The Worcester Railers finished off 2024 with a trip to Glens Falls, New York for a matinee game against the Adirondack Thunder Tuesday and scored five goals in a row, including a natural hat trick by Jordan Kaplan, to turn a three-goal deficit into a two-goal lead, only to have to kill off a major power play in the game’s final six minutes to ultimately win 6-5.
Things started off quickly for the Railers and Thunder as Kolby Johnson and Darian Skeoch picked up fighting and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties for their fight eight seconds into the game.
It’s amusing that the penalty for removing your helmet in a fight is unsportsmanlike conduct, considering that it’s very sportsmanlike to ensure your opponent doesn’t hurt his hand on your helmet.
Lincoln Hatten opened the scoring with a nice shot over Thunder goaltender David Fessenden at 2:31 to give the Railers a 1-0 lead. Riley Ginnell and Ryan Mahshie had the assists.
But then suddenly the walls fell in on Worcester and netminder Michael Bullion as Adirondack put up the next four goals. Andre Ghantous tied it at 6:04 with a shot that was deflected in front of Billion, and then Ryan Francis made it 2-1 Adirondack at 14:16 when an out-of-position Bullion couldn’t get back to the far post.
T.J. Friedmann made it 3-1 at 15:44 on a backhander when Bullion had no idea where the puck was. In the second period, Josh Filmon made it 4-1 at 2:11 with an unassisted goal that while the Railers didn’t help Bullion out much it was still a save he needs to make.
And the way things have been going for Worcester, who have a tendency to give up goals in bunches, that could have easily been game over right there. Only, it wasn’t.
It’s past Christmas but Hatten will probably not get a bigger gift than the shorthanded goal he scored 10:07. And while no one knew at the time, that goal was a massive momentum swing.
At 13:33 Mason Klee scored on a play that looked pretty well defended by Adirondack, but his one-timer just found a small opening and it was suddenly 4-3. The assists went to Kaplan and Anthony Repaci, with Repaci’s helper setting a new franchise record for assists with his 91st for Worcester.
The next three goals would come from Kaplan and all on the power play. The first came at 18:18, with Repaci and Connor Welsh earning points on the goal that made it 4-4.
The power play was another gift as Friedmann was sent off for the automatic delay of game penalty when it appeared his clearing bid was deflected.
Kaplan’s second of the game came at 4:27 of the third with Skeoch off for crosschecking, with Kaplan banging home the rebound of Welsh’s shot. Riley Piercey grabbed the other helper on the play.
The natural hat trick goal came at 11:15 with Skeoch off for tripping. The Thunder fans booed the call, and this writer will say it was absolutely the wrong call by referee Austin Rook. It was actually kneeing. But in the long run what the penalty was didn’t matter because it was suddenly 6-4. Piercey and Matthew Kopperud, the player who was kneed, earned the assists.
Unfortunately, nothing comes easy for the Railers this season, and Ryan Dickinson took an absolutely brainless major penalty for interference with just under six minutes to go, and Dylan Wendt was able to cut the Railers lead to 6-5 with just under four minutes left in regulation.
But Worcester’s 28th-ranked power play managed to hold on to that one-goal lead, and that ended the year on a positive note for the Railers.
GAME NOTES
Scratches for the Railers were Matthew Boudens (IR/upper body), JD Dudek, and Brendan Rons. Dante Giannuzzi, who the Railers signed Tuesday morning, was the backup goaltender. Anthony Callin was signed to a PTO by the Springfield Thunderbirds Tuesday morning and played in their 7-0 loss to Hartford.
There was a second fight in the contest as Mason Klee took on Tag Bertuzzi, which turned out to be a bigger win for Worcester as Bertuzzi was ejected for not having his jersey tied down. Would the outcome have been different had Bertuzzi stayed in the game? Maybe, maybe not. But as the Railers posted the highlight we’ll share it and play “What if?” later.
