The road trip started off disastrously in Syracuse, as the 'Cats played the Crunch for the second time this season (fourth time ever) and dropped a rather embarrassing 5-0 loss. Mike Buzak was in net for Worcester, and was victimized by a struggling 'Cats defense combined with an unusually potent Syracuse offense. The Crunch, who are affiliated with the Vancouver Canucks in the NHL, were in fourth place in the Central division prior to the game, and are the only team that the IceCats have never beaten in their short history. The 'Cats will have another chance to beat the Crunch when Syracuse visits the Centrum again on March 3rd.
Thankfully, the IceCats bounced back after the Syracuse loss when they faced off against the Bruins in Providence on Friday. Worcester beat the Bruins for the second time ever in Providence, winning 3-2 in overtime. The 'Cats offense was on fire, setting a franchise record of "most shots taken in a game" when they pummeled the Bruin's goal with 58 shots. If not for the heroics of Providence goalie Rob Tallas, the score could easily have been 7 or 8 -2 in favor of the IceCats. Worcester center Alex Vasilevskii scored twice, netting the 'Cats first goal and deflecting a shot from defenseman Steve Staios past Tallas for the game-winner in overtime. Left wing Jarrett Deuling also scored to give the 'Cats a 2-1 lead in the third period, but the Bruins came back and scored late in the period to force the overtime. The win gave the IceCats a six-point lead over the Bruins in the AHL Northern division standings, maintaining Worcester's hold on second place behind the first place Springfield Falcons. The 'Cats overall record moved to 22-21-11, with their road record improving to 9-14-5.
The IceCats played again on the road on Sunday (unfortunately after this issue of Newspeak was layed-out) against Northern division rivals, the Portland Pirates. The next home game for the 'Cats is tonight (the 20th) at 7:05, when they face off against the Cape Breton Oilers, so if you're in the mood for a study break, stop on down at the Centrum! (remember: no classes on Wednesdays).
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