The Worcester Railers hosted the Wheeling Nailers Saturday night at the DCU Center on Star Wars Night, and Anthony Callin showed he was one with the Force by notching a career-high four points while Jedi Masters Anthony Repaci and Connor Welsh had three points each as the Rebel Railers defeated the Empire, err, Nailers 4-3.
Even as a huge Star Wars fan, I feel a little dirty after writing that opening.
After a hard-fought 4-3 victory Friday night against Adirondack for Worcester and Wheeling having the night off there was a better-than-average chance the Nailers would be able to use those fresher legs to their advantage. But for the entire 60 minutes Saturday, the Railers were able to skate stride for stride with the ECHL’s leading points percentage team.
Sure, Worcester couldn’t hold three one-goal leads in the game, but the physical and mental ability to overcome deficits is the mark of a great team, and make no mistake about it, so far this season Wheeling is a great team.
The first of those Railers leads happened just a minute into the contest as Repaci scored the first of three Railers power play goals on the night. Welsh and Callin had the assists on the play.
Matt Koopman then tied it for Wheeling at 5:39 on a play that as it happened live it looked from this writer’s perch that Worcester goaltender Michael Bullion should have made the save high to the glove side, and I tweeted as such. A look at the video shows Bullion seemed to have it from the moment Koopman blasted it right up until it was deflected into to that corner by Railers defender Cam McDonald. Not much chance of making that stop.
Riley Ginnell, recently promoted to the second line, showed he has some top six ECHL skills at 3:26 of the middle period to give Worcester a 2-1 lead. Callin and JD Dudek had the helpers.
This was the first of three times in a row that the Railers put the puck into the net and referees Tyler Hascall and Scott Allan reviewed the play for goaltender interference. This one was pretty quick as they determined Callin was crosschecked into the goaltender, and as you can see from the video, it was a good goal.
Wheeling would tie it 2-2 at 9:06 with a power play goal where Worcester played it well, but the Nailers played it better when Gabe Klassen intentionally fired the puck a bit wide and Atley Calvert was able to deflect it home from the slot.
At 10:52, once again on the power play, the Railers would take the lead for the third time when Callin would fire a laser just inside the far post. Repaci and Welsh picked up the assists.
With just under three minutes left in the middle frame Worcester put the puck in the net again but referee Hascall immediately waved it off and emphatically indicated it was not a goal. This was the longest review of the three they did, and despite the loudly booing fans they got it right as JD Dudek absolutely interfered with Wheeling netminder Sergei Murashov’s ability to catch the puck.
About 30 seconds later the Nailers would then tie it once again, this time at 17:33 of the period, on one that Bullion absolutely wants a second chance at. Or, perhaps more correctly, a first attempt, as Bullion never even moved to make a save until Chris Ortiz’s bid from the blueline was past him.
It was 3-3 after 40 minutes, and everyone in the building knew the next goal was going to be huge in determining the winner of the game. And almost every one of the 7,094 in attendance hoped it to be the boys in white to light the lamp. At 8:56 of the third Callin made that crowd explode as loud as the Death Star with a shot that almost went through the net.
From there everything Wheeling did the Railers countered, and when the final horn sounded Bullion recorded his seventh win for Worcester and is now the city’s career leader for right-catching goaltenders.
GAME NOTES
Scratches for the Railers were Matthew Boudens (IR/upper body). Hugo Ollas was the backup goaltender. Boudens joined head coach Nick Tuzzolino behind the Worcester bench as he did in Wheeling last weekend. Worcester is currently two players below the ECHL’s roster limit.
Earlier Saturday Matthew Kopperud was recalled by Bridgeport and the Railers activated Brenden Rons from IR. Rons played sparingly in the first period as a forward on the fourth line but was not seen on the ice for the last two periods. Kolby Johnson, who played a mostly regular shift in the first two periods, did not play in the third.
