Sharks Game Day: December 23rd

Sharks Game Day: December 22nd, 2006

Tonight the Worcester Sharks (San Jose Sharks) will battle the Lowell Devils (New Jersey Devils) at the DCU Center. This will be the 4th game this season between the clubs, with Worcester having a record of 1-2-0-0 against the Devils. Tonight Santa will once again be visiting the Sharks and they’ll be selling Mystery Pucks around the concourse. All pucks will be signed by a Shark and wrapped to conceal their identity. Also, there is a chance to win a Joe Thornton or Patrick Marleau signed puck as well as a Sharks signed stick! After the game, stay around for SATURDAY NIGHT SIGNINGS and get an autograph from one of your favorite Sharks!

The last time these two Bay State rivals met was on November 19th, with the Sharks falling to the Devils 6-2. The Sharks got off to a slow start in the first period with 3 quick goals against but rebounded when Mathieu Darche scored on Devils goaltender Frank Doyle. The Sharks would get within one when Joe Pavelski scored midway through the third period but it was too late and Lowell would go on to score 3 unanswered goals. The teams will square up once again on Martin Luther King Day in Lowell.

Last night, the Worcester Sharks were in action against the Manchester Monarchs. Mathieu Darche and Graham Mink led the offense with each getting 5 points on the evening. Darche would end up getting a hat trick on the night and also added 2 assists to bring his point total to 37. Darche was the number one star in the AHL last night and currently in 2nd place in the goal race. Graham Mink also assisted on 5 goals last night bring his total to 13 in 11 games played. Also scoring for the Sharks last night were Brennan Evans (1), Riley Armstrong (12), and Mike Iggulden (10). Thomas Greiss picked up his 4th victory of the season, stopping 22 of 26 shots. The Lowell Devils were idle last night.

Players to watch for:
WORCESTER:
Mathieu Darche- scored a hat trick and 2 assists last night against the Monarchs.
Graham Mink- assisted on 5 goals in a 6-4 victory of the Monarchs last night.

LOWELL-
Justin Papineau- is averaging over a point a game and leads the team in goals and points.
Grant Marshall- has played 790 NHL games in his career. Currently has 10 points in 18 games.

NOTES: The Hartford Wolf Pack come into town Tuesday night as defensemen Marvin Degon returns to his hometown. It is also Family Night, where families can buy fun packs, which include 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs or popcorn, and 4 sodas for only $52!

Mathieu Darche’s 3 goals last night, was the first time he’s scored a goal in the last 10 games. He is still currently 2nd in the league in that category, trailing Chicago’s Brett Sterling, by 8 goals.

AROUND THE ATLANTIC:
Springfield (31 pts) @ Portland (38 pts)
Manchester (36 pts) @ Bridgeport
Providence (31 pts) @ Hartford (28 pts)

Manchester 4 - Sharks 6

Worcester Sharks 6 - Manchester Monarchs 4

1st Period Scoring -
1. Manchester, J. Zeiler (7) (N. Clarke, M. Moulson) 4:34 PP
2. Worcester, M. Darche (20) (M. Iggulden, G. Mink) 7:31 PP
3. Worcester, B. Evans (1) (M. Darche, G. Mink) 12:26

2nd Period Scoring -
4. Worcester, M. Darche (21) (G. Mink, T. Plihal) 5:20
5. Worcester, M. Darche (22) (G. Mink, D. Spang) 7:18 PP
6. Manchester, T. Jackman (4) (P. Harrold, M. Hoffman) 7:53
7. Worcester, R. Armstrong (12) (G. Stafford, J. Laliberte) 13:33 PP
8. Manchester, J. Zeiler (8) (P. O'Sullivan, M. Moulson) 16:51 PP
9. Worcester, M. Iggulden (10) (G. Mink, M. Darche) 18:01

3rd Period Scoring -
10. Manchester, M. Hoffman (4) (L. Tukonen, E. Werner) 11:09

Power Play Conversion
Manchester Monarchs 2-3.
Worcester Sharks 3-6.

