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Darryl Hunt: WorSharks Iced by Penguins 2-1

2009-11-08T06:36:00.000-08:00

For the first time all season the Worcester Sharks were totally outplayed by an opponent, but some key saves by rookie netminder Alex Stalock kept the WorSharks in the game all night. Unfortunately the offense couldn't keep up with the goaltending as Worcester dropped a 2-1 decision to the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins Saturday night at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts in front of 3,597 fans.

The Penguins would get all the offense they needed while Dan DaSilva served a well deserved two minute minor for boarding in the opening period. While skating four on four Pens defenseman Ben Lovejoy would take a feed at the blueline and skate to the left face-off circle, where he fired an absolute laser off the far post and past Stalock for the 1-0 lead at 16:36 of the first.

Mark Letestu, who had been serving his own boarding minor, made it a 2-0 lead for the Pens at 18:15 after Wilkes-Barre threw a barrage of shots at Stalock. The rookie stood tall and made several saves in a row, but when the puck ended up on Letestu's stick Stalock could do little more than hope the shot hit him. It didn't, as Letestu wristed the puck just under the crossbar to light the lamp for the power play tally.

The WorSharks would show some signs of life in the second period when Steven Zalewski stuffed a loose puck under Penguins goaltender John Curry to make it 2-1 at 7:44 of the second. With the WorSharks on the power play, Danny Groulx fired a blast wide that rebounded off the backboards right on to T.J. Trevelyan stick. Trevelyan wasted no time putting the puck back on net, and Zalewski stuffed the bouncing puck in as Curry fell backwards trying to make the save.

Wilkes-Barre stifling defense took control of the game from that point and Worcester would have very few quality scoring chances afterward, and were it not for several big saves by Stalock the game would have been totally out of reach. Even with Stalock pulled late in the game the WorSharks just couldn't generate anything close to a decent chance as Worcester dropped its fourth game in five tries against the Pens all time.

GAME NOTES
With the addition of Dennis McCauley to the injured list Worcester had no healthy scratches. Officially McCauley has a "lower body injury", but despite a very noticeable limp he indicated it wasn't a serious injury and he would be back on the ice soon. Mike Moore and Dean Strong are both still out with their own "lower body injuries". With no spare forwards in house the WorSharks went with 11 forwards and seven defenseman. Tyson Sexsmith was the back-up goaltender.

The game saw two fights with Brandon Mashinter taking on Wade Brookbank, and John McCarthy and Keven Veilleux tangling in what was the first pro fight for both. Mashinter was originally going to go with Pens forward Zach Sill on the face-off after Letestu's goal, but as play continued around them Brookbank skated in to take on Mashinter. Mashinter leveled Brookbank with huge right, but Brookbank was able to get to his feet and back at Mashinter before the linesmen could intervene. From that point on it was pretty even, so Mashinter gets the edge for the original knockdown. The best thing that can be said of the McCarthy/Veilleux tilt, where McCarthy was giving up 5 inches and 20 pounds, was McCarthy didn't get hurt.

In a pregame ceremony Worcester Sharks President & CEO Mike Lehr presented head coach Roy Sommer with a plaque commemorating Sommer's 400th AHL win. Sommer received a standing ovation not only from his own team, but also from the Penguins.

The three stars of the game were
1. Mark Letestum (gwg)
2. Steven Zalewski (g)
3. John Curry (30 saves)

The Sharkspage player of the game was Alex Stalock.

BOXSCORE

W-B/Scranton 2 0 0 - 2
Worcester 0 1 0 - 1

1st Period-1, W-B/Scranton, Lovejoy 2 (Lee, Jeffrey), 16:36. 2, W-B/Scranton, Letestu 3 (Smith, Veilleux), 18:15 (pp). Penalties-Bortuzzo Wbs (slashing), 1:44; Henderson Wor (hooking), 3:42; Petrecki Wor (slashing), 4:02; Wilson Wor (interference), 9:31; Letestu Wbs (boarding), 14:56; DaSilva Wor (boarding), 16:23; Brookbank Wbs (fighting), 18:23; Mashinter Wor (fighting), 18:23; D'Aversa Wbs (roughing), 20:00.

2nd Period-3, Worcester, Zalewski 5 (Groulx, Trevelyan), 7:44 (pp). Penalties-Strait Wbs (hooking), 6:30; Veilleux Wbs (fighting), 7:46; McCarthy Wor (fighting), 7:46; Groulx Wor (hooking), 11:07; Guenin Wbs (hooking), 15:54.

3rd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Caputi Wbs (hooking), 9:48.

Shots on Goal
W-B/Scranton 10-18-6-34
Worcester 7-10-14-31.

Power Play Opportunities
W-B/Scranton 1 of 5
Worcester 1 of 6.

Goalies
W-B/Scranton, Curry 6-3-1 (31 shots-30 saves)
Worcester, Stalock 6-2-1 (34 shots-32 saves).

A-3,597. Referees-David Banfield (44). Linesmen-John Costello (24), Todd Whittemore (70).

Darryl Hunt: Groulx, Stalock Lead Worcester To 2-1 Shootout Win Over Manchester

2009-11-07T05:06:00.000-08:00

The Worcester Sharks, continuing to play with four of their key players in San Jose on recall, defeated the first place Manchester Monarchs 2-1 in a shootout at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts Friday night.

Just like in last Saturday's meeting, with so many front line players not in the line-up for the WorSharks and Manchester having allowed the fewest goals in the AHL so far this season, it would be important for Worcester to not fall behind early. And just like in last Saturday's loss, the WorSharks would give up the first goal of the game.

With Nick Petrecki off for tripping, Manchester defender David Kolomatis would connect for his first professional goal when he fired a wrist shot through traffic that beat WorSharks goaltender Alex Stalock over the left shoulder for a 1-0 Monarchs lead 4:22 into the contest.

Worcester would get the equalizer at 4:25 of the second period just after failing to connect on a power play chance. The WorSharks kept the pressure on the tiring Monarch defenders, and would finally light the lamp when Dwight Helminen tipped a Petrecki blast over Manchester netminder Jonathan Bernier to make it 1-1. Matt Jones grabbed the second assist with a nice feed to Petrecki.

Stalock and Bernier would both make some incredible saves along the way to keep the game 1-1 through regulation. Bernier would get a little help from the posts too, with Brandon Mashinter hitting the near post while looking at a yawning open net in the first period, and Dan DaSilva hitting the post to the left of Bernier in overtime.

After a scoreless overtime, which included a very anemic Worcester power play, the teams would head to the shootout. Helminen would connect for Worcester in the second round, and Manchester's Trevor Lewis would get the equalizer in the fifth round. The teams would reach the ninth round, and Danny Groulx's wrister over Bernier's glove gave the WorSharks the 2-1 shootout lead. Stalock would make a pad save on Marc-Andre Cliche's low shot for the 2-1 final score.

GAME NOTES
With Derek Joslin being recalled to take Rob Blake's spot on the San Jose roster, Worcester's only healthy scratch was Louis Liotti. Mike Moore and Dean Strong remain on the injured list with lower body injuries. Because Joe Callahan was recalled for Thursday's San Jose game, defenseman Will Colbert was recalled to Worcester from Kalamazoo(ECHL). Callahan was reassigned to Worcester in time for Friday's game.

Most hockey fans are familiar with the so called "Sean Avery rule", the rule that prevents an offensive player from facing the goaltender in an attempt to screen him. Well, we may eventually hear of the "Alex Stalock rule", as several times during the game Stalock was making jumping jack like motions and waving his arms while standing in the crease in front of fore-checkers standing in front of him as Worcester defenders stood behind the net with the puck. It didn't appear to be very effective, but it was humorous to watch.

The three stars of the game were
1. Alex Stalock (win, 29 saves)
2. Jonathan Bernier (45 saves)
3. Danny Groulx (shootout game winner)

The Sharkspage player of the game was Dwight Helminen.

Even strength lines
McCarthy/Zalewski/Trevelyan
Mashinter/Desjardins/DaSilva
Helminen/Quirk/Jones
McLaren/Henderson/McCauley

Callahan/Petrecki
Groulx/Wilson
Loprieno/Colbert

Penalty kill lines
Helminen/Quirk
Desjardins/McCarthy(Henderson)
Zalewski/Trevelyan

Petrecki(Groulx)/Callahan
Wilson/Loprieno(Petrecki)

Power play lines
McLaren(Helminen)/Zalewski/Jones
Mashinter/Desjardins/DaSilva

Groulx/Trevelyan
Callahan(Petrecki)/Wilson

SHOOTOUT
W: Trevelyan; shoot high glove, save
M: Holloway; shoot wide right
W: Helminen; deke 5-hole, GOAL
M: Moller; misfired
W: Zalewski; shoot 5-hole, save
M: Elkins; shoot glove, save
W: Mashinter; deke high glove, save
M: Mikus; poke checked
W: Jones; deke low glove, wide
M: Lewis; shoot low stick, GOAL
W: Quirk; shoot low stick, save
M: Segal; shoot glove, save
W: Henderson; deke 5-hole, save
M: Meckler; shoot 5-hole, save
W: DaSilva; deke low stick, wide
M: Gauthier; shoot 5-hole, save
W: Groulx; shoot high glove, GOAL
M: Cliche; shoot low glove, save

BOXSCORE

Manchester 1 0 0 0 - 1
Worcester 0 1 0 0 - 2

1st Period-1, Manchester, Kolomatis 1 (Meckler, Elkins), 4:22 (pp). Penalties-Petrecki Wor (tripping), 2:35; Callahan Wor (interference), 6:28; McCarthy Wor (hooking), 12:49.

2nd Period-2, Worcester, Helminen 2 (Petrecki, Jones), 4:25. Penalties-Lewis Mch (goaltender interference), 0:16; Campbell Mch (hooking), 2:04; Loprieno Wor (slashing), 5:52; McLaren Wor (slashing), 7:26; Desjardins Wor (goaltender interference), 17:18.

3rd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Westgarth Mch (roughing), 4:31; Segal Mch (tripping), 12:30; Piskula Mch (delay of game), 13:58.

OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Mikus Mch (hooking), 1:38.

Shots on Goal
Manchester 8-10-10-2-0-30
Worcester 14-10-14-8-1-47.

Power Play Opportunities
Manchester 1 of 6
Worcester 0 of 6.

Goalies
Manchester, Bernier 6-2-1 (46 shots-45 saves)
Worcester, Stalock 6-1-1 (30 shots-29 saves).

A-2,214. Referee-David Banfield (44). Linesmen-Chris Aughe (74), Tim Low (68).

Fight Camp 360: Fedor Emelianenko vs Brett Rogers preview

2009-11-06T13:06:00.000-08:00

Debuting on my birthday Tuesday was Strikeforce's initial Fedor vs Rogers Fight Camp 360 preview show. This episode will replay tonight on Showtime at 10PM ET/PT, and Saturday night at 4:30PM ET/PT. In a similar vein to HBO's Pacquaio-Cotto 24-7 and Showtime's previous World Boxing Classic Fightcamp 360, this Fedor vs Rogers episode takes a general look at the life and training each fighter undertakes in the leadup to their November 7th meeting on CBS.

Also on tap later tonight, HDnet will air a special 90-minute episode of Inside MMA live from the Fedor-Rogers weigh-ins in Chicago. Hosts Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten, along with reporter Ron Kruck, will join a trio of Strikeforce guests in Heavyweight Bobby Lashley, "King Mo" Lawal and former Strikeforce Champion and San Jose native Frank Shamrock to breakdown the fight card and the latest news of the sport.

HDnet will also air Sengoku 11 live from Japan tonight at 11PM (PT). A Strikeforce Challengers card featuring Sharkspage favorite Billy Evangelista (9-0) and Jorge Gurgel (13-5) will air tonight on Showtime at 8PM. Tickets are available via ticketmaster.com here.

[Update] Episode 2 of Fight Camp 360: World Boxing Classic will air on Showtime November 14th.

Interview with Sherdog.com radio host Jordan Breen on Strikeforce's Fedor-Rogers CBS broadcast and Showtime's Super Six boxing tournament

2009-11-06T08:11:00.000-08:00

Longtime Sherdog.com writer and radio host Jordan Breen answered several questions about Saturday night's Fedor Emelianenko vs Brett Rogers Strikeforce debut on CBS (9PM PT), about Strikeforce's matchmaking for Fedor, on Brett Rogers' prospects against a top pound-for-pound MMA athlete, different factors leading to layoffs for Strikeforce champions, on Strikeforce's plan for 16-20 MMA events in 2010, the state of new media coverage and mixed martial arts, and what issues the mainstream media and new media will facing covering MMA moving forward. Breen also discussed the Froch-Dirrell Showtime Super Six boxing tournament opening bout, and previewed Andre Ward's matchup with Mikkel Kesseler November 21st at Oracle Arena in Oakland.

Along with Josh Gross of Sports Illustrated (formerly of Sherdog), Dann Stupp of MMAJunkie.com and Ariel Helwani of AOL Fanhouse, 22-year old Halifax native Jordan Breen is one of the four most influential new media figures covering mixed martial arts today. He hosts a 2-hour online radio show along with producer T.J. Desantis on Sherdog.com every Tuesday and Thursday at 12PM (PT), and can be followed on twitter at twitter.com/jordanbreen. After many major MMA events, TJ and Jordan host a live 'Beatdown After the Bell" postfight show (call-in phone #: 952-470-2369).

The phone interview sounded as if it was conducted through a Burger King speakerbox 3000 miles away, so any transcription errors are most assuredly mine. Get your head in the game Verizon.

[Q] How big is this upcoming event for Strikeforce with the CBS broadcast, the Fedor-Rogers heavyweight showcase, the Middleweight Shields-Miller title fight? Do you think this will be their biggest mixed martial arts event to date?

[JB] I would say this is the biggest card to date because it is on a new platform, in addition to the fact they are debuting Fedor Emelianenko... they guy they have built not just their directional angle around, but also their financial stake is tied up in Fedor Emelianenko as well. I guess it is the biggest card when you combine all the factors involved. It was their biggest card earlier this year when they debuted Carano-Cyborg on showtime, how on earth two months later with them being on CBS, with Fedor Emeilenko debuting on the card, another title fight, how could that not be a top appearance?

[Q] Do you think Strikeforce has to meet expectations, or the bar that EliteXC previously set on CBS, or are they rebooting on a broadcast network with a clean slate?

[JB] I think there are definitely expectations. They wouldn't want to, I believe the Robbie Lawler Scott vs Smith match on CBS got a 1.9 rating or something like that, that is not territory they would like to tread in. I don't think they have to top out the way Kimbo Slice vs James Thompson did, really no one kind of knows what to expect in terms of the popularity of Fedor Emelianenko as a network television commodity. I don't know that there is a direct tie to EliteXC numbers, but there is definitely a baseline established. If they went below that, it would be pretty well disasterous. To do a 3.0, 3.1 or 3.2 would be considered a success. I don't think that would be an ideal situation for them, but I do not think there is one number that they have to obtain.

[Q] Here in the Bay Area there is a blend of casual fan and hardcore, longtime viewer. Fedor-Rogers is kind of a statement on the Strikeforce Heavyweight Division. Would you have matched up Fedor with Rogers first, or do you think that might have been a better match 1-2 fights from now, after Overeem or Werdum or another contender for example? What do you think about the matchmaking, throwing Rogers to a Top 3 pound-for-pound MMA fighter so early in his career?

[JB] I think it cuts two ways. One thing you can say about MMA, maybe not prize fighting in general, but in MMA is that you don't want to squander a potential fight you can get people interested in. I think as an example you can look at how quickly Zuffa (parent company of UFC) wanted to make the Anderson Silva vs Vitor Belfort matchup. You are saying, why is Vitor Belfort getting a title shot? Certainly with Dan Henderson's contract negotiations outstanding, maybe Nathan Marquardt is a better option. But Zuffa knows that Dan Henderson and Nathan Marquardt are two elite warriors who are going to win fights for a long time.

Vitor Belfort's entire career is built on the fact that he is unrivaled and flaky, and that he certainly can't be counted on to beat a whole string of top middleweights. He beat a Rich Franklin and a Matt Lindland, and he has started that twist where he makes people believe a fight with Anderson Silva would be interesting. With Brett Rogers... after he beat Andrei Arlovski I see nothing wrong with Strikeforce striking while the iron is hot. Brett Rogers is as good an option as any of the top heavyweights they have, it is somewhat unfortunate because you don't want to see prospects in MMA treated like that. The previous thing about Brett Rogers you could see coming from a mile away with the Arlovski fight, when you step up in competition you want a prospect to have ringtime rounds and experience at every level, incrementally on the way up.

It was clear when he stepped up against Arlovski, not only did he step up, but based on style the way he was going to win the fight, it was going to be quick and he wasn't going to have a whole lot of competition, just as it was. You could see from a mile away, if he did that they weren't going to say 'You beat Arlovski, but clearly you have some more developing to do, you need to fight some more Abongo Humphrey's'. They were going to say, 'Hey, you beat Andre Arlovski, time to fight a top 5 heavyweight'. That is the cruel nature of the sport, but I don't know that it is poor matchmaking. I don't know that having Brett Rogers lose to another top 10, top 15 heavyweight against someone fans are less excited about, someone like a Fabricio Werdum, would be better at this point in time. So I think that having Brett Rogers at possibly his most believable stage as a contender against Fedor Emelianenko is not neccissarily a bad idea.

