Game Story
Worcester, MA — The Worcester Railers topped the Adirondack Thunder 6-2 in front of a crowd of 5,636 at the DCU Center on Saturday night.
Brent Beaudoin, Jacob Hayhurst, Myles McGurty, Steve Jandric, and Anthony Repaci each had multi-point games. Steve Jandric, Jacob Hayhurst, Myles McGurty, Anthony Repaci, and Nick Fea each scored goals for Worcester. The Railers did not have a single power play, although they did score on the one delayed penalty that would’ve resulted in one. Several questionable calls made by referee Tatu Kunto resulted in the Railers being shorthanded multiple times throughout this game, with the Railers prevailing, allowing just one goal in five penalty kills. Henrik Tikkanen improved his record to 18-16-3 with 31 saves. Mike Robinson had 24 saves for the Thunder, as the team continues to deal with injured goaltenders and had signed Matt Petizian to an ATO before the game.
Steve Jandric scored the first goal just 69 seconds into the game, taking the puck into the offensive zone and shooting a backhand past goaltender Mike Robinson. Trevor Cosgrove sent a hail mary of a pass into the zone where Adirondack defender Kyle Hallbauer never got control of the puck. Jandric collected the puck and scored on a quick shot on goal. Jacob Hayhurst scored with 1:36 left in the second period. After Robinson made the initial save on a Steve Jandric shot, Hayhurst and Bobby Butler touched the puck before it crossed the goal line. The overhead view of this goal shows Butler made the last contact before going in, but is credited to Hayhurst with Jandric and goaltender Henrik Tikkanen getting the assists.
Myles McGurty scored his second goal of the year on a bounce at 16:06 in the second period. It marked just the second time in his professional career he has scored more than one goal in a season. He had two during the 2019-20 campaign, one with the Rapid City Rush, and another in his second game with Worcester after being traded here.
Jacob Hayhurst gave the Railers a 4-0 lead in the third period on a breakaway with Henrik Tikkanen pulled for a delayed penalty. Matt Stief scored at 3:13 in the third period while Christian Evers and Anthony Repaci were in the box thanks to two questionable calls by Tatu Kunto, resulting in the Thunder having a 5-on-3 advantage. Ryan Smith scored three-and-a-half minutes later on a quick shot following a Railers turnover. Jordan Smotherman would call his timeout where the Railers would catch a breather. Anthony Repaci brought the game to 5-2 on a one-timer from Brent Beaudoin at 9:41. Nolan Vesey collected the puck after Anthony Callin collided with an Adirondack skater, setting up Nick Fea to skate down the ice, where he added to the Railers’ lead, resulting in a 6-2 victory.
The three stars of Saturday night’s game were:
- Jacob Hayhurst (Worcester) – 2 goals, +4
- Steve Jandric (Worcester) – 1 goal, 1 assist
- Myles McGurty (Worcester) – 1 goal, 1 assist
Elsewhere in the north division, Pavel Gogolev’s hat trick propelled the Newfoundland Growlers to a 4-1 over the Trois-Rivieres Lions earlier in the night. The Reading Royals fell 5-1 to the Norfolk Admirals in a meaningless game, Reading had secured home-ice advantage in the first round for their series against the Maine Mariners on Friday night. The Railers ended a 12-game point streak for the Adirondack Thunder on Saturday. The Railers have leapfrogged back into fourth place in the north division, however, the Thunder still have two games in hand. There are a few scenarios that put Worcester in a playoff spot, best case scenario Maine and Trois-Rivieres defeat the Thunder this Sunday and next Friday, then the Railers sweep their two games next weekend in regulation.
The Railers have two games left, both in Glens Falls on Friday and Saturday.