Goaltenders
Manchester Monarchs
LaBarbera 14-11-1 Start: 1st 0:00 Min: 40:00 SV: 27 GA: 6 [L]
Fukufuji 0-0-0 Start: 3rd 0:00 Min: 18:55 SV: 9 GA: 0

Worcester Sharks
Greiss 4-4-0 Start: 1st 0:00 Min: 60:00 SV: 22 GA: 4 [W]

Attendance : 2728

Sharks Game Day: December 22nd

Tonight the Worcester Sharks (San Jose Sharks) will host the Manchester Monarchs (Los Angeles Kings) at the DCU Center. This will be the 4th meeting this season between the two clubs, with Worcester having a record of 1-1-0-1 against the Monarch’s. The Sharks look to have everybody contributing tonight and to improve their home record. “We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to have a good outing and that’s what I expect.” said Coach Sommer. Tonight the Sharks will be giving away Hockey Skate Ice Scrapers for the first 3,000 fans courtesy of Atlantic Graphics. It’s also college night at the Sharks, as any college student gets a ticket for $8 when they show a student ID.

The last time these two teams battled was on December 16th, as the Sharks lost by the score of 3-2. Tom Cavanagh got the Sharks a 1-0 lead on a second period shorthanded goal assisted by Mike Iggulden. However, the Monarchs would score the next 3 goals on Nolan Schaefer, who made 19 saves, before Garret Stafford’s slap shot beat goaltender Jason LaBarbera with 57 seconds left to play. The Sharks had some great opportunities to tie the game up just as the final seconds ticked off the clock but came up short.

The teams meet again next Friday night as the Sharks travel up to the Granite State to play the Monarchs.

Players to watch for:
WORCESTER:
Mathieu Darche- leads the team in goals against the Monarchs this season with 3.
Garret Stafford- scored a goal in the last two games for the Sharks.

MANCHESTER:
Matt Moulson- scored 2 goals against the Sharks in a 3-2 win back on 12/16.
Jason LaBarbera- is currently is 2nd in the league with most wins at 14.

NOTES: Santa will be visiting the Sharks tomorrow night when they host the Lowell Devils at 7 PM. The Sharks will be selling Mystery Pucks around the concourse. All pucks will be signed by a Shark and wrapped to conceal their identity. Also, there is a chance to win a Joe Thornton signed puck as well as a Sharks signed stick! After the game, stay around for SATURDAY NIGHT SIGNINGS and get an autograph from one of your favorite Sharks!

The Sharks have converted on 18% of their power plays at home, while Manchester is ranked 27th in the league on the road penalty kill, killing off 73% of penalties.

Former Worcester Shark, Joe Pavelski, continues to do well for the San Jose Sharks. In 12 games in the NHL he has 7 goals and 3 assists for 10 points. He was called up from Worcester on November 22nd.

AROUND THE ATLANTIC:
Providence (31 pts) @ Portland (36 pts)
Springfield (31 pts) @ Hartford (26 pts)

Manchester 3 - Worcester 2

The Worcester Sharks fell to the Manchester Monarchs last night by the score of 3-2. The teams would skate to a scoreless period but it wasn’t a period without excitement. Midway through the first, as Tim Jackman just got out of the box for serving his cross-checking penalty, him and Brennan Evans would drop the gloves. It was a long fight that saw a lot of small jabs and a lot of pushing and shoving for the upper hand but in the end was a draw.

In the second period, the Sharks would kill off a quick 5 on 3 and while Patrick Traverse was in the box, Tom Cavanagh raced in on a break away and beat Jason LaBarbera for the 1-0 lead. Patrick Traverse was acquired yesterday from the Hamilton Bulldogs (Montreal Canadians) and made his Worcester debut last night in front of 4,112 at DCU Center. Mike Iggulden would pick up an assist on Cavanagh’s 6th goal of the year. The lead wouldn’t last long as just over a minute later, Manchester’s Matt Moulson, would tie the game up at one. Noah Clarke and Jason Schmidt would pick up the assists, as Moulson would beat Nolan Schaeffer glove side. Moulson would pick up his 2nd goal the night and 7th of the season when he tipped in a Peter Harrold shot on a 5 on 3 advantage. Their was one second left on the 2 man advantage so Manchester would continue on the power play for another 1:28. The Sharks argued that after the goal they should be at even strength because Riley Armstrong’s hooking call was at 15:13 and the goal was scored at 17:13 of the second period but no such luck.

The teams swapped goals in the final stanza. Konstantin Pushkarev scored his 4th goal of the season and was assisted by Matt Ryan and Jeff Giuliano. The Sharks pulled Schaffer for a 3-man advantage in the final minutes. Garrett Stafford would get his second goal in as many nights, when he fired a shot past Jason LaBarbera from the point. The goal was a power play goal, which the Sharks went 1 for 7 on, and was assisted by Dan Spang and Graham Mink. The Sharks had some great opportunities as the final seconds ticked off the clock. Jason LaBarbera was very good in net tonight finishing up with 27 saves but was also very lucky. The Sharks hit a couple posts and no one was there to cash in on the big rebounds that he gave up. The Sharks will host the Monarchs again next Friday.

