1996 vs Saint John 3-2 win
The Worcester IceCats got three point nights from Scott Pellerin (2g,a) and Jamie Rivers (3a) as they defeated the Flames 3-2. Pellerin opened the scoring 56 seconds into the opening period when he fired a rebound of Rivers’ shot from about 18-feet past Saint Johns netminder Ian Gordon. Mike Maneluk would make it 2-0 with a power play goal at 17:19 as Pellerin and Rivers picked up their second points of the night. Marko Jantunen then cut the ‘Cats lead in half at 18:46. After a scoreless second period Pellerin made it 3-1 40 seconds into the third period on the power play from almost the exact spot he beat Gordon from in the first. Terry Virtue and Rivers assisted on the goal. Ladislav Kohn got Saint Johns second goal with an extra attacker at 19:35, but that would be all the scoring. Travis Scott had 28 saves in the win.
1998 at New Haven 5-2 loss
The Worcester IceCats were in the game for a short while, but Beast veteran goaltender Mike Fountain had the ‘Cats number and he made 33 saves to help lead his team to a 5-2 win over Worcester. Shane Willis gave New Haven the lead at 6:05 of the first period. Shayne Toporowski tied it early in the middle frame with an absolute blast from 45-feet that beat Fountain over the shoulder. But the tie didn’t last long as Scott Levins scored 38 seconds later to make it 2-1 Beast. Willis scored again at 13:42 for the two goal New Haven lead. Byron Ritchie made it 4-1 at 19:17 on the power play. Ricard Persson connected from the point at 13:44 of the third to get the ‘Cats within two, but Tommy Westlund’s empty netter ended any hopes of a comeback. Brent Johnson had 23 saves in the game.
1999 vs Providence 4-2 loss
(TICKER) Andre Savage scored a goal and set up two others as the Providence Bruins doubled up the Worcester IceCats, 4-2. Savage opened the scoring 4:48 into the first period with his 10th goal. He also assisted on Joel Prpic’s tally with three seconds left in the second and Antti Laaksonen’s shorthanded tally six minutes into the final period. Jeff Zehr scored the tie-breaking goal early in the third and John Grahame stopped 32 shots for Providence, which improved to 6-2-1 in the last nine games. Jamie Thompson and Derek Bekar delivered power-play goals for Worcester, which is 0-2-1 against the defending Calder Cup champions.
2002 at Hartford 1-0 loss
(ICECATS) This past Wednesday night, the IceCats were defeated by the Hartford Wolf Pack 1-0 in Hartford. The loss snapped a five game unbeaten streak for the ‘Cats. Defenseman Tom Koivisto made his IceCats Debut, recording three shots.
2004 vs Bridgeport 4-2 win
(ICECATS) The Worcester IceCats defeated the Bridgeport Sound Tigers 4-2 Saturday night at the DCU Center. It was just the second Worcester win in nine all-time meetings between the two clubs. Dennis Wideman and Jon DiSalvatore scored in the second period for the ‘Cats. Wideman swept a long rebound into a wide open net for his sixth goal exactly 10 minutes into the period. DiSalvatore then blocked a shot at his defensive blue line and raced ahead on a breakaway, snapping the puck past Dieter Kochan’s left arm at 17:51. The goal was DiSalvatore’s seventh, three of which have come unassisted. Worcester’s Mike Stuart made it 3-0 in the third before Justin Mapletoft finally got the Sound Tigers on the board. Johnny Pohl responded for the ‘Cats, converting on a Brendan Brooks steal for the eventual game-winner at 6:31. Former IceCat Justin Papineau put the Sound Tigers within two goals, but ‘Cats goalie Alfie Michaud withstood a 15-shot barrage in the third to hold on for his first win as an IceCat. Both Bridgeport goals came on the power play.
2009 at Providence 2-1 win
(WORSHARKS) Joe Callahan scored midway through the third period and Alex Stalock made 24 saves in net to lift the Sharks to a 2-1 victory at the Dunkin Donuts in Providence on Friday night. Dan DaSilva scored his 4th of the season in the first period and Dean Strong extended his point streak to three games (2-1-3) with an assist on the game winner as the Sharks won their 4th straight game. The Bruins struck first as Zach Hamill tallied his 2nd on the season on a jam-in-attempt at the post at 7:16. Alex Stalock argued with referee Chris Cozzan that the puck had been pushed in with a glove, but the goal stood. Dan DaSilva tied the score at 1-1 scoring his 4th of the season after he fired in a loose rebound in front of Dany Sabourin at 15:39 after an initial shot by John McCarthy from the left side. Worcester outshot the Bruins 17-6 in the first period. Neither team would find the back of the net in the 2nd period as Worcester outshot the Bruins 14-8. The Sharks and Bruins were tied at 1-1 after forty minutes of play. In the third period, Joe Callahan got a stick from on top of the Bruins crease on a centering feed from the left corner by Kevin Henderson to give Worcester a 2-1 lead at 8:16. The Sharks played sound defensive hockey the rest of the way to hold onto their 4th straight one goal victory. With the win, the Sharks record rises to 12-10-0-1 (25 points) on the season and currently has a four game winning streak.
