Couture and His Sharks Take Second Consecutive OT Win

Logan Couture’s overtime goal tallied another win for Worcester and Alex Stalock made 18 saves in net for his first professional shutout in front of 3,222 at the DCU Center on Saturday night.

The Sharks set the tone of the game early, coming out aggressive and attacking with high energy. About seven minutes into the first period, Sharks defenseman Joe Loprieno took charge behind Stalock and made a block that could’ve proved costly for Worcester.

With a season-high 17 shots on goal by Worcester and six shots by Springfield, the first period proved to be a contest of the goalies. Worcester’s Alex Stalock and Springfield’s Devan Dubnyk held the score at 0-0 at the end of the first period.

The second period remained a deadlock. Despite many calculated passes and shots by Worcester, none made it past the Falcons’ Dubnyk. Worcester held Springfield to a mere four shots on goal in the period, thanks largely to the veteran defensive leadership of Danny Groulx, Joe Callahan and Derek Joslin

Though tempers started to flare and several shoving matches ensued, there were no major penalties recorded by either team. The score remained 0-0 through the end of the second.

In the final period, both teams kicked it into high gear. Halfway through, Worcester’s Brandon Mashinter did his best to stir up his teammates' energy by taking off the gloves and attempting a fight that was promptly broken up.

Minutes later, a goal by Springfield was quickly recalled when referees realized it was kicked in, keeping the score at 0-0. Worcester surpassed their season-high 43 shots on goal with 44 in Saturday's regulation play.

After a turbulent overtime battle, Worcester’s rookie superstar Logan Couture scored at 3:49 to grab the win, 1-0. It marked Couture’s third game-winning goal of the season.

Worcester improved their record to 5-1-0-1.

NOTES: Three stars: (3) Alex Stalock for Worcester with 18 saves, (2) Logan Couture with the overtime goal to win, (1) Devan Dubnyk for Springfield with 47 saves… Logan Couture extends his point streak to five games… Springfield went 0-for-1 on the power play…….Worcester went 0-for-2 on the power play……..Worcester out-shot Springfield 47 to 18...Alex Stalock made 18 saves for the Sharks and improved to 4-0...Devan Dubnyk made 47 saves for the Falcons…The Sharks have won their last three games….The Sharks went 4-0 against the Falcons in overtime last season.

The Sharks will travel to Hartford to battle the Wolf Pack on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 3:00 p.m.

Be sure to swing by the Sharks vs. the Bridgeport Sound Tigers game on Friday, Oct. 30 at the DCU Center to participate in Pumpkins, Pucks, & Pizza! Kids 12 and under are encouraged wear their Halloween costumes to the game and join in Trick-or-Treating on the concourse as well as be part of an on-ice costume parade! By ordering a Family Four Pack of tickets for only $55, you will get a FREE Deep Dish Pizza from Uno’s Pizzeria (with the purchase of another entrée).

Entering their fourth season in Worcester, the Sharks look forward to another exciting season highlighted by the improvements of the ice surface at the DCU Center and the reduction of season ticket prices! Sharks fans may secure their 2009-10 season tickets by calling today! Some of the exclusive benefits for full season ticket holders will include:

• Guaranteed same seat for all 40 home dates and playoff home games at the DCU Center
• Significant savings off box office ticket prices
• Priority access to purchase tickets to DCU Center events (subject to availability)

Season ticket packages, group tickets, and individual tickets for the 2009-10 season are on sale now by contacting the Worcester Sharks Office at 508.929.0500 or by crashing the net at www.SharksAHL.com.

All games can be heard live on 580AM and 94.9FM WTAG, as well as online through AHL Live, by following the link on the Sharks website at www.SharksAHL.com .

The previous story was excerpted from a press release by the Worcester Sharks of the AHL and reprinted with permission by Todd Civin. Todd Civin is a freelance writer for Bleacher Report , Sports, Then and Now and Seamheads . He is a supporter of the childrens book A Glove of Their Own. A Glove of Their Own is the award winning book which teaches pay it forward through sports. Visit the site and purchase the book under today's donor code JNF636 The Joe Niekro Foundation . This non-profit will receive $3.30 from each sale of the book.