1995 vs Portland 7-2 loss
The IceCats fell behind 22 seconds into the contest and were never really in the game in a 7-2 loss to the Portland Pirates. Blair Atcheynum had a first period goal assisted by John Carter and Denis Chalifoux. Atcheynum also added a second goal in the middle period, with Chalifoux picking up the assist. Chris Gordon took the loss, making 27 saves.
2000 vs Albany 4-3 win
(TICKER) Marc Brown scored twice and Cody Rudkowsky made 28 saves as the Worcester IceCats defeated the Albany River Rats, 4-3. Brown, who has accumulated 10 points in his last 13 games after managing just three in his first 24, scored his second with Worcester shorthanded 4:26 into the final period. Rudkowsky, who stopped 13 shots in the second session, won for just the second time as a member of the IceCats. Andrej Podkonicky supplied a pair of assists for Worcester, which won for the ninth time in its last 11 games. Pierre Dagenais collected a goal and two assists for Albany, which lost its second in a row after winning six of seven.
2004 vs Hartford 4-1 win
(ICECATS) The Worcester IceCats won their second game in a row, scoring three times in the third period to defeat the Atlantic Division-leading Hartford Wolf Pack 4-1 Wednesday night at Worcester’s Centrum Centre. The ‘Cats are now 3-0 against their New England rivals. The ‘Cats held a 1-0 lead after the first period, despite a shot disadvantage of 14-4. Rookie Jay McClement continued his hot streak by netting his eighth goal of the year, shorthanded and unassisted. He now has four goals his last three games. Hartford’s Lawrence Nycholat tied the game in the second period, but Worcester worked off the solid goaltending of Curtis Sanford (32 saves) and made the most of their opportunities in the third. Ernie Hartlieb scored the game-winner on a feed from McClement at 4:30, then Marc Brown redirected a Brendan Brooks saucer to make it a 3-1 Worcester lead. Brooks bagged an empty-netter to close things out in the final minute. Hartlieb and Brown are now tied for second in goal scoring for Worcester with 11 each.
2005 vs Lowell 5-3 win
(ICECATS) Eric Boguniecki’s powerplay goal at 1:28 of the third period broke a 3-3 tie to lift the Worcester IceCats to a 5-3 victory over the Lowell Lock Monsters Friday at the DCU Center. The win also lifted the ‘Cats to third place in the Atlantic Division standings, one point better than the Monsters. Brendan Brooks scored two goals for the ‘Cats, one to tie the game at 3-3 and the other into an empty net to pad the ‘Cats lead. Brooks’ first goal capped a Worcester comeback from a 3-1 deficit. The ‘Cats led 1-0 on Troy Riddle’s goal at 2:26 of the first period, but then allowed Lowell three straight goals. Eric Staal tied the game with a shorthanded goal late in the first period. Chad Larose gave the Monsters a 2-1 lead on the powerplay at 3:13 of the second period, then Staal made it a two-goal lead at 4:44. Worcester’s comeback began at 6:30 of the second as Ryan Ramsay slammed home a rebound off the boards. Brooks tied the game at 3-3 on a pretty pass from Riddle at 11:05. Lowell goaltender Brent Krahn was duped by Riddle, who faked a wraparound. Riddle took the puck behind the net and delivered it on a no-look behind-the-back pass to Brooks, who easily put it in the near-empty net. Goalie Curtis Sanford earned the win for Worcester with 26 saves.
2008 AHl All-Star game Canada 9, PlanetUSA 8 SO (Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena, Binghamton, NY)
Mike Iggulden was “E” and had two shots for Canada.
