The Worcester Railers hosted the Trois-Rivières Lions Friday night in the first of three contests this weekend at the DCU Center on pink ice, and a BOLO has been issued for the Railers offense as it has all but disappeared lately, with Worcester managing just 22 shots in a 2-0 loss to Hunter Jones and the Lions.
There is only one team in the ECHL that averages fewer than the Railers’ 27.3 per game, and their 2.68 goals per game rank 24th of the 30 teams. Over their last ten games, Worcester’s power play, which had been steaming right along, has gone 3-for-32, but they’ve given two of those back by allowing shorthanded goals.
While the Railers did have seven games in a row where they got a point, going 5-0-2, they didn’t gain any ground, as on January 24th, they were four points behind Maine for the last playoff spot, with the Mariners having two games in hand. Eight games later, Worcester finds itself, you guessed it, four points behind Maine, albeit with the same number of games played.
But this weekend isn’t about catching Maine, it’s about burying Trois-Rivières into sixth place. If the Railers can win the next two in regulation, they’ll have a nine-point cushion over the Lions. If the Railers lose them both, it becomes a three-horse race for that final North Division playoff spot.
And goals are what fuel the Railers train, and the Railers need a lot more of them to get this locomotive over the finish line.
For the game, Worcester had a few good bids but never had any sustained pressure on Lions netminder Jones, and Trois-Rivières finally broke the scoreless tie at 17:43 when no one picked up Cédric Desruisseaux in front, and he was able to flip one past Parker Gahagen.
Late in the third, Morgan Adams-Moisan–who else?–sealed the win for the Lions with an empty net goal. The Railers didn’t register a shot on goal over the final 6:49 of the game.
GAME NOTES
Scratches for the Railers were Khristian Acosta (3-day IR), MacAuley Carson, Michael Ferrandino (14-day IR/Unknown), Connor Federkow, Thomas Gale, Anthony Hora (14-day IR/Lower body), and Ross Mitton (14-day IR/Upper body). Tristan Lennox was the backup goaltender.
On Thursday, Railers GM Nick Tuzzolino released forward Hunter Hall, who was pointless in his two games with Worcester. On Friday, Gleb Veremyev was reassigned to Worcester from Bridgeport by the New York Islanders, and Cam Berg has been loaned to Worcester from the AHL Islanders.
The Lions dressed just 16 skaters, two under the maximum, dressing 10 forwards and six defenders, with Anthony Beauregard not making the trip to Worcester for family reasons and Sean Gulka and Emmett Serensits, who are sick. One of the ten forwards dressed was former Railers winger Mathias Laferriere, who played three games for Worcester early in the 2021-22 season. The St. Louis Blues’ 6th round pick in 2018, who played with the Railers as part of an unofficial affiliation with the Blues and Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL), had an assist in his tenure in a Worcester jersey.
Railers defender Jesse Pulkkinen took a slashing minor late in the first period–we won’t bother to mention the four penalties referee Julien Lapointe let go earlier that were much more egregious–and after Worcester killed the minor, Pulkkinen got a little extra punishment when Cam McDonald’s clearing bid hit the six-foot-six defender right in the face. Pulkkinen made it to the bench as play continued and came out in the second period wearing a full face cage.
In another penalty that referee Julien Lapointe, along with linesmen Conor Foley and Michael Tarquinio missed, was when Lions forward Mark Estapa played the puck while still having a foot in the penalty box. A player has to get both feet on the ice out of the sin bin or players’ bench before he is eligible, and while the FloHockey video isn’t 100% conclusive, it’s enough to know it happened. Plus, we’ll add the two minions on the bench side who messaged me to ask if what they saw–Estapa playing the puck with a foot in the penalty box–was legal. It’s not, it’s a minor for interference under Rule 56.2, and a linesman is supposed to stop play, under Rule 32.4(vii), when such an event takes place. Luckily, Gahagen made the save on the breakaway.
In a scoring change from last weekend, Ryan Miotto’s goal Saturday that was originally listed as unassisted has had helpers added for Riley Ginnell and Anthony Repaci. That goal now reads “3, Worcester, Miotto 10 (Ginnell, Repaci), 5:33.”
Seven years ago on Friday, Railers fans exploded on the internet team Facebook fan groups upon hearing the news that fan-favorite Woody Hudson had been traded by then-GM Jamie Russell for defenseman Robert Powers. It wasn’t the first time Worcester fans were outraged over a popular player being moved along from, and the comedy when it happens still makes many knowledgeable fans laugh. At the time, Hudson wasn’t playing well, and Worcester needed a defenseman, so the trade was made. When it was announced, I called the trade “at worst an even deal”, and looking back, that’s exactly what it was. Hudson woke up a little, having ten points in 18 games with the Fuel, but he never played another pro game after that. Power, who was maybe a step up from a traffic cone, went 1-4-5 in 20 games with Worcester before not being re-signed. He lasted one more season, with stops in Atlanta and Newfoundland, before retiring. All that outrage, over nothing.
The three stars of the game were
1. TR – #29 Hunter Jones
2. WOR – #35 Parker Gahagen
3. TR – #21 Cédric Desruisseaux
We don’t usually give the 210Sports Player of the Game to one of the top two stars as it’s more of an “unsung hero” type thing, but how can Parker Gahagen not win it? He should have been the #1 star despite getting the loss.
Even Strength Lines
Repaci / Miotto / Hatten
Donhauser / A.Callin / D.Callin
Veremyev / Berg / Dorrington
Piercey / DeMelis / Ginnell
Pulkkinen / Samuelsson
McDonald / Suda
Odelius / Blanchard
Press Releases
RAILERS: Worcester drops 2-0 decision to Lions to open weekend
LIONS: Captain Adams-Moisan leads the way once again in Lions victory
Our affiliates last night
No games scheduled
In the ECHL’s North Division last night
Norfolk 5, Greensboro 3
Reading 3, Wheeling 0
Adirondack 4, Atlanta 1
Maine 2, Florida 1 OT
BOX SCORE
Trois-Rivières 0 1 1 – 2
Worcester 0 0 0 – 0
1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Pulkkinen Wor (slashing), 15:43.
2nd Period-1, Trois-Rivières, Desruisseaux 8 (Adams-Moisan, Gravelle), 17:43. Penalties-Estapa Tr (slashing), 11:59.
3rd Period-2, Trois-Rivières, Adams-Moisan 9 (Paquette), 19:03 (EN). Penalties-No Penalties
Shots on Goal-Trois-Rivières 14-9-11-34. Worcester 8-8-6-22.
Power Play Opportunities-Trois-Rivières 0 / 1; Worcester 0 / 1.
Goalies-Trois-Rivières, Jones 11-5-0-0 (22 shots-22 saves). Worcester, Gahagen 11-4-4-0 (33 shots-32 saves).
A-2,700
Referees-Julien Lapointe (68), -.
Linesmen-Conor Foley (86), Michael Tarquinio (45).
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