Worcester IceCats
| Worcester IceCats | |
|---|---|
Worcester Centrum | |
| Colors | Teal, blue, silver |
| Affiliates | St. Louis Blues (NHL), Ottawa Senators (NHL), New York Islanders (NHL) |
| Franchise history | |
| 1932–1935 | Quebec Beavers |
| 1935–1951 | Springfield Indians |
| 1951–1954 | Syracuse Warriors |
| 1954–1967 | Springfield Indians |
| 1967–1974 | Springfield Kings |
| 1974–1994 | Springfield Indians |
| 1994–2005 | Worcester IceCats |
| 2005–2013 | Peoria Rivermen |
| 2013–2021 | Utica Comets |
| 2021–present | Abbotsford Canucks |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 1: (2000–01) |
| Division titles | 2: (1996–97, 2000–01) |
The Worcester IceCats were a professional
Worcester Centrum. In 2005 the team was renamed the Peoria Rivermen and moved to Peoria, Illinois
.
History
The IceCats got their start when original
East Coast Hockey League, in turn, became the IceCats' minor league affiliate in 1998, having been with St. Louis before the 1994 Worcester deal. During the 2000–01 season, Boe sold the IceCats to the St. Louis Blues
. The team celebrated its tenth season in the AHL in fall 2003.
On November 9, 2004, the St. Louis Blues announced the sale of the IceCats to the owners of their ECHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen. The new owners moved the franchise to Peoria, Illinois, for the 2005–06 season.[1]
- This franchise was previously known as: Springfield Indians (1926–1994)
- The franchise became known as: Peoria Rivermen (2005–2013)
- This franchise was replaced by: Worcester Sharks (2006–2015)
Affiliates
- New York Islanders (1995-1996)
- Ottawa Senators (1996–1998)
- St. Louis Blues (1995–2005)
Season-by-season results
Regular season
| Season | Games | Won | Lost | Tied | OTL | SOL | Points | Goals for |
Goals against |
Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994–95 | 80 | 24 | 45 | 11 | 0 | — | 59 | 234 | 300 | 6th, North |
| 1995–96 | 80 | 36 | 28 | 12 | 4 | — | 88 | 242 | 244 | 2nd, North |
| 1996–97 | 80 | 43 | 23 | 9 | 5 | — | 100 | 256 | 234 | 1st, New England |
| 1997–98 | 80 | 34 | 31 | 9 | 6 | — | 83 | 267 | 268 | 4th, New England |
| 1998–99 | 80 | 34 | 36 | 8 | 2 | — | 78 | 237 | 260 | 4th, New England |
| 1999–00 | 80 | 34 | 31 | 11 | 4 | — | 83 | 249 | 250 | 3rd, New England |
| 2000–01 | 80 | 48 | 20 | 9 | 3 | — | 108 | 264 | 205 | 1st, New England |
| 2001–02 | 80 | 39 | 33 | 7 | 1 | — | 86 | 245 | 218 | 3rd, North |
| 2002–03 | 80 | 35 | 27 | 15 | 3 | — | 88 | 235 | 220 | 3rd, North |
| 2003–04 | 80 | 37 | 27 | 13 | 3 | — | 90 | 207 | 186 | 3rd, Atlantic |
| 2004–05 | 80 | 39 | 34 | 3 | 4 | — | 85 | 212 | 223 | 5th, Atlantic |
Playoffs
| Season | 1st round | 2nd round | 3rd round | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994–95 | Did not qualify | |||
| 1995–96 | L, 1–3, Portland | — | — | — |
| 1996–97 | L, 2–3, Providence | — | — | — |
| 1997–98 | W, 3–1, Springfield | L, 3–4, Hartford |
— | — |
| 1998–99 | L, 1–3, Providence | — | — | — |
| 1999–00 | W, 3–1, Portland | L, 1–4, Hartford |
— | — |
| 2000–01 | W, 3–1, Lowell |
L, 3–4, Providence | — | — |
| 2001–02† | L, 1–2, Manitoba† | — | — | — |
| 2002–03 | L, 0–3, Binghamton | — | — | — |
| 2003–04 | W, 4–2, Manchester | L, 0–4, Hartford |
— | — |
| 2004–05 | Did not qualify | |||
† Lost in preliminary round.
Team records
Single season
- Goals: 38 Eric Boguniecki and Justin Papineau (2001–2002)
- Assists: 46 Eric Boguniecki (2001–2002)
- Points: 84 Eric Boguniecki (2001–2002)
- Penalty minutes: 337 Sylvain Blouin (1999–2000)
- GAA: 2.13 Curtis Sanford (2003–2004)
- SV%: 0.929 Dwayne Roloson (2000–2001)
Career
- Career goals: 79 Marc Brown
- Career assists: 154 Terry Virtue
- Career points: 210 Terry Virtue
- Career penalty minutes: 1083 Terry Virtue
- Career goaltending wins: 65 Curtis Sanford
- Career shutouts: 10 Curtis Sanford
- Career games: 455 Terry Virtue
Franchise scoring leaders
These are the top ten point-scorers in IceCat's franchise history.
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points;
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts |
| Terry Virtue | D | 455 | 56 | 154 | 210 |
| Jame Pollock | D | 270 | 63 | 104 | 167 |
| Marc Brown | LW | 303 | 79 | 81 | 160 |
| Eric Boguniecki | C | 141 | 69 | 86 | 155 |
| Jeff Panzer | C | 210 | 62 | 84 | 146 |
| Justin Papineau | C | 162 | 66 | 77 | 143 |
Stephane Roy |
C | 208 | 61 | 78 | 139 |
| Daniel Corso | C | 187 | 54 | 85 | 139 |
| Marty Reasoner | C | 122 | 57 | 68 | 125 |
| Blake Evans | C | 253 | 52 | 73 | 125 |
Team captains
- Jim Nesich, 1994–1995
- Roy Mitchell, 1995–1996
- David Williams, 1996–1997
- Terry Virtue, 1997–1998
- Ricard Persson, 1997–1998
- Geoff Smith, 1998–1999
- Jason Widmer, 1998–2000
- Bryan Helmer, 1999–2000
- Ed Campbell, 2000–2002
- Eric Nickulas, 2002–2003
- Jeff Panzer, 2003–2004
- Mike Mottau, 2004–2005
Notable IceCats
- Eric Boguniecki
- Jim Campbell
- Rory Fitzpatrick
- Michal Handzuš
- Jochen Hecht
- Barret Jackman
- Andreas Johansson
- Brent Johnson
- Jamal Mayers
- Jay McClement
- Jamie McLennan
- Mike Mottau
- Ladislav Nagy
- Tyson Nash
- Justin Papineau
- Marty Reasoner
- Pascal Rheaume
- Dwayne Roloson
- Mark Rycroft
- Bryce Salvador
- Curtis Sanford
- Steve Staios
- Mike Van Ryn
- Dennis Wideman
References
- ^ "Blues Agree to Sell Worcester IceCats". OurSports Central. November 9, 2004. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
External links
Nickname(s): The City of the Seven Hills, The Heart of the Commonwealth, Wormtown, Woo-town, The Woo | ||
| Topics |  | |
| Education |
See also: Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts | |
| Government | ||
| History |
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| Museums | ||
| Sports teams | ||
