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Sound Tigers fall to Sharks
Nov 29, 2009 (Connecticut Post - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
WORCESTER, Mass. -- They ran into a goaltender at the peak of his game in the second and third periods. The Bridgeport Sound Tigers still didn't like the way they worked their way to test him.
Alex Stalock's 29 saves led the Worcester Sharks to a 4-1 victory Saturday night at the DCU Center. The Sound Tigers fell behind 2-0, cut into the lead with Tyler Haskins' short-handed breakaway goal, then gave up a goal on the same penalty.
"I thought we had two good periods of hockey. For whatever reason, I thought the second period was just average for us," coach Jack Capuano said. "I thought they competed harder. They deserved to win the game."
In about the 22 minutes before Logan Couture gave Worcester a 2-0 lead at 6:00 of the second, the Sharks outshot Bridgeport 20-7. When the Sound Tigers picked up their game, Stalock made some brilliant saves -- he even got a piece of Haskins' successful backhander -- to keep them from ever drawing even.
"It's a different game at 2-1," Capuano said.
The Sharks won their fifth in a row to knock the Sound Tigers out of an early fourth-place tie in the Atlantic Division.
Bridgeport began the night with some apparent energy. Stalock showed his only glimmers of weakness, leaving a couple of juicy rebounds that his defense cleared.
At 6:06, Bridgeport left Andrew Desjardins open in front to redirect Danny Groulx's pass for a 1-0 lead.
Though goalie Nathan Lawson kept Bridgeport in it, the
Sharks maintained control.
"We didn't stick to what makes us successful," Bridgeport winger Sean Bentivoglio said.
"Little things, like chipping the puck -- we tried to make the long pass, play it up the middle. When we got down, maybe we were trying to be too fancy."
Stalock stopped Bentivoglio on a breakaway late in the first period. In the second, Bentivoglio led Justin DiBenedetto on a breakaway; again, Stalock made a big save.
He couldn't salvage the third. With Brett Westgarth in the box, sticking up for teammate Jesse Joensuu after the forward took two hard hits on the same shift, Mark Katic slid a pass ahead to Haskins.
A step ahead of former teammate Joe Callahan, Haskins went to the backhand as Stalock went for the pokecheck. The puck went off Stalock's stick, up under the crossbar and in.
The Sharks answered 39 seconds later when Groulx ripped a one-timer over Lawson's glove from the left circle off a pass from Steven Zalewski (three assists).
"Faceoffs were terrible," Capuano said.
Dustin Kohn saved an empty-net goal, racing to strip Ryan Vesce from behind just in front of the cage, but Vesce recovered the puck and scored with 1:04 to go.
3 stars
1. ALEX STALOCK, WORCESTER -- Made 29 saves.
2. DANNY GROULX, WORCESTER -- A big goal and a smart assist.
3. STEVEN ZALEWSKI, WORCESTER -- Had three assists.
UNSUNG HERO -- Nathan Lawson made 31 saves to keep the Sound Tigers in it to the end.
UP NEXT -- Today vs. Hartford, 3 p.m.
BRIDGEPORT 0 0 1--1
WORCESTER 1 1 2 --4
First Period -- 1, Worcester, Desjardins 6 (Groulx, Petrecki), 6:06. Penalties -- Mashinter, Low (tripping), 2:03.
Second Period -- 2, Worcester, Couture 7 (Zalewski, Vesce), 6:00. Penalties -- Quirk, Wor (hooking), 6:13; Haley, Bpt (unsportsmanlike conduct), 10:11.
Third Period -- 3, Bridgeport, Haskins 2 (Katic), 10:40 (sh). 4, Worcester, Groulx 3 (Vesce, Zalewski), 11:19 (pp). 5, Worcester, Vesce 4 (Couture, Zalewski), 18:56 (en). Penalties -- Westgarth, Bpt, double minor (roughing), 9:21; Petrecki, Wor (roughing), 9:21.
Shots on goal -- Bridgeport 12-11-7--30. Worcester 17-9-9--35.
Power play opportunities -- Bridgeport 0 of 2, Worcester 1 of 2.
Goaltenders -- Bridgeport, Lawson 5-6-0 (34 shots-31 saves). Worcester, Stalock 11-6-1 (30-29).
Attendance -- 3,175. Referee -- C.Brown. Linesmen -- MacDonald, T.Whittemore.
To see more of the Connecticut Post, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
http://www.connpost.com/. Copyright (c) 2009, Connecticut Post, Bridgeport
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