[Q] About the fight itself, on your radio show you recently knocked down the oft said 'you have to beat the champ, to beat the champ' saying, but do you think 'punchers chance' really applies in this fight or is it going to be a blowout? With Rogers string of flash knockouts, and Fedor looking a little tentative against Arlovski, do you think 'punchers chance' applies, or how do you see Rogers chances in this fight?

[JB] I think it depends on how you mean, does it apply. I don't know if there is a more pure instance of when you will see punchers chance apply, because technically in every aspect of clinchwork and on the ground Fedor is better.

If there is a chance, definitely it will be a punchers chance. Does it really apply in that it is an actual possibility? No, I don't think it is a huge chance. If you look at the fight, honestly I think picking Rogers is sincerly irrational. He is not as good a striker at range as Fedor Emelianenko is, he has got longer limbs. I wouldn't say that Fedor looked necessarily tentative against Arlovski, I would say he was looking instead to counter. Also another thing you see if you watch that fight again, basically for all of Arlovski's punches Fedor is just off the end of them. Arlovski landed virtually nothing, and then when Fedor Emelianenko threw his hands, he completely obliterated him.

Rogers has skill for a really big heavyweight, he always throws combinations he never throws single shots. It is clearly very natural for him. It is not like he throws with brilliant, blinding handspeed or quickness, or that his combos are especially poetic. Even though he is a big guy with a long reach, where his real skill lies comes in the clinch where he can control the guys, knee and punch inside and mix it up that way. You can't do that against Fedor Emelianenko. If he tries to clinch, he is going to get beaten up and taken down. That will pretty much be the end of that story. Stylisitically it is a really bitter pill for him to swallow.

[Q] Strikeforce has received criticism of late for the lengths with which their champions have gone without defending their title. Do you think some of that has played a part with the acquisition of assests from EliteXC and Affliction, injuries, and also negotiating the television contract with Showtime/CBS?

[JB] They have been caught between a rock and a hard place. A guy like Cung Le, they were able to build the product on, really wasn't as interested as being a mixed martial artist so much as he was at being successful in acting. Alistair Overeem obviously has other issues. They do want their champions to fight rather actively, they had injury issues with Josh Thomson and Cristiane 'Cyborg' Santos, they got nicked up in competition and training. I think one of the problems with Strikeforce is that when they went from a regional product to something larger, they are a very quick realization that a lot of the product they had was unreliable for one reason or another. Alistar Overeem was more interested in success in K-1, Josh Thomson is often injured, Gina Carano is still up in the air with regard to what her level of involvement in MMA is going to be going forward. Nick Diaz is as unreliable as it gets.

It is very clear that the people they put on cards, the people they had headlining cards weren't people they could rely on every 3-4 months. That is definitely a perspective, maybe if you thought real hard about it you could see it coming, but it would be really difficult to envision the problems and the circumstances ahead of time as the company expanded and tried to run major shows every 3-4 months.

[Q] Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said he was expecting 16-20 events in 2010, do you think that is sustainable 1 year out or is that something they need to build up towards?

[JB] It is a challenge, but I really do not think that is too many... I don't think 16-20 events is that much of a stretch if they get the logisitical side ironed out. The biggest thing with Strikeforce is not whether they can or will fill up that many cards, but more importantly how they fill them up. My biggest thing with Strikeforce at this point is the talent they have used, you see it on some of the (SHOMMA) Challengers cards, I still question their ability to book proper prospects, and put themselves in a position to reap the benefits where they are going to develop, and develop quickly, new and interesting faces who are really Strikeforce born-and-bred talent. Even if you go back to their regional days, they really haven't developed too many prospects. Many guys they have shown interest in have not panned out. Is Luke Stewart really going to be a contender for Strikeforce?

I think they really need to focus overall, top to bottom, on upgrading the quality of the cards. Then the thing becomes, they are trying at that point to develop prospects, they are trying to develop a Zuffa level card without using Zuffa level resources. If you are putting on 16-20 cards, and you want to develop prospects, it is even more difficult because people aren't getting to see them on the undercard... It becomes extremely difficult for them to find a way where the best and most important fights are being shown, the fights that people to see. They also need to pick their spots with quality talent on the undercards, and knowing when to book them and when to put them on television. These are all fundamental question they have struggled with so far.

It is not just Strikeforce, they have also struggled because there is a direct impact from Showtime, and Showtime Sports in determining what goes on the card. I don't think Showtime knows MMA that well. I think a lot of their opinions are woefully misguided. That is why you get Kevin Randleman and Mike Whitehead on a Showtime card. Anyone who watches MMA, knows this fight is going to be absolutely brutal.

[Q] MMA has blazed new ground with new media coverage before most of the other sports and leagues got on board. How do you think old school MMA websites have established a reputation for coverage and pushed boundries, developed new resources for fans like the Sherdog Radio Network or the Fight Finder for two examples... we are just starting to see these the last few years in other sports. What do you think other sports can learn from how MMA has treated new media?

[JB] One thing, I don't know that I would say mixed martial arts coverage has been better than other sports but it has been effective... I will say that one of the most important things is that MMA enjoys a close relationship, because it was one of the first sports that was born and sustained by new media, competitors and fans are intimately connected in a way that other sports aren't.

It is tough because the nature of the media, and one thing the MMA media benefits from is the fact that it is new media, but it is not the kind of berrating, 24-7 cable news network style of dissection. The kind of coverage stick and ball league's face. For fighters involved, and for other parties, the nature of the way MMA discourse happens, even though it is often far more personal and intimate for them because they are actively reading blogs and what fans and writers think more provacatively than other sports, I don't think it is as grating and overbearing as if it was the NBA and everywhere you go there is something written about you. An ability to, even though you are closer to the discourse, to not feel intently overwhelmed by it, or aggravated or annoyed by it, is a strength.

I think that is important, but the biggest issue is that it really is a sport born of new media. As a result, it is always going to have this level of closeness with promoters and fighters reading blogs, reading forums. Having discourse made that way is different... (In the NBA) the level of bureaucracy and the way that decisions are made are far more internal, far more technocratic. There is definitely much more of a democracy in MMA which is extremely refreshing.

[Q] There is also a downside for new media coverage, the UFC banned Sherdog.com and other major MMA websites for unclear reasons, do you think there are any lasting implications from that incident? Was that just a blip, or if you still just report the facts, do you still have to deal with the consequences of that. How do you think that impacts coverage as a whole because in some of the other major sports you can report on negative stories or negative situations and you are not going to be held to account as long as you are accurate and reporting the truth. In mixed martial arts sometimes you have promoters who weild power, that can significantly impact a website or a blog if you write something they do not like. Is there a negative side where a blog or a website does not have the backing, the editorial staff or the reputation, so some websites may tilt their coverage towards the positive. They won't be as critical?

[JB] That definitely happens, there are plenty of websites who (adapt reporting) or minimize coverage of competitors to get access. I think ultimately it is that other side of what I mentioned about the sport's closeness. First of all there is a difference because conventional media go through teams and major sports leagues, not the sport itself. Imagine if a major team in any of the stick and ball leagues started denying media credentials, they would be absolutely crucified. The nature of the reporting that followed would neccesitate that it never happen... the nature of the MMA media, and one of the ways you saw how embryonic it is, was when a lot of the websites got banned. Then you saw a sort of free-for-all as those websites tried to get their credentials back because it was every man for themself.

A lot of people want to equate going mainstream with coverage on network television or getting results aired on ESPN, I think if you really want to look at what constitutes the mainstream American sports image, truely part and parcel of the sporting discourse is the politics of it... With the NFL you constantly hear about whether there is going to be a labor stoppage, the bargaining agreement, this player signed here, this GM said this. When you get coverage on ESPN or a similar network for MMA, it is a really superficial feature story or it is 'hey these guys are fighting, how about that fight?'. The difference is enormous to say the very, very least. The true question is whether the sport is honestly part of the mainstream, or whether it has crossover appeal from time to time.

[Q] Carl Froch vs Andre Dirrell in the opening round of the Showtime Super Six World Boxing Classic, I understand several members of the media took issue with Dirrell's style, if you make someone miss and do not make them pay it looks like you are running, but Dirrell made Froch look slow and pedestrian inside the ring. The biggest left hook Froch landed, Dirrell was rolling his head with the blow, even the British broadcasters calling the fight gave it cleanly for Dirrell. What did you think of the decision?

[JB] I don't think it was a hometown decision because there wasn't one single British judge there. I had Dirrell winning, with the one point deduction, 116-112 but the major problem is if you are going to fight like Henry Akinwande, you are not going to score with the judges. That is just the way it is. If he wants to be a counter puncher, you can't constantly grab and clinch at every turn and look diametrically opposed to engaging your opponent. It is not going to work.

You can see how alienating his style is because if you look at the actually judges cards for the fight, there is absolutely no unanimity between the rounds. There are virtually no rounds that all 3 judges thought 1 guy won. It was either Froch or Dirrell. It is clear there was no major consensus on whether Dirrell was effective. If anything, the real story is the fact that Andre Dirrell fought in a way that, here's what bothers me is that late in the fight when he fought like he might have thought he was behind, he wanted to fight. He started to beat the (bleep) out of Carl Froch. When he wanted to throw punches, he could beat him down. Yet he fought timidly and passively, and he like a giant (bleep) for 10 rounds, throwing only 3 punches a round. Froch never got near him. In that situation, should he have won the decision? Yes, I think so, but at the same time the major story coming out of it is for the first 10 rounds he fought in a way that tried to make it as easy as possible for himself while trying to win throwing 4 punches a round. That is not even measured risk.

[Q] There are similar elements to the Andre Ward vs Mikkel Kessler fight November 21st in Oakland. Kessler is a more complete fighter, but a lot of people are underratting Andre Ward's chances in the fight. How do you see that playing out?

[JB] I think it is going to be difficult for Andre Ward. His ability, it is one thing to be a better technical boxer and beating Edison Miranda, who is questionable as an actual boxer. Mikkel Kessler possibly has the best jab in boxing, best double jab in boxing, and even the best triple jab in boxing. Technically you are not going to find a boxer who puts everything together more effectively, and on top of that he is able to wear down opponents and beat them up. It is not that I expect Andre Ward not to win rounds, I think he will find some rounds to win, but Kessler is a unique prototype. There is nothing he does not do well. I don't think he is outstanding in a whole lot of categories, maybe his jab and combination punching aside, but I think it comes down to one guy is a really good boxer, and one guy is a REALLY good boxer. I can not see how Kessler does not end up the winner, his technical proficency, the fact that he is the more talented puncher, the fact that he is the more diverse combination puncher, and I think he can dominate Andre with his jab alone. It will be a humbling experience for Andre Ward, who as a former Olympic competitor tends to be a better technical fighter in most cases.

[Q] After a crushing last second knockout loss to Arthur Abraham, do you see Jermain Taylor going to Round 2? With that many knockout losses, in that short a timespan, do you think he can continue?

[JB] I am really not too concerned to be honest. I didn't think he deserved to be there in the first place. He has no real Super Middleweight wins anyway, he beat Jeff Lacey. So what. I got a lot of emails after the Abraham knockout, people asking if Jermain Taylor could not go on who I would like to see go in. Find me any quality Super Middleweight. Find me a guy who has actually won fights in the division. Taylor has done virtually nothing at Super Middleweight. That said, it has its merits because the Super Middleweight division has a whole lot of talent but not a lot of name value. Obviously adding a guy like Jermain Taylor adds that name value. I would rather have several Super Middleweights over Taylor, whether it be Lucian Bute (#2 Ring Magazine), Librado Andrade (#4 Ring Magazine), Allan Green (#7 Ring Magazine) or Robert Stieglitz (#8 Ring Magazine).

Thanks very much for taking the time to answer a handful of questions. Tune in to Jordan "the mastermind" Breen on Sherdog.com every Tuesday and Thursday at 12PM (PT).

[Update] San Jose's Strikeforce goes prime time in mixed martial arts - Mark Purdy for the San Jose Mercury News.

Shark Notes - November 5th

2009-11-05T07:47:00.000-08:00

- The Sharks earned their 6th straight win, 4th straight on the road, with a tight checking 3-2 shootout win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday night. Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley (PP) scored in regulation, and Dan Boyle scored the lone OT shootout goal to pad the Sharks lead for first place in the Pacific Division. San Jose trails Colorado by 1 point for the best record in the Western Conference.

There was a fascinating bout of pregame coachmanship from Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Ken Hitchcock and San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan. Last season Hitchcock offered a pointed compliment to San Jose. Hitchcock said the Sharks were the best team in the NHL playing without the puck. That trend continued prior to Wednesday's game when Hitchcock said, "There's a reason they win, it's not because they have a lock on the talent. It's because they play the game the right way." He continued, "They go to the hard areas to check, they go to the hard areas to score. We’re always trying to get our players to fight for space rather than look for space. They’re where we want to get to." McLellan's response, according to the Sharks radio broadcast, was to note that this may have been an effort to inspire the Columbus roster more than complimenting the opponent.

Center Joe Thornton banked a hard angle shot off traffic to open the scoring 6:32 into the first. Its was Thornton's 4th goal and 20th point of the season. The Sharks failed to clear a rebound less than 3 minutes later, and a heavy shot/pass by Samuel Pahlsson left the puck pinballing in the slot. With 5 Sharks collapsed down low in front of the net, a quick outlet pass to Anton Stralman on the point, and a quick d-to-d pass to Fedor Tyutin gave the veteran Russian 15-20 feet of open space to work with. Tyutin tee'd up a heavy, low slapshot that was tipped past Nabokov by Jason Chimera.

Defenseman Kent Huskins dropped the gloves with enforcer Jared Boll to stick up for a teammate at the end of the first, but a series of right hands dropped him to the ice. Checking winger Brad Staubitz challenged Boll to another longer fight in the second period, but Staubitz's aggression lead to a Columbus power play goal. McLellan limited Staubitz's ice time for the remainder of the game.

A Fedor Tyutin 2 minute minor for tripping early in the second period opened the door for the Sharks power play (1st in the NHL on the road), and it took all of 10 second to capitalize for Dany Heatley's 10th goal of the season. A clean faceoff win by Thornton started the scoring sequence, and a fake/snap shot by Marleau was stopped by goaltender Steve Mason but left in front of the crease. Defenseman Jan Hejda moved over to cover Joe Thornton on the right side, and Dany Heatley beat R.J. Umberger to the rebound.

The Columbus Blue Jackets were given an opportunity to tie the game on Brad Staubitz's instigator penalty, and it was captain Rick Nash who scored his 10th to tie the game at 2-2. Evgeni Nabokov went down to stop Stralman's point shot, but Umberger shoveled the puck to a wide open Rick Nash on the goal line. With Nabokov on the ice, Nash was able to tuck a shot just inside the post from a hard angle.

Evgeni Nabokov stopped 26 of 28 shots to earn his NHL leading 10th win of the season, but he was the strongest with critical stops in OT and in the shootout. Nabokov picked off a shot labeled top shelf late in overtime, and used a poke check on Nikita Filatov and solid position on Anton Stralman to put pressure on Blue Jackets Rick Nash in the final CBJ shootout attempt. Nash stickhandled back and forth down the center of the ice, but Nabokov closed off the 5-hole and forced him wide. A leg pad tight against the post gave Nash no room to shoot, and the Sharks their 8th win of the season. Three stars of the game: Nabokov, Mason, Nash.

- Saving the Jackets, Unless relief can be provided from a problematic lease and other financial burdens, Columbus eventually could lose its NHL team, consultant's report says - Columbus Post Dispatch. H/T Slapshots hockey blog.

- Sharks head coach Todd McLellan recently discussed injured forwards Joe Pavelski, Torrey Mitchell, Ryan Vesce and Devin Setoguchi, "My gut was telling me these guys would be a little further long today but unfortunately they're not". All 4 were reportedly skating during a recent pregame practice, Pavelski may be the closest to returning according to head coach Todd McLellan.

After averaging 160 man games lost to injury in the previous 3 seasons, the Sharks at one point lost 9 roster players as that figure ballooned to 336 in 2008-09. With early injuries to Setoguchi, Mitchell, Pavelski and Vesce, the Sharks have unofficially registered 40 man games lost to injury only 16 games in. That sets an unfortunate pace for 205 man games lost this season, and it will increase with the absence of captain Rob Blake.

Defenseman Rob Blake was injured on the sequence that lead to Rick Nash's goal in the second period. Blake was unable to come off the ice on the penalty kill, and unable to switch with a more mobile forward on the point. According to the Canadian Press, the Sharks place Blake on injured reserve with an "upper body" injury and recalled defenseman Derek Joslin from Worcester. Blake registered 1 assist in 11:52 of ice time (15 shifts).

- Ottawa owner's trivial pursuit of Heatley’s $4 million bonus - Greg Wyshynski for Yahoo's Puck Daddy.

News is just trickling out now that Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk filed a grievance with the NHL against former Senator Dany Heatley, seeking to reclaim the $4 million signing bonus Heatley snagged after refusing a trade to the Edmonton Oilers over the summer.

More from the Globe and Mail's Eric Duhatschek: Trying to make sense of Sens' grievance.

