Worcester, MA, October 4, 2012 – The Connecticut Whale fell to 0-2 in the preseason Thursday night, as they lost to the Worcester Sharks by a score of 2-1, at the Hart Center on the campus of the College of the Holy Cross.
Brandon Mashinter’s third-period goal was the game-winner for the Sharks, and Sena Acolatse also scored for Worcester. Sebastien Piche had the only Whale goal.
After a scoreless first period, in which Worcester outshot the Whale 10-4, the Sharks jumped on top at 4:45 of the second frame, just as Connecticut’s Andrew Courtney was stepping out of the penalty box. The Sharks’ Yanni Gourde worked the puck out of the right-wing corner to Acolatse at the middle of the blue line, and Acolatse fired a slap shot past the stick side of Whale starting goaltender Scott Stajcer.
After the Whale’s Ryan Bourque missed the net on a shorthanded partial breakaway at 10:45, Connecticut tied the game on its fourth power play at 18:58. Piche, a defenseman, was credited with the goal, after his shot from the left point hit a Worcester defender and deflected past Shark starting goaltender Alex Stalock.
Worcester regained the lead just before the halfway point of the third period, as Mashinter scored on a rebound at 9:53. Kyle Rank, who replaced Stajcer in the Whale net at 12:14 of the second, made a pad save on a shot by Mikael Tam off of a 3-on-2, but Mashinter found the carom in the left circle and buried the puck for a 2-1 Shark lead, and, as it would turn out, the win.
Thomas Heemskerk played a perfect third for Worcester, stopping seven shots, after Stalock made 16 saves through the first two periods. Stajcer made 21 stops for the Whale and Rank had 13.
The Whale had opened its preseason with a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Albany Devils Wednesday night, at Champions Skating Center in Cromwell, CT. The Whale’s only other home preseason game is this Sunday, October 7, as they and the Sharks rematch at the Koeppel Community Sports Center on the campus of Trinity College. That game faces off at 2:00 PM.
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Connecticut Whale 1 at Worcester Sharks 2
Thursday, October 4, 2012 – Hart Recreation Center
Connecticut 0 1 0 – 1
Worcester 0 1 1 – 2
1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Oleksuk Wor (holding), 1:41; Hobbs Ct (hooking), 7:55; Courtney Ct (hooking), 10:53; Pelech Wor (elbowing), 15:11.
2nd Period-1, Worcester, Acolatse 1 (Gourde, Matsumoto), 4:45 (PP). 2, Connecticut, Piche 2 (Parlett, Yogan), 18:58 (PP). Penalties-Courtney Ct (hooking), 2:45; Miller Ct (high-sticking), 9:59; Mashinter Wor (high-sticking, high-sticking), 12:22; Haley Ct (roughing), 13:43; Kennedy Wor (roughing), 13:43; Kearns Wor (roughing), 17:34.
3rd Period-3, Worcester, Mashinter 1 (Tam, Viedensky), 9:53. Penalties-Sheppard Wor (holding), 2:04; Pitt Ct (holding), 7:04; Yogan Ct (slashing), 14:44; Petrecki Wor (high-sticking), 14:44; McCarthy Wor (slashing), 18:33.
Shots on Goal-Connecticut 4-12-7-23. Worcester 10-13-13-36.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 1 / 6; Worcester 1 / 5.
Goalies-Connecticut, Stajcer — (22 shots-21 saves); Rank — (14 shots-13 saves). Worcester, Stalock — (16 shots-15 saves); Heemskerk — (7 shots-7 saves).
A-283
Referees-Mark Lemelin (41).
Linesmen-Bob Paquette (18), Todd Whittemore (19).
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