Game Story
Reading, PA – Railers closed out the last of road-trip of March with the second of two games against the Reading Royals.
Neither team scored in the opening frame. After twenty minutes, Mitch Gillam had 11 saves while Reading’s Mark Dekanich had 10.
The second period was all Royals, putting up two goals with the Railers struggling to catch-up. Brian Morgan scored a top-shelf goal on the breakaway to put the Royals up by one. Royals took advantage of an open net with a goal from Mark Luuko on an open net, as Mitch Gillam struggled to get back in front after chasing a puck behind his net. Railers trailed 2-0, outshooting the Royals 20-18.
Royals took a 3-0 lead with a top-shelf goal from Michael Huntebrinker from a perfect cross-ice pass from Mark Bennett. Mike Cornell was assessed a game misconduct in the closing minutes of the game for fighting and was an aggressor in the fight, and will be suspended for at least the next Railers game. Railers couldn’t bounce back with the game ending 3-0 in favor of Reading, with shots being tied at 28.
The three stars of the game were: Mark Dekanich, Mark Bennett, and Brian Morgan. Around the North Division, the Thunder defeated the Monarchs 5-3, and the Nailers lost against the Cincinnati Cyclones, 3-2 in overtime. Manchester becomes the first North Division team to clinch a playoff spot with the Railers loss. The Railers are back to five points behind the Wheeling Nailers with two games in hand.
Railers hit the road tonight and will return home to face the Adirondack Thunder on Wednesday. Puck drops at 7 PM.
Box Score
| Scoring | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester Railers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reading Royals | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Shots | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester Railers | 10 | 10 | 8 | 28 |
| Reading Royals | 11 | 7 | 10 | 28 |
| Railers Roster | # | Name | G | A | +/- | SH | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | 35 | M. Gillam | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D | 3 | B. Masella | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 2 |
| D | 5 | K. McKenzie | 0 | 0 | -1 | 1 | 0 |
| D | 6 | M. Cornell | 0 | 0 | -2 | 8 | 0 |
| F | 8 | M. Gaudreau | 0 | 0 | -1 | 1 | 0 |
| C | 10 | M. Lane | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| F | 11 | J. Holmstrom | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 |
| F | 13 | J. Randolph | 0 | 0 | -1 | 2 | 0 |
| F | 14 | T. Syner | 0 | 0 | -1 | 2 | 0 |
| LW | 17 | F. DiChiara | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| LW | 18 | N. Saracino | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 |
| F | 19 | B. Almeida | 0 | 0 | -1 | 6 | 0 |
| D | 22 | J. Hamonic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| F | 23 | W. Hudson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| D | 24 | J. McArdle | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 |
| D | 28 | C. Doherty | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 |
| D | 44 | P. Cullity | 0 | 0 | -1 | 3 | 0 |
| Team: | |||||||
| Totals: | 0 | 0 | -15 | 27 | 4 |
| No | Name | Min | SH | SVS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | M. Gillam | 60:00 | 28 | 25 | 3 |
| Totals: | 60:00 | 28 | 25 | 3 |
| Royals Roster | # | Name | G | A | +/- | SH | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | 29 | B. Komm | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| G | 31 | M. Dekanich | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D | 2 | C. Golightly | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| F | 3 | C. McCarthy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| D | 6 | M. Cleland | 0 | 1 | +2 | 1 | 0 |
| D | 8 | N. Zajac | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| F | 9 | R. Penny | 0 | 0 | +1 | 2 | 0 |
| F | 14 | A. Schmidt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| F | 16 | M. Wilkins | 0 | 0 | +2 | 0 | 2 |
| F | 17 | M. Huntebrinker | 1 | 0 | +1 | 2 | 0 |
| D | 18 | N. Neville | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| F | 20 | B. Morgan | 1 | 0 | +1 | 2 | 0 |
| F | 23 | J. Riley | 0 | 1 | +1 | 1 | 0 |
| D | 25 | N. Luukko | 0 | 1 | +2 | 1 | 0 |
| F | 28 | M. Bennett | 1 | 1 | +3 | 2 | 0 |
| D | 43 | F. Hora | 0 | 0 | +2 | 1 | 0 |
| LW | 44 | V. Liljegren | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| F | 90 | M. Willows | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Team: | |||||||
| Totals: | 3 | 4 | 15 | 21 | 6 |
| No | Name | Min | SH | SVS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | M. Dekanich | 60:00 | 28 | 28 | 0 |
| Totals: | 60:00 | 28 | 28 | 0 |
| P | T | Player | M | Offense | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | H | M. Wilkins | 2.00 | Holding – minor (54.2) | 4:59 |
| 1st | H | C. McCarthy | 2.00 | Tripping – minor (57.2) | 15:01 |
| 2nd | V | W. Hudson | 2.00 | Kneeing – minor (50.2) | 0:41 |
| 2nd | V | B. Masella | 2.00 | Tripping – minor (57.2) | 14:45 |
| 3rd | H | N. Zajac | 2.00 | Cross-Checking Minor (59.2) | 7:31 |
| 3rd | V | B. Almeida | 5.00 | Fighting – Major (46.14) | 18:50 |
| 3rd | V | M. Cornell | 5.00 | Fighting – Major (46.14) | 18:50 |
| 3rd | V | M. Cornell | 10.00 | Game misconduct – Aggressor (46.2) | 18:50 |
| 3rd | H | M. Bennett | 2.00 | Roughing – minor (51.2) | 18:50 |
Notes
- Railers Scratches: Tommy Kelley (upper-body injury), Chris Langkow (lower-body injury), and Josh Monk (21-day I/R).
- Royals Scratches: Tyler Brown, Scott Tanski, and Charlie Vasaturo.
- Matchup 13 out of 14: Railers now have a record 6-6-1-0 against Reading.
- With a loss Saturday, the Railers six game point streak has ended.
- Mike Cornell will be suspended for Wednesday’s home game after being assesed a game misconduct for being the aggressor of a fight in the closing minutes of the game.
- Back in Worcester, the NCAA is holding the First Round and Semi-Finals for the East Region. Boston University took on Cornell University and won in a 3-1 upset, and Michigan and Northeastern University played in the afternoon, with Michigan pulling through with a goal in the late minutes of the game for the win. Michigan and Boston University will face-off at the DCU Center on Sunday for the Semi-Finals matchup.
Railers Lines (Observed by order in which they appeared):
| LW | C | RW | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward Line 1 | T. Syner #14 | N. Saracino #18 | B. Almeida #19 “A” |
| Forward Line 2 | J. MacArdle #24 | J. Holmstrom #11 | M. Gaudreau #8 |
| Forward Line 3 | J. Randolph #13 | M. Lane #10 | F. DiChiara #17 / W. Hudson #23 |
| LD | RD | |
|---|---|---|
| Defense Line 1 | B. Masella #3 | M. Cornell #6 “C” |
| Defense Line 2 | J. Hamonic #22 “A” | C. Doherty #28 |
| Defense Line 3 | K. McKenzie #5 | P. Cullity #44 |
| G | |
|---|---|
| Starting Goaltender | Mitch Gillam #35 |
| Backup Goaltender | Will King #29 |