- The latest DOH podcast is available here. Mike and Doug discuss how San Jose's lines will shift when players return from injury, the Columbus television broadcast of Wednesday's game, and note that they will take over the 2-hour December 6th radio broadcast on 1220AM. The latest Globe Sports (10-29) and The Hockey News (10-30) podcasts are available here and here. The latest Rink Podcast and AOL Pucktalk will help you fill up your ipod if you are looking in vain for hockey on local radio.

- Sharks Team Report - Yahoo.com.

Last season, the Sharks took off immediately after virtually every road game and practiced the next day at their next stop on the tour. This season, coach Todd McLellan and the coaching staff decided to try something different, staying overnight after games whenever possible and practicing before the next flight out. It wasn't a casually made decision. "I think it breaks up a trip a little bit. It gives you an opportunity to rest a little more," McLellan said. "We weren't happy at the end of last year with where we were fatigue-wise, and we had to look at some of the things we were doing as an organization and try to make some changes."

- After USA Hockey announced a January 1st Winter Classic unveiling for the 2010 roster, ESPN blogger Joy Russo detailed the roster announcement dates for each participating Men's Olympic team: Belarus Dec-23, Russia Dec-25, Sweden Dec-27, Latvia Dec-29, Norway Dec-29, Slovakia Dec-29, Czech Republic Dec-30, Finland Dec-30, Germany Dec-30, Switzerland Dec-30 and Canada Dec-31.

Several Sharks are expected to be in contention for the Team Canada and Team USA Olympic rosters. Center Joe Pavelski for Team USA, and any one of Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley and Dan Boyle are competing for roster spots on Team Canada. In a Wednesday musing on Team Canada, Pierre McGuire offered his updated thoughts on Team Canada's roster. Dan Boyle joined a very deep defense, and Patrick Marleau was slotted as a fourth line left wing with Jordan Staal and Jarome Iginla. Dany Heatley was noted on Pierre's watchlist.

Q: Patrick Marleau was considered by many a player on the bubble in the summer. Why do you have him on the team at this point.

"I think what we're seeing right now is Patrick Marleau is not very comfortable in a leadership position but he is very comfortable in a follower position where all he's counted on is to show up at the rink and score goals. He doesn't have to be the spokesman for the team, he has to be a big body that can skate and distribute the puck and when he has a chance to shoot it, shoot it. He's made a big difference for the San Jose Sharks. Everybody's talking about all these great players in San Jose, he's been the very best player on that team this year and if its not for him, San Jose's not at the top of the Pacific Division."

Marleau registered a career best 38 goals last year despite having his season cut short with a knee injury. He returned and registered 2 game winning goals in the playoffs against Anaheim despite looking about 60%. All of that is worthy of mention, but what made it a career season for him was adapting a more physical role around the net and emerging as a standout 2-way player. Teams changed the way they approached the power play with Marleau on the penalty kill. Add in the fact that he took shifts on each of the top three lines, and moved from center to left wing and back, and he has a versatility that should be valuable in a compressed Olympic schedule. A few comments have been made that he is more comfortable as a follower after being removed as captain, but as an outsider looking in his leadership appears to be as strong or stronger than it was last year on the ice and in the lockerroom.

A Western Conference line of Marleau-Thornton-Iginla could be one of the most dangerous scoring threats in the Olympics, but an all-Sharks line of Marleau-Thornton-Heatley combines three different playing styles that could prove even more effective. The problem for Team Canada is that for every player you add, you have to drop a James Neal, Steven Stamkos or Patrick Sharp. Quite a good problem to have.

In a similar vein, the Sharks also have to be concerned about a NHL hangover for its Olympic participants. While general manager Doug Wilson said there is no greater honor than representing one's country, Joe Thornton had 3 points in 7 post-Allstar games last year, Marleau had 2 points in 5 post-Allstar games, and Dan Boyle suffered an upper body injury at his first career Allstar game and missed 3 starts.

Goaltenders Evgeni Nabokov and Thomas Greiss are locks for Team Russia and Team Germany respectively, on a smaller North American rink defenseman Douglas Murray should get strong consideration for Team Sweden. Former San Jose Sharks head coach Ron Wilson will manage the U.S. team, with NYI head coach Scott Gordon and NYR head coach John Tortorella serving as assistants. The XXI Winter Olympics will be held February 12-28, 2009 in Vancouver, Canada.

- San Jose Mercury News beat writer David Pollak reported that Team Canada executive director Steve Yzerman was in Columbus scouting for the 2010 roster. Pollak noted that 5 of the 6 candidates for Team Canada showed up on the score sheet, regulation goals by Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley and Rick Nash, and assists by Patrick Marleau and Dan Boyle. Boyle also scored the decisive OT shootout against possible starter Steve Mason.

- It's possibly NHL's Greatest disgrace yet - Larry Brooks for the NY Post.

The relationship with Wayne Gretzky that the NHL claims to hold near and dear has become so strained in the wake of the league's decision last week not to guarantee even a nickel of the $8.2 million in deferred money owed to No. 99 for his last three seasons behind the Phoenix bench, that Gretzky might cancel plans to attend next Monday's Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Toronto, Slap Shots has learned.

We're told by a well-placed source that Gretzky is livid that the NHL refused to amend its purchase proposal to include him as a guaranteed creditor even after the commissioner's office and league attorneys studied the issue for three days following its presentation to the court at the beginning of last week.

The fallout over the Phoenix Coyotes is not over, but with Monday's court approval of a sale to the NHL for $140 million it should begin to cool slightly. Attendance issues, corporate advertising and lease negotiations with the City of Glendale are problems without easy answers, but the team on the ice is performing well (9-6-0, 3rd Pacific, 5th West) and captain Shane Doan remains a constant source of strength for the franchise.

#1 THOMAS GRIESS GOALIES WORLD MAGAZINE'S ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

- San Jose Sharks backup goaltender Thomas Greiss was named Goalies World Magazine's NHL rookie of the week with a 37 save effort leading to a 4-1 road win over the Philadelphis Flyers. It was the first NHL win for the German-born goaltender. Starter Evgeni Nabokov (15GP) is tied with Pittsburgh's Marc-Andre Fleury (12GP) and Colorado's Craig Anderson (15GP) for the NHL lead with 10 wins. Nabokov is also tied for 10th in goals against average (2.38) and save percentage (.916). With 2 wins and 1 loss this season, Nabokov is 15-16 alltime in the NHL shootout (0.484) with 63 saves on 107 total shootout attempts against (0.589).

- November 1st was the 50th anniversary of the first goalie mask worn in the NHL. Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jacques Plante forced the issue with head coach Toe Blake, and donned a mask against the New York Rangers November 1st, 1959. Sports Illustrated takes a team-by-team, goaltender-by-goaltender look at each goalie mask in the NHL with this photo gallery.

- Former Globe and Mail media analyst William Houston took a look at last week's television ratins in Canada on truthandrumors.com. According to Houston, Hockey Night in Canada drew 2.453M viewers for Toronto-Montreal (up almost 1 million), and 809,000 viewers for Detroit-Calgary. Sportsnet Ontario also drew 692,000 for Toronto-Buffalo, and Sportsnet Pacific drew 345,000 for Vancouver-Anaheim.

Steve Lepore has been doing similar yeoman's work on the American side at Puck the Media detailing the October viewership on Versus:

OCT-1: 7PM WAS-BOS 501,000 viewers
OCT-1: 10PM SJ-COL 332,000 viewers
OCT-2: 12PM FLA-CHI 100,000 viewers
OCT-2: 3PM STL-DET 278,000 viewers
OCT-5: 7PM NYR-NJ 269,000 viewers
OCT-6: 7PM WAS-PHI 405,000 viewers
OCT-12: 8PM CAL-CHI 177,000 viewers
OCT-13: 7PM DET-BUF 467,000 viewers
OCT-19: 7PM SJ-NYR 195,000 viewers
OCT-20: 7PM STL-PIT 362,000 viewers
OCT-26: 8PM MIN-CHI N/A
OCT-27: 7PM PHI-WAS 477,000 viewers

Steve takes a similar look at CBC's ratings for hockey in October here.

- Comcast must make the right calls on sports in any NBC deal - Sports Business Journal.

It’s looking more likely that Comcast will be successful in its attempt to take control of NBC, judging by a series of meetings the two sides have had over the past few weeks. Toward the end of October, the top executives from NBC and Comcast — including NBC’s Jeff Zucker and Dick Ebersol and Comcast’s Steve Burke and Jeff Shell — gathered for two days of secret meetings in New York, sources told me.

- Interesting post on MurrayChass.com detailing major newspapers who did not send a reporter to cover the World Series. On the list are several Northern California newspapers including the SF Chronicle, SJ Mercury News, Contra Costa Times, Sac Bee and Oakland Tribune. More from poynter.org here.

- UAH program standing alone - The Huntsville Times.

- I have been under the weather for the better part of week, look for 2 interviews and a period-by-period analysis of the Sharks (trying to gauge slow starts). Thanks for the handful of birthday emails and facebook notes.

[Update] That 5-1 victory over the Hurricane, but first a closer look at the damage inside Joe Thornton’s mouth - David Pollak's Working the Corners blog.

"The three top are gone and the three bottom are cut in half," said Thornton, who missed only one or two shifts, then had to spend an hour with team dentist Donald Goudy once Friday’s game ended...

The back of his mouth guard, Thronton said, "got shattered off. I thought my teeth were all good up top, then I took out the mouth guard and the teeth came right with it."

The badly damaged bottom teeth have been rebuilt some, but Thornton has reverted to using an old bridge — something he thought he wouldn’t have to do when he had “permanent” teeth constructed last summer.

Exhibit A, B and C why hockey is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world.

[Update2] Pacific: Sharks in familiar spot -- first place - John Kreiser for NHL.com.

Roy Sommer, coach of San Jose's AHL affiliate in Worcester, became only the fourth bench boss in league history to reach 400 wins when Worcester beat Springfield last Saturday, The other three are Bun Cook, Fred Mathers and John Paddock. The win improved his AHL record to 400-380-54-57. ... Ray Tufts, the Sharks' head athletic trainer, reached the 1,000-game milestone Wednesday when the Sharks visited Columbus.

[Update3] Illegal Curve, Faceoffs and Games Won - Puck Prospectus.

O'neill Cold Water Classic series finale began Monday at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz

2009-11-03T17:29:00.000-08:00

2009 COLD WATER CLASSIC SURF CONTEST - FLICKR PHOTO TYLER KARASZEWSKI

The 2009 O'Neill Cold Water Classic surfing contest kicked off Monday with 4-5 foot waves at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz. Kilauea, Hawaii's Gavin Gillette earned the highest heat total with 16.23 points in the opening Round of 128. Gillette also scored the highest wave of the day with a 9.40 out of 10.

Last year's defending champion, 18-year old Santa Cruz native Nat Young, was eliminated after his first heat of the contest on Monday. Young finished fourth behind Granger Larsen, Nathaniel Curran and Noi Kalukukui. Only the top 2 surfers in each heat advance.

The longtime Northern California surf contest began as a local affair in 1987. In 2005, the Cold Water Classic became a 4-star lower tier ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) event, part of the Macy's California Trifecta Surf Series along with contests at Trestles and Newport Beach.

This year the ASP launched the inaugural O’Neill Cold Water Classic Series. The 5-event series traveled to Tasmania, Scotland, South Africa and Vancouver before finishing the schedule in Santa Cruz. In addition to the $145,000 prize purse, the California finale was elevated to a 6-star WQS event, boosting its profile as a 2010 ASP World Tour qualifier. For more information on the ASP WQS O’Neill Cold Water Classic California or the Oakley Pro Junior ASP North America Championships visit www.oneill.com/cwc/california.

[Update] Cold Water Classic: Santa Cruz's Smith, Freitas advance out of local trials, get bounced in Round of 128 - Santa Cruz Sentinel.

The Association of Surfing Professionals elevated the Cold Water Classic to six-star status this year, meaning an increased purse of $145,000, more crucial World Qualifying Series points, and an all-star cast of big league professional surfers looking to improve their standings and win some cash.

In the past, when the contest was rated lower, there were more slots open for local surfers in the main event. Now, not only is it tougher for local WQS competitors to attain a seeded spot in the contest, there are only two spots available for county surfers, awarded to the first and second place finishers of the local trials finals.

[Update2] Mavericks Surf Contest opens competition window early, awaits winter swells - LA Times blog.

[Update3] This Powerline Productions video from December 2007 documented one of the heaviest swells to ever hit Northern California. Big Tuesday also resulted in front page San Francisco Chronicle coverage of a harrowing wipeout by Santa Cruz native Darryl "Flea" Virostko on a 30+ foot wave at Mavericks.

Darryl Hunt: Jones, WorSharks Win 4-1 Over Springfield In Fight Filled Contest

2009-11-01T17:22:00.000-08:00

The Worcester Sharks used three special teams goals to defeat the Springfield Falcons 4-1 Sunday afternoon in a fight filled contest at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts in front of 2,356 fans.

The WorSharks’ special teams were put to the task early when Michael Wilson was called for a high sticking double minor, and Worcester rose to the occasion by grabbing a shorthanded goal just 13 seconds into the penalty. John McCarthy broke out of the Worcester zone down the left side and fired a shot on Springfield goaltender Devan Dubnyk that Dubnyk pinned between his right pad and the goal post. As Falcons center Ryan Potulny tried to move the puck out of harm’s way Andrew Desjardins jumped on the loose puck and flipped it over Dubnyk for the 1-0 lead just 37 second into the contest.

Worcester would increase their lead to 2-0 on a power play goal with 47 seconds remaining in the opening period when Matt Jones, who was recalled Sunday morning from Kalamazoo (ECHL), tipped home a blast from the blue line by Danny Groulx.

The first period set the tone for the rest of the game as both squads were very physical in their play. At the 7:20 mark tempers boiled over as Springfield’s Kip Brennan jumped Frazer McLaren in the corner to the left of Dubnyk. McLaren, who is nursing s sore hand, didn’t throw a punch in the battle but was still given a fighting major misconduct by referee Ryan Frasier, who actually had his back turned for most of the altercation. It was not the last time in the game Frasier would even up penalties despite one player being the clear aggressor.

Springfield would grab a shorthanded goal of their own at 3:30 of the second period when Charles Linglet outworked the Worcester defenders deep in the WorSharks zone and wheeled the net, firing a wrister that beat Worcester netminder Tyson Sexsmith to make it 2-1.

Worcester would notch their second shorthanded goal of the game at 8:05 of the second when Nick Petrecki sent Steven Zalewski in all alone down the right side. Zalewski fired a laser over the glove of Dubnyk and just inside the corner for the 3-1 lead.

Referee Frasier would again have his hands full at 15:01 of the second when Falcons defenseman Jake Taylor jumped McLaren. Again McLaren, trying to protect his hand, didn’t throw a punch. WorSharks forward Dennis McCauley tried to come to McLaren’s rescue, but he was tackled by Brennan before he could get close. Once order was restored Worcester would get a power play on Brennan’s extra minor for roughing, but inexplicably the linesmen didn’t escort McLaren and Taylor to the locker room despite there being less than five minutes left in the period.

And that would lead to an almost full brawl between the teams.

As the second period ended the WorSharks headed to their locker room through the tunnel connected to their bench. Springfield, on the other hand, had to skate off their bench to get to their tunnel. When the linesmen let McLaren out of the box, several Falcons players were still in their bench area, and words were exchanged. McLaren decided he’d had enough and tried to go a Falcons player. Springfield defenseman Dean Arsene several times used his stick to spear at McLaren, who returned the favor.

At that point, with just McLaren and Derek Joslin on the ice for Worcester against several Falcons players, many WorShark players began to return to the ice in defense of their team mates. Worcester assistant coach David Cunniff helped avert a full blown donnybrook by grabbing Worcester players and keeping them on their side of the red line.

McLaren would rack up another 24 minutes in penalties, including the rest of the night off, for a WorSharks single game record 46 on the night. McLaren’s extra two for unsportsmanlike conduct would give Springfield a power play to start the third, but they were unable to convert.

Tempers would flare again at 8:25 of the third after Cody Wild crosschecked Joe Loprieno in the back after the whistle. Loprieno turned around and immediately began on Wild. While that fight was going on, McCauley took that time to jump Brennan but looked to injure himself in the process. With Brennan on top of McCauley getting ready to start throwing bombs, Michael Wilson jumped in to protect his team mate by wrapping up Brennan. Once order was restored both McCauley and Brennan were expelled for the night, but Wilson escaped without a potential third man in penalty.

Worcester would grab an empty netter at 18:26 when Dan DaSilva and Brandon Mashinter broke out of the zone, with DaSilva grabbing the goal from just outside the Falcons blueline. Sexsmith became the first Worcester goaltender with a point this season with the kick save that sent Worcester out of the zone.

Tempers would flare a third time with 50 seconds remaining after Loprieno was called for a crosscheck as the Falcons crashed the net, but there were no additional penalties called.

GAME NOTES
Defenseman Louis Liotti was Worcester's only healthy scratch. Both Mike Moore and Dean Strong didn't dress due to lower body injuries. Matt Jones was recalled from Kalamazoo for the game, and saw time on the first power play unit. Alex Stalock was the back-up goaltender.

