The Worcester Railers have been playing unofficial playoff hockey for weeks and Saturday night against the Adirondack Thunder at the DCU Center was no exception as the Railers need essentially nothing but wins to qualify for the actual playoffs, and they got another much-needed one after a third-period goal by Tyler Kobryn lifted the team to a 3-2 victory.
Things started out well for Worcester despite a bumbled break into the Thunder zone when Matias Rajaniemi found the loose puck and got it over to Justin Gill, who then beat Henry Welsch to the glove side and just inside the far post at 2:38.
Tanner Schachle then picked a good time for his first goal in over a calendar year after Lincoln Hatten threw the puck into the slot. Ryan Mahshie had the other assist at 4:45 of the middle period.
The old saying is there’s nothing worse than a two-goal lead in hockey, although you could argue that trailing by those two goals would really be worse, but in any case, but the end of that middle frame the score would be tied.
Shortly after a Railers power play that was so bad it can’t even be called terrible, Ian Pierce skated into the Worcester zone essentially unmolested and, using defender Connor Welsh as screen, beat Worcester netminder Michael Bullion to the blocker side.
Despite the Thunder picking up the pace it looked the Railers were going to escape the frame still in the lead until Griffin Luce turned the puck over on a play that has absolutely no business happening.
If the Railers don’t make the playoffs there will be a long list of things that can be pointed to as the cause. This play, had they lost, would have been on that list. If this writer has been head coach, Luce would have been benched for a bit in the third period. Railers head coach Nick Tuzzolino chose to start him in the frame. With the win, the whole situation simply becomes a footnote.
Worcester came out punching in the third period, figuratively, not literally, and took the momentum back from Adirondack. Despite that there was only one goal in the frame, and that was by Kobryn with just over five minutes to go in regulation. Griffin Loughran and Luce assisted.
The video shows the goal should be unassisted as Luce’s pass to Loughgran, which he deflected into the Thunder zone, was intercepted by Thunder defender Brendan Less before being stolen back by Kobryn. I suspect that scoring won’t be changed.
The Railers limited Adirondack to just a single shot after that as Worcester put two more points in their pocket. Unfortunately Reading also won, a 5-4 win over Wheeling with the Nailers using former Holy Cross netminder Thomas Gale in goal. Both teams winning puts Worcester’s magic number at 8.
GAME NOTES
Scratches for the Railers were Alec Cicero, Ryan Dickinson (3-day IR), JD Dudek (IR/unknown), Kabore Dunn, Riley Ginnell (IR/unknown), Kolby Johnson (IR/upper body), and Matt Ustaski (IR/unknown). Hugo Ollas was the backup goaltender.
Saturday was the last of the Railers’ orange third jerseys for the season, as they were part of the team’s “Jersey Off The Back” promotion. Fans and players will probably be sad to see them go as Worcester went 5-3 wearing those sweaters, although in a playoff race, the five wins in a row they have wearing them right now is likely more important. And now you’re wondering why they didn’t just auction off the blue jerseys and use the orange sweaters as their darks, right? Well, it turns out the league doesn’t allow that. At the Chalk Talk event I asked COO Mike Myers about it, and to make a long conversation very short, the Railers would if they could, but they can’t, so they won’t.
There was some confusion at the end of the game as Cole Donhauser appeared to beat the buzzer for an empty-net goal just before the final horn sounded. Referee Trevor Wohlford was not convinced, and rightly so. When the puck was flipped into the Thunder zone, linesman Davids Rozitis signaled that it wasn’t icing and the clock should have kept running. Only it didn’t, stopping with 1.9 seconds on the clock for a couple of seconds until the clock operator realized his error and restarted the countdown. While he was reporting this to Referee Wohlford Adirondack alternate captain Ryan Wheeler made an absolute ass of himself, first yelling several obscenities at the clock operator and then at the officials who were telling him to get off the ice. Eventually Railers captain Anthony Repaci went over to speak to him, as did Referee Wohlford. Eventually, Wheeler skated off, having made whatever point he wanted to make. Although seeing as that goal, had it counted, would never have mattered to the Thunder for anything one has to wonder why Wheeler even cared.
With the Railers fighting for a playoff spot and the Bridgeport Islanders crashing and burning toward the worst record ever in AHL history you’d think that New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello and Bridgeport GM Chris Lamoriello would be doing everything in their power to help their ECHL affiliate make the post season, if only to continue the development of their NHL prospects, such as they are. And you’d be wrong. Riley Piercey and Jack Randl, two players who have played for the Railers this season, sit in the stands for the AHL-Islanders as healthy scratches while Worcester fights for a playoff spot. The Lamoriello have a long history of minor league carnage, starting in the Devils organization, then moving to the Toronto Maple Leafs, before destroying the NY Islanders. Literally the only two things Lou Lamoriello had every done in the NHL is draft Martin Brodeur and Auston Matthews. Everything else he has touched has been an unmitigated disaster. And Chris Lamoriello has done nothing to have such a long front office career. Despite any affiliation agreement Cliff Rucker needs to distance himself from the train wreck the Islanders organization has become and instead find one that has some clue how to develop players, and one without anyone employed by it with the last name Lamoriello.
The three stars of the game were
1. WOR – Tyler Kobryn (#13)
2. WOR – Tanner Schachle (#17)
3. WOR – Justin Gill (#7)
The 210Sports Player of the Game was Matias Rajaniemi.
Even Strength Lines
Donhauser / Callin / Repaci
Kopperud / Kaplan / Gill
Kobryn / DeMelis / Loughran
Schachle / Mahshie / Hatten
Welsh / Luce
McDonald / Klee
Rajaniemi / Walton
Press Releases
RAILERS: Railers Win Second Straight Over Thunder In 3-2 Decision
THUNDER: Railers Score Late In 3-2 Win Over Thunder
Our affiliates last night
Charlotte 5, Bridgeport 2
In the ECHL’s North Division last night
Maine 4, Trois-Rivieres 3
Norfolk 1, Iowa 0
Reading 5, Wheeling 4
BOX SCORE
Adirondack 0 2 0 – 2
Worcester 1 1 1 – 3
1st Period-1, Worcester, Gill 7 (Rajaniemi), 2:38. Penalties-No Penalties
2nd Period-2, Worcester, Schachle 1 (Hatten, Mahshie), 4:45. 3, Adirondack, Pierce 1 (Fox, Gibson), 9:17. 4, Adirondack, Ergang 4 19:50. Penalties-Wheeler Adk (tripping), 6:24; Luce Wor (interference), 16:29.
3rd Period-5, Worcester, Kobryn 11 (Loughran, Luce), 14:37. Penalties-Breault Adk (tripping), 6:09; Fox Adk (roughing), 15:51; Loughran Wor (roughing), 15:51.
Shots on Goal-Adirondack 5-13-6-24. Worcester 12-8-13-33.
Power Play Opportunities-Adirondack 0 / 1; Worcester 0 / 2.
Goalies-Adirondack, Welsch 2-2-0-0 (33 shots-30 saves). Worcester, Bullion 17-14-0-2 (24 shots-22 saves).
A-5,070
Referees-Trevor Wohlford (38).
Linesmen-Davids Rozitis (90), Matthew Heinen (93).
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