IceCats win two in a row at home, still struggle on the road

On Wednesday (the 24th), Worcester beat the Hershey Bears for the first time ever on Centrum ice, snapping a home game goal drought with a score of 3-1. More impressive still was the fact that the IceCats went up against the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers goalie sensation Dominic Roussel, who was in net for the Bears on a reconditioning stint. Freddie Knipscheer had a goal and an assist to lead the IceCats' attack, with Alex Vasilevskii and Andreas Johansson adding goals for the final victory. St. Louis Blues' goalie prospect Mike Buzak earned his third win between the pipes for Worcester, stopping 42 of 43 shots on goal, and was named the #1 star of the game for his outstanding effort.

Knipscheer's work in the Hershey game resulted in his long-expected call-up to the NHL affiliated Blues on Friday (the 26th), and his departure sure left an immediate mark on the IceCat's scoring strength. That same night, the 'Cats traveled down the Mass. Pike to face off against the Northern division leading Springfield Falcons, and were hammered with a 5-0 shutout. It was the third shutout against Worcester in their previous five games, and although they played a tough game, the 'Cats were simply over-powered by the Falcons. One of the reasons for this is the fact that the IceCats have been subjected to about 60 transactions this season between parent clubs St. Louis Blues and the New York Islanders. Recently this has left the Cats' roster seriously depleted of their top players, and the Springfield game was the first ever that the IceCats weren't able to dress 18 players for the game. Many of the younger players who haven't been getting as much ice time are now being called upon to play more seriously.

Fortunately for the 'Cats, several of these players responded on Saturday night (the 27th), and proved that they can win games - and big games at that! The Providence Bruins arrived in Worcester and were handed their third Centrum loss of the season with a score of 4-2. The game was especially important because the 'Cats, who trailed the Baby B's by one point in division standings before the game, jumped back into second place in the Northern Division (below Springfield). Rookie defenseman Jason Strudwick tallied his first point as an IceCat, and defenseman Ken Sutton potted his first goal, while Jarrett Deuling, Terry Virtue, and Craig Darby combined for the other Worcester scores. Mike Buzak was back in net for the 'Cats, earning his third straight victory while stopping 41 of 43 shots (including a beauty of a save on a penalty shot by Bruin sniper, Mitch Lamoureux).

The IceCats play next in Providence on Wednesday night (the 1st) before leaving on a four game road trip through the Maritimes. The 'Cats return to the Centrum on Friday, February 9th versus the Portland Pirates, followed by a game on Sunday the 11th against the Falcons. The Falcons game is also WPI night with the IceCats - so don't make plans! Tickets are only 5$ for WPI students, and it should be a great game against the most vicious IceCats rival in the league! For more information about tickets or the game, contact Chris Jachimowicz in the Student Activities Office.