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Box Score
Scoring | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
Shots | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
10 | 9 | 14 | 33 | |
12 | 8 | 10 | 30 |
Score | Team | Time | Scored by | Assisted by | Type |
0 – 1 | 1:09 – 1st | S. Jandric (8) | T. Cosgrove, R. Da Silva | ||
0 – 2 | 18:24 – 1st | J. Hayhurst (9) | S. Jandric, H. Tikkanen | ||
0 – 3 | 16:06 – 2nd | M. McGurty (2) | A. Repaci, A. Kulakov | ||
0 – 4 | 0:38 – 3rd | J. Hayhurst (10) | B. Beaudoin, A. Repaci | ||
1 – 4 | 3:13 – 3rd | M. Stief (3) | S. Weller, S. Harper | PP | |
2 – 4 | 6:42 – 3rd | R. Smith (16) | I. Chukarov, S. Weller | ||
2 – 5 | 9:41 – 3rd | A. Repaci (26) | B. Beaudoin, M. McGurty | ||
2 – 6 | 17:39 – 3rd | N. Fea (7) | N. Vesey | ||
0:00 – |
Rosters
# | Player | G | A | +/- | SH | PIM | |
G | 1 | M. Petizian | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
G | 39 | M. Robinson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
D | 3 | D. Mingo | 0 | 0 | -2 | 1 | 0 |
D | 4 | M. Slick | 0 | 0 | -1 | 2 | 0 |
D | 7 | M. Stief | 1 | 0 | -2 | 1 | 0 |
F | 9 | C. Long | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
F | 10 | R. Smith | 1 | 0 | +1 | 8 | 0 |
F | 11 | S. Harper | 0 | 1 | -4 | 3 | 0 |
D | 12 | R. Orgel | 0 | 0 | -1 | 1 | 0 |
D | 13 | I. Chukarov | 0 | 1 | -2 | 1 | 0 |
F | 14 | M. Jennings | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
F | 21 | P. Grasso | 0 | 0 | -2 | 6 | 2 |
F | 22 | S. Vidmar | 0 | 0 | -2 | 1 | 0 |
D | 26 | K. Hallbauer | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 |
F | 27 | T. Broughman | 0 | 0 | -3 | 0 | 0 |
F | 29 | B. Fleurent | 0 | 0 | -1 | 2 | 0 |
F | 37 | E. Middendorf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
F | 43 | G. Jozefek | 0 | 0 | -2 | 2 | 2 |
F | 63 | S. Weller | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Team: | |||||||
Totals: | 2 | 4 | -23 | 33 | 4 |
Player | MIN | SH | SVS | GA | SV% | |
39 | M. Robinson (L) | – | 30 | 24 | 6 | – |
Totals: | – | 30 | 24 | 6 | – |
# | Player | G | A | +/- | SH | PIM | |
G | 35 | K. Appleby | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
G | 39 | H. Tikkanen | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
F | 3 | N. Fea | 1 | 0 | +1 | 2 | 0 |
F | 7 | L. Coughlin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
F | 8 | B. Butler | 0 | 0 | +2 | 1 | 0 |
D | 9 | N. Delmas | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
D | 10 | T. Cosgrove | 0 | 1 | +3 | 1 | 0 |
F | 11 | N. Vesey | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
F | 12 | B. Beaudoin | 0 | 2 | +2 | 0 | 0 |
D | 15 | C. Evers | 0 | 0 | -1 | 1 | 2 |
F | 16 | J. Hayhurst | 2 | 0 | +4 | 5 | 0 |
F | 17 | A. Callin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
F | 23 | A. Bakanov | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
D | 26 | J. Brandt | 0 | 0 | +2 | 1 | 0 |
D | 27 | M. McGurty | 1 | 1 | +3 | 2 | 2 |
D | 29 | A. Kulakov | 0 | 1 | +1 | 1 | 0 |
D | 41 | R. Da Silva | 0 | 1 | +2 | 4 | 4 |
F | 44 | S. Jandric | 1 | 1 | +2 | 3 | 2 |
F | 81 | A. Repaci | 1 | 2 | +3 | 3 | 4 |
Team: | |||||||
Totals: | 6 | 11 | 24 | 30 | 14 |
Player | MIN | SH | SVS | GJ | SV% | |
39 | H. Tikkanen (W) | – | 33 | 31 | 2 | – |
Totals: | – | 33 | 31 | 2 | – |
Penalties
Time | Team | Player | Mins | Infraction |
19:04 – 1st | A. Repaci | 2 | Kneeing – minor (50.2) | |
3:14 – 2nd | R. Da Silva | 2 | Tripping – minor (57.2) | |
19:20 – 2nd | P. Grasso | 2 | Slashing – minor (61.2) | |
19:20 – 2nd | M. McGurty | 2 | Elbowing – minor (45.2) | |
1:43 – 3rd | C. Evers | 2 | Interference – minor (56.2) | |
2:18 – 3rd | A. Repaci | 2 | Holding the stick – minor (54.2) | |
8:49 – 3rd | G. Jozefek | 2 | Roughing – minor (51.2) | |
8:49 – 3rd | S. Jandric | 2 | Roughing – minor (51.2) | |
10:04 – 3rd | R. Da Silva | 2 | Interference – minor (56.2) |
Notes
- Worcester Scratches: Adam Goodsir, Billy Jerry, Chris Ordoobadi, Connor McCarthy, Jack Quinlivan, Josh Victor, Max Johnson, Phil Beaulieu, and Quinn Ryan.