NOTES: The Sharks are 1-1-0-0 when Chris Brown is the ref, who was the referee last night. The Sharks are about .500 with most refs in the league with a few exceptions: Brian Pochmara (2-0), Jeff Smith (2-1), Chris Ciamaga (2-1) and Steve Kozari (0-2).

The Sharks home record falls to 4-7-1-1, which ranks 23rd in the league.

The Sharks assigned defensemen Tom Walsh back to the Fresno Falcons of the ECHL. In 4 games with the Worcester Sharks this season Walsh is a “+ 1” and has picked up an assist.

Worcester’s average attendance for the first 13 games is 4,224, and is currently ranked 16th.

Today the Sharks will hold their first annual “hats and mittens- holiday skate” at Buffone Rink on Lake Ave. in Worcester. It’s free to the public but donations will be excepted to help benefit Community Healthlink.

Sharks Game Day: December 16th

Tonight the Worcester Sharks (San Jose Sharks) will host the Manchester Monarchs (Los Angeles Kings) at the DCU Center. This will be the 3rd meeting of the season between the two clubs with Worcester leading the season series 1-0-0-1. They will next meet on Friday night, as first 3,000 fans into the DCU Center will receive Sharks Ice Scrapers. They last met on October 28th, as the Sharks won 5-4. Garret Stafford, Tom Cavanagh, Mathieu Darche, Scott Ferguson and Grant Stevenson would all light the lamp for the Sharks as they went 3 for 3 on the power play. Dimitri Patzold would turn in a decent effort stopping 22 of 26 shots on net.

Last night, the Sharks had to work some overtime to get the much-needed 2 points to keep pace with the Atlantic Division. Garrett Stafford would score 3:15 into the extra session to give the Sharks a 5-4 win over the Hartford Wolf*Pack. Meanwhile the Manchester Monarchs lost to division leading Portland by the score of 3-1. Konstantin Pushkarev would score the lone goal for the Monarchs while netminder Jason LaBarbera made 17 saves.

Players to watch for:
WORCESTER: Patrick Traverse, Riley Armstrong, & Grant Stevenson
MANCHESTER: Konstantin Pushkarev, Jason LaBarbera, & Patrick O’Sullivan

NOTICE: Manchester has signed 39-year-old Jason Poirier to a PTO. Poirier last played in the AHL for the New Haven Blackhawks during the 89-90 season.

The parent teams met Thursday night in San Jose. Former Monarch’s netminder Barry Brust picked up his first NHL victory in a 4-2 win over the San Jose Sharks.

Former Shark, Mathieu Biron, scored a goal in Hamilton’s 8-4 loss to the Amerks last night. While new Shark, Patrick Traverse, assisted on the game-tying goal in last night victory for Worcester.

AROUND THE DIVSION:
Lowell (31 pts) @ Bridgeport
Norfolk @ Springfield (30 pts)
Portland (33 pts) @ Hartford (24 pts)
Albany @ Providence (31 pts)

Hartford 4 - Sharks 5 OT

Worcester Sharks @ Hartford Wolf*Pack

Goals
Sharks: 2-1-1-1 = 5
Wolf*Pack: 2-2-0-0 = 4

1st.
HAR: 1:30, Callahan (Byers, Dubinsky)
WOR: 7:59, Cavanagh (Kaspar, Iggulden)
WOR: 9:38, Armstrong (Stevenson, Valette)
HAR: 13:15 Dawes (Korpikoski, Montoya) PP

2nd.
HAR: 5:04 Dawes (Moore, Liffiton)
HAR: 10:38 Byers (Dubinsky, Girardi) PP
WOR: 16:24 Plihal (Kaspar, Stevenson) PP

3rd.
WOR: 8:32 Stevenson (Traverse, Stafford) PP

OT.
WOR: 3:15 Stafford (Spang, Darche) PP

Shots: Worcester: 37 - Hartford 23
Power Play: Worcester 3/6 - Hartford 2/4
Attendance: 3,279 (15,635)
3 Stars: 3: Har- Dan Byers, 2: Wor- Grant Stevenson, 1: Har- Nigel Dawes

Sharks Game Day: December 15th

Tonight the Worcester Sharks (San Jose Sharks) will travel down to Connecticut’s capital to take on the Hartford Wolf*Pack (New York Rangers). This will be the 4th meeting of the season between these two division foes. The last meeting took place on December 8th at the DCU Center as Hartford defeated the Sharks by the score of 3-1. Worcester is currently 1-1-1-0 against the Wolf*Pack this season.