2011 vs Bridgeport 3-2 win
(WORSHARKS) Worcester jumped out to a two goal first period lead and would hold on for a 3-2 victory over Bridgeport Friday night at the DCU Center. John McCarthy and Jamie McGinn suited up for the Sharks in their first AHL games of the season as Worcester defeated the Sound Tigers for the first time in regulation this season (eight games). Justin Braun (2 goals) and Dan DaSilva (GWG) combined with goalie Alex Stalock (17 saves) to control play in the first and third periods for the Sharks. Kevin Poulin made 45 saves in the losing effort for the Sound Tigers. Worcester controlled the first period of play as they took an early two goal lead. Justin Braun scored twice on slap shots from the point, one on the power play, for his 3rd and 4th goals of the season. Dan DaSilva and Kevin Henderson picked up the helpers on the first goal 2:22 in with Benn Ferriero and Jonathan Cheechoo grabbing assists on the Braun power play goal at 13:58. Kevin Poulin was sensational in net for Bridgeport keeping the Sound Tigers in the game early. The Sharks led 2-0 at the end of one and lead in shots 24-6. The tables were turned in the second as Bridgeport scored two goals and controlled the flow of play in the period. Justin DiBenedetto (9th) scored 4:32 into the second to cut the Sharks lead to 2-1 as he put home a loose puck at the top of the crease. At 10:06 of the period, the Sound Tigers would score just as a penalty to Brandon Mashinter expired to tie the game at 2-2. Dylan Reese (3rd) wristed a shot from the slot high glove side past goalie Alex Stalock with Ron Hisey and Jesse Joensuu assisting on the goal. The score was tied 2-2 at the end of forty minutes with shots in the period 10-6 in favor of Bridgeport. In the third period, Worcester would pepper Bridgeport goalie Kevin Poulin with 18 shots and break through with the game winning goal. With just under twelve minutes remaining, Dan DaSilva (10th) would deflect a Nick Schaus shot past Kevin Poulin to put the Sharks ahead to stay 3-2. The Sharks record improves to 21-18-2-6 with 50 points and to 11-8-1-3 at the DCU Center.
2012 at Manchester 3-2 OTL
(WORSHARKS) John McCarthy and James Livingston scored late in the third period within 28 seconds to force overtime, but defenseman Jake Muzzin scored on the power play in overtime as the Sharks dropped a 3-2 decision to the Manchester Monarchs at the Verizon Wireless Arena on Saturday night. Tyson Sexsmith made 20 saves in the overtime loss and forward Tim Kennedy made his Worcester Sharks debut after he was traded by Florida for Sean Sullivan on Thursday. Three great fights got things rolling early in the first period as the two Atlantic Division rivals duked it out. Curt Gogol (11th FM) and Richard Clune (12th FM) fought at 3:31 followed by the two heavyweights Frazer McLaren (3rd FM) and Justin Johnson (13th FM) at 3:33. 11 seconds later, Sean Acolatse (6th FM) and J.D Watt (3rd FM) finished off the early fireworks with a lengthy one sided battle won by Acolatse. Justin Acevedo (8th) tipped in a terrific cross ice pass from Stefan Legein into the net past Tyson Sexsmith at 15:49 on the power play to put Manchester ahead 1-0. In the second period, Dwight King (10th) finished off a terrific rush into the Sharks zone sweeping a backhander past Sexsmith at 5:56 to put the Monarchs ahead 2-0 in a relatively quiet middle frame. Worcester trailed 2-0 after forty minutes despite outshooting Manchester 19-15 through two periods. After a slow start to the third period, the Sharks came to life after a slashing penalty to Richard Clune late in the third period. John McCarthy (12th) roofed his own rebound chance from on top of the crease at 16:06 to get the Sharks on the board. Just 28 seconds later, James Livingston (4th) stuffed in a loose puck past Jeff Zatkoff after a mad scramble in front of the Monarchs net to tie the score at 2-2. Taylor Doherty assisted on the score for his first professional point as the two teams headed to overtime. In the extra frame, Mike Connolly was whistled off for slashing which set up the game winner with a blast off the stick of Jake Muzzin from the right circle at 3:56 as the Monarchs grabbed the victory. Worcester’s record falls to to 20-13-4-5 (49pts in 42gp) and 9-5-4-3 on the road.
2013 AHL All-Star game: West 7, East 6 (Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Providence, RI)
Bracken Kearns had a goal, was +1, and had three shots on goal for the East.
