Wrapping up their three-in-three weekend, the Worcester Sharks rallied from a two goal deficit to force overtime but fell 3-2 in the extra session to the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers) Saturday night at the XL Center.
Forwards Dan DaSilva and Freddie Hamilton scored for the Sharks, who began a five game road trip, while goaltender Harri Sateri made 28 saves.
“There were some good things and some times I thought we should have pushed on some pucks in the neutral zone, but that happens in these three-in-threes,” said Sharks head coach Roy Sommer in a post game interview with Carl Setterlund of Telegram.com.
The Wolf Pack wasted no time going ahead 1-0 when off a Sharks turnover inside their own zone at the blue line, forward Danny Kristo corralled a centering feed in the slot, deked and fired the puck past Sateri for his 12th goal of the season just 18-seconds into the game. The lead was extended to 2-0 at 13:51 when off a face-off win inside the Sharks zone, Wolf Pack forward Arron Asham blasted a slap shot from on top of the right circle past Sateri for his first goal of the season.
DaSilva cut the Wolf Pack lead in half at 19:01 when he deked around Wolf Pack defenseman, and team captain, Aaron Johnson in the left face-off circle, cut in front and slid the puck past Wolf Pack goaltender Duv Grumet-Morris for his second goal of the season.
After a scoreless second period, Hamilton tied the game with his 11th goal of the season, and second goal in as many games, when he found a rebound on the left side of the crease and fired the puck into the open net for the tying goal. Sharks forward Daniil Tarasov, who was denied on the first rebound attempt, and Sharks rookie defenseman Dylan DeMelo, who took the initial shot from along half wall, were credited with the assists.
Just 39-seconds into overtime, Sharks forward Brodie Reid was assessed a two minute minor for high sticking but Sateri kept the Sharks alive when he robbed Johnson of a goal with a glove save on a 3-on-2 rush. However, the Wolf Pack won the game 33-seconds later at 3:15 when forward Oscar Lindberg, who was left all alone, corralled a pass in the slot and fired a snap shot from the right hash mark past Sateri for the game-winning-goal, his seventh goal of the season.
NOTES… Final shots were 36-31 in favor of the Sharks… The Sharks went 0-for-3 on the power play and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill… Sateri is now 7-10-1 with a 2.91 goals-against-average and .892 save percentage… Sharks defensemen Konrad Abeltshauser and Adam Comrie each had a game high five shots on goal… The teams combined for 10 penalty minutes on five minor penalties… Prior to the start of the game, forward Bracken Kearns was recalled to San Jose, missing his first Worcester game of the season… DeMelo has three assists in his last two games… This was the first of four meetings between the Sharks and Wolf Pack this season… The Sharks are 0-0-1-0 against the Wolf Pack this season, 7-5-1-1 on the road and 13-12-2-1 with 29 points overall… The Sharks are back in action New Year’s Eve as they travel to play the Adirondack Phantoms at 5pm/et.
THREE STARS
1. Oscar Lindberg – Wolf Pack (1-0-1, OT GWG)
2. Duv Grumet-Morris – Wolf Pack (34 saves, Win)
3. Arron Asham – Wolf Pack (1-0-1)
LINES
Tarasov / Hamilton (A) / Hayes
DaSilva / Schwartz / Reid
Gogol / Viedensky / Livingston
Bonneau (A) / Oleksuk / Pelech
DEFENSE
Doherty / Abeltshauser
Davison (C) / Tennyson
Comrie / DeMelo
GOALIES
Sateri
Grosenick
SCRATCHES
Acolatse
Brace
Kearns (sjs)
Petrecki
Stalberg
Scheidl (inj)
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