Worcester Ends Wolf Pack's Win Streak, 4-2

Tom Cavanagh scored twice as the Worcester Sharks rallied from a pair of one-goal deficits for a 4-2 victory over the Hartford Wolf Pack Friday night at the XL Center in a game that deteriorated into a street brawl in the final minutes.

With 3:08 left, Sharks coach Roy Sommer got into a shouting match with Wolf Pack assistants Pat Boller and J.J. Daigneault. Then after the final horn sounded, the Wolf Pack’s Justin Soryal and Brodie Dupont fought Brett Westgarth and Frazer McLaren.

Lauri Korpikoski, assigned to the Wolf Pack by the Rangers on Wednesday, made his presence felt on his first shift as he rushed into the Sharks zone and dropped a pass to P.A. Parenteau, whose snap shot from the right circle beat Thomas Greiss (20 saves) to the glove side at 1:10.

The Wolf Pack (4-4-0-1), who had a three-game winning streak halted, killed three consecutive Sharks power plays and nearly took a 2-0 lead on their first man advantage before Greiss slid across to rob Korpikoski. But moments later, Cavanagh blocked Greg Moore’s shot at the blueline, outraced the Wolf Pack forward down the ice and put a backhander past Miika Wiikman (38 saves) to tie it with 3:08 left in the period. It was the first shorthanded goal allowed by the Wolf Pack this season.

The Wolf Pack regained the lead at 4:24 of the second period as Potter cleared a pass to the far blueline to Dane Byers for a 2-on-1 with Parenteau, who broke in alone to score his team-high fifth goal.

After the Wolf Pack’s Tommy Pyatt hit the post at 7:58, the Sharks scored two quick carom goals to take their first lead while amassing a 13-3 shot advantage in the period. First, Kyle McLaren, who has played 719 NHL games, shot wide, but Riley Armstrong picked up the puck behind the net and banked in a shot off Wiikman at 13:36. Then 44 seconds later, Cavanagh passed to the blueline to Derek Joslin, whose shot deflected in off Wolf Pack defenseman Chris Murray.

Greiss kept the Sharks in front with brilliant stops on Moore and Dale Weise early in the third period. Then with 10:07 left, the Sharks got a 5-on-3 for two minutes and a potential 5-minute power play when Wolf Pack defenseman Vladimir Denisov was given a minor, major, misconduct and game misconduct for pummeling former Wolf Pack center Corey Larose, who had elbowed Bobby Sanguinetti to the head.

Cavanagh stuffed his second goal past Wiikman at 11:46 for a 4-2 lead, then Wiikman stopped Steven Zalewski’s breakaway during a 4-on-4 with 5:24 left before the game turned ugly.