2010 vs Charlotte 4-2 loss
(WORSHARKS) Joe Loprieno scored his first professional goal and Alex Stalock made 34 saves but Worcester got doubled up by the Checkers 4-2 at the DCU Center in Worcester on Saturday night. The Sharks had their three game winning streak snapped and will wrap up their 4-in-5 weekend with a 3pm battle with the first place Monarchs at the DCU Center tomorrow. Matt Irwin also scored for the Sharks and Worcester fell for the first time when leading after the first period (5-1-0-0) as the Checkers scored three unanswered goals. The Checkers grabbed a 1-0 lead at 5:02 after a tough angle shot by Chris Terry (9th) from the left wall was deflected off a Sharks defenseman and past Alex Stalock. Defenseman Joe Loprieno (1st) scored his first professional goal (58th game) playing forward as he poked a rebound past Justin Pogge at 11:38 after a shot from the point by Jay Leach to tie the score at 1-1. Matt Irwin (2nd) gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead after a terrific behind the back backhand pass by Brandon Mashinter to the left slot for Irwin. Matt fired a shot past the goaltender’s glove at 17:30. At the ensuing face-off, Jason Pitton (1st FM) and Nicolas Blanchard (7th FM) squared off at center ice for a rock’em sock’em brawl at 17:33. The Sharks led 2-1 after the first period outshooting the Checkers 15-13. Drayson Bowman (10th) tied the game at 2-2 at 10:17 of the 2nd period after the Sharks had two chances to clear the puck out of their zone. A centering feed from the right corner by Bowman was deflected off a sprawled Alex Stalock who was weary of a wide open Checker on top of the crease. The Checkers had several chances to take a lead but Stalock stood tall making several nice saves. The score was tied 2-2 after forty minutes with the Sharks holding a 29-21 shots advantage. The Checkers went ahead 3-2 on a 5-on-3 power play chance at 1:49. After Stalock made several great saves, Zach Boychuk (9th) buried home a loose rebound after Jerome Samson’ s shot was denied by Stalock. Worcester had a late power play and had several good chances to tie the score but Justin Pogge stood his ground and Jon Matsumoto (4th) scored an empty netter to seal the victory at 19:54. The Sharks record falls to 10-6-1-3 with 24 points through 20 games and 5-3-1-1 at the DCU Center.
2018 at Brampton 2-1 OT win
(RAILERS) Dylan Willick won the game at 3:39 of the overtime period as the Worcester Railers HC (7-10-2-0, 16pts) woke up early to defeat the host Brampton Beast (9-7-2-1, 21pts) by the score of 2-1 in front of 5,020 fans at the CAA Centre on Tuesday morning. Matty Gaudreau also scored for Worcester while Mitch Gillam, making his second straight start, was excellent making 37 saves in net. Ryan Scarfo scored the only goal for the Beast while Marcus Hogberg made 29 saves in net as the Railers won their first ever game in Brampton. There was a lot of action in the first eight minutes of the opening frame as there was a goal, fight, and a penalty shot as Brampton grabbed a 1-0 advantage. Rookie Ryan Scarfo (1st) scored at 4:59 with a quick shot from the center slot assisted by Aaron Luchik and Arthur Tianulin to put the Beast ahead 1-0. Mitch Gillam would stop Erik Bradford on a penalty shot just 31 seconds later and Tyler Mueller would pick up his first pro fighting major vs. Ryan Scarfo at 7:26 in a rather physical first period of play. Shots were 13-12 in favor of the Railers thought 20 minutes of play. Matty Gaudreau (3rd) slammed home the equalizer from on top of the crease as he streaked down the right wing side as Nick Bligh from behind the net found his tape at 3:50 to tie the score at 1-1. Shots were 9-8 in favor of the Beast in a rather lackluster middle frame as the two clubs went to the second intermission tied 1-1. Mitch Gillam made 15 more saves in the third period as Worcester fired eight shots in a scoreless third period as the two clubs headed to overtime tied 1-1. Both teams had some nice chances in the extra frame, but it was Dylan Willick (3rd) that slammed home his own rebound after a nice rush into the zone at 3:39 to give the Railers the 2-1 overtime victory.
