Game Story
Worcester, MA – After an electric Game 5 in Glens Falls, the Worcester Railers and Adirondack Thunder returned to the DCU Center for Game 6 on Monday.
Adirondack’s Paul Rodrigues put the Thunder up at 8:27 in the first off a breakaway. Railers’ Barry Almeida scored his third goal of the playoffs 42 seconds later on a deflection. Thunder scored their second by Desmond Bergin with three seconds left in the period, giving them a 2-1 lead after twenty minutes. Bergin’s goal was a controversial goal that if the ECHL had video review, would be looked at immediately. Based off what was seen on the jumbotron, the puck hit the crossbar and fell either on or very close to the goal line.
Neither team scored in the second period with each team getting power plays. Jeff Kubiak got the Railers their second penalty in the closing seconds of the period. Adirondack still led 2-1 with both teams evening their shot tallies to 18.
Railers held the puck for what seemed like most of the third period and lacked an urgency to get a good shot on the goal. Railers had two power plays and 10 shots on goal, but it wasn’t enough to make a comeback. Mike Szmatula put the Railers season away with an empty-net goal with 45 seconds left in the game.
The three Stars of the Game Were: Desmond Bergin, Barry Almeida, and Olivia Mantha. Eamon McAdam made 22 saves in net in the 3-1 loss.
Adirondack advances to the division finals and will face the Manchester Monarchs beginning this weekend. The next big date on the Railers plate is June 1, when the team must submit their list of protected players.
Box Score
| Scoring | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adirondack Thunder | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Worcester Railers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Shots | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adirondack Thunder | 8 | 10 | 7 | 25 |
| Worcester Railers | 6 | 12 | 10 | 28 |
| Thunder Roster | # | Name | G | A | +/- | SH | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | 30 | D. Fielding | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| G | 31 | O. Mantha | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D | 2 | M. Bergin | 0 | 0 | +2 | 1 | 0 |
| D | 3 | M. Spencer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| D | 5 | D. Olsen | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| D | 6 | C. White | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| F | 8 | R. Schmelzer | 0 | 0 | +1 | 2 | 0 |
| F | 9 | M. Szmatula | 1 | 1 | +2 | 3 | 0 |
| F | 10 | T. Wallin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| F | 15 | J. Henry | 0 | 0 | +1 | 1 | 2 |
| F | 17 | P. Rodrigues | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| F | 19 | T. Harrison | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| F | 20 | P. Mercier | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| F | 22 | B. Ward | 0 | 0 | +2 | 2 | 0 |
| F | 23 | S. Conacher | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| D | 25 | M. Brodeur | 0 | 0 | +2 | 3 | 0 |
| D | 37 | D. Bergin | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| D | 44 | C. Riley | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 4 |
| Team: | |||||||
| Totals: | 3 | 1 | 9 | 25 | 8 |
| No | Name | Min | SH | SVS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | O. Mantha (W) | 60:00 | 28 | 27 | 1 |
| Totals: | 60:00 | 28 | 27 | 1 |
| Railers Roster | # | Name | G | A | +/- | SH | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | 35 | M. Gillam | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| G | 39 | E. McAdam | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D | 3 | B. Masella | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D | 4 | R. MacKinnon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| D | 5 | K. McKenzie | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| D | 6 | M. Cornell | 0 | 0 | -2 | 3 | 0 |
| F | 8 | M. Gaudreau | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| LW | 9 | K. Jones | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| C | 10 | M. Lane | 0 | 0 | -1 | 2 | 0 |
| F | 11 | J. Holmstrom | 0 | 0 | -1 | 2 | 0 |
| C | 16 | J. Kubiak | 0 | 0 | -1 | 1 | 2 |
| LW | 18 | N. Saracino | 0 | 0 | -2 | 3 | 0 |
| F | 19 | B. Almeida | 1 | 0 | -1 | 1 | 2 |
| F | 20 | Y. Turcotte | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| D | 22 | J. Hamonic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| F | 23 | W. Hudson | 0 | 0 | -2 | 1 | 0 |
| D | 28 | C. Doherty | 0 | 0 | -1 | 2 | 0 |
| F | 42 | D. Willick | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Team: | |||||||
| Totals: | 1 | 2 | -11 | 28 | 6 |
| No | Name | Min | SH | SVS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39 | E. McAdam (L) | 58:56 | 24 | 22 | 2 |
| Empty Net | 1 | 1 | |||
| Totals: | 58:56 | 25 | 22 | 3 |
| P | T | Player | M | Offense | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | V | C. Riley | 2.00 | Slashing – minor (61.2) | 7:08 |
| 2nd | V | J. Henry | 2.00 | Hooking – minor (55.2) | 5:01 |
| 2nd | H | R. MacKinnon | 2.00 | Slashing – minor (61.2) | 17:58 |
| 2nd | H | J. Kubiak | 2.00 | Cross-Checking Minor (59.2) | 19:49 |
| 3rd | H | B. Almeida | 2.00 | Tripping – minor (57.2) | 3:04 |
| 3rd | V | C. Riley | 2.00 | High-sticking – minor (60.2) | 5:52 |
| 3rd | V | C. White | 2.00 | Slashing – minor (61.2) | 13:08 |
Notes
- Railers Scratches: Frankie DiChiara, Connor Doherty, Chris Langkow, and Jake Randolph.
- Thunder Scratches: MacKenzie Blackwood, Pierre – Luc Mercier, Austin Orszulak, and Blake Thompson.
- Adirondack Goalie MacKenzie Blackwood is said to be day-to-day after suffering a lower-body injury in the opening minutes of Saturday’s game. Drew Fielding was activated from the injured reserve list and served as the backup goalie during the game.
- According to Darryl Hunt, Chris Langkow was skating with the team in recent days and could’ve been ready to play as early as Game 7 if the Railers won tonight.
Railers Lines (Observed by order in which they appeared):
| LW | C | RW | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward Line 1 | K. Jones #9 “A” | J. Kubiak #16 | B. Almeida #19 “A” |
| Forward Line 2 | N. Saracino #18 | M. Lane #10 | J. Holmstrom #11 |
| Forward Line 3 | M. Gaudreau #8 | D. Willick #42 | W. Hudson #23 / Y. Turcotte #20 |
| LD | RD | |
|---|---|---|
| Defense Line 1 | R. MacKinnon #4 | K. McKenzie #5 |
| Defense Line 2 | C. Doherty #28 | J. Hamonic #22 “A” |
| Defense Line 3 | T. Panico #2 | B. Masella #3 |
| G | |
|---|---|
| Starting Goaltender | Eamon McAdam #39 |
| Backup Goaltender | Mitch Gillam #35 |