In their first game against the Pirates on March 16th (in Portland), the 'Cats were shut out for the sixth time this season 4-0. With no time to rest, the IceCats were back in action the next afternoon (their third game in as many days), facing off against the Rochester Americans. In this game the 'Cats, who looked tired from the start, fought their way to an emotional overtime after being down 3-1 after two periods. Unfortunately, Worcester was victimized by bad penalty calls in OT, and the Amercs' capitalized on a five on three situation to earn the extra point for the overtime win, 4-3.
On Wednesday (the 20th), the 'Cats faced off against the Pirates on Centrum ice, determined to make up for their 4-0 loss on the 16th. The IceCats even added some new faces to the roster in an effort to boost the teams depth. Forwards Harry York, Marc Tardif (no relation to Patrice), and Jim Bermingham (who played 10 games with the 'Cats last season after journeyman David Haas left the team) were all called up from their teams in the East Coast Hockey League. Unfortunately, Worcester had a "bad goalie day", with Mike Buzak getting the unexpected start because Jamie McLennan was seriously ill with a stomach virus. Buzak allowed 6 goals on only 19 shots, three of which should have been easy saves. The IceCats lost the game 6-3. After the game Buzak apologized for his performance and said that he felt bad for letting the team down.
"It's tough for the team when a player has a bad night, but it's worse if [the goalie] is off his game. After each goal you feel as if there's twenty sets of eyes on you, and you've let the guys down."
On a good note, Harry York played well, assisting on a goal by Terry Virtue in the second period and potting his own off a rebound from a Jason Strudwick shot in the third.
Things just kept getting worse for the IceCats, as they suffered another 4-0 shutout at the hands of the first place Springfield Falcons on Friday night (the 22nd) in Springfield. Goalie Jamie McLennan was thrown out of the game by referee Kevin Maguire for protesting the Falcon's fourth goal, which bounced in off of a Falcon who was, literally, in the IceCats net. The officials ruled that the Falcon was pushed into the net by an IceCat, and so the goal stood. Buzak stopped all 17 shots he faced in the remainder of the game, but the Worcester offense just couldn't come back.
A bright point in IceCats news: provided they make the playoffs (hopefully a given), the 'Cats post-season roster will boast the return of several players currently in the NHL, including goalie sensation Eric Fichaud and forwards Derek Armstrong and Jarrett Deuling.
The IceCats continue a mini roadtrip on Sunday (the 24th) against the Bears in Hershey, PA, followed by a game versus the Baltimore Bandits on Wednesday (the 27th). The 'Cats return home on Friday night (the 29th) to face off against the Cornwall Aces (affiliated with the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL) at 7:35 PM.
P.S. If any readers are interested in covering the IceCats for Newspeak next year (low-commitment, free games!) contact me at the Newspeak Office (in Riley), or e-mail me at marsella@wpi.edu.