5-3 Loss at Worcester Saturday Ends Wolf Pack's Season

Dan DaSilva scored two goals, including the game-winner, and added an assist, to lead the Worcester Sharks to a 5-3 win over the Wolf Pack Saturday night at the DCU Center in Worcester. The win gave the Sharks four-games-to-two victory in the Atlantic Division Semifinal series and ended the Wolf Pack's season.

Dale Weise had a pair of goals for the Wolf Pack and Bobby Sanguinetti had two assists.

The Sharks took a 1-0 lead 3:53 into the game, as Andrew Desjardins pounced on the rebound of a Frazer McLaren shot at the left side of the slot and snapped a shot past the stick side of Wolf Pack goaltender Matt Zaba (30 saves).

The Wolf Pack answered that on a power play 2:38 later. Dane Byers, stationed in front of Worcester goaltender Thomas Greiss (25 saves), deflected in Sanguinetti's snapshot.

Worcester scored a pair of goals in a span of 2:12, though, starting at 12:17. Lukas Kaspar scored his second of the series at 12:17, as he threw the puck toward the front of the net from the left-wing boards and it hit a Wolf Pack defender and got past Zaba. Then at 14:29, Frazer McLaren took advantage of a failed Wolf Pack clearing attempt and fed a wide-open DaSilva at the left-wing side of the crease for a tap-in.

Weise cut Worcester's lead back to a goal at 5:53 of the second period, firing a low shot off right wing past the stick side of Greiss. The play was set up by a pass out of the Wolf Pack zone by Brodie Dupont, who took a hard hit along the right-wing boards to get the puck out.

DaSilva, however, got that goal back with his second of the game on a power play at 16:52. Again, DaSilva got himself wide-open at the left-wing side of the goalmouth, and Jason Demers found him with a perfect cross-slot feed out of the right-wing corner.

The Sharks widened the lead to 5-2 at 13:18 of the third period, as the Wolf Pack got a bad break. Logan Couture tried to center the puck from the right-wing side and the Wolf Pack's Devin DiDiomete, diving down to block the pass, inadvertently bowled Zaba over and knocked the puck past him.

Weise scored his second of the game with 1:17 left, beating Greiss through the legs with a shot from the right-wing circle, but the Wolf Pack could get no closer, despite some strong last-second pressure.

The Sharks now move on to the Atlantic Division Finals to take on the Providence Bruins, who ousted the Portland Pirates in five games in the other Atlantic Semifinal.