff tickets may be purchased by visiting the box office, contacting the Worcester Sharks front office at 508.929.0500, or by crashing the net at www.SharksAHL.com .

The Sharks finished the regular season with 49 wins, 104 points, and were crowned the Atlantic Division champions for the first time in franchise history. Worcester will host the Lowell Devils in Game 1 of the Atlantic Division Semi-Finals at the DCU Center on Wednesday night on $1 Hot Dog Night!

The Sharks are already taking deposits for their 5th season in Worcester! Jump in today and save over 30% off box office prices! Find out how to get the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs for FREE by calling the Sharks front office 508-929-0500. Some of the exclusive benefits for full season ticket holders will include:

* Guaranteed same seat for all 40 home dates and playoff home games at the DCU Center

* Significant savings off box office ticket prices

* Priority access to purchase tickets to DCU Center events (subject to availability)

Season ticket packages, group tickets, and individual tickets for the 2009-10 and season are on sale now by contacting the Worcester Sharks Office at 508.929.0500 or by crashing the net at www.SharksAHL.com .

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 .

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American Hockey League Stories from April 13, 2010


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