Game Story

Worcester, MA – The Worcester Railers fell 4-2 Atlanta Gladiators in the third meeting of the week between the two teams.

Michael Bullion made his second appearance of the weekend, stopping 18 of the 20 shots he faced from Atlanta. Meanwhile, Ethan Heider stood tall in net for the Gladiators, turning aside 39 shots from Worcester. Matias Rajaniemi and Matt Ustaski found the back of the net for the Railers, while Cody Sylvester scored twice for Atlanta, with Andrew Jarvis and Ryan Cranford also contributing goals.

The game saw a total of 75 penalty minutes assessed between the two teams, with 47 of those coming after a post-game line brawl. The announced attendance was 7,094, marking the third consecutive Saturday home game with over 7,000 fans in the stands. The Railers donned pink specialty jerseys as part of their annual Pink in the Rink event, with proceeds from the jersey auction benefiting The Cup Crusaders.

Lincoln Hatten and Michael Marchesan dropped the gloves at 3:44 of the first period, after being seen exchanging words in front of their respective benches during warm-ups. The fight was one-sided, with Marchesan dominating. In a span of 31-seconds late in the period, the Gladiators would find momentum, taking a two-goal lead and setting the tone for the rest of the game. Cody Sylvester opened the scoring at 19:26, tapping in a loose puck as Michael Bullion scrambled to make a save across the crease. Then, at 19:57, Andrew Jarvis extended the lead to 2-0, skating into the zone, weaving through all five Railers skaters, and firing a shot into the back of the net to send Atlanta into the intermission with a comfortable advantage.

The second period remained scoreless despite Worcester outshooting Atlanta 14-7 and earning two power plays, both of which failed to generate significant scoring opportunities. Late in the period, Griffin Luce was called for a controversial holding penalty by referee Evan Reddick. A video review showed a routine hockey hit at the time of the call, but the Railers were forced to kill the penalty heading into the third.

Matias Rajaniemi finally put Worcester on the board at 2:34 of the third period, finishing a feed from Jordan Kaplan for his third goal of the season. With 3:09 remaining and the Railers trailing by one, Bullion was pulled for the extra attacker. However, a turnover by Anthony Repaci along the boards allowed Sylvester to collect the puck and fire it from the neutral zone into the empty net, making it 3-1. Bullion was pulled again after the ensuing faceoff, but another Railers turnover led to a breakaway goal for Ryan Cranford, extending Atlanta’s lead to three. Matt Ustaski brought the Railers back to within two at 18:41, tapping in a rebound at the crease. Bullion was pulled a third time at 18:47, but Worcester couldn’t close the gap and fell 4-2 to the Gladiators.

Tensions boiled over at the final buzzer when a line brawl erupted following a hit by Kolby Johnson on Dylan Carabia. Jeremy Hanzel and Lincoln Hatten were also heavily involved in the melee. After being ejected, Johnson headed down the tunnel but tossed one of his gloves into the Atlanta bench. Griffin Luce attempted to retrieve it, sparking another brief scuffle and an exchange of punches between the teams at the benches.

The three stars of the game were:

  1. Ethan Haider (Atlanta) – Win, 39 saves, 0.951 SV%
  2. Andrew Jarvis (Atlanta) – 1 goal
  3. Matias Rajaniemi (Worcester) – 1 goal

The Norfolk Admirals beat the Maine Mariners earlier in the night on Saturday. The Trois-Rivieres Lions fell 5-3 to the Jacksonville Icemen in Jacksonville. The Wheeling Nailers beat the Reading Royals 4-3. The Tahoe Knight Monsters beat the Adirondack Thunder 4-3 in overtime. The entire league is off on Sunday with the Super Bowl taking place on the same day.

The Bridgeport Islanders beat the Charolotte Checkers 5-1, no former Railers contributed to the scoring efforts and Henrik Tikkanen was the backup goaltender.

The Railers hit the road for a seven-game road stand, they’ll head to Allen, Texas to take on the Americans for the first of three games, puck drops at 8:10 p.m.

