CLOSE… BUT NO CIGAR 

VERSUS
A late goal by Worcester forward Cory LaRose sent the game with the visiting Hartford Wolf Pack to overtime. After a scoreless bonus frame, the two squads went to the shootout. The Sharks (2-2-0-0) scored twice on Hartford goaltender Miika Wiikman (31 saves) while the Sharks’ Thomas Greiss (21 saves) stopped all four Pack shooters giving the home team a 5-4 victory in front of 2,126 at the DCU Center Wednesday night.

LaRose, a member of the Hartford Wolf Pack (1-3-0-1) from 2002 through 2004, was wide open on the right doorstep and buried a “gimme” pass past a helpless Wiikman. The power play goal came with just 3:57 remaining and ruined what would have been a dramatic two-goal third period comeback by the visiting Wolf Pack who entered the third period trailing 3-1. Two goals, 17 seconds apart by Dale Weise, the first of his professional career, and P.A. Parenteau tied the score at 2:47. A beautiful piece of work by Justin Soryal led to Jordan Owens goal at 8:57 giving the Pack the lead at 8:57.

The tide turned when the Pack were given a five-on-three advantage on penalties to Mike Morris and Mike Moore at 11:29 and 11:41 respectively. The Pack did nothing with the 1:49 of two-man advantage as they just kept passing the puck along the perimeter and never mounted a serious threat. Stopping the Pack so handedly fired up the Sharks and they pressed the attack.

The onslaught led to Hugh Jessiman taking a high sticking penalty at 14:11 giving the Sharks their sixth power play. The Wolf Pack defense was excellent during the first half of the penalty kill, but they started to run-around in their own zone during the second half and when Bobby Sanguinetti wound up drawn away from his defensive position the Sharks pounced. A Derek Joslin pass found Tom Cavanagh who saw LaRose all alone on the left door step and he tucked it home for the equalizer.

Greiss, who mid-way through the third period made a huge save on Artem Anisimov’s shot from in front of the net, made the only significant play of the overtime period when at 1:23 he made a sparkling and game saving play again on Anisimov. The Russian center came in from the right wing and cut across the crease, got Greiss down but could not get a backhander past the German netminder.

The Pack started the game with very little jump in their step and it cost them. They fell behind surrendering two goals, one at 8:02 and then another 22 seconds later at 8:24.

On the first, Wiikman was completely helpless as a shot from Steven Zalewsky on the left rebounded to Jamie McGinn for the first of his two goals on the night. Another defensive lapse led to Patrick Traverse being left all alone at the top of the slot. Traverse fired a BB of a shot that ripped right past Wiikman.

The Pack got it back to two to one at 15:16 while on the power play. Cory Potter, who continues to play like an NHL defenseman, launched a hard slapshot on goal from the left wing circle that was deflected beautifully by Dane Byers, who is the only Pack multi-goal scorer on the team. The power play marker was the team’s first in 22 tries since opening night and just their second goal in 24 attempts. The team is now 2-28 with the man advantage.

There was no scoring in the second period, but it didn’t take the Sharks long to move their lead from 2-1 to 3-1 pretty quickly as they opened the third period with a goal at just 39 seconds when McGinn scored his first of the night from the left wing circle that beat Wiikman high to the stick side.

For stats fans, there is always the Game Summary and Official Scorer’s sheet.

Bill Ballou has the Worcester report in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette. The Hartford perspective is shared by the Wolf Pack.

NOTES

* Patrick Rissmiller cleared waivers and is expected to be sent to Hartford for the remainder of the season.

* In the second period, Brian Fahey made a phenomenally alert play when he cleared a puck out of the crease just before it went over the line when Wiikman had no idea where it was.

* You know things aren’t going well on the power play when the team has a one-for-eight night and it IMPROVES their percentage and ranking in the league. The Pack entered the game 1-20 (5%) good for last in the league. They left the game on 2-28 for the season or 7.1% good for 26th overall.

* The Pack are now one for two on shoot-outs (two for eight on overall attempts…Dupont and Anisimov)

* Head Coach Ken Gernander is going to have to talk to his two tough guys, DiDiomete and Sugden to show some restraint when they are on the ice. DiDiomete took a foolish roughing penalty in a scrum at 1:29 of the second period after Sugden had just taken a tripping call. The resulting penalties left the Pack in a five-on-three disadvantage for a full two minutes. Fortunately the Pack were able to kill both penalties. It could have broken a close game open.

* Justin Soryal won his fight with Frazer McLaren after taking a lot of punches early, Soryal came back with a blizzard of punches that landed and sent McLaren to the ice surface.

* Pack were outshot in the game 36-25

* Congratulations to Jeff Jakaitis of the Charlotte Checkers. Jakaitis was named the Rbk Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Week for Oct. 17-19. The 25-year-old made 35 saves, including stopping the last 20 shots he faced, in a 3-1 win on Saturday at Florida.

LINES

Byers – MOORE – PARENTEAU
Dupont – Anisimov – Weise
Jessiman – Ouellette – DiDiomete
Soryal – Owens – Sugden

Sanguinetti – FAHEY
Potter – Denisov
Graham – Murray

Wiikman

Alternate Captains in CAPS

SCRATCHES

Sauer – Knee – indefinite
Pyatt – Healthy
Jamtin – Healthy
Barnes – Healthy

SHOOT OUT RESULTS

Hartford Shootout
15 Greg Moore No Goal
9 Brodie Dupont No Goal
23 Dale Weise No Goal
42 Artem Anisimov No Goal
Total: 0

Worcester Shootout
44 Jamie McGinn No Goal
15 Steven Zalewski Goal
18 Cory Larose Goal
Total: 2

THREE STARS
1. WOR – 44 Jamie McGinn
2. HFD – 34 Dane Byers
3. WOR – 18 Cory Larose

ON ICE OFFICIALS
Nygel Pelletier (41), Referee
Jack Millea (23), Linesman
Scott Whittemore (96), Linesman

(Soryal & MClaren photo courtesy of T&G Staff/JIM COLLINS)</em