Players to watch for:
WORCESTER: Grant Stevenson, Graham Mink, & Patrick Traverse
HARTFORD: Ryan Callahan, Daniel Girardi, & Marvin Degon

NOTICE: Today the Sharks traded away defensemen Mathieu Biron to the Montreal Canadians for defensemen Patrick Traverse. Traverse signed a contract with the Sharks in the summer but was picked up off waivers when they tried to send him back to Worcester during training camp. Patrick lives in Grafton, MA.

Former UMASS defensemen, Thomas Pock, is currently on a two week conditioning stint with the Wolf*Pack.

Providence 3 - Sharks 2 (SO)

The Worcester Sharks continued their fall in the Atlantic Division yesterday afternoon as they blew a 2-1 lead going into the final period to lose to the Providence Bruins 3-2 in a shootout. The Sharks knew it wouldn’t be their night because just after the opening face-off was dropped, Riley Armstrong was whistled off for slashing just 13 seconds into the game. However, the Sharks penalty kill improved this weekend, killing 15 out of 17 man advantages, to move them up to 24th overall out of the 27 team AHL. The Sharks have yet to find balance yet this season. While the Sharks defense has picked up, their offense has slacked. They were 1 for 17 this weekend on the power play. The only goal came when Justin Kurtz got his first goal of the season when he chipped in a rebound that barely hit the inside net. Lukas Kaspar who worked hard behind the goal line to set up the goal and Michael Macho, who took a shot before Kurtz skated into the slot, were both credited with assists on the goal.

In the second period it was the “Tonight Show with Terry Koharski” and was nothing but a joke. The Sharks thought they had scored their second goal of the evening but referee Terry Koharski said that he had blown the play dead before the puck crossed the line. Sharks leading scorer Mathieu Darche thought otherwise--- and was correct, that the goal should have counted. He was then given a 2-minute penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. That was the turning point in the game and the wheels just came off after that. After the penalty, Darche still had some choice words for Mr. Koharski and was then given a 10-minute misconduct. While in the box, Darche took his anger out on a water bottle and threw it against the glass, and then was given the gate. He was issued a game misconduct for abuse of an official and a gross misconduct (which carries a minimal one game suspension). He then proceeded across the ice cursing in another language (excuse his French… literally) and left the Sharks emotionally drained. For the next 5 minutes the Sharks flopped around their zone almost like they had already given up. Yan Stastny would skate into the Sharks zone drop it back to T.J. Trevelyan at circle who fired it over Nolan Schaeffer’s glove hand. Nolan would finish up the night stopping 31 shots and picked up the number 3 star of the night honor. With less than 4 minutes to play in the period, Assistant Captain Craig Valette, would put the Sharks back in the lead. It was his 9th goal of the season and was assisted by Grant Stevenson and Riley Armstrong.

The Bruins tied the game up 6 minutes into the period. Lashoff would send the puck up to Yan Stastny who carried it over the blue line and set a nice pick and pass to Ben Walter, who skated in off the left circle and found the 5-hole of Schaeffer. The Sharks would have an opportunity late in the third but the puck bounced off the ice and hit the left post of Hannu Toivonen. Toivonen and Bruin’s defensemen Mark Stuart were sent down from Boston earlier in the morning. The game would go into overtime and the Sharks had another opportunity to take home 2 points but were denied by the glove of the Bruins netminder. Toivonen had to go into the splits in order to make the save, and that was the save of the game. The 2 teams skated the rest of the extra session and then it was off to a shootout.

WORCESTER: Valette (Missed High), Mink (Glove Save), Stevenson (Missed High) 0
PROVIDENCE: Kerjci (Goal, Deke), Versteeg (Goal, Deke), Trevelyan (Goal, Deke) 3

NOTES:

The announced attendance was 5,985… Well that’s how many tickets were issued for the game… Although it was a decent crowd considering for Providence…

Although they are doing renovations to the Dunkin Donut’s Center, they seem to have a problem with the ice machine. Several times during the third period they had to fix holes near the Providence net, and the ice was even black in some spots.

Nolan Schaeffer went 0 for 3 in stopping the breakaways in the shootout. He came out to between the hash marks when the Bruins steamed forward. When a goalie comes out that far, it’s very easy to score a goal by using a deke. All 3 shooters for the Bruins were rookies and all 3 used dekes.