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Box Score

Scoring 1 2 3 T
2 0 2 4
0 0 2 2
Shots 1 2 3 T
10 7 5 22
12 14 15 41
Score Team Time Scored by Assisted by Type
1 – 0 19:26 – 1st C. Sylvester (17) B. Murray, A. Firriolo
2 – 0 19:57 – 1st A. Jarvis (4) R. Hernández, J. Pierson
2 – 1 2:34 – 3rd M. Rajaniemi (3) J. Kaplan, C. Donhauser
3 – 1 17:14 – 3rd C. Sylvester (18) EN
4 – 1 17:50 – 3rd R. Cranford (9) EN
4 – 2 18:41 – 3rd M. Ustaski (3) L. Hatten

Rosters

# Player G A +/- SH PIM
G 31 E. Haider 0 0 0 0 0
G 34 D. DeRidder 0 0 0 0 0
D 4 J. Hanzel 0 0 0 0 10
D 6 A. Jarvis 1 0 +2 1 0
F 7 E. Armstrong 0 0 0 0 0
D 10 C. Hausinger 0 0 -1 0 0
D 11 Z. Yoder 0 0 -1 0 2
D 12 A. Firriolo 0 1 -1 1 0
F 16 C. Sylvester 2 0 +1 5 0
F 18 C. Denomie 0 0 +1 0 2
F 19 J. Pierson 0 1 +2 2 0
F 20 C. Galloway 0 0 -1 0 0
F 21 R. Cranford 1 0 +1 3 0
D 27 D. Carabia 0 0 +2 2 0
D 28 D. Topatigh 0 0 +2 1 0
F 33 M. Marchesan 0 0 -1 3 5
F 71 J. Cipollone 0 0 +1 2 4
F 81 R. Hernández 0 1 +1 1 0
C 92 B. Murray 0 1 +1 1 0
F 96 D. Marcinkevics 0 0 +1 0 2
Team:
Player MIN SH SVS GA SV%
31 E. Haider (W) – 41 39 2 –
Totals: – 41 39 2 –
# Player G A +/- SH PIM
G 32 M. Bullion 0 0 0 0 0
G 35 J. Spagnoli 0 0 0 0 0
D 3 A. Hora 0 0 0 1 0
F 4 R. Mahshie 0 0 -1 3 0
F 9 R. Ginnell 0 0 -1 4 2
F 10 J. Kaplan 0 1 -1 4 0
F 12 K. Johnson 0 0 +1 2 27
D 14 M. Rajaniemi 1 0 +1 2 0
C 15 J. Dudek 0 0 -1 0 0
D 22 G. Luce 0 0 -2 3 2
D 24 M. Klee 0 0 0 4 0
D 25 R. Dickinson 0 0 0 0 2
D 26 C. Welsh 0 0 -2 1 0
F 29 C. Donhauser 0 1 0 4 2
F 33 L. Hatten 0 1 -1 2 15
F 37 M. DeMelis 0 0 -3 1 0
F 44 A. Callin 0 0 -1 2 0
F 55 M. Ustaski 1 0 +1 1 0
F 81 A. Repaci 0 0 -2 7 0
Team:
Player MIN SH SVS GJ SV%
32 M. Bullion (L) – 20 18 2 –
Empty Net – 2 2 –
Totals: – 22 18 4 –

Penalties

Time Team Player Mins Infraction
3:44 – 1st M. Marchesan 5 Fighting – Major (46.14)
3:44 – 1st L. Hatten 5 Fighting – Major (46.14)
8:42 – 1st J. Cipollone 2 Slashing – minor (61.2)
10:02 – 2nd J. Cipollone 2 Kneeing – minor (50.2)
13:38 – 2nd Z. Yoder 2 Holding – minor (54.2)
16:17 – 2nd C. Denomie 2 Roughing – minor (51.2)
16:17 – 2nd R. Dickinson 2 Roughing – minor (51.2)
16:17 – 2nd R. Ginnell 2 Roughing – minor (51.2)
19:31 – 2nd G. Luce 2 Holding – minor (54.2)
19:09 – 3rd D. Marcinkevics 2 Roughing – minor (51.2)
19:09 – 3rd C. Donhauser 2 Roughing – minor (51.2)
20:00 – 3rd J. Hanzel 10 Misconduct – Continuing Altercation (46.5)
20:00 – 3rd L. Hatten 10 Misconduct – Continuing Altercation (46.5)
20:00 – 3rd K. Johnson 2 Unsportsmanlike conduct – minor (75.2)
20:00 – 3rd K. Johnson 5 UFighting – Major (46.14)
20:00 – 3rd K. Johnson 10 Misconduct – Inciting (75.4)
20:00 – 3rd K. Johnson 10 Game misconduct – Aggressor (46.2)