2019 vs Newfoundland 4-1 Loss
(RAILERS) The Worcester Railers HC (4-11-1-0, 9pts) dropped their seventh straight game in a 4-1 loss to the Newfoundland Growlers (12-7-0-0, 24pts) on Wednesday night in front of 2,004 fans at the DCU Center on David Cunniff’s Railers coaching debut. The Railers will be back in action Friday, Nov 26 hosting the Newfoundland Growlers at 7pm on Country Night presented by 98.9 NASH Icon. Matt Schmalz scored the only goal while Jakub Skarek made 24 saves in net for Worcester. The Growlers were led by their goaltender Maksim Zhukov who made 30 saves in net for his sixth win of the year as the Growlers improved to 12-7 on the year.. Colt Conrad (0-2-2) and Joseph Duszak (0-2-2) each recorded two assists while Brady Ferguson is now tied for the team lead with nine goals after his third period score. The Railers came out with a lot of hustle in the first period but the Growlers attacked on an odd man rush which set up Trey Bradley (3rd) in the high slot who snapped one past Jakub Skarek to give the Growlers a 1-0 lead at 13:43. Each team had one power-play but neither team was able to convert as Newfoundland headed into the dressing room with a 1-0 lead through 20 minutes of play. The Railers outshot the Growlers 14-10 in the opening stanza. Just like the first period Newfoundland would score the only goal of the period in the second frame when Giorgio Estephan (7th) flipped a shot past the left shoulder of Jakub Skarek from below the right circle on a pass from the high slot from Joseph Duszak. Worcester held a slight edge in shots 22-19 through 40 minutes of play. Brady Ferguson (9th) gave the Growlers a 3-0 lead at 9:07 sending one past Jakub Skarek. The Railers would finally stike as Matt Schmalz (5th) with an individual effort shielding it away on his back hand from the right circle and followed up his rebound to smack it home just 14 seconds after the Ferguson strike. Evan Neugold (2nd) cut his way in front of the cage and fired one home giving back the Growlers a 4-1 lead. The Railers outshot the Growlers 31-28 but fell 4-1. Notes: Three Stars: 3rd star…. Matt Schmalz (1-0-1) 2nd star: Maksim Zhukov (30 saves, Win) 1st star: Joseph Duszak (0-2-2) …. final shots were 31-28 in favor of Worcester…. Maksim Zhukov (6-6-0) made 30 saves on 31 shots for Newfoundland.… Jakub Skarek (2-4-1) made 24 saves on 24 shots for Worcester while Evan Buitenhuis served as the backup …. Worcester went 0-for-3 on the power play while Newfoundland went 0-for-5…. Kyle McKenzie (inj), Anthony Florentino (inj), Barry Almeida (inj), Tanner Pond (inj), Shane Walsh (inj), Zack Phillips (inj) Ross Olsson, and Jack Stander did not dress for Worcester…. Barry Almeida served as assistant coach…. Matt Schmalz has goals in back to back games and is now tied for the team lead with five….Linus Soderstrom is currently on recall with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers…. Worcester is now 3-7-0-0 all-time vs. the Growlers and 2-4-0-0 at the DCU Center.