The Sharks still haven't figured out the shootout yet. They are 0-4 in their last 4 shootout games and their only victory in the event was on opening night in Portland, Maine. The Sharks had 22 opportunities on the break aways but only managed to get 2 in (both which were on opening night).

Sharks Game Day: December 10th

This afternoon the Worcester Sharks (San Jose Sharks) will travel down 146 and try to stop their 2 game skid as they face the Providence Bruins (Boston Bruins). This will be the 5th time these division rivals square off, as their season series is tied up at 2 games apiece. Last time these two teams met on November 18th, Providence scored 2 late third period goals to steal the game and 2 points away from the Sharks. Both teams were in action last night and both lost ground in the very tight Atlantic Division. Providence comes into the game in 3rd place, while the Sharks slipped into 6th. (Worcester 0-3, Providence 1-2)

Last night, the Sharks ran into a hot Jonathan Boutin and were shutout by the Springfield Falcons 3-0 in front of 3,422 fans. Rookie Justin Keller, Norm Milley, and Marek Kvapil (Empty Net) all scored goals for the birds. Nolan Schaeffer was selected as the 2nd star of the night. He stopped 18 out of 20 shots in the losing effort. He is currently 1-1-0-0 in the month of December with a 1.49 GAA and a .947 save %. He’ll have to keep up the those good numbers if the Sharks have any chance of making it to the post-season.

Players to watch for:
WORCESTER: Grant Stevenson, Craig Valette, & Dan Spang
PROVIDENCE: Kris Versteeg, Pascal Pelletier, & Matt Lashoff

NOTICE: Goaltender Philippe Sauve, has a record of 1-1-0-0 against the Worcester Sharks this season. He was traded from the San Antonio Rampage in Mid-November. Against the Sharks this season he has a 5.05 GAA and a .846 save %. However, in his last 3 games he has a record of 2-0-0-1.

Kris Versteeg is tied for 2nd in the AHL rookie-scoring race with Norfolk Admirals forward Brouwer. He has 13 goals and 14 assist in 23 games played so far for the Baby B’s.

Springfield 3 - Worcester 0

The Worcester Sharks can’t catch a break these days. They hosted another division rival for the second straight night at the DCU Center but had the same outcome. The Sharks inefficiency on the man advantage as of late and their very poor penalty killing has them almost at the bottom of the Atlantic Division. They also ran into a brick wall tonight with Jonathan Boutin in net for the Springfield Falcons. Boutin stopped many quality shots that kept the Sharks off the board and finished the night stopping all 32 shots on goal. He also has a new best friend as Justin Kurtz's shot rang off the post midway through the second period.

Rookie Justin Keller would get the Falcons on the scoreboard midway through the first frame as he slipped a shot into a wide-open net. The Falcons power play tally would come as two of Worcester’s veterans, Scott Ferguson and Justin Kurtz, were in the penalty box. Former Worcester player Daniel Corso and Eric Healey picked up helpers on Keller’s 8th goal of the season.

Worcester would try to make a late comeback as they out shot the Falcons in the last two stanzas, shooting 12 shots on goals in each, but were denied by Boutin. Jonathan Boutin picked up his first shutout of the season, second overall for the birds. Springfield’s Captain, Norm Milley, wouldn’t take long in the second to make it a two-goal game. He scored 30 seconds into the 2nd period while another Worcester veteran, Mathieu Biron, was sitting in the sin bin.

Worcester’s Glenn Olson and Springfield’s Mitch Fritz would drop the gloves a couple minutes later. Olson managed to get a good punch in, but the fight would be a draw. Fritz would also receive another 4 minutes for roughing, however the Sharks power play could hardly get off many shots. The Sharks went 0 for 4 tonight with the man advantage and are 0 for 11 in their last 2 games. After the penalties were served, Mitch was benched for the rest of the game. The score would hold up until Marek Kvapil scored on an empty net with 15 seconds remaining. Eric Healey would pick up his second assist of the game on the play.

NOTES:
Attendance was 3,923

Booster Club member Darryl Hunt has signed up to sing the national anthem. Tonight R&B star Patrice Peris tried the gig but forgot some of the words and just added some.

Tonight was the teddy bear toss to support Project Smile. However, fans weren’t able to throw their bears on the ice because the team never scored. This happened the last time it was done in Worcester and the previous 2 seasons in Cleveland.