- Adirondack Scratches: Brandon Schultz, Bryce Martin, Jake Theut, Jeff Taylor, Mareks Mitens, Nick Rivera, Vinnie Purpura, Wayne Letourneau, and Yanick Turcotte.
- Josh Victor was released on Saturday to make a roster spot for Christian Evers, who was activated the same day. Evers returned to the lineup on Saturday after missing 23 games, having last played on February 7 at Reading. Evers was a -1 in his return to the lineup. Victor was the last active player with any bit of physicalness to him, with Chris Ordoobadi still on injured reserve. Meanwhile, Noah Delmas, who is a -33 this season, is still on the roster and did nothing notable in Saturday’s game.
- Anthony Repaci became the second player this season to 50 points with his three-point night on Saturday. He becomes the first player to do it twice, doing so last season. It has happened a total of seven times in franchise history.
- With all regular season games in the books, the attendance average comes out to 3,934, a slight drop from 3,968 from last season.
- The Railers auctioned off their alternate orange jerseys in lieu of a Worcester throwback jersey, which was advertised earlier in the season. It is assumed that production delays were the root cause as to why these jerseys were not worn, along with the Military jerseys from last week.
- Barry Almeida and Shawn Heaphy were in attendance Saturday night and signed autographs during intermission at the game.
- The jersey raffle of the game was a 2021-22 Ken Appleby jersey. This jersey was among several auctions as a part of Fan Appreciation Night.
- Following Saturday night’s game, the Railers had the following scoring streaks and droughts:
- Nick Fea snapped a three-game scoring drought with a goal on Saturday.
- Nolan Vesey extended his point streak to five games. (2-3-5)
- Christian Evers is without a point in his last five games.
- Anthony Callin is without a point in his last three games.
- Andrei Bakanov is without a point in his last three games.
- Jared Brandt is without a point in his last five games.
- Artyom Kulakov snapped a three-game scoring drought with an assist on Saturday.