2018 vs Florida 3-2 win
(RAILERS) The Worcester Railers HC (18-19-3-2, 41pts) wrapped up another 3-in-3 weekend with a thrilling come from behind 3-2 victory over the visiting Florida Everblades (30-9-1-3, 64pts) in front of 4,754 fans at the DCU Center on Sunday afternoon. Vinny Muto (1-2-3) and Jeff Kubiak (1-1-2) scored in the third period for the Railers as Worcester came back from a 2-1 deficit to take home their third straight victory on home ice. Frankie DiChiara also scored for Worcester while Mitch Gillam made 28 saves and added an assist as the Railers picked up six points this weekend. Worcester is now 3-3-0-0 on their eleven game homestand and will host two more games next weekend. Florida scored the only strike in the opening frame with a power play goal at 16:13 after an offensive faceoff win and a Matt McKenzie (4th) bomb from the center point through a screen and past Mitch Gillam. Chris Langkow was robbed earlier in the period after his point-blank try was stopped by the glove of Callum Booth as the Railers headed into the first intermission down 1-0 as Florida led in shots 11-10. Frankie DiChiara (5th) fired the puck from the left wall with traffic in front that found its way through goaltender Callum Booth at 8:59 assisted by Vinny Muto and Jeff Kubiak. Florida would counter back with their 11th shorthanded goal at 15:43 after John McCarron (14th) followed up a rebound opportunity to give the Everblades a 2-1 lead. Shots were tied 23-23 through 40 minutes of play. Vinny Muto (1st) scored his first ECHL goal at 3:34 of the third period after a great feed by Chris Langkow to tie the score at 2-2. Jeff Kubiak (5th) scored with a wicked shot on the rush down the left-wing side at 6:12 after a terrific feed from inside the Railers blueline by Vinny Muto. Mitch Gillam would stand tall the rest of the way has he made seven third period saves to hold onto his 8th win in net and the Railers ninth win at the DCU Center this season.
2022 at Maine 6-3 win
Among David Cunniff’s talents, it seems, is the ability to see into the future. As his Railers team was ready to board the bus north to take on the Maine Mariners, their coach said, “This is a different team today. This is not the same team that hasn’t won a game up there all year.” The final score — Worcester 6, Maine 3. It was, indeed, the Railers’ first victory of the season at Cross Arena after four defeats, each of which featured a Mariners hat trick. Speaking of hat tricks, the victory was Worcester’s third in a row. The Railers had not won three straight games in more than two years, or since taking four straight from Jan. 3 to Jan. 10, 2020. Worcester got goals from six different players. In order the scorers were Cole Coskey, Brent Beaudoin, Reece Newkirk, Nolan Vesey, Anthony Repaci and Ross Olsson. Olsson’s at 17:34 of the third period extended his goal-scoring streak to five games, second-longest in franchise history. “Right now, we’ve got a great group of guys,” Cunniff said. “With everything that’s gone on this year, it’s been hard to get to this point. We’ve got a great staff here — Jason Franzone, Bob Deraney — getting these players in here, and right now the players are making the staff look good.” Jacob Hayhurst chipped in with two more assists, Coskey also had an assist and Repaci was the game’s No. 1 star with two assists to go along with his goal. Defensemen John Furgele and Myles McGurty were both plus-5. That ties a franchise record in that department. Pascal LaBerge, Matthew Santos and Nick Jermain scored for Maine. The Mariners have the league’s best power play and that’s how they scored two of their goals. Coskey gave the Railers an early lead as he scored unassisted at 2:42 of the first period. The rookie turned a turnover into a goal as he snared an errant puck between the circles and snapped a shot over Mariners goalie Jeremy Brodeur’s glove. Brodeur was at least partially responsible for the goal as he kept the puck in play rather than smothering it for a faceoff right at the post. The Railers scored three more times in the second period wrapped around LaBerge’s power play goal at 9:14 Beaudoin banged in a rebound of a shot by Repaci at 1:57, then Newkirk gave Worcester a 3-1 lead at 4:16 with a wrist shot from the left circle. It was his third goal in the last two games. Vesey responded to LaBerge’s goal at 13:03 as he took a pass from Hayhurst and snapped the puck past Brodeur from about 35 feet. The third period started ominously for Worcester as Jermain scored from in close just 49 seconds after the opening faceoff. The Mariners then cut the Railers’ lead to one less than two minutes later with Santos converting on another power play at 2:27. Repaci created some breathing room not long after that, though, when he sent a 20-footer through Brodeur from the bottom of the right circle. Olsson finished off the scoring from down low at 17:34, the Railers having a man advantage. MAKING TRACKS_The Fort Wayne Komets, one of the two best minor league hockey franchises in existence along with the Hershey Bears, are at the DCU Center Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. It will be Fort Wayne’s second visit to Worcester. The Railers beat them, 3-2, on March 17, 2018 with Matt Lane scoring twice. … Bobby Butler is on the Commissioner’s Exempt List so did not make the trip. … Worcester traded goalie Luke Peressini to Allen for future considerations. Rookie forward Ethan Price made his professional debut for the Railers and nearly scored early in the second period on a pass from Blake Christensen. Hard to believe but true — Price is the 645th player in Worcester pro hockey history and the first named Ethan. … Referee Jack Young worked a Railers game for the first time ever… The triumph was just the third here all-time for the Railers.
