Alex Stalock outduels Martin Jones in Sharks 1-0 shootout win

In a classic goaltending duel, Alex Stalock and Martin Jones put on a clinic Sunday afternoon at the DCU Center, where the Worcester Sharks emerged victorious over the Manchester Monarchs 1-0 in the shootout with goals from Jon Matsumoto, James Sheppard and captain John McCarthy. Stalock turned away all 27 shots from the Monarchs (3-of-5 in the shootout) while Jones turned away all 38 shots from the Sharks (2-of-5 in the shootout).

In a chippy first period, the teams combined for 36 penalty minutes, which was highlighted by two exciting battles. At 4:25, Sharks forward Bracken Kearns picked up his second fighting major of the season when he dropped dropped the gloves with Monarchs toughman Richard Clune, who got the better of Kearns in the scrap.

Moments later at 7:03, Sharks energizer Curt Gogol picked up his second fighting major of the season when he dropped the gloves with Monarchs forward Andy Andreoff. During the scrap, Gogol lost his balance but continued the fight once back on his feet even though the officials had intervened. As a result, Gogol was assessed an additional 10 minutes of penalty time.

In the second period, Stalock stood on his head and turned away all 16 shots he faced from the Monarchs, who outshot the Sharks 16-8. Not wanting to be outdone by his counterpart, Jones stood on his head in the third period and turned away all 18 shots he faced from the Sharks, who outshot the Monarchs 18-7.

After a scoreless overtime that saw the Sharks out shoot the Monarchs 3-0, the game headed to the shootout, where the Sharks got goals from Matsumoto, Sheppard and McCarthy. Monarchs rookie Tyler Toffoli had a chance to extend the shootout after McCarthy’s goal but Stalock turned away his shot for the Sharks win.

NOTES: Shots were 38-27 in favor of the Sharks… The Sharks went 0-for-7 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill… It was the first game in Sharks history to enter the shootout in a scoreless tie… Stalock has won his last four starts and is now 4-2-0-1 with a 2.53 goals-against-average and .909 save percentage… This was the second of 12 meetings between the teams… Sharks head coach Roy Sommer passed John Paddock for third all-time in AHL history with his 1,126 game coached… Matt Pelech returned to the Sharks lineup after missing the last four games due to suspension… Daniil Tarasov made his professional debut for the Sharks and had one shot on goal… With the two fights, the Sharks have 12 fighting majors through 10 games… Brodie Reid (inj), Frazer McLaren (inj), Mikael Tam (inj), Jimmy Bonneau (scr), Marek Viedensky (scr), Taylor Doherty (scr) and Brandon Mashinter (scr) did not dress for the Sharks… The Sharks earned 5-out-of-6 points in their second three-in-three of the season and are now 4-4-1-1 overall.

Three Stars
1. Alex Stalock – Sharks (27 saves, shutout win)
2. Martin Jones – Monarchs (38 saves)
3. John McCarthy – Sharks (game winning goal in the shootout)