By Marc Lachance

Sharks Game Day: December 23rd, 2006

Tonight the Worcester Sharks (San Jose Sharks) will battle the Lowell Devils (New Jersey Devils) at the DCU Center. This will be the 4th game this season between the clubs, with Worcester having a record of 1-2-0-0 against the Devils.

“We just have to do the same thing as yesterday,” said Darche about tonight’s game. “They have a better veteran team with McGillis, Lachance, and Marshall, who all have played over 700 NHL games,” he continued.

Tonight, Santa will once again be visiting the Sharks and they’ll be selling Mystery Pucks around the concourse. All pucks will be signed by a Shark and wrapped to conceal their identity. Also, there is a chance to win a Joe Thornton or Patrick Marleau signed puck as well as a Sharks signed stick! After the game, stay around for SATURDAY NIGHT SIGNINGS and get an autograph from one of your favorite Sharks!

The last time these two Bay State rivals met was on November 19th, with the Sharks falling to the Devils 6-2. The Sharks got off to a slow start in the first period with three quick goals against, but rebounded when Mathieu Darche scored on Devil’s goaltender Frank Doyle. The Sharks would get to within one when Joe Pavelski scored midway through the third period to make it 3-2. However, it was too late and Lowell would go on to score 3 unanswered goals. The teams will square off once again on Martin Luther King Day in Lowell.

Last night, the Worcester Sharks were in action against the Manchester Monarchs. Mathieu Darche and Graham Mink led the offense with each getting five and four points on the evening, respectively. Darche would end up getting a hat trick and also added 2 assists to bring his point total to 37 on the season. Darche was the number one star in the AHL last night and is currently 2nd in the league with 22 goals. Graham Mink also assisted on four goals last night bringing his total to 12 assists in 11 games played.

“We wanted to go to the net for second and third opportunities” said Sommer, “and that’s how we scored all our goals.”

Also scoring for the Sharks last night were Brennan Evans (1), Riley Armstrong (12), and Mike Iggulden (10). Thomas Greiss picked up his fourth victory of the season, stopping 22 of 26 shots. The Lowell Devils were idle last night.

Players to watch for:

WORCESTER:
Mathieu Darche- scored a hat trick and two assists last night against the Monarchs.
Graham Mink- assisted on four goals in a 6-4 victory over the Monarchs last night.

Lowell:
Justin Papineau- is averaging over a point a game and leads the team in goals and points.
Grant Marshall- has played 790 NHL games in his career. Currently, he has 10 points in 18 games for Lowell.

NOTES: The Hartford Wolf Pack come into town Tuesday night as defenseman Marvin Degon returns to his hometown. It is also Family Night, where families can buy Fun Packs, which include 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs or popcorn, and 4 sodas for only $52!

Mathieu Darche’s 3 goals last night, was the first time he’s scored a goal in the last nine games. He is still currently 2nd in the league in that category, trailing Chicago’s Brett Sterling, by 8 goals.

Brennan Evans scored his first goal of the season last night. “Yeah, I was happy” he replied when asked how he felt about the accomplishment.

AROUND THE ATLANTIC:
Springfield (31 pts) @ Portland (38 pts)
Manchester (36 pts) @ Bridgeport
Providence (31 pts) @ Hartford (28 pts)