2023 at Reading 3-2 win
(RAILERS) The Worcester Railers HC (22-17-3-0 47 points) defeated the Reading Royals (25-12-2-0 52 points) by a final score of 3-2 on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 5,628 at Santander Arena. This closed out their two-game series against the Royals this weekend. The Worcester Railers are home next weekend for a three-game series against the South Carolina Stingrays. Charlie Gerard (1-0-1) scored the first goal of the game fourteen minutes into the game. Devon Paliani (1-0-1) scored the second goal for the Royals one minute later. Worcester responded with under a minute left in the first period. Quinn Ryan (1-0-1) found the back of the net to make it a one goal game. Anthony Repaci (1-0-1) tied it five minutes into the second period. The tie was broken twelve minutes into the third when Worcester scored their third goal in a row. Ryan MacKinnon (1-0-1) was the one to score the goal off a pass from Reece Newkirk. Neither team opened the game with a goal within the first minutes of the game like they had in previous meetings. Four minutes into the game Worcester hopped on the first power play of the game after a slashing call. On the power play Worcester took a series of shots which were denied by Royals goalies Nolan Maier including a sprawling save from a Quinn Ryan shot. The Royals struck first halfway through the first period. Charlie Gerard (18th) found himself all alone on a breakaway with Worcester’s goalie Brent Moran the only person left to beat. Gerard’s wrist shot set off the red light giving the Royals a one-goal lead. Not long thereafter, Devon Paliani (6th) scored the second goal of the game for the Royals when the puck found him in the slot ready to be tapped into the goal. Worcester had a golden opportunity to make it a one score game before the end of the first period and they took it. While on the power-play, Collin Adams sent a pass over to Quinn Ryan and he sent the puck soaring off his tape into the back of the net for the Railers first goal. Ryan made it 2-1 going into the second while the shots were tied 11-11 after 20 minutes. The Railers tied the game five minutes into the second period on a goal scored by Anthony Repaci (8th). Repaci skated along the goal line and cut below the net while he threw it toward the side of the net. The puck managed to just beat Maier and tied the game 2-2 early in the second. Neither team would score for the rest of the period. In tune with the theme for the night, Brent Moran made a phenomenal cross-crease save for Worcester to keep it tied at 2-2 towards the end of the period. Moran was coming off his first career ECHL victory on Friday night in Worcester’s 7-6 OTW against Reading, and was making one miraculous save after another all night long for the Railers. Worcester entered the third period looking to pick up their third straight win, and second straight against the Royals. The Railers ultimately broke the tie with their third unanswered goal of the game. Ryan MacKinnon (2nd) was back on the roster for the Railers tonight and recorded his second point of the game to put Worcester ahead for good. His one-timer soared past Maier to break the tie and give the game its final score of 3-2. Notes: 3rd Star: Charlie Gerard (1-0-1). 2nd Star: Anthony Repaci (1-0-1). 1st Star: Ryan MacKinnon (1-0-1, GWG). Shots were in favor of Reading 33 to 30. Blake Christensen led the Railers in shots with 5 and Charlie Gerard let the Royals with 7 shots. Brent Moran had 31 saves on 33 shots. Nolan Maier had 27 saves on 30 shots. Worcester moves to (22-17-3-0 47 points) on the season.
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