Game Story
Worcester, MA – The Worcester Railers and Wheeling Nailers faced each other for the second-to-last matchup of the regular season.
Neither team could get on the board in opening 20 minutes. Mike Cornell and Wheeling’s Troy Josephs fought at 2:51, which earned them each seven minutes, with Cornell sitting an additional ten for a misconduct for continuing an altercation. Worcester outshot Wheeling 12-9 in the opening frame.
Railers opened the second period with back-to-back goals from Jeff Kubiak and Chris Langkow at 2:02 and 2:25. Kubiak scored off a deflected shot from Matt Gaudreau. Langkow scored on a tip-in on an open-net from Ryan MacKinnon. Barry Almeida extended the lead with a pass from Langkow inches in front of Naliers’ netminder Adam Morrison. Railers would score their fourth of the period, the fastest four consecutive goals this season (8 minutes, 32 seconds), by Jeff Kubiak off a rebound by MacKinnon. After one of their best periods played this season, Railers held a 4-0 lead, outshooting Wheeling 23-18.
Wheeling’s Danny Fick scored with 10:02 left in the game with a shot that snuck past the foot of Railers’ goaltender Mitch Gillam. Woody Hudson would answer back with his 18th of the season on the backhand. Frankie DiChiara put the game away with his first goal in over 15 in the closing seconds on the power play.
The three stars of the game were Yannick Turcotte (assist, fight), Mitch Gillam (Win, 28 saves), and Jeff Kubiak (2 goals). If there were such a thing as a fourth star, it would go to Ryan MacKinnon, who had 2 assists in the game. Railer and Nailers will close out their season-series on Wednesday, March 21 in Wheeling.
Railers continue their 3-in-3 weekend against the Fort Wayne Komets in Worcester on Saturday. Puck drops at 7 PM.
Box Score
| Scoring | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheeling | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Worcester | 0 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Shots | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheeling | 9 | 9 | 11 | 29 |
| Worcester | 12 | 16 | 11 | 39 |
| Railers Roster | # | Name | G | A | +/- | SH | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | 29 | W. King | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| G | 35 | M. Gillam | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D | 2 | T. Panico | 0 | 0 | +1 | 3 | 0 |
| D | 4 | R. MacKinnon | 0 | 2 | +3 | 6 | 0 |
| D | 5 | K. McKenzie | 0 | 1 | +2 | 1 | 0 |
| D | 6 | M. Cornell | 0 | 0 | +2 | 1 | 17 |
| F | 8 | M. Gaudreau | 0 | 1 | +2 | 2 | 0 |
| C | 10 | M. Lane | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| C | 15 | K. Schempp | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| F | 16 | J. Kubiak | 2 | 0 | +2 | 3 | 2 |
| LW | 17 | F. DiChiara | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| LW | 18 | N. Saracino | 0 | 1 | +1 | 1 | 0 |
| F | 19 | B. Almeida | 1 | 1 | +1 | 3 | 2 |
| F | 20 | Y. Turcotte | 0 | 1 | +1 | 1 | 7 |
| F | 21 | C. Langkow | 1 | 1 | +2 | 8 | 0 |
| D | 22 | J. Hamonic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| F | 23 | W. Hudson | 1 | 1 | +3 | 1 | 0 |
| D | 24 | J. McArdle | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Team: | |||||||
| Totals: | 6 | 12 | 20 | 39 | 28 |
| Nailers Roster | # | Name | G | A | +/- | SH | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | 29 | A. Morrison | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| G | 31 | M. O’Connor | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D | 2 | K. Spinozzi | 0 | 1 | -3 | 1 | 0 |
| D | 5 | D. Fick | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| D | 6 | D. Milan | 0 | 0 | -1 | 1 | 2 |
| F | 7 | F. Tiffels | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| F | 8 | N. Sorkin | 0 | 0 | -3 | 1 | 0 |
| F | 10 | T. Josephs | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 7 |
| F | 11 | C. Wydo | 0 | 0 | -4 | 2 | 0 |
| D | 12 | A. Valente | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 |
| F | 14 | R. Bourbonnais | 0 | 0 | -1 | 2 | 0 |