Several folks came up to this writer Saturday to talk about the broken stick rule and were surprised to hear that it’s not a new rule that goaltenders can use a broken stick, and in fact has always been the rule. Until the 1930-31 season any player could continue to use a broken stick until the rule was changed so that skaters were no longer allowed to use a one and had to drop it immediately. In an oddity of the rule, in pro hockey if a goaltender breaks or loses their stick, they’re allowed to use any discarded stick, broken or not, that be can acquired while play continues. At the next stoppage in play the goaltender must get a non-damaged stick before play can continue.
On Friday night the ECHL inducted their 2025 Hall of Fame class, and that included forward Jamey Hicks, who played eight games for the AHL’s Worcester IceCats during the 1999-2000 season. Hicks had one goal in eight games for Worcester, on December 5, 1999, against Providence. That may have been his lone AHL point, but he was a prolific ECHL scorer, 162-318-480 over 352 games. He was also named MVP of the league in the 1997-98 season. He joins Chris Valicevic (2008, inaugural class), Allan Sirois (2016), and Jim Bermingham (2019) as players with Worcester connections in the ECHL Hall of Fame.
The three stars of the game were
1. WOR – Anthony Callin
2. WOR – Connor Welsh
3. WOR – Anthony Repaci
The 210Sports Player of the Game was Riley Ginnell.
Even Strength Lines
Repaci / Kaplan / Loughran
Ginnell / Callin / Dudek
Donhauser / DeMelis / Mahshie
Rons / Hatten / Johnson
Welsh / Luce
McDonald / Klee
Rajaniemi / Dickinson
Our affiliates last night
NY Islanders 4, Seattle
Springfield 6, Bridgeport 4
In the ECHL’s North Division last night
Fort Wayne 5, Maine 2
Trois-Rivieres 3, Norfolk 0
Reading 2, Jacksonville 1
BOX SCORE
Wheeling 1 2 0 – 3
Worcester 1 2 1 – 4
1st Period-1, Worcester, Repaci 21 (Welsh, Callin), 1:00 (PP). 2, Wheeling, Koopman 6 (Jankowski, Laviolette), 5:39. Penalties-Drake Whl (holding), 0:49; Quercia Whl (roughing), 13:43; Klee Wor (roughing), 13:43; Pietila Whl (hooking), 18:04; Klee Wor (slashing), 19:50.
2nd Period-3, Worcester, Ginnell 4 (Callin, Dudek), 3:26. 4, Wheeling, Calvert 13 (Klassen, Ortiz), 9:06 (PP). 5, Worcester, Callin 10 (Repaci, Welsh), 10:52 (PP). 6, Wheeling, Ortiz 4 (Jackson, Quercia), 17:33. Penalties-Donhauser Wor (interference), 4:19; Drake Whl (roughing), 7:05; Loughran Wor (unsportsmanlike conduct), 7:05; Welsh Wor (high-sticking – double), 7:05; Laviolette Whl (high-sticking), 9:34.
3rd Period-7, Worcester, Callin 11 (Welsh, Repaci), 8:56 (PP). Penalties-Ortiz Whl (cross-checking), 8:37.
Shots on Goal-Wheeling 14-14-4-32. Worcester 12-8-3-23.
Power Play Opportunities-Wheeling 1 / 4; Worcester 3 / 4.
Goalies-Wheeling, Murashov 15-3-1-0 (23 shots-19 saves). Worcester, Bullion 7-10-0-2 (32 shots-29 saves).
A-7,094
Referees-Tyler Hascall (8), Scott Allan (54).
Linesmen-Maxime Bedard (65), Davids Rozitis (90).
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210Sports 
Disagree on third goaltender interference call. From overhead video at the game, it sure looked like Dudek was outside the crease and his stick was outside the crease. Looked like he was trying to tip the puck and Nailers goalkeeper reached out and hit Dudek’s stick.
Of course, you have better and multiple views, but that is why the 7000 were booing so loud.
It’s clear on the video that was shown on the video board. Dudek hits the goaltender’s glove while the goaltender is attempting to make a save. Where they are in relation to the crease is irrelevant. You can’t contact a goaltender while they’re making a legitimate effort to save the puck.