The 2024 calendar year was not a good one for the Railers as their three head coaches and two general managers amassed a woeful 31-40-3-2 record in the 76 games during the year. That results in a points percentage of .441, which when you consider even below-average teams reach the .500 mark due to loser points in overtime and shootouts shows the issues this franchise had and still has. But as it was two seasons ago and last season, there’s still time to fix some of the issues and make a run at the playoffs. But Worcester’s hockey operations need to pull their heads out of the sand and realize that most of what they tried this season has failed, and there no longer is any time to hope things will fix themselves by doing nothing. Because we saw what doing nothing did for the team the last two seasons.
The people this writer went to Adirondack with have started using funny names as our group name when we aren’t at a sanctioned Railers Booster Club event, and this weekend was no exception as we were officially the “Tim Foley NYE Pajama Party Club”. We would have kept “The Tim Foley Fan Club” that we used a couple of times, but someone decided to “steal” that name and use it themselves as if they were the one who came up with it. So now we pick names no one would usurp. And, as silly as it sounds, we’re having a pajama party for New Year’s Eve.
And speaking of Mr. Foley, tonight in Glens Falls he had a slight wardrobe issue, nothing even remotely negative or embarrassing mind you, but nonetheless there was one. And now because the Railers won, superstition says he’ll need to intentionally do it on Friday. What was the issue? Well, it’s not my story to tell, but it’s actually a pretty good one and hopefully, he’ll make it known Friday.
The three stars of the game were
1. WOR – 10 Jordan Kaplan
2. WOR – 33 Lincoln Hatten
3. ADK – 24 Josh Filmon
The 210Sports Player of the Game was Anthony Repaci.
Even Strength Lines
Repaci / Kaplan / Loughran
Piercey / Hatten / Kopperud
Donhauser / DeMelis / Gill
Ginnell / Mahshie / Johnson
Welsh / Luce
Rajaniemi / Klee
Krygier / Dickinson
Our affiliates last night
Toronto 3, NY Islanders 1
In the ECHL’s North Division last night
Tuesday’s games are in progress at posting time
BOX SCORE
Worcester 1 3 2 – 6
Adirondack 3 1 1 – 5
1st Period-1, Worcester, Hatten 3 (Ginnell, Mahshie), 2:31. 2, Adirondack, Ghantous 8 (Brand), 6:04. 3, Adirondack, Francis 4 (Young, O’Neil), 14:16. 4, Adirondack, Friedmann 5 (Smith, Wheeler), 15:44. Penalties-Johnson Wor (unsportsmanlike conduct, fighting – major), 0:07; Skeoch Adk (unsportsmanlike conduct, fighting – major), 0:07; Kaplan Wor (cross-checking), 3:18; Conroy Adk (cross-checking), 10:32.
2nd Period-5, Adirondack, Filmon 5 2:11. 6, Worcester, Hatten 4 10:07 (SH). 7, Worcester, Klee 4 (Kaplan, Repaci), 13:41. 8, Worcester, Kaplan 9 (Repaci, Welsh), 18:18 (PP). Penalties-Klee Wor (fighting – major), 1:44; Bertuzzi Adk (fighting – major, game misconduct – jersey), 1:44; Kaplan Wor (tripping), 9:01; Loughran Wor (cross-checking), 9:01; Marooney Adk (roughing), 9:01; Loughran Wor (interference), 14:17; Friedmann Adk (delay of game), 17:01.
3rd Period-9, Worcester, Kaplan 10 (Welsh, Piercey), 4:27 (PP). 10, Worcester, Kaplan 11 (Piercey, Kopperud), 11:15 (PP). 11, Adirondack, Wendt 3 (Brand, Filmon), 16:05 (PP). Penalties-Skeoch Adk (cross-checking), 2:59; Skeoch Adk (tripping), 9:50; Dickinson Wor (interference – major, game misconduct – interference), 14:09.
Shots on Goal-Worcester 6-14-4-24. Adirondack 14-3-5-22.
Power Play Opportunities-Worcester 3 / 4; Adirondack 1 / 5.
Goalies-Worcester, Bullion 5-10-0-1 (22 shots-17 saves). Adirondack, Fessenden 2-2-0-0 (24 shots-18 saves).
A-5,462
Referees-Austin Rook (11).
Linesmen-Trevor Waite (73), Antoine Bujold-Roux (72).
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