As part of a season review, sharksahl.com is taking a look back at some of the top moments from the Worcester Sharks’ second season. This week, we continue with everyone’s favorite: fights!

 

We want your opinion too! Any and all comments, suggestions, or feedback are welcome by emailing Public Relations Intern Justin "Guy" Lafleur at jlafleur@sharksahl.com. Remember to check back in the days and weeks ahead for more superlatives from 2008! At that time, we will look back at fans' comments as well!

 

Weekly Archives:

Week 1: Top 5 Individual Single-Game Performances

This Week: Top 5 Fights

 

 

A Karl Stewart second period hit on T.J. Fox sparked a third period brawl as the teams combined for 166 penalty minutes, all but 12 coming in the third. Mike Iggulden dropped his gloves off the opening faceoff before Patrick Traverse squared off with Justin Fletcher and Brennan Evans did the same with Adam Heinrich. Goaltenders Thomas Greiss and Jonathan Boutin eventually joined the fray good for the first goalie fight in franchise history.

 

Only 1:26 later, a second incident occurred when Devin Setoguchi pounded away on Mario Scalzo along the corner boards while Tom Cavanagh and Kyle Wanvig became acquainted towards center ice.

 

Please click here for the video of the fights.

Please click here for the complete game story.

 

The Sharks/Providence Bruins rivalry went to another level in one huge early season melee. The tone was set at 4:37 of the first when enforcers Jonathan Tremblay and Steve MacIntyre dropped the mitts. Less than two minutes later, a Graham Mink elbowing call began a chain of reactions as Patrick Traverse squared off with Sean Curry, T.J. Fox with T.J. Trevelyn, and Dennis Packard with David Krecji. Brennan Evans came to the defense of Traverse, and was assessed a third man in penalty.

  

Please click here for the complete game story.

 

In Worcester’s second-straight 6-1 blowout at the Tsongas Arena, the Devils’ Pierre-Luc Leblond wanted to make a statement. Leblond gave Nate Raduns a vicious cross check, causing the Sharks rookie to receive medial attention. Leblond then instigated a fight against Staubitz, but the Sharks’ forward pounded him, leading to Leblond’s need for medical attention himself.

 

Please click here for the complete game story.

 

Tough-guys Brad Staubitz and Brennan Evans had a fight in the same game on nine occasions. Only once did they actually engage in fisticuffs at the same time. Staubitz was whistled for elbowing at 4:12 of the third period leading to a fight against Dane Byers. Evans and Hugh Jessiman also dropped the gloves and received game misconducts for the secondary altercation.

 

For a clip of the fight, check out Brad Staubitz’s season highlights on Sharks TV.

Please click here for the complete game story.

 

By the end of the season, Jonathan Tremblay knew Manchester’s Kevin Westgarth very well as three of Tremblay’s five fighting majors were against the Monarchs’ rookie. It started on Nov. 23 in the Sharks’ 3-1 win at the Verizon Wireless Arena. It continued on New Year’s Eve when the two tussled in the second period of Worcester’s last-second victory. The epic “series” finished on Feb. 29, this time at the DCU Center, when they fought right off a third period faceoff.

Please click here for the video of the Feb. 29 fight.

Please click here for the complete Nov. 23 game story.

Please click here for the complete Dec. 31 game story.

Please click here for the complete Feb. 29 game story.

 

 

In only his second fight of the season, rookie Derek Joslin made his mark (both literarily and figuratively) against Providence’s Vladimir Sobotka. At 12:58 of the second period, the defenseman dropped his gloves in front of the net and pounded away. Worcester rode the energy to a thrilling 4-3 shootout win over its first-place Atlantic Division rivals.

 

For a clip of the fight, check out Derek Joslin’s season highlights on Sharks TV.

Please click here for the complete game story.

 

A very physical start led to a second period fight that will be remembered by the DCU Center faithful for years to come. Brennan Evans and Adam Keefe got acquainted along the boards, exchanging hard shots before Evans eased off, ending the bout.

 

For a clip of the fight, check out Brennan Evans’ season highlights on Sharks TV.

Please click here for the complete game story. 

Everything started on Jan. 23 at Manchester when Brad Staubitz engaged in his second fight of the second period. It carried over into the next game between the teams when the two fought twice, in the first and third periods.

 

Please click here for the complete Jan. 23 game story.

Please click here for the complete Feb. 2 game story.

 

The theme of Brad Staubitz fighting a Manchester Monarch brings up an epic tilt on Dec. 7. He dropped the mitts in the first period against Kevin Westgarth and got in a number of vicious punches on the hapless rookie.

 

For a clip of the fight, check out Brad Staubitz’s season highlights on Sharks TV.

Please click here for the complete Dec. 7 game story.

 

The first period of the Sharks/Monarchs game included a pair of intriguing fights, none more than Craig Valette vs. John Zeiler. The two dropped the mitts in front of Dimitri Patzold’s net, getting the sellout crowd of almost 7,000 fans on their feet. 

 

Please click here for the complete game story.

 

In one of the most intense games of the season, Graham Mink had arguably his best fight, getting involved with Springfield tough guy Troy Bodie. Brennan Evans had already dropped the gloves with Bodie earlier in the period in retaliation of what the Sharks thought was a dirty play. Then at the 12:59 mark, things exploded as Mink was whistled for an elbowing minor, leading to Bodie coming to his teammate’s defense. The two quickly fell to the ice, but kept exchanging punches on the ice before being broken up by the linesmen.

 

Please click here for the complete game story.

 

Nine Sharks engaged in their first fights of their careers, with three coming during the Feb. 15 game at Norfolk. Three youngsters who joined the team late in the year picked up fights within the last eight days of the season. On Apr. 5, Frazer McLaren challenged Manchester’s tough-guy Kevin Westgarth and faired very admirably. On Apr. 11, David MacDonald went toe-to-toe with Portland enforcer Daryl Bootland followed by a spirited Mike Moore “throw down” the following day vs. Lowell.

 

Complete List:

T.J. Fox vs. T.J. Trevelyan (Providence) on Nov. 24

Derek Joslin vs. Noah Clarke (Lowell) on Dec. 18

Thomas Greiss vs. Jonathan Boutin (Norfolk) on Feb. 15

Devin Setoguchi vs. Mario Scalzo (Norfolk) on Feb. 15

Tom Cavanagh vs. Radek Smolenak (Norfolk) on Feb. 15

Dan Spang vs. Radek Smolenak (Norfolk) on Mar. 5

Frazer McLaren vs. Kevin Westgarth (Manchester) on Apr. 5

David MacDonald vs. Daryl Bootland (Portland) on Apr. 11

Mike Moore vs. Brad Mills (Lowell) on Apr. 12

 

Please click here for the video of the Feb. 15 Norfolk fights.

For a clip of Mike Moore’s fight vs. Lowell, check out the Apr. 12 game highlights.

 

Worcester finished the season with 68 fighting majors, good for 19^th in the AHL. Syracuse led the way with 102 while Hamilton had the fewest with 40. The Sharks’ 68 fighting majors were 14 more than its 2006-07 total of 54.

 

Brad Staubitz led Worcester way with 19 fighting majors while Brennan Evans came in a close second with 18. The rest include: Craig Valette (6), Jonathan Tremblay (5), Mike Iggulden (3), Graham Mink (3), Derek Joslin (2), Patrick Traverse (2), Tom Cavanagh (1), T.J. Fox (1), Thomas Greiss (1), David MacDonald (1), Frazer McLaren (1), Mike Moore (1), Dennis Packard (1), Ashton Rome (1), Devin Setoguchi (1), and Dan Spang (1).