SAN JOSE, Calif.- With the 2007-08 Worcester Sharks season complete, the attention now focuses to San Jose, where the Sharks are gearing for a run at The Stanley Cup. It’s in San Jose where Worcester alumni are making their mark in hockey’s biggest stage. With the series vs. Calgary tied at two, there are no more important games than the next two! As an added treat, Games 5 and 6 will be televised on VERSUS, starting TONIGHT (Thursday) at 10 p.m. ET and on Sunday at 8 p.m.

 

Tom Cavanagh, Thomas Greiss, Derek Joslin, Sandis Ozolinsh, Devin Setoguchi, Tomas Plihal, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic all skated for Worcester at some point this season and are currently in San Jose. Meanwhile, Torrey Mitchell and Joe Pavelski called the DCU Center home in Worcester’s inaugural 2006-07 campaign.

 

San Jose entered the postseason as the second seed in the Western Conference, earning a first-round matchup against the seventh seeded Calgary Flames. After four games, the series is knotted at two, largely due to the contributions from Worcester alumni.

 

The Sharks lost Game One, 3-2, but Joe Pavelski who played in 16 games with Worcester in 2006-07, was credited with an assist. The two San Jose goals were scored by Ryan Clowe, not a former Worcester Shark, but still a product of the farm system. Clowe played for San Jose’s AHL franchise in Cleveland from 2003-06. Despite a great effort, San Jose found itself in the early whole after Game 1.

 

Worcester graduates took their games to another level in the second period of Game Two. They scored two goals, which marked the only tallies of the game, leading San Jose to the 1-1 series tie. Pavelski scored at 4:56 of the middle frame before Mitchell added a crucial insurance goal on the man advantage late in the period. Just for good measure, Vlasic, who played for Worcester on Jan. 26 at Springfield, was also credited with an assist.

 

San Jose scored three goals in the first 3:33 of Game Three on Sunday, but couldn’t hold on as Calgary took the 2-1 series edge with a come-from-behind 4-3 victory. Clowe scored again while Pavelski had a point (assist) for the third-consecutive game.

 

The Sharks were on the brink of falling behind 3-1 in the series before a tremendous comeback gave them the win and the 2-2 series tie. Trailing 2-1 late in the third period, (former AHL All-Star and product of the Sharks’ system) Jonathan Cheecho scored at the 15:06 mark followed by a Joe Thornton goal with only 10 seconds remaining in regulation for the thrilling 3-2 win. Pavelski continued his torrid pace by earning a point in his fourth-consecutive games while Devin Setoguchi saw his first ice time of the series (12:17 total minutes) and assisted on Cheecho’s goal.

 

Remember to watch San Jose on VERSUS both TONIGHT (Thursday) and Sunday! And remember to crash the net at sharksahl.com regularly for more updates in their quest for a Stanley Cup!

 

SERIES F	TIME	#2   vs.   #7	Result/Network
Wed., April 9, 2008	10:00 PM	Calgary at San Jose	L, 3-2
Thurs, April 10, 2008	10:00 PM	Calgary at San Jose	W, 2-0
Sun., April 13, 2008	10:00 PM	San Jose at Calgary	L, 4-3
Tues., April 15, 2008	10:00 PM	San Jose at Calgary	W, 3-2
Thurs, April 17, 2008	10:00 PM	Calgary at San Jose	VERSUS, CBC
Sun., April 20, 2008	8:00 PM	San Jose at Calgary	CBC, VERSUS
Tues., April 22, 2008	TBD	Calgary at San Jose	CBC