Sharks Make Vassals out of Monarchs
December 20, 2008
Worcester Sharks vs. Manchester Monarchs
DCU Center – Worcester, MA
December 20, 2008
Sharks Make Vassals out of Monarchs
Vesce, Larose lead dethroning of Manchester
By: Chris Del Vecchio
WORCESTER — Friday night’s snowed out game against Portland marked the second time this season that a would-be three-in-three weekend for the Worcester Sharks has been nullified by unusual circumstances. Worcester responded to the blackout postponement on November 15th by winning five games in a row, and took the first step toward repeating that feat on Saturday.
Ryan Vesce and Corey Larose both registered three point nights as the Sharks handily defeated the Manchester Monarchs by a 3-1 score at the DCU Center. The win, coupled with Hartford’s loss, moves Worcester back into a tie for third place in the Atlantic Division.
Manchester had the best scoring chance of the early going, with right wing David Meckler testing netminder Thomas Greiss from short range following an odd man rush five minutes into the game. Greiss lunged to his left, getting a piece of the puck at full extension and drawing a whistle from referee Ryan Fraser as he lay with the puck pinned underneath him along the goal line. The Sharks prepared for a faceoff while Manchester celebrated what they believed was the game’s first goal. A discussion amongst the officials vindicated Greiss, and the game continued scoreless.
The tie held for another five minutes, when Worcester broke through with a shorthanded tally. Crisp passing from Ryan Vesce and Cory Larose split the Manchester defense, and Brendan Buckley slid the puck far post to beat Monarchs goaltender Jonathan Bernier at 10:31. The goal was Buckley’s first of the year through 19 games played.
Worcester fed off the momentum, and both Larose and Vesce had a hand in extending the Sharks lead on their next offensive chance. An initial shot from Larose got blocked in front of the net, and Vesce crashed the rebound from the opposite slot, turned and went top shelf on Bernier to earn Worcester a 2-0 lead heading into the locker room.
Less than two minutes into the middle frame, a centering feed from Vesce found Larose open behind a poorly positioned Bernier. After his first try was blocked by the body of Manchester defenseman Joe Piskula, Larose touched the puck into a wide open net to notch his team leading 13th goal of the season and the third point of the night for both players.
Things quieted down substantially through the remainder of the period and halfway into the third, until Manchester capitalized on a delay of game penalty against Lukas Kaspar. Rookie center Tyler Mosienko found linemate Bud Holloway just outside the crease, and Holloway one-timed the puck past Greiss to narrow the margin to 3-1. Another apparent Manchester goal nearly pulled the visitors back within one, but Fraser blew the play dead as the puck sat to the right of Greiss, shielded from view, prior to Paul Crosty’s tip-in. Greiss held fast for the duration, stopping 20 of 21 shots overall.
NOTES: Three Stars: (3) Buckley (goal) (2) Larose (goal, 2 assists) (1) Vesce (goal, 2 assists)…Attendance for the contest was 2,841…Greiss saved 20 of 21 shots for the Sharks, while Zaba stopped 24 of 27 for Manchester…Worcester went 0/2 on the power play; Manchester went 1/5… Larose has six points in three games against Manchester this season… Larose extended his point streak to three games… Vesce has points in six of his last seven games… Mosienko has two career AHL assists through 9 games - both have come against Worcester.
The Sharks hit the road after the game in order to guarantee a timely arrival in Portland for tomorrow afternoon’s game with the Pirates. Puck drop from the Cumberland County Civic Center is scheduled for 4:00 pm. Worcester is back on home ice to host the Providence Bruins on Friday, December 26th with a special 6:05 pm start time. The Sharks head back to Portland again on Sunday the 28th and then host Portland on Monday in the makeup of Friday night’s snowed out contest. Tickets originally issued for that December 19th game will be honored on Monday the 29th.
All games can be heard live on 580 & 94.9 WTAG as well as online through AHL Live by following the link on the Sharks website, www.sharksahl.com.
Be sure not to miss any of the action of the 2008-09 Worcester Sharks season and buy your tickets today! Fans can also purchase tickets to the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Charter Communications. Purchases can be made by visiting the box office, contacting the Worcester Sharks office at 508.929.0500, or by crashing the net at www.sharksahl.com.
Home of the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Charter Communications
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