For the second time in as many nights, the Worcester Railers hosted the Norfolk Admirals at the DCU Center and had to face one of the top goaltenders in the ECHL in Thomas Milic, but unlike Thursday night the goal judge behind the New Westminster, BC native was busy as the Railers scored five times in regulation and then got one in the overtime period to defeat their North Division rivals 6-5.
It was the first time Milic ever surrendered six goals in an ECHL game. He did allow six goals in an AHL game this season in a 6-1 loss for Manitoba against Calgary on December 10th. Unlike the Wranglers, Worcester needed every single one of those goals, with four of them tying the game for the Railers.
Things did not start off well for Worcester as netminder Michael Bullion misplayed German Yavash’s shot at 2:18 and it broke through the netminder and slowly rolled over the goal line.
Tyler Kobryn knotted the score 1-1 with his sixth goal for the Railers in his 14th game played with the team. Anthony Repaci and Griffin Luce had the helpers.
Old friend Andrei Bakanov made it 2-1 Norfolk at 14:29 when Worcester played an Admirals zone entry about as poorly as you can and left Bullion hanging out to dry.
It took just a couple minutes into the middle frame for the Railers to tie the game for a second time when Repaci tipped a pass in the defensive zone to Cole Donhauser, who did the rest himself at 1:51. Pito Walton had the second assist, such as it was.
That tie lasted all of three minutes when Bakanov banked one in off of Luce to make it 3-2.
On Thursday, the Railers offense stumbled because it kept trying to force the puck to Repaci, and Norfolk knew it and played for it. With Worcester enjoying a brief five-on-three power play Friday, the Admirals knew what was coming, but they didn’t have enough personnel to stop it. Connor Welsh and Anthony Callin had the assists as the Railers tied the game for a third time.
That was Repaci’s 25th power play goal for Worcester, tying him with Graham Mink for 3rd all-time in Worcester pro hockey history.
Mathematically, the Railers’ playoff life didn’t require them winning the third period, but in every other way, it did. So when Gehrett Sargis scored from the slot at 3:04, things weren’t looking great.
But Worcester had another comeback in them, and this time, it was Welsh on the power play at 4:31, with help from Callin, that knotted the game for the fourth time.
Sixty-nine seconds later, Worcester had its first lead of the game when Griffin Loughran beat Milic clean from the slot. Donhauser and Jordan Kaplan earned points on the play.
From there, Norfolk threw everything they had at Bullion and the Railers, and Yavash would make it 5-5 after a wild goal mouth scramble at 15:45.
It was the 5-5 scores after 60 minutes, and once again Worcester was facing a “must win” period, only this time, thanks to Riley Piercey, they did end up on the winning side as Walton wheeled the net and left the puck for Piercey high in the slot. Piercey did the rest.
The two teams will square off for a third time in as many games Saturday night.
GAME NOTES
Scratches for the Railers were Alec Cicero, Kabore Dunn (3-day IR), Riley Ginnell, Anthony Hora (IR/unknown), Kolby Johnson (IR/upper body), Tanner Schachle (IR/unknown), and Matt Ustaski (IR/unknown). Hugo Ollas was the backup goaltender.
If you ask the ECHL they would tell you that Friday night’s games was officiated by two of the best referees they have in Casey Terreri and Austin O’Rourke. It’s safe to say that fans would universally disagree. Neither have any real feel for the game, and their calls are often wildly inconsistent. We won’t bore you with a list of missed or poor calls from the pair, and it is quite long, but will point out one as sort of a highlight to what the issue is. A couple of minutes into the opening period Cole Donhauser may, or may not have, tripped German Yavash in the neutral zone. Neither Terreri or O’Rourke pt their arm up to call a penalty until the Admirals bench started screaming for a call. Only then did O’Rourke put his arm up. Does that mean if Norfolk hadn’t complained it wouldn’t have been a penalty? And why did O’Rourke not call one on Norfolk later when Worcester complained? Fans deserve better than what they’re getting from the ECHL in terms of officiating.
In some scoring changes from last week’s series in Trois-Rivieres, on the Railers’ first goal on Saturday, scored by Cole Donhauser, Lincoln Hatten’s assist has been changed to Jordan Kaplan. That goal now reads “2. WOR Donhauser (Klee, Kaplan), 10:54”. Kaplan picks up a second point in the game with an addition of a secondary assist on Matthew Kopperud’s game-tying power play goal. That goal now reads “3. WOR Kopperud (Mahshie, Kaplan), 12:58 (PP)”.