| F | 15 | C. Francis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| F | 16 | D. Army | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| D | 18 | M. Abt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| F | 22 | J. Beirnes | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 7 |
| F | 23 | G. Meurs | 0 | 0 | +1 | 3 | 0 |
| F | 24 | R. Gardiner | 0 | 0 | -2 | 4 | 0 |
| D | 28 | D. Zink | 0 | 0 | -2 | 1 | 0 |
| Team: | |||||||
| Totals: | 1 | 2 | -20 | 29 | 22 |
| P | T | Player | M | Offense | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | V | T. Josephs | 2.00 | Boarding – minor (41.2) | 2:51 |
| 1st | V | T. Josephs | 5.00 | Fighting – Major (46.14) | 2:51 |
| 1st | H | M. Cornell | 2.00 | Roughing – minor (51.2) | 2:51 |
| 1st | H | M. Cornell | 5.00 | Fighting – Major (46.14) | 2:51 |
| 1st | H | M. Cornell | 10.00 | Misconduct – Continuing Altercation (46.5) | 2:51 |
| 1st | H | J. Kubiak | 2.00 | Cross-Checking Minor (59.2) | 8:00 |
| 1st | V | D. Fick | 2.00 | Cross-Checking Minor (59.2) | 17:39 |
| 2nd | H | B. Almeida | 2.00 | High-sticking – minor (60.2) | 11:23 |
| 2nd | V | J. Beirnes | 2.00 | Removing the Helmet (46.6) | 13:35 |
| 2nd | V | J. Beirnes | 5.00 | Fighting – Major (46.14) | 13:35 |
| 2nd | H | Y. Turcotte | 2.00 | Removing the Helmet (46.6) | 13:35 |
| 2nd | H | Y. Turcotte | 5.00 | Fighting – Major (46.14) | 13:35 |
| 3rd | V | F. Tiffels | 4.00 | High-sticking – double minor (60.3) | 13:50 |
| 3rd | V | D. Milan | 2.00 | Roughing – minor (51.2) | 19:09 |
| No | Name | Min | SH | SVS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | M. Gillam (W) | 60:00 | 29 | 28 | 1 |
| Totals: | 60:00 | 29 | 28 | 1 |
| No | Name | Min | SH | SVS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | A. Morrison (L) | 30:34 | 21 | 17 | 4 |
| 31 | M. O’Connor | 29:26 | 18 | 16 | 2 |
| Totals: | 60:00 | 39 | 33 | 6 |
Notes
- Railers Scratches: Justin Agosta (suspended), Connor Doherty, Tommy Kelley, Josh Monk (21-day injury reserve), Ben Masella (day-to-day/lower body), and TJ Syner.
- Nailers Scratches: Ross McMullan, Dalton Reum, Kenny Ryan, Andrew Schmidt, Colin Stevens, Danny Tirone, and Zach Tolkinen.
- Forward Kyle Schempp was assigned to Worcester on Thursday from Bridgeport by the NY Islanders. Schempp made his debut on Friday. Schempp tallied an assist in his Railers debut. He is expected to be recalled to Bridgeport after the weekend concludes.
- With 2 assists Ryan MacKinnon extended his point streak to seven games. (1-7-8)
- Frankie DiChiara scored his first game in over 15 games.
- Friday’s win was the first game in which the Railers had scored 6 points in a game, and the second period was the first time they have ever scored four points in a single period.
- Per Telegram’s Bill Ballou, Ryan MacKinnon has signed a two-year contract with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. This shouldn’t have any effect on him playing other than he can now be recalled to Bridgeport at any time.
- Earlier this week the ECHL made a handful of announcements for the 2018-19 season. The announcements relevant to Worcester were:
- Quad City Mallards would cease operations at the end of this season due to financial issues
- An expansion team for St. John’s, Newfoundland will join the league for the 2018-19 season. The team will play in the North Division.
- Maine Mariners will play in the North Division, additionally, the Wheeling Nailers will move to the Central Division beginning in 2018-19.
Railers Lines (Observed by order in which they appeared):
| LW | C | RW | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward Line 1 | N. Saracino #18 | B. Almeida #19 “A” | C. Langkow #21 “C” |
| Forward Line 2 | M. Gaudreau #8 | J. Kubiak #16 | W. Hudson #23 |
| Forward Line 3 | M. Lane #10 | K. Schempp #15 | F. DiChiara #17/ Y. Turcotte #20 |
| LD | RD | |
|---|---|---|
| Defense Line 1 | K. McKenzie #5 | R. MacKinnon #4 |
| Defense Line 2 | J. Hamonic #22 | J. MacArdle #24 |
| Defense Line 3 | T. Panico #2 | M. Cornell #6 “A” |
| G | |
|---|---|
| Starting Goaltender | Mitch Gillam #35 |
| Backup Goaltender | Will King #29 |