Notes

  • Worcester Scratches: Benjamin Lindberg, Griffin Loughran, Hugo Ollas, Mark Cheremeta, and Matthew Boudens.
  • Atlanta Scratches: Brenden Datema, Eric Neiley, Patriks Marcinkevics, Tyler Drevitch
  • Hugo Ollas was recalled to the Hartford Wolf Pack on Saturday morning. Joe Spagnoli was signed as the Railers’ EBUG and was the backup goaltender on Saturday night.
  • Griffin Loughran served game three of his three-game suspension and is eligible to return to play.
  • The Railers revealed their alternate identity for the weekend of February 28 and March 1, they’ll take on the “Worcester Monkey Wrenches” name for those two games. Monkey Wrenches are among the long list of things invented in Worcester. The logo features a Monkey, named Coe-Coe, and is loosely based off Railers’ ticket extraordinaire and sticker celebrity Connor Haynes.
  • The post-game auction results for the Pink in the Rink jerseys were:
    • Anthony Repaci #81 w/ C- $925
    • Anthony Callin #44 – $1025
    • Connor Welsh #26 w/ A – $550
    • Kolby Johnson #12 – $1200
  • Following Saturday Night’s game, the Railers had the following scoring streaks and droughts:
    • JD Dudek is without a point in his last 3 games.
    • Griffin Luce is without a point in his last 3 games.
    • Mason Klee is without a point in his last 3 games.
    • Connor Welsh snapped his point streak after 3 games

Railers Lines

Forward Lines LW C RW
Forward Line 1 Cole Donhauser #29 Jordan Kaplan #10 Anthony Repaci #81
Forward Line 2 Riley Ginnell #9 Anthony Callin #44 Ryan Mahshie #4
Forward Line 3 Lincoln Hatten #33 Matt DeMelis #37 JD Dudek #15
Forward Line 4 Matt Ustaski #55 – Kolby Johnson #12
Defensive Pairings LD RD
Defense Pair 1 Connor Welsh #26 Griffin Luce #22
Defense Pair 2 Matias Rajaniemi #14 Mason Klee #24
Defense Pair 3 Mark Cheremeta #20 Ryan Dickinson #25
Rotated Defensemen – –
Goalie Tandem G
Starting Goaltender Michael Bullion #32
Backup Goaltender Joe Spagnoli #35

Gladiators Lines

Forward Lines LW C RW
Forward Line 1 Cody Sylvester #16 Joey Cipollone #71 Randy Hernández #81
Forward Line 2 Dominiks Marcinkevics #96 Blake Murray #92 Easton Armstrong #7
Forward Line 3 Carson Denomie #18 Jackson Pierson #19 Ryan Cranford #21
Forward Line 4 Michael Marchesan #33 Connor Galloway #20 Zach Yoder #11
Defensive Pairings LD RD
Defense Pair 1 Anthony Firriolo #12 Derek Topatigh #28
Defense Pair 2 Jeremy Hanzel #4 Christian Hausinger #10
Defense Pair 3 Andrew Jarvis #6 Dylan Carabia #27
Rotated Defensemen – –
Goalie Tandem G
Starting Goaltender Ethan Haider #31
Backup Goaltender Drew DeRidder #34

On-Ice Officials

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Referee Evan Reddick (21)
Referee –
Linesman Davids Rozitis (90)
Linesman Matthew Heinen (93)


Highlights

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Notable Tweets as the Game Happened


Railers Lines


Gladiators Lines


Cody Sylvester goal


Andrew Jarvis goal


Matias Rajaniemi goal


Cody Sylvester goal


Matt Ustaski goal


Ryan Cranford goal