Match Notes

  • Worcester has the disadvantage against Adirondack, with their only win against them coming on November 15 which ended in a shootout.
  • Railers can jump into a third place with a win, which would put them in a tie with the Thunder with 30 points.
  • Adirondack can tie with Reading for second place in the north with a win.

Thunder Notes

  • Team Rankings and Averages:
    • Adirondack has the third best power play in the ECHL, capitalizing on 20 percent (19 PPGs) of their opportunities this season. Twelve of their power play goals have come on the road.
    • The Thunder have only allowed one shorthanded goal this season, ranking second in the league.
    • Adirondack is averaging 34.42 shots on goal per game, which is third in the league.
    • The Thunder are 8-1-1-0 when leading after one and are 12-0-2-0 when leading after two.
    • Adirondack is winless when tied after two periods (0-3-0-1) or when trailing after one (0-6-0-1). They have very good odds at winning when leading after one period with a record of 8-1-1-0.
    • The Thunder are 9-5-2-2 when outshooting opponents.
  • Player Rankings and Streaks:
    • James Henry leads all thunder skaters with 24 points.
    • The Thunder have recently lost a handful of their best skaters to PTOs and Recalls in the last few weeks:
      • Mike Szmatula is ranked 12th out of all rookie skaters with 21 points. (11-10-21)
      • John Edwardh is ranked second out of all rookies in shooting percentage with 26.9 percent on 26 shots.
  • Recent Transactions:
    • John Edwardh was recalled to the Binghamton Devils on December 15.
    • Dylan Walchuk was acquired on Thursday from the Jacksonville Icemen for future considerations.
    • Brian Ward is on recall with the Binghamton Devils, recalled on December 11.
    • Adirondack has is one of the few teams in the ECHL to have under 20 recalls/assignments/signings/trades this season.
    • Conor Riley signed a PTO with the Binghamton Devils (AHL affiliate) on Friday.
    • Mike Szmatula signed a PTO with the Stockon Heat on Friday.
  • Possible Scratches:
    • Andrew Tessier – Has not played since December 8.
    • Nikolas Olsson – Has not played since November 10.
    • Jakob Reichert – Has not played since December 7.
    • Adirondack has 17 skaters so they can have one or two scratches.

Railers Notes

  • Team Rankings and Averages:
    • Worcester has the second-best penalty kill at home, killing 89.6 of penalties at the DCU Center.
    • Railers are still the only team without a shorthanded goal this season.
    • Worcester is undefeated when leading after two periods. (7-0-0-0)
    • Railers are winless when trailing after two periods. (0-9-1-0)
  • Player Rankings and Streaks:
    • Nick Sorkin has seven points in his last six games.
    • Alex Adams is looking for his first career point after playing in five games this season.
    • Woody Hudson is on a 13-game cold streak.
    • Tommy Panico is on a 5-game cold streak.
    • Ivan Kosorenkov and Matt Schmalz are on a 4-game cold streak.
    • Barry Almeida, Alex Vanier, Connor Doherty, Josh Holmstrom are looking for their first points in three games.
  • Recent Transactions:
    • Ryan Hubbard was added to the roster on Friday.
  • Possible Scratches:
    • Malcolm Gould –  On injured reserve, is eligible to be activated.
    • Tommy Kelley – On injured reserve, is eligible to be activated.
    • Kyle McKenzie – On injured reserve, is eligible to be activated.
    • David Quenneville – On reserve.
    • Evan Buitenhuis – unknown reason.
    • Additional scratches to be determined around game time.

Isles/Sound Tigers News

  • Islanders fell 4-2 to the Golden Knights on Thursday. [NHL]
    • Greiss had 43 saves in loss.
    • Isles had a 3 game winning streak coming into the game.
  • Bridgeport lost 4-3 to WBS Penguins in Overtime on Wednesday. [Sound Tigers]
  • Isles play again on Sunday in Dallas.
  • Sound Tigers play again on Friday against the Charlotte Checkers.

Recent North Division Game Results

  • No North Division games have been played recently.

North Division Games Today

  • Reading Royals vs Manchester Monarchs

Other Mentions

  • The Worcester Fire Department will be holding a “Fill the Boot” event at the game tonight to benefit the Ava Roy Fund.
  • Worcester First Responders can receive four free tickets to tonight’s game by showing their ID at the DCU Center box office.
  • The Railers Booster Club will be holding another 50/50 raffle to benefit the Ava Roy Fund.
  • Boston Bruins Legend Rick Middleton will be signing autographs on the concourse between 6 PM and 7:30 PM.
  • For live updates during the game, follow us on Twitter @WooHockeyNews.