It was literally minutes after Riley Piercey’s overtime winner that scores of Railers fans headed across Commercial Street and to Off The Rails to watch The Pourmen, the official band of the Worcester Railers Booster Club, perform. It was the first of six shows in four days for the band over the St. Patrick’s Day weekend, and as usual they killed it. So, if you missed that show, you’ve got plenty of chances in the next couple of days to catch them.
Just a note for the record: the graphics we use here for the game posts on the blog usually reflect the jersey the Railers wore for the game, but today is an exception, as we’ve used the Worcester Bravehearts’ color scheme as opposed to the orange sweaters Worcester actually wore. I do think at some point the Railers should wear Bravehearts jerseys for a game (and vice versa), but then I guess another graphic would be needed to not confuse anyone.
The three stars of the game were
1. WOR – Riley Piercey (#19)
2. WOR – Anthony Repaci (#81)
3. NOR – Grant Hebert (#93)
The 210Sports Player of the Game was Connor Welsh.
Even Strength Lines
Kopperud / Callin / Loughran
Kobryn / DeMelis / Repaci
Donhauser / Kaplan / Hatten
Mahshie / Dudek / Piercey
Welsh / Walton
Luce / Klee
Rajaniemi / Dickinson
Press Releases
RAILERS: Worcester Thrills in 6-5 Overtime Win Over Admirals
ADMIRALS: Admirals Get A Point In Back-And-Forth Affair Against Worcester
Our affiliates last night
Edmonton 2, NY Islanders 1 OT
Belleville 6, Bridgeport 1
In the ECHL’s North Division last night
Wheeling 3, Fort Wayne 1
Trois-Rivieres 5, Reading 3
Maine 4, Adirondack 2
BOX SCORE
Norfolk 2 1 2 0 – 5
Worcester 1 2 2 1 – 6
1st Period-1, Norfolk, Yavash 5 (Anderson, McDougall), 2:18. 2, Worcester, Kobryn 8 (Repaci, Luce), 9:02. 3, Norfolk, Bakanov 15 (Fleurent, Hebert), 14:29. Penalties-Donhauser Wor (tripping), 3:27; Sargis Nor (hooking), 5:01; Yavash Nor (tripping), 11:35.
2nd Period-4, Worcester, Donhauser 8 (Repaci, Walton), 1:51. 5, Norfolk, Bakanov 16 (Hebert, Andrew), 4:54. 6, Worcester, Repaci 24 (Welsh, Callin), 16:22 (PP). Penalties-Osmundson Nor (roughing), 1:59; Reifenberger Nor (roughing), 1:59; Dickinson Wor (roughing), 1:59; Piercey Wor (roughing), 1:59; Bakanov Nor (fighting – major), 10:28; Hatten Wor (instigating, fighting – major), 10:28; Donhauser Wor (hooking), 11:13; Osmundson Nor (slashing), 14:18; Yavash Nor (tripping), 15:49.
3rd Period-7, Norfolk, Sargis 2 (Hebert, Kelly), 3:04. 8, Worcester, Welsh 7 (Callin), 4:31 (PP). 9, Worcester, Loughran 9 (Donhauser, Kaplan), 5:40. 10, Norfolk, Yavash 6 (Reifenberger, Louis-Jean), 15:45. Penalties-Zloty Nor (hooking), 4:15; Kopperud Wor (delay of game), 6:34; Donhauser Wor (slashing), 13:15.
1st OT Period-11, Worcester, Piercey 9 (Walton), 2:07. Penalties-No Penalties
Shots on Goal-Norfolk 6-7-13-2-28. Worcester 11-12-12-2-37.
Power Play Opportunities-Norfolk 0 / 5; Worcester 2 / 5.
Goalies-Norfolk, Milic 8-4-1-0 (37 shots-31 saves). Worcester, Bullion 12-13-0-2 (28 shots-23 saves).
A-2,789
Referees-Casey Terreri (14), Austin O’Rourke (10).
Linesmen-Jack McQuesten (53), Cody Sullivan (82).
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