Sharks Game Day: December 9th

Tonight the Worcester Sharks (San Jose Sharks) will continue their short home stand as they take on the Springfield Falcons (Tampa Bay Lightning). This will be the 4th time these division rivals square off, second on home ice (1-2-0-0). Last time these two teams met, Worcester scored 5 unanswered goals in the third period to get the 5-2 victory. Last night both teams were in action and both suffered loses (Worcester 1-3, Springfield 0-4) Tonight is also the Teddy Bear Toss to support Project Smile. When the Sharks score their first goal of the night, throw your bears on the ice, if the team doesn't score by the 2nd intermission, it will be held then.

Last night, the Sharks lost 3-1 to the Hartford Wolf*Pack in front of 3,422 fans. Ryan Callahan, Lauri Korpikoski, and Craig Weller (Empty Net) scored goals for the Pack while Dan Spang scored the lone Worcester goal. Craig Valette would pick up a point on the play. Rookie netminder, Thomas Greiss, made 24 saves for the Sharks in the losing effort. Thomas has started out the month of December with a 2.35 GAA and a .928 save %, however he has a losing record of 1-2-0-0.

Players to watch for:
SPRINGFIELD: Norm Milley, David Spina, & Jonathan Boutin
WORCESTER: Dan Spang, Craig Valette, & Tomas Plihal

NOTICE: Goaltender Sean Burke will not be in attendance tomorrow at the DCU Center. He doesn't make road trips. He has yet to play in another game since his third period melt down against the Sharks on November 25th. The former NHL has a record of 2-5-0-0 with a 4.52 GAA and a .858 save %.

Springfield has a perfect record when going into extra time. They are 5-0 (1-0 OT, 4-0 SO) while the Sharks struggle with a 2-4 record (1-1 OT, 1-3 SO).

Hartford 3 - Sharks 1

The Hartford Wolf*Pack are the hottest team in the AHL in their previous 5 games. They continued their winning streak to 5 games last night when they beat the Worcester Sharks by the score of 3-1. The bounces just didn’t go the Sharks way last night as they were left questioning themselves after the game.

The teams played a fast action 1st period, with a lot of rushes up and down the ice in a scoreless frame. Hartford would have 9 shots on goal in each of the 3 periods tonight as goaltender Thomas Greiss made 24 saves. Worcester would shoot itself in the foot as they went 0-7 on the power play and gave up a second period short-handed goal to the Pack’s leading scorer Ryan Callahan. Callahan deked out Greiss on a break away and found the back of the net for the 16th time this season. Worcester would find themselves trailing 2-0, as Greiss let in a shot that he would love to have back. Lauri Korpikoski would skate in on a 2-on-1 and beat Greiss glove side. Daniel Girardi would pick up an assist on the goal as he intercepted a pass in the Hartford zone and passed it up to Dane Byers.

Dan Spang would cut the lead in half when he shot a one-timer past Stephen Valiquette. Craig Valette skated down the left side boards and made a tape-to-tape pass to Spang who tied Mathieu Biron for most goals by a defensemen at 3. Craig Weller would seal the deal when he intercepted a Garrett Stafford pass at the Shark’s blue line and put one in the empty net.

NOTES:

Attendance was 3,422

Tomas Plihal was the only Shark to be a “+” in last night's game.

Stephen Valiquette is 6-1 in his last 6 starts, including a shut out against the Manchester Monarchs last week (Overall 8-4-1-0). He received a bad luck loss when Al Montoya was pulled on November 22nd after letting up 3 quick first period goals. The final score of that game was 5-4.

Millbury native Marvin Degon received a hooking penalty in the game. He also registered a shot on net.

Sharks Game Day: December 8th

Worcester Sharks (San Jose Sharks) will host the Hartford Wolf*Pack (New York Rangers) tonight at the DCU Center. This will be the third time these two teams play each other this season. The series is currently tied at one game apiece with the visitor winning both games. The last meeting between these two teams happened on November 26th when the Pack won on a Jarkko Immonen goal.

The Sharks are coming off an impressive weekend with wins against the Norfolk Admirals and Hershey Bears. They would have to go into an extra session in the chocolatetown on Sunday but Grant Stevenson made sure it wouldn't be a long bus ride back to the Bay State. The Sharks are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games. Hartford is currently on a 4 game winning streak with their last victory on Saturday as they blanked the Manchester Monarchs 3-0.

Players to watch for:
HARTFORD: Ryan Callahan, Marvin Degon, & Stephen Valiquette
WORCESTER: Riley Armstrong, Mathieu Darche & Craig Valette