The win was Roy Sommer's 400th regular season victory, making him only the fourth AHL head coach to reach that milestone.

The three stars of the game were:
1. Andrew Desjardins (shg)
2. Steven Zalewski (shg)
3. Matt Jones (gwg)

The Sharkspage player of the game was Matt Jones.

Even Strength lines
McCarthy/Zalewski/Trevelyan
Mashinter/Desjardins/DaSilva
Helminen/Quick/Jones
McLaren/Henderson/McCauley

Groulx/Joslin
Petrecki/Callahan
Loprieno/Wilson

Penalty Kill lines
Desjardins/McCarthy
Quick/Helminen
Henderson/McLaren

Petrecki/Callahan
Groulx(Loprieno)/Joslin

Power Play lines
Trevelyan/Zalewski/Jones
DaSilva/Desjardins/Mashinter

Groulx/Joslin
Wilson/Callahan

BOXSCORE

Springfield 0 1 0 - 1
Worcester 2 1 1 - 4

1st Period-1, Worcester, Desjardins 5 (Callahan, McCarthy), 0:37 (sh). 2, Worcester, Jones 1 (Trevelyan, Groulx), 19:13 (pp). Penalties-Wilson Wor (double minor - high-sticking), 0:24; Taylor Spr (interference), 4:36; Brennan Spr (fighting, misconduct - unsportsmanlike conduct), 7:20; McLaren Wor (fighting, misconduct - unsportsmanlike conduct), 7:20; Lerg Spr (hooking), 17:54.

2nd Period-3, Springfield, Linglet 5 (Taylor), 3:30 (sh). 4, Worcester, Zalewski 4 (Petrecki), 8:05 (sh). Penalties-Armstrong Spr (goaltender interference), 1:30; Henderson Wor (tripping), 6:27; Wiseman Spr (hooking), 11:07; Brennan Spr (roughing, roughing), 15:01; Taylor Spr (fighting), 15:01; McCauley Wor (unsportsmanlike conduct), 15:01; McLaren Wor (fighting), 15:01; Arsene Spr (double minor - spearing (attempt)), 20:00; Nickerson Spr (misconduct - unsportsmanlike conduct), 20:00; McLaren Wor (unsportsmanlike conduct, double minor - spearing (attempt, game misconduct - persisting a fight, game misconduct - persisting a fight), game misconduct - persisting a fight, game misconduct - persisting a fight), 20:00.

3rd Period-5, Worcester, DaSilva 2 (Mashinter, Sexsmith), 18:26 (en). Penalties-Brennan Spr (fighting, game misconduct - secondary altercation), 8:25; Paukovich Spr (fighting), 8:25; Wild Spr (roughing), 8:25; Henderson Wor (roughing), 8:25; Loprieno Wor (fighting), 8:25; McCauley Wor (fighting, game misconduct - secondary altercation), 8:25; Loprieno Wor (cross-checking), 19:10.

Shots on Goal
Springfield 6-3-6-15
Worcester 16-10-8-34.

Power Play Opportunities
Springfield 0 of 5
Worcester 1 of 5.

Goalies
Springfield, Dubnyk 4-6-1 (33 shots-30 saves)
Worcester, Sexsmith 2-2-0 (15 shots-14 saves).

A-2,356. Referee-Ryan Fraser (14). Linesmen-Scott Whittemore (96), Brian MacDonald (72).

Darryl Hunt: No Treats For WorSharks In Halloween Loss To Manchester

2009-11-01T04:16:00.000-08:00

The Worcester Sharks continued their shots on goal barrage but couldn't manage more than a single goal in a 4-1 loss to the Manchester Monarchs Saturday night at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire in front of 3,162 fans.

The Monarchs came into the game with the AHL's stingiest defense, allowing just 13 goals in 10 games, so the last thing Worcester wanted to do was fall behind because of a mental mistake. But that's exactly what they did.

With Worcester skating with the man advantage, Monarchs center Corey Elkins broke into the Worcester zone leading an odd man rush, and beat Worcester netminder Alex Stalock to the far side for the 1-0 Manchester lead at 7:41 of the second period.

Friday night Worcester answered an opponent's goal very quickly, and it was the same Saturday when just 55 seconds later after Monarchs goaltender Jeff Zatkoff made a save of a Corey Quirk shot but couldn't control the rebound. Dean Strong banged home the lose puck while falling to the ice to draw the WorSharks even at 1-1. Dwight Helminen had the second assist for Worcester.

Monarchs center Justin Azevedo would make it 2-1 at 15:55 of the second when he put a shot on net to Stalock's glove side that the rookie seemed to misplay, and the puck bounced off his glove and into the net.

Worcester didn't roll over however, and continued to pressure the Monarchs, but Zatkoff kept them at bay. Viatcheslav Voynov would get the back breaker for Manchester at 15:47 of the third period, and Brandon Segal would grab an empty netter for the 4-1 final.

GAME NOTES
After missing the last two periods of Friday night's contest Mike Moore was, as expected, not dressed for Saturday night's contest. Worcester's only healthy scratch was Louis Liotti. Tyson Sexsmith was the back-up goaltender, and if the rotation continues as it has is expected to get the start Sunday against Springfield.

In a statistical oddity, despite having allowed the fewest goals in the AHL Manchester has been outshot in ten of their 11 games. The goaltending duo of Zatkoff (.978) and Jonathan Bernier (.963) are number one and two in the AHL for save percentage. Zatkoff also leads in goals against average at 0.75. No, that is not a typo, Zatkoff has allowed just three goals in four games.

The three stars of the game were:
1. Jeff Zatkoff (44 saves)
2. Justin Azevedo (gwg)
3. Dean Strong (g)

The Sharkspage player of the game was, for the second game in a row, Dean Strong.

BOXSCORE

Worcester 0 1 0 - 1
Manchester 0 2 2 - 4

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Henderson Wor (hooking), 2:44; Segal Mch (hooking), 17:48.

2nd Period-1, Manchester, Elkins 3 (Hickey, Zeiler), 7:41 (sh). 2, Worcester, Strong 2 (Quirk, Helminen), 8:36. 3, Manchester, Azevedo 1 (Holloway, Gauthier), 15:55. Penalties-Loprieno Wor (interference), 2:46; Campbell Mch (tripping), 6:33; Mashinter Wor (fighting), 19:14; Bagnall Mch (fighting), 19:14.

3rd Period-4, Manchester, Voynov 2 (Loktionov, Campbell), 15:47. 5, Manchester, Segal 3 18:26 (en). Penalties-McCarthy Wor (holding), 7:05; Segal Mch (high-sticking), 12:06.

Shots on Goal
Worcester 11-21-13-45
Manchester 13-10-8-31.

Power Play Opportunities
Worcester 0 of 3
Manchester 0 of 3.

Goalies
Worcester, Stalock 5-1-1 (30 shots-27 saves)
Manchester, Zatkoff 3-1-0 (45 shots-44 saves).

A-3,162. Referee-Francis Charron (46). Linesmen-Jeremy Lovett (78), Landon Bathe (80).

Darryl Hunt: Strong Play Lifts WorSharks Over Sound Tigers 2-1

2009-10-31T05:46:00.000-07:00

The Worcester Sharks used another great performance by rookie netminder Alex Stalock and a total team effort in beating the Bridgeport Sound Tigers 2-1 at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts Friday night in front of 2,181 fans.

With the WorSharks missing Logan Couture, Jamie McGinn, and captain Ryan Vesce due to recalls to San Jose, the Worcester faithful were wondering who would step up to fill the void. It turned out to be everyone. Worcester outshot the Sound Tigers 16-4 in the opening stanza, and were it not for some great play by Bridgeport goaltender Scott Monroe the WorSharks could have easily had a multiple goal lead early.

Worcester was finally able to light the lamp with 31 seconds remaining in the first period while skating with a two man advantage. With Worcester passing the puck along the outside and the fans getting restless, Danny Groulx fired a cross ice pass to Steven Zalewski behind the defense. Monroe managed to get a small piece of Zalewski's one-timer, but not enough to prevent the 1-0 lead for the WorSharks. Joe Callahan had the second assist.

While the second period was scoreless, it wasn't for a lack of chances by either squad. The WorSharks outshot Bridgeport 13-8 in the middle period, and both Stalock and Monroe made excellent saves to keep the score 1-0.

Bridgeport was finally able to draw even during the third period during their first power play chance of the game when Trevor Smith found Greg Moore all alone in the slot from behind the net. Stalock didn't stand a chance as Moore's blast found the back of the net at 8:04.

That tie score would last all of 16 seconds.

With Worcester continuing to press as they had all game, Groulx took a pass from Corey Quirk along the boards to the right of Monroe and skated deep into the zone. Groulx fired a laser into the slot where Dean Strong was able to bang it home for his first professional goal to make it 2-1 at 8:20.

From that point on it was the Alex Stalock show, as the rookie played like a veteran in making great save after great save to notch another victory for the WorSharks.

GAME NOTES
Worcester began the game with no one on the injured list, but they may have ended the game with one on it. Defenseman Mike Moore, who was playing in his first game in three weeks after suffering a hamstring injury, did not play after the first period. Moore was on the bench for the second period, but stayed in the locker room for the third. Worcester's healthy scratches were Louis Liotti and Joe Loprieno. Tyson Sexsmith was the back-up goaltender.

As if Stalock wasn't doing enough making great saves, at one point in the second period he decided to lead the rush out of the defensive zone. After Bridgeport broke in on an odd man rush, Stalock made a glove same and all three onrushing forwards ended up behind the goal line. With nothing but open ice and white jerseys in front of him, Stalock took a couple of strides away from the net before dropping the puck and feeding it up ice as Worcester broke out on its own odd man rush.

The victory was the 399th for head coach Roy Sommer. Only three coaches have more career wins in the AHL: Fred "Bun" Cook (711), Frank Mathers (610), and John Paddock (585). Sommer goes for win number 400 Saturday night in Manchester.

To answer a question this writer has received a couple times in the past week, Bill Ballou's AHL column will start again this Thursday in The Worcester Telegram, and it can be read online at telegram.com. For my money there isn't a better beat writer in the AHL than Ballou, and his AHL column is definitely worth checking out.

The three stars of the game were:
1. Danny Groulx (2a)
2. Alex Stalock (win, 25 saves)
3. Scott Munroe 35 saves)

The Sharkspage player of the game was Dean Strong.

Even strength lines
Mashinter/Zalewski/Trevelyan
McCarthy/Desjardins/DaSilva
Helminen/Strong/Quirk
McLaren/Henderson/McCauley

With Moore's injury the defensive lines rotated, but at the start of the game it was
Groulx/Joslin
Petrecki/Callahan
Wilson/Moore

Power play lines
Mashinter/Zalewski/Trevelyan
McCarthy/Desjardins/DaSilva

Groulx/Joslin
Wilson/Callahan

Penalty kill
Zalewski/Trevelyan
McCarthy/Desjardins
Helminen/Strong

Petrecki/Callahan
Groulx/Joslin (Wilson)

BOXSCORE

Bridgeport 0 0 1 - 1
Worcester 1 0 1 - 2

1st Period-1, Worcester, Zalewski 3 (Groulx, Callahan), 19:29 (pp). Penalties-Hughes Bri (tripping), 5:30; Smith Bri (cross-checking), 14:53; Kohn Bri (roughing), 17:49; Flood Bri (roughing), 18:18.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Katic Bri (holding), 11:31; Wotton Bri (holding), 16:43.

3rd Period-2, Bridgeport, Moore 5 (Smith, Bentivoglio), 8:04 (pp). 3, Worcester, Strong 1 (Groulx, Quirk), 8:20. Penalties-McCauley Wor (holding), 7:46; Callahan Wor (high-sticking), 9:35; Haley Bri (roughing), 12:28; Groulx Wor (roughing), 12:28.

Shots on Goal
Bridgeport 4-8-14-26
Worcester 16-13-8-37.
v Power Play Opportunities
Bridgeport 1 of 2
Worcester 1 of 6.

Goalies
Bridgeport, Munroe 3-2-0 (37 shots-35 saves)
Worcester, Stalock 5-0-1 (26 shots-25 saves).

A-2,181. Referees-Ian Croft (87). Linesmen-Mark Messier (12), Todd Whittemore (70).

Ryane Clowe shootout goal and 29 saves by Evgeni Nabokov snap 4-game Los Angeles win streak, power Sharks to 2-1 OT shootout victory

2009-10-29T07:31:00.000-07:00

#17 WAYNE SIMMONDS CRASHES INTO #20 EVGENI NABOKOV IN THE 1ST

SHARK SANDWICH WITH #44 VLASIC, #11 KOPITAR AND #4 BLAKE

SHARKS DEFENSEMAN #22 DAN BOYLE COLLIDES WITH #24 ALEXANDER FROLOV

More notes on the San Jose Sharks 2-1 OT shootout win over the Los Angeles Kings will be posted soon. A photo gallery from the event is available here. Youtube video highlights from the game are available here.

Newspaper circulation drops 10.6% in U.S., San Francisco Chronicle plummets 25.8%, San Jose Mercury News down 10%

2009-10-27T10:24:00.000-07:00

Apr-Sept 2009 daily circulation at the Top 25 Newspapers in U.S.:

Wall Street Journal - 2,024,269 - 0.61%
USA Today - 1,900,116 - (-17.15%)
New York Times - 927,851 - (-7.28%)
Los Angeles Times - 657,467 - (-11.05%)
Washington Post - 582,844 - (-6.40%)

NY Daily News - 544,167 - (-13.98%)
NY Post - 508,042 - (-18.77%)
Chicago Tribune - 465,892 - (-9.72%)
Houston Chronicle - 384,419 - (-14.24%)
Philadelphia Inquirer - 361,480 - N/A

NY Newsday - 357,124 - (-5.40%)
Denver Post - 340,949 - N/A
Arizona Republic - 316,874 - (-12.30%)
Minn. Star Tribune - 304,543 - (-5.53%)
Chicago Sun-Times - 275,641 - (-11.98%)

Cleveland Plain Dealer - 271,180 - (-11.24%)
Detroit Free Press - 269,729 - (-9.56%)
Boston Globe - 264,105 - (-18.48%)
Dallas Morning News - 263,810 - (-22.16%)
Seattle Times - 263,588 - N/A

SF Chronicle - 251,782 - (-25.82%)
Oregonian - 249,163 - (-12.06%)
NJ Star-Ledger - 246,006 - (-22.22%)
SD Union-Tribune - 242,705 - (-10.05%)
ST. Petersburg Times - 240,147 - (-10.70%)

Source: Editor and Publisher

After one shoe dropped on the Bay Area newspaper media in 2007, and the other shoe fell in 2008, somehow a third shoe was found to fall in 2009. A recent study by the Audit Bureau of Circulations found steep and accelerating circulation declines in U.S. newspapers, with heavy losses hammering the Bay Area. The 379 newspapers monitored experienced an average daily circulation decline of 10.6% and an average Sunday circulation decline of 7.4% in the 6-month period from April to September 2009.

According to this report the south bay's leading San Jose Mercury News experienced a 10.6% drop in daily circulation (to 200,258) during the same period compared to last year, and a 5.6% drop in Sunday circulation. Added to the 25.8% drop in daily circulation at the San Francisco Chronicle (to 251,782), the largest decline among the top 25 newspapers in the U.S., the Bay Area newspaper business has been punctured and is hemorrhaging readers.

An in-depth analysis of the causes and factors leading to the circulation decline is too extensive for the scope of this small sports blog (Sharkspage.com traffic is off in the same 6-month period -13.3%), but steep staffing cuts have hobbled the sports departments at several major California papers. Smaller daily and weekly outlets have been forced to combine operations or rely heavily on wire coverage. The impact has been felt from every sport large and small, many events are no longer afforded coverage in local papers.

In hockey, California has lost 4 NHL beat writers in the last 2+ seasons. Ross McKeon and Victor Chi were bought and laid off from the SF Chronicle and Mercury News in the same week in July 2007. The O.C. Register's Dan Wood and LA Daily News writer Rich Hammond moved on to do radio and write for the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings respectively prior to the start of the 2009-10 season.

To add insult to injury, the New York Times and Washington Post both plan on staffing up and offering Bay Area news to local and national readers. The New York Times rolled out its inaugural 10-person Bay Area news bureau last Friday. In several interviews on the new coverage, the Times has said they would work with local reporters and local media to contribute to its reporting. Whether or not that includes working with local sports media remains to be seen, but it might help improve the sometimes surface coverage the NYT has offered to local events in the past.

Other large media entities are not far behind. It was reported earlier this summer that in addition to the expected 2010 launch of ESPNlosangeles.com, ESPN also holds several similar domains: ESPNSanJose.com, ESPNSanFrancisco.com, ESPNSacramento.com, and ESPNOakland.com.

Compounding the problem is the fact that many of the best writers and reporters are being forced out. Also this summer, the San Jose Mercury News let go of former Morning Buzz columnist John Ryan with little fanfare, and no mention in the paper. At one point his column noted that he was on vacation, then he was disappeared. In an interview with Sharkspage last year, Ryan said his Morning Buzz column was a place for all sports items trivial, non-trival and sometimes bizarre, that could not fit anywhere else in the paper. Ryan helped fill in the gaps in the paper's coverage, kept it entertaining, and re-energized a sports section that has been hammered repeatedly by staffing cuts.