2021 at Adirondack 8-1 win
(RAILERS) The Worcester Railers HC (5-7-0-1, 11pts) dominated their second trip to Cool Insuring Arena, beating the Adirondack Thunder (5-8-1-0, 11pts) by the final score of 8-1 on Friday night. The Railers are back at the DCU Center against the Newfoundland Growlers on Sunday, November 28th at 3:05pm. The Railers got on the score sheet a franchise record eight times, including five in the second as Ross Olsson (3-0-3) and Anthony Repaci (2-1-3) each scored multiple goals for Worcester. Liam Coughlin (1-0-1), Jordan Lavallee-Smotherman (1-3-4) and Jacob Hayhurst (1-1-2) also tallied goals in the effort. Rookie goaltender Colten Ellis stood tall for the Railers as he made 31 stops on the night. The third period was highlighted by three fighting majors for Worcester, all just 1:29 apart. The first period was largely in favor of Worcester, as the Railers outshot Adirondack 17-11 through the first twenty minutes. The only shot which mattered however came with 12.5 seconds remaining in the first period, as Pete MacArthur (4th) picked up a Railer turnover, walked down the middle of the high slot and sent it upstairs past Ellis, putting the Thunder up 1-0 after the first. The Railers’ efforts in the first were finally rewarded in the second, as the team broke through for five unanswered goals. First, it was Charlie Spetz with a stretch pass up ice to Ross Olsson (3rd) who cut into the left side of the zone and let one fly past Thunder goalie Alex Sakellaropoulos to tie the game 1-1 just 4:47 into the period. Then with 10:47 to go in the second, Olsson (4th) knocked home his second of the game amid a chaotic scene in front of the net to give Worcester the 2-1 lead. Just 35 seconds later, Colton Ellis made a big glove save on Colin Long who was alone atop the right circle. Off of Ellis’ rebound, the Railers then went end to end as Anthony Repaci (2nd) tapped it in off of a feed from John Furgele to put Worcester up 3-1. Soon after, Drew Callin swept beneath the net with the puck and found Liam Coughlin (2nd) backdoor to extend the Railers lead to 4-1. After allowing his fourth goal of the period, the Thunder opted to pull Sakellaropoulos at the 13:02 mark of the second period. Sakellaropoulos made 27 saves on 31 shots for Adirondack. Mareks Mitens would come into the game in relief. Worcester wasn’t done yet, as Anthony Repaci (3rd) found the puck backdoor as it squeaked out of a scrum in front to make it a 5-1 game. All five goals in the period came just 11:28 apart, as five goals became the new franchise record for goals scored in a single period by Worcester. Shots favored the Railers 20-7 in the second period, and 37-18 through 40 minutes. No momentum was lost for Worcester once the puck was dropped in the third. Jacob Hayhurst (4th) chipped the puck ahead to himself shorthanded and blew one past Mareks Mitens on the backhand just twenty-eight seconds in, as Worcester took a 6-1 lead. Then, boxing night in Glens Falls got underway. Liam Coughlin (1stFM) and Alex Carrier dropped the gloves at 6:48 into the frame as Carrier was looking to give a boost to the Thunder who found themselves down five. Officially one second of game time later, the undercard continued as Railers pugilist Ross Olsson (2ndFM) squared off against Jimmy Mazza at center ice, with Olsson landing an abundance of right hooks on Mazza. Then, Karl Boudrias (1stFM) and Robbie Payne exchanged pleasantries after Boudrias took exception to a charge from Payne on Drew Callin with 11:43 to go in the game. Once the dust settled, the two sides played some hockey once more. Six goals weren’t enough for Worcester, as the Railers converted another big save from Ellis into a chance on the other end. Ross Olsson (5th) received a drop pass from Jacob Hayhurst on the rush down ice and unleashed a nasty wrist shot into the top left corner of the net for his first ever professional hat trick, making it a 7-1 game. Jordan Lavallee-Smotherman (4th) came down the right side on a breakaway with just 1:04 left in the game and ripped one five-hole on Mitens to give the game its final score of 8-1. Worcester was outshot 14-10 in the third, but led 47-32 at the final buzzer. Notes: Three Stars: 3rd: Star: Colten Ellis (31 saves, 1 GA, .969 SV%) 2nd Star: Anthony Repaci (2-1-3, 5 shots) 1st Star: Ross Olsson (3-0-3, 4 shots)…Final shots were 47-32 in favor of Worcester… Alex Sakellaropoulos made 27 saves on 31 shots, while Mareks Mitens made 12 saves on 16 shots for Adirondack… Colten Ellis made 31 saves on 32 shots for Worcester while Ken Appleby served as the backup… Worcester went 3 for 5 on the power play while Adirondack went 0 for 1… Carlos Fornaris (DNP) did not dress for Worcester… Mike Cornell, Connor McCarthy, Felix Bibeau, Paul Thompson, and Collin Adams are each up with the Bridgeport Islanders… Nick Albano is up with the Springfield Thunderbirds… Five goals in the second period are the most goals in a period in franchise history… Eight goals are the most goals scored in a game in franchise history…John Furgele recorded a career high three assists… Ross Olsson recorded his first professional hat trick, and now has seven points (5-2-7) across his last six games for Worcester… Blake Christensen tallied two assists, and now has six points (3-3-6) across his last six games for the Railers… Jordan Lavallee-Smotherman recorded his 50th, 51st, and 52nd career ECHL assists, 50th career ECHL goal, and is now up to 102 points in his ECHL career… Anthony Repaci scored two goals in his second multipoint game for Worcester this season, while scoring in his second straight game… Drew Callin led the Railers in shots with 6… Worcester has 59 games left on the regular season 31 of which are at the DCU center. The Railers are now 22-13-2-0 all-time vs. the Thunder and 14-7-1-0 at Adirondack.
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