Wolf Pack Edged by Sharks, 3-2
Jan 4, 2014Darroll Powe had a goal and an assist for the Wolf Pack Saturday night at the XL Center, and Ryan Bourque scored a shorthanded goal, but Worcester Shark goals by Dan DaSilva, Sebastian Stalberg and Curt Gogol gave Worcester a 3-2 win.
The Shark victory snapped a Wolf Pack streak of seven straight wins against Worcester, and the Wolf Pack had won the previous eight consecutive meetings in Hartford.
Harri Sateri made 30 saves in the Shark net to get the win, and Jason Missiaen had 37 stops for the Wolf Pack.
Special teams ruled the first period, as the Sharks scored two power-play goals and the Wolf Pack responded with a shorthander.
Worcester scored on its first shot at 2:44 of the first period, with Mike Marcou in the penalty box for interference. Adam Comrie sent the puck from deep in the slot to DaSilva at the top of the left circle, and DaSilva’s one-timer got by Missiaen.
The Shark man-advantage struck again at 17:19, only seven seconds after Hartford’s Micheal Haley was called for unsportsmanlike conduct. Haley had gone after Comrie, who had put a hard hit on the Wolf Pack’s Jesper Fast moments earlier, but Comrie declined to drop the gloves.
Stalberg made it 2-0 Worcester with a deflection of a Matt Tennyson shot. Tennyson fired from the right point after the Sharks won a draw, and Stalberg tipped it perfectly underneath Missiaen’s pads.
Haley was penalized again at 17:51 for charging Marek Viedensky, but this time the Wolf Pack would turn the tables on the Worcester power play with a shorthanded tally. Sam Klassen worked the puck from deep in the Hartford zone to Bourque, who carried into the Shark end. A Bourque pass went into Powe’s skates, but Powe was able to jam it back to Bourque, who had snuck behind the Worcester defense, and Bourque fired a close-in shot past Sateri with only 15.6 seconds remaining in the period.
The Wolf Pack could not sustain that momentum, though, in the second period, in which they were outshot 16-6.
The only goal of the period came at 10:31, when the Sharks capitalized after the Wolf Pack could not break out of the defensive zone. Danny Kristo had the puck poked away near his own blue line, and neither Wolf Pack defenseman on the ice, Klassen or Tommy Hughes, could gain control after a Brodie Reid try was blocked, allowing Gogol to hammer a drive past Missiaen’s catching glove for a 3-1 Shark lead.
That turned out to be the game-winner, as Powe scored only 2:15 into the third period to bring Hartford back to within a goal. After Powe got the puck out of the defensive zone, the Wolf Pack had a three-on-one break into the Worcester end. Brodie Dupont fed back to Powe in front of the goal, and Powe beat Sateri from close range.
The Wolf Pack are next in action this Friday night, January 10, when they battle the Sharks again, this time at the DCU Center in Worcester. Faceoff is 7:00 PM, and all the action can be heard live on Fox Sports Radio 1410, and on-line at www.foxsportsradio1410.com and iHeartRadio. Video streaming is available at www.ahllive.com.
The Wolf Pack’s next home game is Friday, January 24, a 7:00 PM contest against the Springfield Fal-cons. All Wolf Pack Friday-night home games feature $1 hot dogs and $2 beers through the start of the second period, presented by Marc’s Appliance Warehouse, located at 75 Prospect Ave., Hartford, CT.
Tickets for all Wolf Pack 2013-14 home games are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499. Wolf Pack tickets start as low as $12 for youth 12 years old or younger. To speak with a representative about season or group tickets, call (855) 762-6451.
Worcester Sharks 3 at Hartford Wolf Pack 2
Saturday, January 4, 2014 - XL Center
Worcester 2 1 0 - 3
Hartford 1 0 1 - 2
1st Period-1, Worcester, DaSilva 3 (Comrie, DeMelo), 2:44 (PP). 2, Worcester, Stalberg 1 (Tennyson, Abeltshauser), 17:19 (PP). 3, Hartford, Bourque 5 (Powe, Klassen), 19:44 (SH). Penalties-Marcou Hfd (interference), 2:10; Noreau Hfd (high-sticking), 5:35; Gogol Wor (goaltender interference), 11:41; Haley Hfd (unsportsmanlike conduct), 17:12; Haley Hfd (charging), 17:51.
2nd Period-4, Worcester, Gogol 3 (Reid), 10:31. Penalties-Petrecki Wor (roughing, fighting), 5:37; Stamler Hfd (kneeing, fighting), 5:37; Livingston Wor (delay of game), 6:56; Lindberg Hfd (delay of game), 11:43; Hughes Hfd (hooking), 16:30.
3rd Period-5, Hartford, Powe 4 (Dupont), 2:15. Penalties-Doherty Wor (interference), 2:34.
Shots on Goal-Worcester 11-16-13-40. Hartford 16-6-10-32.
Power Play Opportunities-Worcester 2 / 6; Hartford 0 / 3.
Goalies-Worcester, Sateri 8-11-1 (32 shots-30 saves). Hartford, Missiaen 2-9-1 (40 shots-37 saves).
A-4,712
Referees-Chris Brown (86), Jean-Philippe Sylvain (16).
Linesmen-Jim Briggs (83), Luke Galvin (2).