There is an inherent lack of forward thinking and innovation as newspapers scramble to keep up the status quo, but if they expect to be around more than 5-10 years the status quo will no longer work. They need to create new models of journalism, new revenue models, and create new value relationships with young readers and transplanted Bay Area residents to survive. There is not a lot of recent history to suggest that they can.

[Update] New York Times expanding circulation battlefield with Bay Area invasion - Chicago Tribune.

Future uncertain for former Shark Vesa Toskala in Toronto

2009-10-27T08:37:00.000-07:00

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS GOALTENDER VESA TOSKALA - PHOTO JON SWENSON

Friend of the blog James Mirtle took an interesting look at the future of former Sharks goaltender Vesa Toskala for Toronto's Globe and Mail: Has Toskala run out of chances?

It seems only fitting that, on the weekend the Toronto Maple Leafs head to Vancouver, general manager Brian Burke’s struggling hockey team is embroiled in a goalie controversy. It was with the Canucks, after all, that Burke stood by his man in the crease, Dan Cloutier, after watching his No. 1 from 2001-02 to 2003-04 falter in key games, again and again.

Five years later, the Leafs are waiting on Swedish rookie Jonas (The Monster) Gustavsson to recover from a groin injury and potentially take over the No. 1 role. Vesa Toskala remains in no man’s land, rehabbing a minor injury in order to, presumably, sit on the bench in a baseball cap for his $4-million (U.S.) salary.

In the article Brian Burke said that he would never again be short on goaltending again while he was at the head of an NHL team. Following the traditional mould of building from the goal out, he brought in Jonas Gustavsson and said he would bring in others if needed to shore up the position in Toronto. Mirtle notes that Toskala's save percentage dropped from a .914 in 99 starts with the San Jose Sharks (while battling Miikka Kiprusoff and Evgeni Nabokov for playing time), to a .904 his first season in Toronto in 2007-08 (66GP), and a .891 in 2008-09 (53GP). After only 4 starts this season, Toskala registered 82 saves on 102 shots against for an .812SV%.

In a 2006 scouting report on Toskala, this blog described him as "patient" netminder who forces the shooter to make the first move when he is on top of his game. Solid positioning and an ability to find the puck through traffic were strengths he used to battle for the #1 role with the San Jose Sharks. One word of caution was offered, "still unproven in the postseason".

That never became an issue during his tenure in Toronto. Early in his first season with the Maple Leafs he displayed very little of his trademark calmness, at times scrambling to get into position to make saves. A stiff defense in San Jose that cleared rebounds and bodies in front was replaced by a makeshift Toronto defense that stood and watched waves of forwards crash the net. Toskala rebounded somewhat, earning defensive player of the month honors in December. Injuries hampered the Finnish native throughout 2008-09, and he finally underwent hip surgery in March.

After 10 goals against in his first 2 games this season, the pressure was on. He did not respond well to the pressure. Now he finds himself again looking up at Gustavsson and MacDonald on the depth chart as trade rumors in the trade rumor capital of the NHL begin to pick up around him.

On thehockeynews.com, Lyle Richardson takes note of recent Brian Burke comments on goaltending depth, and evaluates the underground J.S. Giguere to Toronto rumors. Richardson believes Giguere will exercise his no-movement clause to stay in Anaheim, and suggests that Minnesota Wild backup Josh Harding could be another trade option.

Often the best trade is one a NHL general manager never makes. With the recent motivational benching of Matt Stajan and Nicklas Hagman, and the expected early November return of offseason acquisition Phil Kessel, the forward corps offer a glimmer of hope for the Maple Leafs and head coach Ron Wilson despite an 8-game losing streak that started the season. The goaltending situation in Toronto morphed into a 3-headed monster, with one of Gustavsson, Toskala and MacDonald expected to provide a measure of stability in goal.

That struggle for stability needs to be a team effort.

[Update] Leafs end nightmare with Monster win - Damien Cox for the Toronto Star.

MMA tops boxing and kickboxing at Rumble in Richmond, Chris Cariaso earns Bantamweight ISCF title with 2nd round KO

2009-10-26T22:45:00.000-07:00

KICKBOXING: KENNETH GIANG PREPARES FOR IKF TITLE FIGHT WITH DAN ASH

MMA: SJ'S EVAN ESGUERRA BLOODIES JUSTIN SMITLEY IN 3RD ROUND STOPPAGE

BOXING: RICHMOND NATIVE ALDWAYNE SIMPSON EARNS 1ST ROUND TKO

The eternal struggle between boxing and MMA was joined at the hip with a kickboxing-laden undercard at Saturday night's Rumble at Richmond hybrid event at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium. Three MMA titles were on the line in 4 MMA fights, standout amateur and Richmond native Aldwayne Simpson made his professional boxing debut, and 5 of 6 kickboxing undercard bouts were IKF title affairs.

In the main MMA event, San Francisco's Chris "Kamikaze" Cariaso (9-1, 2KOs, 2subs) put his stamp on the ISCF Bantamweight MMA title with a 2nd round stoppage over Rolando Velasco (5-2-1, 2KOs, 1subs). After a short feeling out process, Cariaso stunned Oakdale's Velasco with a short right that forced a desperate single leg takedown attempt. Strong on his feet, Cariaso stuffed the attempt and got Velasco's back in a scramble. He dropped a textbook suplex, got 1 hook in and nearly flattened out Velasco as the bell sounded.

Both fighters came out striking in the second, but Rolando Velasco winced after one landed and backed off slightly. Chris Cariaso tried to jump on the opportunity, but a more successful Velasco single leg attempt forced him into a corner where he landed a hard standing elbow. Cariaso tried to land a high kick to the head, but his foot slipped an he hit the mat. Velasco rushed in to capitalize but was staggered with a right hand. Cariaso chased him down from corner to corner, and twice dropped Velasco with a hail of punches before the fight was stopped 3:17 into the second round.

The semi-main MMA event was frought with controversy and drama as there was a 20+ minute delay for an ambulance to take previous competitor Justin Smitley to the hospital. USH fight team's Andrew Valladerez (3-4, 1KO, 1sub) dominated the first round against San Jose's David Barrios (3-4, 3subs), but he was forced to circle in the ring and occasionally dance to the background music while waiting for paramedics to return.

Valladerez clearly won the first round, swinging for the fences with his right hand. A toe-to-toe exchange at the end ellicited a roar from the crowd, but Valladerez was gaining an advantage with each exchange. With a strong wrestling background, Andrew Valladerez was also the youngest member of the US National San Shou Team in 2005, he kept things on the feet at the start of the second. A high kick, spinning backfist combo knocked David Barrios down as he was starting to find his range. Barrios entered the ring with a silver mask and skull bandana, but the fight was all Milpitas until a missed high kick opened the door for San Jose. Barrios locked in a RNC and Valladerez tapped 3:03 into the second round.

The fight was not for a title as Valladerez came in 2.75 pounds over at the weigh-in. Barrios was awarded the ISCF California State Bantamweight title at the scale. Valladerez was the second USH fight team member to miss weight this week as Anthony "rumble" Johnson missed 170 pounds by a mile for UFC 104 in Los Angeles. Johnson came in 6 pounds over (fighters are allowed 1 pound) for his fight with Yoshiyuki Yoshida.

Sunnyvale's own Alvin Cacdac (7-6, 3KOs, 3subs) earned an impressive first round KO over Bryant "Chaos" Munoz (3-2, 3subs). There was an intense pace to start the fight, but "chaos" scored the first takedown and quickly gained side control. Cacdac willed the fight back to his feet, then scored a takedown of his own and attempted a guillotine choke. He transitioned into a jackhammer ground and pound which resulted in cut to the forehead of Bryant. Bryant Munoz gamely tried to lock in an armbar off his back, but Cacdac walked around the attempt and pounded him out with a series of strong hammerfist blows. Referee Dan Stell stopped the fight 2:34 into the first.

Rumble at Richmond's fight of the night came in the opening MMA bout between Oakdales' Justin Smitley (6-6, 4subs) and San Jose's Evan Esguerra (3-2, 2KOs) for the ISCF California State Featherweight title. A fifth rope was added during a brief intermission after the boxing and kickboxing, and the MMA kicked off with one of the bloodiest fights this blog has witnessed in 12+ years of covering fight sports. Esguerra, a former U.S. marine, is a decorated muaythai kickboxing veteran with 50+ fights on his record.

Both fighters came out firing at the opening bell. Esguerra came storming forward with punches, but Justin Smitley was able to effectively parry and land short counter punches. Esguerra scored the first takedown in the corner, but Justin scored a reversal and took full control of his back. A failed armbar attempt lead to a series of brutal ground and pound elbows from Esguerra that opened a deep cut on Smitley.

Esguerra scored another takedown early in the second, and forced Justin to work from his guard while fending off heavy blows. Dangerous off his back, Smitley eventually got to his feet as both fighters were covered in blood and weary. Another Esguerra takedown and side control resulted in more ground and pound that nearly stopped the fight. The crowd was roaring expecting a late stoppage, but referee Dan Stell was going to let this fight go on as long as the fighters were effectively competing. Smitley answered the bell for round three in a fight that was as compelling as anything the televised UFC 104 and Dream 12 cards on the same night had to offer.

Smitley, a purple belt in BJJ, showed excellent balance on his feet as Esguerra tried to trip him down early in round 3. A punishing, heavy knee to the midsection seemed to suck the energy out of Smitley, and another knee in the corner set the stage for a quick takedown for Evan Esguerra. Bloodied but still trying to defend himself, Esguerra rained down blows on Smitley until Dan Stell stopped the fight at 1:00 of the third. Evan Esguerra earned the ISCF California State Featherweight title with his third professional MMA win. Smitley was taken to the hospital shortly after the fight.

Richmond native Aldwayne Simpson (1-0, 1KO) drew a large ovation from the Richmond crowd for the lone boxing event of the night. A former standout as an amateur, Simpson began his professional career with blinding handspeed against Attwater, CA's Victor Cortez (0-2). A quick 2-punch combination stunned Cortez, and a subsequent left dropped him to the mat. Simpson pressed the action with a flurry backing Cortez into the ropes, and landed an explosive left hook that saw him leave his feet. Cortez was overwhelmed, and a pinpoint counter punch by Aldwayne Simpson ended the fight at 1:56 of the first round. Before the referee could raise his hand, Aldwayne was already making his way to the lockerroom before he hurried back into the ring. Simpson is the type of boxer with undeniable talent, and his profile should rise in Northern California in short order.

Kickboxing results:

San Jose's Dan Ash earned a split decision (48-47, 48-47, 47-48) over San Francisco's Kenneth Giang in a tight 5-round IKF World Super Lightweight title fight. Bryon Petro was dropped early in the first round by Quincy Schammon, but footwork and an aggressive style gave him the edge on 2 of the 3 judges cards en route to a 4-round split decision (39-37, 39-37, 37-39) win for the IKF California Welterweight title. Daniel Kim earned a unanimous 4-round decision win (39-37, 40-36, 40-36) over Dion Pamintao for the IKF World Middleweight title. Santa Clara's Amber Pope dominated San Francisco's Julie Jackal en route to a 2nd round KO at 1:36. Rick Erlec and Jeremy Murphy fought to a draw after 4 rounds (36-40, 39-37, 38-38) in a IKF West Coast Super Lightweight title fight. J.R. Aviles earned a TKO over Christopher Williams 1:12 into the second round in a cruiserweight non-title fight.

A photo gallery from the event is available here. Visit the official Rumble at Richmond event website at ltdproductions.net. Sharkspage sent fight results to the editor of Sherdog.com's fight finder for this event (and for Ky Hollenbeck's recent WOTH IV MMA bout in Santa Clara).

[Update] Cariaso Thrills Richmond, Knocks Out Velasco - Mario Ortega Jr. for 15rounds.com.

[Update2] Video of the Dan Ash vs Kenneth Giang muaythai title fight is available here.

[Update3] Rumble in Richmond, Post Event Coverage - Bodykore.com.

Darryl Hunt: Stalock, WorSharks Blank Falcons 1-0

2009-10-25T04:51:00.000-07:00

The Worcester Sharks scored only a single goal, but that was good enough for a 1-0 overtime victory over the Springfield Falcons Saturday night at the DCU Center in front of 3,222 fans.

Logan Couture scored the game winner for the WorSharks with 1:11 left in overtime when he fired a laser from the top of the faceoff circle to the right of Springfield goaltender Devan Dubnyk. Dubnyk was screened by Jamie McGinn and never saw the blast that went five hole to light the lamp for the 1-0 victory. McGinn and Danny Groulx had the assists.

But this game was really about the goaltenders. Worcester rookie Alex Stalock got his first professional shutout in just his fifth pro start, making 18 saves. Dubnyk was far busier but just as good through regulation, turning aside 46 shots before finally being beaten by Couture.

Both goaltenders got some help from their defense too. WorSharks defenseman Joe Loprieno saved a goal in the first period when a puck broke through Stalock by knocking it away from the goal line and carrying it out of harm's way. During the third period Dan DaSilva thought he had a goal as the puck slid past Dubnyk, but a diving Springfield defender kept it out of the net to keep the game scoreless.

At 8:13 of the third period Springfield center Geoff Paukovich did get one past Stalock to light the lamp, but Stalock immediately jumped to his feet to protest, indicating the puck was kicked in. Referee was in perfect position, but still choose to confer with the near linesmen before he waved off the goal.

After the game Paukovich told Dan Hickling of the Springfield Republican, "I saw it rolling and tried to kick it to my stick, when it went in. I thought I’d celebrate anyway, just in case."

In the end it turned out to be the WorSharks celebrating as they swarmed Couture at the halfboards after his game winner.

GAME NOTES
Worcester went with the same line-up as Friday night with Louis Liotti, Mike Moore, Corey Quirk, and Dean Strong all being scratches. WorSharks assistant coach David Cunniff was back behind the bench after taking Friday off with a bad back, and he and head coach Roy Sommer were joined by Bryan Marchment. Like Friday, Tyson Sexsmith was the back-up goaltender. With Stalock playing two games in two days and the early start Sunday in Hartford Sexsmith looks like the obvious choice to get the start.

The goal extended Couture's point scoring streak to five games, and the game winner gives Couture three on the season. The only other WorSharks player with a game winning goal is McGinn, who has two.

The three stars of the game were
1. Devan Dubnyk (46 saves)
2. Logan Couture (OT GWG)
3. Alex Stalock (shutout, 18 saves)

The Sharkspage player of the game was Alex Stalock.

Even strength lines
McGinn/Couture/Helminen
Trevelyan/Zalewski/Mashinter
McCarthy/Desjardins/DaSilva
McLaren/Henderson/McCauley

Groulx/Joslin
Petrecki/Callahan
Loprieno/Wilson

Penalty kill lines
Henderson/McLaren
Zalewski/Trevelyan
Desjardins/McCarthy
Couture/McGinn

Groulx/Joslin
Petrecki/Callahan

Power play lines
McGinn/Couture/Helminen
Trevelyan/Zalewski/Mashinter

Callahan/Wilson
Groulx/Joslin

BOXSCORE

Springfield 0 0 0 0 - 0
Worcester 0 0 0 1 - 1

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Wilson Wor (hooking), 13:04; Taylor Spr (hooking), 16:35.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Arsene Spr (hooking), 7:33.

3rd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-No Penalties

OT Period-1, Worcester, Couture 4 (McGinn, Groulx), 3:49. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal
Springfield 6-4-6-2-18
Worcester 17-16-11-3-47.

Power Play Opportunities
Springfield 0 of 1
Worcester 0 of 2.

Goalies
Springfield, Dubnyk 3-4-1 (47 shots-46 saves)
Worcester, Stalock 4-0-1 (18 shots-18 saves).

A-3,222. Referee-Jeff Smith (49). Linesmen-Todd Whittemore (19), Chris Libett (19).

Darryl Hunt: McGinn, WorSharks Use Overtime To Beat Providence 3-2

2009-10-24T06:17:00.000-07:00

Despite being a team that contains mostly rookies, it was three veteran players that lead the Worcester Sharks to a 3-2 overtime victory over the Providence Bruins in a battle of the Route 146 rivals Friday night at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island in front of 5838 fans.

The teams would spend most of the first period feeling each other out, and for the fifth time in their six games it would be Worcester that struck first when Danny Groulx connected for his first of the season from the left side on an odd man rush at 18:01. Dwight Helminen and Logan Couture had the helpers, and the point extended Couture's steak to four games.

The score would remain 1-0 until the late in the second period, when Worcester would shoot themselves in the foot not once, but twice. With the WorSharks on the power play Providence winger Jeff LoVecchio would steal a lose puck and beat Worcester netminder Alex Stalock on a breakaway to knot the game 1-1 at 14:14, and then with the 28 seconds left in the period P-Bruin defenseman Andy Wozniewski would fire a bad angle shot that broke through Stalock to make it 2-1 going into the second intermission.

Previous Worcester teams have had some issues winning in The Ocean State, but this current squad has no such memories of bad defeats, and its 'never say die' attitude led it to a 19-9 shot advantage for the third period. T.J. Trevelyan, who played for Providence during the 06-07 and 07-08 seasons, would draw the WorSharks even when he banged a lose puck past Providence goaltender Matt Dalton at 7:42. Steven Zalewski would have the assist on the play.