- Steve Jandric is now on a three-game scoring streak. (1-3-4)
Railers Lines
Forward Lines | LW | C | RW |
Forward Line 1 | Andrei Bakanov #23 | Brent Beaudoin #12 | Anthony Repaci #81 |
Forward Line 2 | Steve Jandric #44 | Jacob Hayhurst #16 | Bobby Butler #8 |
Forward Line 3 | Nolan Vesey #11 | Anthony Callin #17 | Nick Fea #3 |
Rotated Forwards | – | Liam Coughlin #7 | Noah Delmas #9 |
Defensive Pairings | LD | RD |
Defense Pair 1 | Jared Brandt #26 | Myles McGurty #27 |
Defense Pair 2 | Trevor Cosgrove #10 | Ryan Da Silva #41 |
Defense Pair 3 | Artyom Kulakov #29 | Christian Evers #15 |
Rotated Defensemen | – | – |
Goalie Tandem | G |
Starting Goaltender | Henrik Tikkanen #39 |
Backup Goaltender | Ken Appleby #35 |
Opponent Lines
Forward Lines | LW | C | RW |
Forward Line 1 | Sebastian Vidmar #22 | Shane Harper #11 | Patrick Grasso #21 |
Forward Line 2 | Erik Middendorf #37 | Travis Broughman #27 | Grant Jozefek #43 |
Forward Line 3 | Matt Jennings #14 | Colin Long #9 | Ryan Smith #10 |
Rotated Forwards | Shawn Weller #63 | – | Brady Fleurent #29 |
Defensive Pairings | LD | RD |
Defense Pair 1 | Matt Stief #7 | Dajon Mingo #3 |
Defense Pair 2 | Matt Slick #4 | Ryan Orgel #12 |
Defense Pair 3 | Ivan Chukarov #13 | Kyle Hallbauer #26 |
Rotated Defensemen | – | – |
Goalie Tandem | G |
Starting Goaltender | Mike Robinson #39 |
Backup Goaltender | Matt Petizian #1 |
On-Ice Officials
– | – |
Referee | Tatu Kunto (17) |
Referee | – |
Linesman | Sam Schildkraut (46) |
Linesman | Matthew Heinen (93) |
Highlights
Notable Tweets as the Game Happened
Here's how we line up for the last time during the regular season at home! Puck drop at 7:05 p.m.#AllAboutTheW | #RailersHC | #Worcester pic.twitter.com/uJuRWtbOWR
— Worcester Railers (@RailersHC) April 8, 2023
Railers Lines
Travis Broughman returns to the lineup!
Here's how we're lining up tonight in Worcester pres. by @SleepSpas! pic.twitter.com/aOE1JW6BfY
— Adirondack Thunder (@ECHLThunder) April 8, 2023
Thunder Lines
JANDRIC GETS WORCESTER ON THE BOARD!!!! Railers 1-0!#AllAboutTheW | #RailersHC | #Worcester pic.twitter.com/dxrW0790NY
— Worcester Railers (@RailersHC) April 8, 2023
Steve Jandric goal (1-0 Worcester)
TIKKANEN ➡️JANDRIC➡️HAYHURST!!!!#AllAboutTheW | #RailersHC | #Worcester pic.twitter.com/e5gumzp46H
— Worcester Railers (@RailersHC) April 9, 2023
Jacob Hayhurst goal (2-0 Worcester)
McGURTY with the rocket!!! Railers 3-0!!#AllAboutTheW | #RailersHC | #Worcester pic.twitter.com/cx9uLpIMoG
— Worcester Railers (@RailersHC) April 9, 2023
Myles McGurty goal (3-0 Worcester)
DEFENSE LEADS TO OFFENSE!!! Hayhurst gets his second on the night!!! Railers 4-0!#AllAboutTheW | #RailersHC | #Worcester pic.twitter.com/2P6CGYc4fl
— Worcester Railers (@RailersHC) April 9, 2023
Jacob Hayhurst goal (4-0 Worcester)
Quick game of catch with the Captain before it's rifled on the one-time by Stief! pic.twitter.com/gLyHAmApYC
— Adirondack Thunder (@ECHLThunder) April 9, 2023
Matt Stief goal (4-1 Worcester)
Some o-zone pressure, a great look by Ryan Smith, and the Thunder are rumbling here in the third! pic.twitter.com/P9bmlAYQvO
— Adirondack Thunder (@ECHLThunder) April 9, 2023
Ryan Smith goal (4-2 Worcester)
MR "ONE-TIMER" SCORES!!!! Railers up 5-2!!!#AllAboutTheW | #RailersHC | #Worcester pic.twitter.com/Knn0bgDeY4
— Worcester Railers (@RailersHC) April 9, 2023
Anthony Repaci goal (5-2 Worcester)
FEA GETS HIS!!! Railers 6-2!!!#AllAboutTheW | #RailersHC | #Worcester pic.twitter.com/cA4hNKaiia
— Worcester Railers (@RailersHC) April 9, 2023
Nick Fea goal (6-2 Worcester)
Five Railers players had multi-point games in the final home game of the regular season at the DCU Center on Saturday night.