SHARKSPAGE

Eight is enough for WorSharks in record setting win over Portland

The WorSharks Sharks went into Friday night’s contest with the Portland Pirates not having scored four goals in a game yet this season, but when the night was over the line of Matt Nieto, Freddie Hamilton, and Daniil Tarasov combined for five goals on their own as the WorSharks cruised to an 8-2 drubbing of the Pirates at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts in front of 2,088 fans to get Worcester over the .500 mark for the first time this season. The win also gives Worcester its first four game winning streak in almost two years (December 9th through the 17th, 2011).

Jimmy Bonneau, Adam Comrie, and the WorSharks celebrate Eriah Hayes' first period goal
during Worcester's 8-2 win over the Portland Pirates Friday night
Photo courtesy of the WORCESTER SHARKS

For highlights of the game, and there were a lot of them, we go to AHLlive.com.

Scratches for Worcester were Konrad Abeltshauser, Sena Acolatse (lower body), Riley Brace, Curt Gogol (unknown injury), Brodie Reid, and Lane Scheidl (knee). The backup netminder was Troy Grosenick. Mike Ricci joined coaches Roy Sommer and Dave Cunniff behind the Worcester bench.

The eight goals were the most ever the WorSharks have scored at home. It falls one short of the all-time team record of nine, set in a 9-2 win over the Hartford Wolf pack on April 7, 2010. In a startling comparison, the WorSharks had eight goals in their previous five games.

Nieto’s five points (2g,3a) ties the team mark for points in a game. Nieto was also among a group of five players, the others being Hamilton, Tarasov, Taylor Doherty, and Adam Comrie to finish the game at +4. That’s the most players at +4 or better ever in a single game for the WorSharks. The previous best was four when John McCarthy, Mike Moore, Andrew Desjardins, and Dan DaSilva did it on March 10th, 2010. As near as this writer can tell the team record for plus/minus in a game is Moore’s +5 on the day after Christmas in 2009 vs Springfield.

Not to nitpick over a single call in a blowout, but it would be interesting to hear referee Kendrick Nicholson explain how when Portland’s Brett Hextall slashed Bracken Kearns legs out from under him that there was any chance Kearns dove on the play. Referee Nicholson, working his first WorSharks game, had a good view of the action so it does make one wonder. The boxscore incorrectly lists Kearns’ penalty as a ten minute misconduct.

Referee Nicholson did get two notable calls correct, the first being on Eriah Hayes’ tally in opening period when Nicholson signaled goal and then went to video review to make sure the net was still on the pegs when the puck crossed the line. The second was awarding the Pirates Brendan Shinnimin a penalty shot midway through the second period after he was hauled down from behind by Rob Davison on a breakaway bid. WorSharks goaltender Harri Sateri stopped the penalty shot, making him a perfect three for three in his pro career.

In the waning seconds of the game the laugher almost took a tragic note when Portland defenseman Daine Todd was hit in the head by an Adam Comrie slapshot. All the players stopped on the ice even before referee Nicholson could blow the whistle, with the WorSharks Hayes being the closest to him and went to make sure Todd was not injured. Luckily Todd was up before the Pirates trainer could get to him and skated off unassisted. After the next faceoff, in sort of “enough is enough” moment, the puck ended up in the near corner where both the WorSharks and Portland players stood over it waiting for time to expire.

The three stars of the game were
1. WOR – 17 Matt Nieto (2g,3a)
2. WOR – 12 Freddie Hamilton (2g,a)
3. WOR – 19 Daniil Tarasov (g,2a)

The Sharkspage player of the game was Marek Viedensky.

Even strength lines
Nieto/Hamilton/Tarasov
Schwartz/Kearns/DaSilva
Stalberg/Oleksuk/Livingston
Bonneau/Viedensky/Hayes

Davison/Tennyson
Comrie/Doherty
Petrecki/DeMelo

BOXSCORE

Portland 0 1 1 – 2
Worcester 2 3 3 – 8

1st Period-1, Worcester, Hamilton 5 (Nieto), 14:29. 2, Worcester, Hayes 3 (Viedensky, Bonneau), 15:28. Penalties-Davison Wor (interference), 7:12; Brisebois Por (interference), 8:53; Hextall Por (slashing), 9:39; Kearns Wor (misconduct – unsportsmanlike conduct), 9:39.

2nd Period-3, Worcester, Nieto 1 (Hamilton, Comrie), 1:15. 4, Worcester, Tarasov 8 (Nieto, Doherty), 3:10. 5, Worcester, Oleksuk 2 (DaSilva, DeMelo), 5:25. 6, Portland, Brule 7 (Todd, Shinnimin), 19:10 (PP). Penalties-Dziurzynski Por (misconduct – unsportsmanlike conduct), 7:12; Comrie Wor (misconduct), 18:23; Doherty Wor (cross-checking), 18:23; Dziurzynski Por (boarding), 19:30.

3rd Period-7, Worcester, Nieto 2 (Tarasov, DeMelo), 0:49 (PP). 8, Worcester, Hamilton 6 (Tarasov, Nieto), 6:45. 9, Portland, Shinnimin 3 (Klesla, McMillan), 7:17. 10, Worcester, Viedensky 1 (Bonneau), 18:03. Penalties-Summers Por (slashing), 0:16; Davison Wor (interference), 3:29.

Shots on Goal-Portland 5-14-12-31. Worcester 16-15-10-41.
Power Play Opportunities-Portland 1 / 3; Worcester 1 / 3.
Goalies-Portland, Visentin 6-8-1 (23 shots-19 saves); Lee 0-2-1 (18 shots-14 saves). Worcester, Sateri 5-7-0 (31 shots-29 saves).
A-2,088
Referees-Kendrick Nicholson (76).
Linesmen-Brian MacDonald (72), Luke Galvin (2).