The game would stay even through regulation, and Worcester would grab the extra point when Jamie McGinn beat a stickless Dalton to the far side to light the lamp and send the Baby-Bs to the locker room. Groulx and Joe Callahan had the assists on the game winner.

GAME NOTES
Worcester's scratches were Louis Liotti, Mike Moore, Corey Quirk, and Dean Strong. Moore is still battling a lower body injury, although it's not considered serious. You can also add WorSharks assistant coach David Cunniff to the injured list with a stiff back. Cunniff missed Friday night's tilt, but is expected to return behind the bench at some point this weekend. Tyson Sexsmith was the back-up goaltender, and Matt Jones has been sent to Kalamazoo(ECHL).

The game featured just a single bout, with Frazer McLaren (6'4",235#) taking on Providence winger Brett Clouthier (6'5",225#). McLaren landed a series of big right hands that knocked Clouthier to the ice for the easy TKO victory.

The game winner gives McGinn two for the season in just three games. McGinn's other game winner was a power play tally in the season opener in Adirondack with just 12 seconds remaining. He had just two in 51 regular season in playoff games last season. Ironically, one of his two last season was in Providence during the playoffs.

The three stars of the game were:
1. Jamie McGinn (gwg)
2. Matt Dalton (33 saves)
3. Alex Stalock (win, 27 saves)

The Sharkspage player of the game was Danny Groulx.

Even strength lines
McGinn/Couture/Helminen
Trevelyan/Zalewski/Mashinter
McCarthy/Desjardins/DaSilva
McLaren/Henderson/McCauley

Loprieno/Groulx
Petrecki/Callahan
Joslin/Wilson

BOXSCORE

Worcester 1 0 1 1 - 3
Providence 0 2 0 0 - 2

1st Period-1, Worcester, Groulx 1 (Couture, Helminen), 18:01. Penalties-Desjardins Wor (tripping), 8:38; McLaren Wor (fighting), 11:15; Clouthier Pro (fighting), 11:15.

2nd Period-2, Providence, LoVecchio 3 14:14 (sh). 3, Providence, Wozniewski 5 (Lehtonen, Hamill), 19:32. Penalties-Lehtonen Pro (elbowing), 13:24; McLaren Wor (roughing), 18:04; Bodnarchuk Pro (roughing), 18:04; Joslin Wor (interference), 19:35; Lehtonen Pro (interference), 19:39.

3rd Period-4, Worcester, Trevelyan 3 (Zalewski), 7:42. Penalties-Penner Pro (holding), 0:56; Kwiet Pro (roughing), 11:07; MacDermid Pro (tripping), 14:42; Joslin Wor (holding), 18:27.

OT Period-5, Worcester, McGinn 3 (Groulx, Callahan), 1:58. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal
Worcester 5-11-19-1-36
Providence 7-13-8-1-29.

Power Play Opportunities
Worcester 0 of 5
Providence 0 of 3.

Goalies
Worcester, Stalock 3-0-1 (29 shots-27 saves)
Providence, Dalton 0-2-0 (36 shots-33 saves).

A-5,838. Referee-Ryan Fraser (14). Linesmen-Brian MacDonald (72), Todd Whittemore (19).

Fight Notes - 10/21

2009-10-21T16:13:00.000-07:00

2004 OLYMPIC BRONZE MEDALIST ANDRE DIRRELL - SHARKSPAGE FILE PHOTO

SHARKSPAGE PUNCHSTATS FOR FROCH-DIRRELL 1ST ROUND FIGHT

- More notes on the the first round of the "Super Six" World Boxing Classic held last weekend will be posted soon.

- World Boxing Classic Super Six Tournament Mikkel Kessler-Andre Ward Oakland press conference quotes and photos - September 18th Sharkspage.

- San Jose-based Strikeforce has an ambitious November planned with a CBS-televised Fedor Emelianenko vs Brett Rogers heavyweight superfight scheduled November 7th in Chicago, a SHOmma development series event headlined by Jorge Gurgel and Billy Evangelista November 6th at the Savemart Center in Fresno, and another SHOmma event headlined by Tyron Woodley and Rudy Bears November 20th at the Memorial Hall in Kansas City.

An in-depth Fedor vs. Rogers preview will forthcoming in a future post, and Sharkspage will also contact Strikeforce to get an update on the expected debut of former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL veteran Herschel Walker.

A multiple fight contract with Strikeforce was announced for the 47-year old September 21st. According to a press release, Walker is a fifth degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and has additional training in Muaythai kickboxing and Kenpo karate. He will train at the American Kickboxing Academy under Bob Cook.

- From Mario Serrano, the University of San Francisco presents California's largest intercollegiate boxing event: The Hilltop Cup V.

USF GOES MOBILE WITH COLLEGE BOXING EVENT

October 19, 2009 - The University of San Francisco in association with LightsOut.TV go mobile with California's largest intercollegiate boxing event "Hilltop Cup V". Students and fans can text "hilltopcup" to 35620 to get event info, right to their cell phones.

On Friday October 23, 2009, student boxers from UC Berkeley, Stanford, Santa Clara, San Jose State, UC Davis, USC, UCLA, Nevada-Reno, and USF will participate in the 5th annual "Hilltop Cup" amateur boxing event, helping raise money for the Saber Es Poder Hispanic Student Scholarship Fund.

The Saber Es Poder Hispanic Student Scholarship Fund was established to promote diversity at SF State, and is awarded to a Latino/Hispanic student on the basis of need, academic achievement, and service to the community.

Tickets are available for students with current IDs for $5, general admission is $20, ringside seats are $25. Tickets are available at the Koret Health & Recreation Center (corner of Parker and Turk in San Francisco) or by calling (415) 422-2694.

- Video highlights from last year's NCBA Western Region College Boxing Tournament at Santa Clara University are available here, a rough recap here, and a photo gallery is available here.

- Rumble in Richmond October 24th at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium will feature a combination of boxing, mixed martial arts and kickboxing in the 11-fight event. Former PFC and CCFC Bantamweight champion Rolando Velasco (5-1-1, 2KOs, 1sub) will meet Strikeforce and World CSC veteran Chris Cariaso (8-1-0, 1KO, 2subs) in the MMA main event for the ISCF world Bantamweight title.

Andrew Valladerez (3-3, 1KO, 1sub) will face San Jose's David Barrios (2-4, 2subs) for the IKF California State kickboxing title, Bryant Munoz (3-1, 3subs) will face Samart Samphusri for the ISCF California State Bantamweight MMA title, WCSC Super Bantamweight Champion Gaberial Solorio (3-2, 1KO, 1sub) will face San Jose's Evan Esguerra (2-2, 1KO) for the ISCF California State Featherweight MMA title, and Al Simpson will face Luis Sanchez in their respective professional boxing debut.

Six Muaythai kickboxing amateur titles will punctuate a stacked undercard. For more information or tickets visit ltdproductions.net, or call Tim Stell at (707)673-6632. Doors open at 5PM, fights start at 6PM. Thanks to Mario Ortega Jr. at 15rounds.com for the heads up on the fight card and fighter records.

- The next Fight Night at the Tank boxing event in San Jose is scheduled for December 4th.

- Video highlights from the Fairtex/Xfight War of the Heroes IV event October 10th in Santa Clara are available here, a full fight video between Kevin Ross vs Phanuwat "Coke" Chunhawat for the USMF Pro Muaythai kickboxing title is available here, a blog recap from the event is available here.

- Texas Revolution: Border Showdown set for Nov 13th - U.S. Muaythai Federation.

The Muay Thai Alliance of Texas is proud to announce its first ever fully sanctioned Muay Thai event in Texas. “Texas Revolution: Border Showdown” is set for Friday, November 13th at Edinburg Baseball Stadium. The showdown will feature some of the best talent that Texas has to offer in a State and Nationally sanctioned 12-bout scheduled spectacular.

“This is a very exciting event for the Rio Grande Valley and for the entire state because it is the first ever fully sanctioned Muay Thai event in Texas,” said Kru Kayan Sitsanthaparn.

“Muay Thai had previously been banned in our state, but fast forward decades later and we are now putting on fully sanctioned shows that involve the USMF, WMC, IFMA, and WBC Muay Thai. Our goal is to make our shows as traditional and as close to being in Thailand as possible. So far, we have put on talent searches in Austin, Houston, and in Dallas and all were a huge success. Now the best talent from those searches will be on display in the Rio Grande Valley for our first show and the fans are truly in for a treat.”

- Patrick Lopez plus undefeated Alberto Herrera on path to glory November 6th in Ontario California - ThompsonBoxing.com.

[Update] 'Fight Night Club' Could be Coming to a Venue Near You - Steve Kim for Maxboxing.com. Kim has also launched a Thursday boxing podcast 'The Main Event' produced by Sherdog.com's T.J. Desantis. The show is archived here.

[Update2] Abraham, Froch notch Super victories - Dan Rafael for ESPN.

[Update3] A press release from Goossen Tutor:

Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino weigh-in results for October 22nd fight card

Miranda vs Sierra
NABO Super Middleweight Championship
Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino
Lemoore, CA

WEIGH-IN RESULTS

Edison "Pantera" Miranda 167.4 lbs. vs.
Francisco "Panchito" Sierra 167.4 lbs.

Manuel "El Toro" Quezada 227.8 lbs. vs.
Nicolai "Stone Man" Firtha 242.8 lbs.

Mike Dallas Jr. 141.8 lbs. vs.
Sergio De La Torre 141.4 lbs.

Martin "El Brochas" Honorio 133.6 lbs. vs.
Ricardo Medina 132.6 lbs.

Ephraim Martinez 121.8 lbs. vs.
Rodrigo Romero 123 lbs.

Aaron Alafa 122 lbs. vs.
Danny Pontoja 123 lbs.

Alan Sanchez 143 lbs. vs.
Mikhail Lyubarsky 144.2 lbs.

World Championship Boxing live at Tachi Hotel and Casino, Thursday October 22nd. See Edison "Pantera" Miranda vs. Francisco "Panchito" Sierra in a 12 round NABO Super Middleweight Championship bout. Plus the return of one of the world's top heavyweights and the Valley's own Manual Quezada. Tickets are on sale now. Purchase at tickets.com or through the Tachi Palace Gift shop. Ticket prices as low as $25.

[Update4] "FIGHT CAMP 360: Fedor vs. Rogers" special debuts Nov. 3 on Showtime - MMAjunkie.com.

New Pavelski detective commercial

2009-10-21T11:18:00.000-07:00

JOE PAVELSKI DETECTIVE COMMERCIAL, NOT AN EPISODE OF LAW & ORDER

Following in the footsteps of Joe Thornton and his friend Slappy, the Sharks recently unveiled this new Joe Pavelski commercial in the Bay Area. The simple premise: officer Pavelski is a bad detective, but a good hockey player.

Pretty good effort, but they should have finished off with a Law-and-Order-esque one liner: "you think they can indict that ham sandwich?" Never watched CSI Miami, but David Caruso's sunglass commentaries are also begging to be mocked.

Sharks stomp on best team in East 7-3, three point nights by Setoguchi and Marleau snap Rangers 7-game win streak

2009-10-20T08:12:00.000-07:00

That the Sharks have elite NHL firepower is not in question, what is in question is the application of that firepower. Against Washington the Shark's guns were silent, watching from the penalty box in the first period and watching Alexander Ovechkin flex his killer instinct in the second. Against a winless New York Islanders squad two days later the Sharks looked flat and listless at the start of the game. "We were about as flat as flat can be," head coach Todd McLellan said. Radio analyst Jamie Baker said the team was struggling at times, trying to develop a team identity and team confidence.

The trend of off periods continued in San Jose's nationally televised 7-3 win over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden Monday night. Against the hottest team in the NHL, the Sharks were stuck in neutral at the start. The Rangers were allowed room to skate, and center Chris Drury and rookie defenseman Michael Del Zotto (PP) capitalized to give the blueshirts an early 2-0 lead.

Past Sharks teams have been able to score their way out of problems in the regular season, but as intensity picks up in the postseason, time and space closes down. Any confidence and swagger the Sharks have carried into their last 3 playoff series was ceded to the opposing team at the outset. They had to earn it back, and twice the deficit was insurmountable.

The Sharks are still working to integrate 7 new players into the lineup, 5 forwards and 2 defenseman, while also juggling new players to fill in for injured centers Joe Pavelski and Torrey Mitchell. The "work in progress" stage for San Jose at this point in the season involves re-establishing basic fundamental defensive zone coverage, developing chemisty with forward lines and 2 new defensive pairs (Boyle-Murray, Huskins-Demers), and establishing a 60-minute work ethic that begins with the drop of the puck and ends with the final horn/whistle/fatladysinging.

After the early 2-0 Rangers lead head coach Todd McLellan told SJ Mercury News beat writer David Pollak, "We were on our heels, but we were talking on the bench that it'd be good to see how our team will respond." The comeback attempt was initiated from an unlikely source, agitating 4th line winger Brad Staubitz. With 1 goal in his previous 37 NHL games, Staubitz pressured a turnover in the neutral zone then bore down on a defenseman for a 2-on-1 with Scott Nichol. Staubitz beat backup goaltender Stephen Valiquette gloveside to cut the Rangers lead to 2-1.

Todd McLellan recently reunited the top power play unit of Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton and Devin Setoguchi. There have been minor questions of how Dany Heatley would respond floating around the media, but the team dynamic is different in San Jose. Patrick Marleau may have been removed as captain this summer, but he is still the on-ice leader and best 2-way player on the team. In the past he moved between the first and second lines, and filled in for injury centering the third line. He plays the power play and penalty kill, and moved from center to left wing and back. All of it without a word of complaint. He fits the workhorse mould, and a late season knee injury prevented that role from being filled in the postseason. Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi are two top-6 forwards the Sharks should be grooming to fill a similar role, and head coach Todd McLellan could mix and match situational combinations to squeeze the most out of both as the season progresses.

How would Heatley respond to second power play unit duty? He responded with a staccato stickhandling rush up center ice between 4 Ranger players. After splitting the stick check of 2 forwards, he maintained control of the puck and split a pair of defenseman. An attempted pass to Ryan Vesce bounced off Sean Avery like a backboard. Heatley kicked the puck back up to his stick and backhanded a point blank shot over the glove of Valiquette. Game tied 2-2. Heatley's 3-game scoring "slump" was over.

The Sharks poured it on to pop the Rangers 7-game unbeaten streak. A fan favorite among some in New York, Jed Ortmeyer scored his 2nd goal of the season, this time against his former team. Marc-Edouard Vlasic backed into a shooting lane on the PP, then set up Patrick Marleau for a point shot. Joe Thornton and Devin Setoguchi whacked at the rebound, Setoguchi was awarded his 6th of the season 6:05 into the second. He added his 7th later in the period as Marleau gained body position on Brashear along the boards and won possession. Marleau found an open Setoguchi on the right wing, he scored to make it 5-2.

Valiquette was pulled in the third period for starter Henrik Lundqvist, but the King could not slow down the onslaught. AHL Worcester Sharks captain Ryan Vesce, earning golden first line ice time with Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley, buried his second goal in as many games 3:46 into the third. If you are going to let 5-foot-8, 175-pound Ryan Vesce stand on the doorstep and take multiple whacks at a loose puck, he is going to score. During multiple AHL Worcester Sharks viewings, he was often the best player on the ice and he was a preseason pick by this blog to make the NHL club out of training camp. Former Phoenix Coyotes 2004 draft pick Enver Lisin added a goal for the Rangers at 17:12, but Patrick Marleau quickly followed with his team leading 7th goal of the season 53 seconds later. Evgeni Nabokov turned in another solid performance, stopping 26 of 29 shots against.

[Update] More notes from the Versus broadcast and the NY media:

Media coverage, or lack thereof, has been an issue in heavy rotation with hockey coverage of late. Three years ago this blog roamed around New York City trying to document the large number of media sources covering the Rangers. Contrast that with the Rangersvisit to HP Pavilion in San Jose last season, no Steve Zipay, no Larry Brooks, no New York Times. The only NY-related media attending the game in San Jose was a lone radio reporter.

New York Times sports editor Tom Jolly answered questions from Sharkspage about declining, or more accurately transforming, hockey coverage in the Grey Lady. "Obviously we’re based in New York and have a substantial readership here, but our national and international audience continues to grow and, in order to serve such a diverse group of readers, we’re focusing more on news and issues that go beyond individual teams," Jolly said. He continued adding that the paper's mission was to provide coverage that goes beyond results, focusing on more feature and big picture coverage. He also mentioned that Stu Hackel and Jeff Klein have been allowed to expanded the NYT's coverage of local teams on the Slapshots hockey blog.

The decision has not sat well with many New York fans, but a hot 7-game winning streak has raised the interest in the Rangers up several notches to start the season. The NYT's Jeff Z. Klein contrasts the Sharks with recent Rangers opponent Toronto, and writes that penalty problems and suspect goaltending were factors in the loss. The NY Post's David Satriano notes that the Rangers, despite having the 5th best penalty kill at 88.7%, have skated a league leading 49 times shorthanded. Newsday's Steve Zipay published a quote from head coach John Tortorella, "Four goals on 18 shots, that's not good. I was hoping he would work through it a bit, he made a couple saves on some deflections, but I don't think he was sharp and that hurt us."

The national Versus broadcast with studio host Bill Patrick and analysts Brian Engblom and Keith Jones focused on the young blueline contributors for each team. Defenseman Michael Del Zotto and Sharks rookie defenseman Jason Demers were featured, and Sharks defensive prospects Nick Petrecki and Justin Braun were brought up as players to look out for in the future. Eddie Olycyk said the Sharks 4th line of Brad Staubitz, Scott Nichol and Jody Shelley changed the momentum of the game down 2-0. In a later segment over who would score more goals this season, Keith Jones said that Heatley would score more, Engblom said Cheechoo could still turn it around and along with Michalek would score more, and Ed Olycyk said both sides would score exactly 46 goals.

The Wave Magazine October San Jose Sharks issue, now with more Sharkspage

2009-10-19T16:38:00.000-07:00

OCTOBER 14-27 ISSUE OF THE WAVE MAGAZINE - PHOTO JON SWENSON

WAVE MAG DANY HEATLEY AND TODD MCLELLAN Q&A

WAVE MAG SHARKS ISSUE - FOR MORE INFO FEATURE

The lone news item this blog gets to break every year is who will be on the cover of the annual October Sharks issue of The Wave Magazine. It is a little easier to write about when you contribute several of the items, and photos from this blog are used. The cover Shark this year is Wisconsin's own Joe Pavelski.

Included in the metro-style magazine is a general preview of the Sharks lineup, key dates for the 2009-10 season, Shark family pack dates (Nov 25 - CHI, Dec 28 - PHO, Jan 30 - MIN, Mar 13 - FLA), a Q&A with new left wing Dany Heatley and head coach Todd McLellan, and a for more information feature with several options to find more coverage of the team. A PDF version of the issue is available at thewavemag.com.

Full disclosure, Gabriel Desjardins may be just a contributor to Puck Prospectus. Since the issue was published, he joined the SBN network with a blog at behindthenethockey.com. He posted a FAQ that serves as an introduction to advanced hockey statistics: Frequently Asked Questions about Statistical Analysis in the NHL. The blurb about Sharkspage was added by the magazine, which is cool. Max Giese, Darryl Hunt and G.J. Berg also contribute to this blog.

Q&A with Head Coach Todd McLellan:

[Q] After a Presidents' Trophy winning regular season and a disappointing postseason, what adjustments are the Sharks going to make on the ice for 2009-10?

[A] The first thing we are doing is trying to incorporate a number of new bodies into the system we play. Initially, you won't see a lot of changes in our system. We believe what we do is the right way. We are going to try to get a little more grit and determination.

[Q] How much time do you think it will take for the new additions of Heatley, Huskins, Malhotra, Nichol, Ferriero, Ortmeyer and others to develop chemistry and make an impact on the Sharks lineup?

[A] It is going to take awhile. As far as Heatley, Joe Thornton and Setoguchi, it is coming every night more and more, but it is still going to take some time.

[Q] One word to describe the line of Heatley, Thornton, Setoguchi?

[A] Speed.

Q&A with new left wing Dany Heatley:

[Q] If you had to give a scouting report on Dany Heatley, how would you describe him to Bay Area fans?

[A] I think I have been an offensive guy, that is what I do best. A guy that is also responsible defensively. Offensively I am more of a shooter than a playmaker. I feel I can put up points.

[Q] Who was your biggest rivalry in Ottawa, and how quickly will it take for you to get in the middle of the Sharks-Anaheim rivalry?

[A] Toronto Maple Leafs. It was a pretty good Ontario rivalry with Toronto, the fans are always fun. Anaheim and LA are going to be our two biggest rivalries over here. The history with Anaheim and what happened last year, and being so close to Anaheim and LA, it is bound to develop into a rivalry.

[Q] One word to describe the top line of Heatley, Thornton, Setoguchi?

[A] Speed.

[Q] What are your first impressions of San Jose as a city?

[A] Its a great city, great fans, great people. Just great things to say about the organization, first class. I am thrilled to be here.

Miami Holds No. 1 Ranking in USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll

2009-10-19T16:28:00.000-07:00

A press release from USAhockey.com:

Miami University Holds No. 1 Ranking in USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Miami University, which collected 509 points and 33 of 34 first-place votes, secures the No. 1 ranking in this week's USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine's Men's College Hockey Poll. The RedHawks, who hold the top spot for the third consecutive poll, improved to 3-0-1 on the season after posting a 1-0-1 record against the University of New Hampshire.

This Week's Top-15 Match-ups:

Tuesday, October 20
No. 10 Notre Dame @ No. 3 Boston University

Friday, October 23
No. 5 Denver @ No. 11 Minnesota
No. 15 Boston College @ No. 10 Notre Dame

Saturday, October 24
No. 4 Michigan @ No. 3 Boston University
No. 5 Denver @ No. 11 Minnesota

The University of North Dakota (465) continues its climb up the poll, rising to No. 2 after finishing the weekend with a win and a tie against then-No. 8 University of Minnesota. Boston University (388) slides to No. 3 and the University of Michigan (386) regains the No. 4 position it held in the preseason poll. The University of Denver (378), which split its weekend series with The Ohio State University, rounds out the top five.

The University of Minnesota Duluth (59) makes its 2009-10 debut in the poll at No. 14this week after twice defeating Minnesota State University.

NOTES: The Central Collegiate Hockey Association, the Hockey East Association and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association each boast four ranked teams. ECAC Hockey has three ranked programs ... A total of 26 teams received votes.

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll - #3

(Rank, School, Votes/First-place votes in parenthesis, Last Poll's Ranking, 2009-10 Record, Weeks in Top-15)

1 Miami U., 509 (33), 1, 3-0-1, 3
2 U. of North Dakota, 465, 4, 3-0-1, 3
3 Boston U., 388, 2, 0-1-0,3
4 U. of Michigan, 386, 5, 1-1-0, 3
5 U. of Denver, 378, 3, 2-2-0, 3
6 Cornell U., 319, 6, 0-0-0, 3
7 U. of Vermont, 295 (1), 11, 2-1-0, 3
8 Princeton U., 245, 9, 0-0-0, 3
9 Yale U., 226, 10, 0-0-0, 3
10 U. of Notre Dame, 221, 7, 2-2-0, 3
11 U. of Minnesota, 139, 8, 0-1-1, 3
12 U. of Massachusetts Lowell, 126, 13, 1-1-0, 3
13 U. of Nebraska Omaha, 113, 15, 3-0-1, 2
14 U. of Minnesota Duluth, 59, NR, 3-1-0, 1
15 Boston College, 42, 12, 0-1-0, 3

Others receiving votes: University of Alaska, 39; Bemidji State University, 30; University of Massachusetts, 28; Colorado College, 24; University of Wisconsin, 18; Quinnipiac University, 15; St. Cloud State University, 6; Northeastern University, 4; U.S. Air Force Academy, 3; University of Alabama Huntsville, 1; University of New Hampshire, 1.

ABOUT THE POLL: The 15th annual USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men’s College Hockey Poll is conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the six NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey Magazine, the most widely distributed hockey magazine in the world.

Sharks-Islanders notes

2009-10-19T07:01:00.000-07:00

San Jose's rollercoaster start to 2009-10 continued with a 4-1 win over the New York Islanders Saturday night at Nassau Coliseum. The Sharks followed a lethargic 2nd period against Washington on Thursday with hustle and intensity to finish out a 4-1 loss to the Capitals. On Saturday night the heavy legs and disjointed passes started in the 1st period.

The Islanders carried a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes based on a power play tally from left wing Matt Moulson. San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan dressed 11 forwards and 7 defenseman for the game, juggling lines on the fly based on performance. The top power play unit from last season, Marleau-Thornton-Setoguchi, was reunited and it paid quick dividends. Thornton drove the center of the ice and drew the attention of 3 Islanders. A quick pass on the tape of Marleau resulted in a hard backhand high over the glove of Biron. It was Marleau's team leading 6th goal of the season.

The Sharks were working effectively behind the Islanders net, a Malhotra setup for Ortmeyer was smothered down low by Biron. On a subsequent shift, Joe Thornton pressured defenseman Radek Martinek into a turnover that resulted in a 1-man pileup along the end boards. Alone with the puck, Thornton found Ryan Vesce driving the front of the net. Vesce took a hard pass from Thornton, dodged a stick check from fantasy hockey standout Mark Streit and fought off a check from Kyle Okposo to bury a shot farside.

Thornton (PP) and Setoguchi added goals in the 3rd period to complete the 4-1 margin of victory. Winger Ryane Clowe registered his first point of the season with an assist on Setoguchi's tally. Evgeni Nabokov turned in his sharpest performance this season with 31 saves on 32 shots against. Video highlights of the game are available via youtube here.

- "When we dressed 7 d-men, we knew we were going play 3 and a half lines and guys were going to move around all over the place," head coach Todd McLellan said after the game.

With many members of the media wondering what McLellan said to the team inbetween the 1st and the 2nd, he was not sure which words were motivational. "I wish I knew what I said. Whatever it was, we were about as flat as flat can be. We have had those periods as a team where we were flat, we don't execute. Inbetween periods we talked about a few things, puck movement, short passes not long ones, maybe that helped us."

- Nabokov's 253rd career win, all of them coming with the San Jose Sharks, came in his 500th NHL game.

- NY Newsday Islanders blogger Katie Strang noted the very strong first period for the Islanders, "Very strong first period for the Islanders, who outshot the Sharks 19-8. They did a tremendous job of generating scoring chances (especially the Moulson-Tavares-Okposo line) and limited chances in their own end." Strang also pointed out that 2009 first overall draft pick John Tavares responded to a check on Brendan Witt by cross-checking Setoguchi to pick up his first NHL penalty.

- The Islanders Point Blank blog, run by former NYI media relations VP Chris Botta, published a pair of posts after the 4-1 loss to San Jose. Kevin Schultz offered pluses and minuses on the winless Isles 6 games into the season. "Announced attendance was 11,287. Kinda upsetting for a Saturday night against one of the league’s best. Then again, the Yankees are in the playoffs and the Islanders are winless." Also posted was a NYI-Sharks preview.

[Update] Sharks beat winless Islanders, 4-1 - NY Post.

The loudest cheer at the sparsely filled Nassau Coliseum last night came when the scoreboard showed Derek Jeter's home run against the Angels. And at the end of the latest Islanders' loss, a 4-1 defeat to the Sharks, what was left of the crowd booed. That's what happens when a team doesn't win through its first six games, which is how the Isles have started this season.

[Update2] Wang and Murray to meet on Lighthouse project - Newsday.

Darryl Hunt: Desjardins, WorSharks Drown River Rats 5-3

2009-10-18T16:41:00.000-07:00

The Worcester Sharks used their young legs to their full advantage as they played their second game in 20 hours Sunday afternoon at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, and that youthful exuberance helped them along to a 5-3 victory over the Albany River Rats in front of 2,012 snow dodging fans.

With the memories of Saturday night’s loss to Lowell still fresh in everyone’s minds, the WorSharks came out on all cylinders and took it to an Albany squad that played on the road Saturday night in Adirondack, New York. Their effort would pay off when Jamie McGinn flipped a shot on goal that River Rats netminder Mike Murphy easily saved but couldn’t control the rebound. Andrew Desjardins gathered the loose puck and fired it into the far side of the net for the 1-0 lead at 11:51. Rookie John McCarthy would have the second assist on the play.

At 15:08 it was McGinn’s turn, as he deflected Desjardins' blast past Murphy to make it 2-0. McCarthy would also assist on that goal.

Albany would get on the board at 16:02 after Pat Dwyer picked Nick Petrecki’s pocket and skated in alone on WorSharks goaltender Alex Stalock. Stalock held his ground, but Dwyer would fire a laser into the top corner to make it 2-1.

Worcester would get their two goal lead back just 34 seconds into the second period after Steven Zalewski stole the puck away from the Albany defense behind the River Rats net and fed a wide open T.J. Trevelyan in the slot to make it 3-1.

Logan Couture would make it 4-1 at 2:10 of the second on an incredible goal. With the WorSharks swarming the net the puck would bounce off to the right of the Albany net. With a defender hooking and hauling him down, Couture reached out and flipped the puck over Murphy and into the River Rats net.

Albany would get it to 4-2 at 3:29 of the period with another goal by Dwyer. With the puck bouncing around in front of the Worcester net, Petrecki would collect it but accidentally put it right on the tape of Dwyer’s stick, and Stalock didn’t stand a chance.

The score would remain 4-2 through the rest of the second period and for most of the third, until Jamie McBain fired a slapshot through traffic that found an open corner as Albany skated with an extra attacker at 18:49 of the third.

The River Rats would keep pressuring but the WorSharks wouldn’t budge, and the game was finally iced with 1.2 seconds left when Desjardins connected on an unassisted empty netter from just inside the Albany zone.

GAME NOTES
With Derek Joslin and Jamie McGinn being returned to Worcester, the WorSharks healthy scratches were Kevin Henderson, Louis Liotti, and Dean Strong. Both Dan DaSilva and Mike Moore are injured, but each is expected to play next weekend. Tyson Sexsmith was Worcester back-up goaltender.

Fans were holding their breath early in the first period when linesman Bob Bernard took a deflected clearing attempt to the face at the Albany blue line. Bernard was stunned for a few moments, but was up on his feet before the Worcester training staff could get to him. Luckily Bernard was no worse for wear and continued the game after a warm hand by the Worcester faithful in attendance.

Because the WorSharks game was being played opposite the start of the New England Patriots game and with the snow falling fairly heavily the crowd was, shall we say, intimate. The smaller crowd allowed for many of the game noises to be heard clearly, and one of those noises was Stalock quarterbacking the penalty kill. His communicating with his defense was something that hasn’t happened here with the WorSharks previously and it definitely lead to a more solid penalty kill.

The game featured one fight, or perhaps more correctly, one occurrence where two players were given fighting majors. Right after Couture’s goal at 2:10 Albany’s Brad Herauf challenged Worcester’s Dennis McCauley at center ice. It was an odd challenge because right from the start it was obvious Herauf (5’11” 195#) really didn’t want any part of McCauley (6’3” 225#). Once McCauley was able to get his hands on his opponent Harauf immediately went to the ice where the linesmen jumped in.

San Jose Sharks development coach Mike Ricci was behind the bench with head coach Roy Sommer and assistant coach David Cunniff.

The three stars of the game were:
1. Andrew Desjardins (2g,a)
2. Pat Dwyer (2g)
3. Jamie McGinn (g,a)

The Sharkspage player of the game was John McCarthy

Even Strength lines
Mashinter/Zalewski/Trevelyan
McLaren/Couture/Helminen
McCarthy/Desjardins/McGinn
McCauley/Quick/Jones

Groulx/Joslin
Callahan/Petrecki
Wilson/Loprieno

Penalty kill lines
Zalewski/Trevelyan
Couture/McLaren
Desjardins/McCarthy
Helminen/McGinn

Groulx(Wilson)/Joslin
Callahan/Petrecki

Power play lines
Mashinter/Zalewski/Trevelyan
McLaren/Couture/Helminen

Joslin/Groulx
Wilson/Callahan

Faceoffs (offense/neutral/defense = total) UNOFFICIAL
Even strength
Desjardins 0-2/5-3/2-2 = 7-7
Couture 1-5/1-1/2-0 = 4-6
Zalewski 2-1/4-2/2-0 = 8-3
Quick 2-0/2-0/1-0 = 5-0

Penalty kill
Zalewski 0-0/0-0/1-1 = 1-1
Couture 0-0/0-1/0-1 = 0-2
Desjardins 0-0/0-1/1-0 = 1-1

Powerplay
Zalewski 1-0/0-0/0-0

BOXSCORE

Albany 1 1 1 - 3
Worcester 2 2 1 - 5

1st Period-1, Worcester, Desjardins 2 (McGinn, McCarthy), 11:51. 2, Worcester, McGinn 2 (McCarthy, Desjardins), 15:08. 3, Albany, Dwyer 2 16:02. Penalties-Callahan Wor (cross-checking), 4:38.

2nd Period-4, Worcester, Trevelyan 2 (Zalewski), 0:34. 5, Worcester, Couture 3 (McLaren, Groulx), 2:10. 6, Albany, Dwyer 3 (Bowman), 3:29. Penalties-Herauf Alb (fighting), 2:12; McCauley Wor (fighting), 2:12; Bowman Alb (slashing), 3:34; Loprieno Wor (holding), 6:55.

3rd Period-7, Albany, McBain 1 (Samson, Sutter), 18:49. 8, Worcester, Desjardins 3 19:58 (en). Penalties-Groulx Wor (hooking), 1:30.

Shots on Goal
Albany 8-6-11-25
Worcester 11-12-9-32.

Power Play Opportunities
Albany 0 of 3
Worcester 0 of 1.

Goalies
Albany, Murphy 1-1-0 (31 shots-27 saves)
Worcester, Stalock 2-0-1 (25 shots-22 saves).

A-2,012. Referee-Chris Brown (86). Linesmen-Chris Aughe (74), Bob Bernard (4).

Darryl Hunt: WorSharks Stumble In 7-5 Loss

2009-10-18T05:38:00.000-07:00

With a roster that contains 14 rookies everyone knows there will be some bumps in the road over an 80 game season. The Worcester Sharks hit one of those bumps hard Saturday night in a 7-5 loss to the Lowell Devils at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts in front of 5,429 disappointed fans.

For the first time in this young season the WorSharks would find themselves behind after the games first goal as Lowell's Michael Swift would bang home a shot from near the right post and past Worcester rookie netminder Tyson Sexsmith for the 1-0 Devils lead at 2:52. Lowell would have several great chances to grab a second goal, but some key saves by Sexsmith kept the WorSharks within one.

Worcester would get the equalizer half way through the first stanza when Steven Zalewski and Logan Couture would combine to keep the puck in the Lowell zone. Zalewski would collect the puck and skate down the left side, finding defenseman Michael Wilson alone in the slot. Wilson's blast beat Devils netminder Gerald Coleman to draw the WorSharks even at 1-1.

Lowell would have the next two tallies when Matt Taormina would blast a laser off the right post and in for a power play goal that Sexsmith had a clean look at and would probably like another chance at saving, and a Tim Sestito flip in all alone in front of Sexsmith as the Worcester defense got caught out of position.

Rookie defenseman Joe Loprieno showed a little frustration by leveling Sestito well after the puck was in the net, and then had to deal with Lowell's Brad Mills who jumped in to defend his downed line mate. Loprieno handled himself pretty well in his first pro fight, and Worcester seemed to feed off the effort.

Worcester would have a full two minute five on three power play when referee Gina Binda called Jay Leach for an elbow while Worcester was already swarming the zone on a delayed hooking minor to Vladimir Zharkov, and the WorSharks would pull within one at 3-2 when T.J. Trevelyan collected a rebound of a Joe Callahan blueline blast at 18:31.

But again, the next two goals early in the second period would belong to Lowell. In a near mirror image of his first goal Sestito would find himself all alone again in front of Sexsmith at 1:19, and former San Jose Sharks defenseman Rob Davison would rip a blast from the blueline that deflected off a WorSharks defender at 2:36 to make it 5-2.

But Worcester's young squad wouldn't stop fighting, and late in the period with the WorSharks fourth line carrying the play Dean Strong threw a blind pass into the slot where Dennis McCauley was standing all by himself. McCauley one-timed a blast to make it 5-3 at 17:34.

Worcester carried their aggressive play into the third period, and had a great chance to get within one when Andrew Desjardins broke in alone on Coleman and fired the puck at the high corner. Coleman may have got a piece just of it as the puck hit the crossbar and bounded away.

Despite Lowell head coach John MacLean calling his timeout to focus his squad the WorSharks continued to carry the play, and their hard work would finally pay off at 7:54 when Couture grabbed the rebound of a Nick Petrecki blast and skated it around Coleman for the backhand goal to make it 5-4.

Lowell would get a back breaking goal on Sestoto's third of the game when he pushed a lazy wrister along the ice from just inside the blue line that Sexsmith totally misplayed as the puck went five hole on him to bring the deficit to 6-4.

With just under two minutes remaining WorSharks head coach Roy Sommer would pull his goaltender for an extra attacker, and it paid off with Worcester fifth goal of the contest at 19:05 when Couture found Zalewski all alone in front. Zalewski fired it through traffic to light the lamp, but Sestito's fourth of the game into an empty net eliminated any chance of a miracle comeback.

GAME NOTES
Corey Quirk was Worcester's only healthy scratch. Dan DaSilva and Mike Moore are both banged up, but neither injury is considered serious. Had it been the playoffs, both DaSilva and Moore would likely have been available, and there is a possibility Moore will return to action Sunday afternoon. Ryan Vesce and Derek Joslin were both recalled in the past week, and defenseman Will Colbert had his PTO converted to an AHL contract and was assigned to Kalamazoo(ECHL). Alex Stalock was the back-up goaltender for Worcester.

The DCU Center underwent some renovations during the summer, with the ice making facilities, boards, and glass all being replaced. The new boards and seamless glass are a lot more lively than what was in place last season, and versus what Worcester had been practicing on, so it took some time before the team seemed to get a good idea where--and how fast--the puck was going to react off of the new boards.

A funny note about the opening ceremonies...with both teams standing at their blue-lines, the Worcester Sharks extended a red ribbon--with a bow on it, no less--along center ice that several VIPs were to cut with a skate to officially open the new ice surface. Only the skate broke while they tried to cut the ribbon. Kevin Morley, the Lowell Devils trainer, came to the rescue and slid a pair of scissors along the ice to the group, which they used to cut the ribbon.

It will come as no surprise that the first big hit against the boards was thrown by Nick Petrecki as he blasted Stephen Gionta into the half-boards to the left of Sexsmith early into period number one. Michael Wilson will remember his first shift on the new ice as he tripped over the doorway and ended up splayed over the ice with his stick sliding away from him.

In addition to the Loprieno/Mills contest there were two other bouts, with Lowell's Nathan Perkovich using his long reach to keep Brandon Mashinter an arm's length away in a second period fight that saw very few punches landed; and Worcester's Dennis McCauley taking on former SJShark Rob Davison in an entertaining match that featured some great shots, with McCauley getting the edge.

San Jose Sharks' scout Bryan Marchment was behind the bench with Sommer and assistant coach David Cunniff.

The three stars of the game were:
1. Tim Sestito (g)
2. Logan Couture (g,3a)
3. Patrick Davis (3a)

The Sharkspage player of the game was Dennis McCauley.

Even strength lines
Mashinter/Helminen/Trevelyan
McLaren/Couture/Zalewski
McCarthy/Desjardins/Henderson
Jones/Strong/McCauley

Groulx/Callahan
Petrecki/Liotti
Wilson/Loprieno

Penalty kill lines
Couture/McLaren(Zalewski)(Strong)
Helminen/Trevelyan
McCarthy/Desjardins

Petrecki/Wilson
Callahan/Loprieno

Power play lines
Mashinter/Helminen/Trevelyan
McLaren/Couture/Zalewski

Petrecki/Groulx
Wilson/Callahan

BOXSCORE

Lowell 3 2 2 - 7
Worcester 2 1 2 - 5

1st Period-1, Lowell, Swift 1 (Davison, Gionta), 2:52. 2, Worcester, Wilson 1 (Couture, Zalewski), 10:14. 3, Lowell, Taormina 3 (Zharkov, Corrente), 12:42 (pp). 4, Lowell, Sestito 3 (Mills, Davis), 13:32. 5, Worcester, Trevelyan 1 (Callahan, Couture), 18:31 (pp). Penalties-Groulx Wor (interference), 3:40; Davis Low (slashing), 8:09; Callahan Wor (high-sticking), 11:42; Davison Low (fighting), 13:18; McCauley Wor (fighting), 13:18; Mills Low (fighting), 13:32; Loprieno Wor (fighting), 13:32; Zharkov Low (hooking), 14:13; Trevelyan Wor (interference), 15:43; Leach Low (elbowing), 17:49; Zharkov Low (hooking), 17:49.

2nd Period-6, Lowell, Sestito 4 (Palmieri, Davis), 1:19. 7, Lowell, Davison 1 (Zharkov, Swift), 2:36. 8, Worcester, McCauley 1 (Strong, Wilson), 17:34. Penalties-Perkovich Low (fighting), 4:19; Mashinter Wor (fighting), 4:19; Palmieri Low (hooking), 11:40; Walter Low (boarding), 17:54.

3rd Period-9, Worcester, Couture 2 (McLaren, Petrecki), 7:54. 10, Lowell, Sestito 5 (Davis, Leach), 10:51. 11, Worcester, Zalewski 2 (Mashinter, Couture), 19:05. 12, Lowell, Sestito 6 (Perkovich), 19:37 (en). Penalties-Nagy Low (roughing), 9:49; Jones Wor (roughing), 9:49.

Shots on Goal
Lowell 8-12-8-28
Worcester 8-13-22-43.

Power Play Opportunities
Lowell 1 of 3
Worcester 1 of 6.

Goalies
Lowell, Coleman 1-2-0 (43 shots-38 saves)
Worcester, Sexsmith 1-1-0 (27 shots-21 saves).

A-5,429. Referee-Geno Binda (22). Linesmen-John Costello (24), Brian MacDonald (72).

Questions remain after Sharks 4-1 loss to the Washington Capitals

2009-10-16T08:36:00.000-07:00

The San Jose Sharks continued a disjointed start to the season with a 4-1 loss at Washington on Thursday night. Matched up against one of the top offensive lines in the league, the Sharks gave up 5 power plays in the first round including a 56 second 5-on-3. Alexander Semin converted a backdoor pass on the 2-man advantage as the Caps outshot San Jose 17-13 in the first period.

Rookie Benn Ferriero tied the game at 1-1, after a rush by Scott Nichol and Jed Ortmeyer created open space in the slot. A trailing Ferriero buried his second goal of the season at 14:07, assisted by Nichol and Huskins. After a penalty filled first 20 minutes, the Sharks turned in one of their most lethargic periods of the season. "We played slow. They were quicker. We were forced to take penalties and then when we did have the puck, we couldn't put two passes together and that made us even slower," head coach Todd McLellan said. "We're nowhere near what we’re capable of."

Evgeni Nabokov stoned Alexander Ovechkin with a glove save on the power play at the end of the 1st, Ovechkin circled around the goal crease and made a few comments before play resumed. At the start of the second Ovechkin broke through with a pair of goals on defensive lapses. Defenseman Kent Huskins and Marc-Edouard Vlasic both moved over to the right side to cover Mike Knuble, but Ovechkin was left alone on the doorstep. A quick backhand saucer feed by Knuble was expertly deflected over Nabokov by Ovechkin for his 6th goal of the season. 28 seconds later, the Capitals broke in on a 3-on-2. A slapshot by Knuble created a rebound opportunity on an open net for Ovechkin, and he punched it home. Former Shark Matt Bradley would finish the scoring in the 3rd period to complete a 4-1 win for Washington, avenging a 7-4 blowout loss last season at HP Pavilion in San Jose.

Despite a talent laden lineup predicted to finish at or near the top of the Western Conference, the Sharks have alternated between solid and forgettable performances at this early stage of the season. Injuries to second and third line centers Joe Pavelski and Torrey Mitchell have resulted in several on the fly line combinations, and a busy Worcester shuttle has been used by coach Todd McLellan to see what contributions can be made from AHL regulars.

Flickr photo gallery above courtesy of friends of the blog offwingphoto.com.

[Update] Caps 4, Sharks 1 - Tarik El-Bashir Capitals Insider.

*When asked what he told Evgeni Nabokov after the goalie made a first-period glove save on him, Alex Ovechkin said, "It's a secret. We're good friends and I was joking [with him] all night." After the game, Ovechkin, Nabokov and Alexander Semin spent about 10 minutes between the teams' dressing rooms chatting in Russian and exchanging phone numbers.

*Ovechkin's two goals 28 seconds apart in the second period were the fastest back-to-back goals of his career. The Caps are also 24-0-2 in Ovechkin's last 26 multiple-goal games.

Full news roundup from Tarik here.

[Update2] Recap: Caps 4, Sharks 1 - Japers Rink.

Sharks ratings outpace Oakland A's at start of season, Charter Communications and Direct TV still an issue

2009-10-15T22:03:00.000-07:00

SHARKS AVERAGED 1.6 RATING FIRST 2 GAMES OF SEASON, UP 133%

In an article on the decline of RSN ratings at the end of the MLB regular season, Sports Business Journal writer John Ourand noted that the Sharks earned a 1.4 rating (36,000 homes) over the first 2 games on CSN California. Up 133% over the same period last year, the number was also significantly greater than 0.82 rating (20,000) the Oakland Athletics finished with on the same channel. Both teams were previously broadcast on CSN Bay Area.

A number of factors contributed to the crossover appeal for the San Jose Sharks in Northern California last year. The Sharks flirted with the record books surpassing the 1929-30 Boston Bruins for most points after 30 games with 52 (25-3-2). While the Raiders, 49ers, A's, Giants, Warriors and Earthquakes struggled like a collective boat anchor, the Sharks were a Stanley Cup favorite steamrolling the best teams the Eastern and Western Conferences had to offer. Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area added professionally produced pre and post-game shows to many Sharks broadcasts, and launched a pair of programs covering local sports in the Sportsnet Central highlight show and Chronicle Live sportstalk program.

There were questions about whether another early postseason exit could affect ticket sales or television viewership. The Sharks retained 92.5% of season ticket holders according to President/CEO Greg Jamison, 7.5% above the 85% NHL average. Heavy traffic during training camp and preseason, combined with a media spotlight on new left wing Dany Heatley and solid opening television ratings are early indications that interest has not waned.

There are a few remaining problems with the switch to CSN California and the ongoing DirectTV/Versus impass. Charter Communications still has not added CSN California, the local cable home of the San Jose Sharks. With coverage areas in the north around Lake Tahoe and in the south around Gilroy and Watsonville, access to Sharks games on cable for those fans is limited. According to KLIV 1590AM, the decision not to add CSN-CA affects "12,000 cable subscribers in Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Hollister and areas further south". The Hollister Freelance puts that figure at 26,000, also including Watsonville and Capitola.

"Comcast created this new station for themselves and they decided to move those games to that station... It is a contractual issue." Charter's government affairs manager Christy Balzer told the Hollister Freelance (despite CSN-CA being created in 2004). "They are aware that there is a loud voice coming out of Gilroy... rest assured that the corporate office is aware that customers in that area are not happy."

Marc Emmons of the San Jose Mercury News followed up with Charter executives in September. He reported that a bankruptcy filing complicated negotiations with Comcast. According to a report in the LA Times, Charter Communications could emerge from bankruptcy with a court approved debt restructuring in the next few weeks. Sharkspage has an email in to Charter on how that restructuring will impact negotiations with Comcast.

The Sharks opened the 2009-10 season in Colorado with the first of 4 exclusive nationally broadcast games on Versus. Unfortunately, that shed light on local problems with the DirectTV-Versus standoff. While 18 million DTV subscribers are pulled into a public corporate debate over rate hikes and programming tiers, fans trying to watch the season opener at local sports bars in the South Bay and in San Francisco were unsuccessful.

SF Weekly contacted over a dozen bars to watch the opening of the new UFL football league or the Sharks season opener on Versus. Each bar subscribed to Direct TV. A subsequent email from a DISH network spokesperson pointed to the California Pizza Kitchen on Van Ness, the Cheesecake Factory on Geary, and Kezar Pub on Stanyan as establishments where Versus was available.

Mercury News beat writer David Pollak was also contacted by a DISH network spokesman. Billy Berk's, California Pizza Kitchen, the Cheesecake Factory, Crawdaddy, Extreme Pizza and certain Round Table Pizza locations all received Versus. "The channel is currently free for every subscriber through November," the DISH network also mentioned.

The Sharks season opener on Versus aside, this is going to have a significant impact on the NHL's cable broadcast partner in one of the largest media markets in the U.S the longer this impass continues. Fans in the Bay Area can not watch hockey games on Versus in most bars and restaurants. Chris Kuc of the Chicago Times notes that Gary Bettman is attempting to mediate an agreement, but there is a perceived lack of urgency as many feel the league and the commissioner are trying to negotiate from the sidelines.

Fans want a deal done.

[Update] There is an update on last week's issue of The Hockey News featuring a cover article on the San Jose Sharks and Dany Heatley, and several comments about issues raised this offseason by the Ottawa media:

In an excellent Sharks preview article that touched on a few of the alleged offseason "issues" surrounding left wing Dany Heatley, THN writer Adam Proteau reported that Heatley's no-trade clause was no longer in effect in San Jose.

Proteau clarified in an email to Sharkspage that Heatley's limited NTC from Ottawa still applies in San Jose. He can submit a list of 10 teams he would accept a deal to at the start of every season, but the Sharks are still "bound by his original contract stipulations".

Another issue that was floated by the Ottawa media was that Heatley had problems with 3 past coaches. In succient terms, he was labeled as a 'coach killer'. While he did not speak with the Canadian media until the Canadian Olympic camp, Heatley did push back in an interview with David Pollak of the SJ Mercury News. "I'd like to get this out of the way, too. I've gotten along with almost every coach I've played for," Heatley told Pollak. "That's the thing with, and I'll use the term 'reporters' a lot of them just read somebody else's article and that's the gospel and that's how it is."

The report mentioned above was linked to by this blog for readers to judge for themselves. Subsequent comments and leaks to the Ottawa media and glaring errors in reporting on the situation in San Jose have cast some of the reporting in a questionable light. Many have tried to put pressure squarely on the Sharks and Heatley after making this trade, but in a small way the reputation of the Ottawa media and the Ottawa Senators will also hinge on his success or failure in San Jose.

Another criticism was an alleged lack of cooperation with the media. Some in Canada may say it is expected, but it deserves to be mentioned that in San Jose Dany Heatley has answered every question from the media and has been enthusiastic when doing so. Fans in San Jose for the most part have tossed all of these alleged offseason "issues" out the door almost immediately. Heatley will have a new set of questions to answer in the Bay Area. Can he score big goals in the playoffs, how will he respond to the inevitable physical challenges from Western Conference opponents, and will he follow Patrick Marleau and lead by example on the ice.

5 games into the season, the early answers Sharks fans are getting are promising.

[Update2] The ratings game - Sports Media Watch.