Game Story


Worcester, MA — The Worcester Railers picked up two points over the Maine Mariners with a 2-1 victory in overtime at the DCU Center on Friday night.

John Muse earned his third win of the season, stopping all but one of Maine’s 26 shots. Brad Arvanitis made 29 saves in his second appearance against Worcester this season. Muse improved to a 3-2-0-1 record, while Arvanitis is still chasing his first win of the season with a 0-3-2 record. Griffin Loughran and Griffin Luce scored for Worcester, while Christian Sarlo scored for Maine.

Friday’s game lacked excitement at times, which was unsurprising given that both teams sit in the bottom three of the division. Each team had two power-play opportunities, but physicality was minimal throughout. The game remained scoreless for the first 38 minutes until Maine finally broke the deadlock.

Both teams played a scoreless opening frame. Worcester held a slight edge in shots, 12-9, despite going on a power play 13 minutes in. Mariners goalie Brad Arvanitis stopped all 12 Railers attempts, while Worcester’s John Muse turned aside nine shots. Worcester committed no penalties in the period.

The deadlock continued through most of the second period. Each team had a power play early in the frame, but neither converted. The Mariners broke through at 18:21 when Evan Vierling sped down the left wing and set up Christian Sarlo, who scored his third goal of the season. Shots in the period favored Maine 8-6, and the Mariners carried a 1-0 lead into the third.

Trailing 1-0, Worcester ramped up the pressure and found the equalizer at 8:49. Griffin Loughran fired a shot from the slot, assisted by Mason Klee and Jordan Kaplan, to make it 1-1. Both teams traded chances throughout the remainder of regulation, but neither could score the go-ahead goal. Shots in the third favored Worcester 11-7.

The Railers earned the win 3:07 into overtime. Defenseman Griffin Luce buried a rebound off Matthew Kopperud’s initial shot to secure the 2-1 victory. Shots were tied 2-2 in the extra frame, with Worcester leading 31-26 overall.

The three stars of the Friday night’s game were:

  1. Griffin Luce (Worcester) – game-winning goal
  2. John Muse (Worcester) – win, 25 saves, 0.962 SV%
  3. Brad Arvanitis (Maine) – 29 saves, 0.935 SV%

In the North Division, the Norfolk Admirals dominated the Adirondack Thunder 6-1 in a game marked by a total of 88 penalty minutes, 80 of which were handed out during the third period. The Wheeling Nailers extended their winning streak to nine games with a 4-2 victory over the Kalamazoo Wings. Meanwhile, the Trois-Rivières Lions blanked the Idaho Steelheads 2-0, thanks to a stellar 35-save shutout by Zachary Émond. Over in the AHL, the Bridgeport Islanders fell 5-4 to Springfield in overtime.

The Railers and Mariners return to the DCU Center Saturday night for a 6:05 puck drop.

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Box Score


Scoring 1 2 3 T
0 1 0 0
0 0 1 1
Shots 1 2 3 T
9 8 7 2
12 6 11 2
Score Team Time Scored by Assisted by Type
1 – 0 18:21 – 2nd C. Sarlo (3) E. Vierling, J. Lambert
1 – 1 8:49 – 3rd G. Loughran (3) M. Klee, J. Kaplan
1 – 2 3:07 – 1st OT G. Luce (3) M. Kopperud

Rosters

# Player G A +/- SH PIM
G 1 B. Arvanitis 0 0 0 0 0
G 30 R. Bischel 0 0 0 0 0
D 2 Z. Massicotte 0 0 0 2 0
D 3 M. Underwood 0 0 0 0 2
F 4 W. Deveaux 0 0 -1 1 0
D 5 A. Sheehy 0 0 -1 0 0
D 6 J. Willets 0 0 +1 1 0
F 7 O. Pederson 0 0 0 4 0
F 8 J. Hudson 0 0 0 0 0
F 9 B. Kalmikov 0 0 0 0 0
F 10 C. Sarlo 1 0 0 3 0
F 11 S. Vidmar 0 0 0 0 0
F 18 C. Johnson 0 0 -1 1 0
F 19 X. Lamppa 0 0 0 2 0
D 22 J. Horvath 0 0 -1 1 0
F 23 J. Lambert 0 1 0 6 0
D 26 J. Bean 0 0 -1 0 0
F 27 P. Guay 0 0 0 2 0
F 29 C. Zieky 0 0 0 1 0
F 41 E. Vierling 0 1 +1 2 2
Team:
Player MIN SH SVS GA SV%
1 B. Arvanitis (L) 63:07 31 29 2 0.935
# Player G A +/- SH PIM
G 32 M. Bullion 0 0 0 0 0
G 40 J. Muse 0 0 0 0 0
F 9 Z. Nazzarett 0 0 0 1 0
F 10 J. Kaplan 0 1 +1 2 0
F 12 K. Johnson 0 0 0 1 0
D 14 M. Rajaniemi 0 0 -1 0 0
F 16 G. Loughran 1 0 +1 4 0
F 18 M. Kopperud 0 1 0 3 0
F 19 R. Piercey 0 0 0 1 0
D 22 G. Luce 1 0 +1 3 0
C 23 C. Jacobs 0 0 -1 0 0
D 24 M. Klee 0 1 +1 2 2
D 25 R. Dickinson 0 0 -1 0 2
D 26 C. Welsh 0 0 +1 2 0
D 27 C. McDonald 0 0 0 0 0
F 29 C. Donhauser 0 0 0 4 0
F 33 L. Hatten 0 0 0 2 0
F 37 M. DeMelis 0 0 0 1 0
F 44 A. Callin 0 0 -1 3 0
F 81 A. Repaci 0 0 +2 2 0
Team:
Player MIN SH SVS GA SV%
40 J. Muse (W) – 26 25 1 –

Penalties

Time Team Player Mins Infraction
13:00 – 1st E. Vierling 2 Tripping – minor (57.2)
1:41 – 2nd M. Klee 2 Holding – minor (54.2)
5:57 – 2nd M. Underwood 2 Hooking – minor (55.2)
9:49 – 3rd R. Dickinson 2 Helmet Violation (9.6)


Notes

  • Worcester Scratches: Brenden Rons, Christian Krygier, Jack Randl, and JD Dudek.
  • Maine Scratches: Bennett Stockdale, Matthew Philip, Nick Jermain, and Nolan Maier.
  • The Railers had a captain and three alternate captains on Friday night. Griffin Luce was the third alternate captain, but that was not listed on the scoresheet. My guess is that the ‘A’ wasn’t removed from the last time they wore white jerseys, when Colin Jacobs had been a healthy scratch.
  • Henrik Tikkanen was recalled to Bridgeport on Thursday, part of a ripple effect within the Islanders organization. Earlier in the week, Marcus Hogberg was called up to the New York Islanders on Monday, with Semyon Varlamov listed as day-to-day.
  • Christian Krygier was absent from Friday’s game, as he was placed on bereavement leave.
  • Odd By Nature Worcester released an IceCats-themed beer on Friday. It’s located in the Midtown Mall, just a short walk from the DCU Center—perfect for before or after the games this weekend. The taproom is cozy with picnic tables and retro games, and they recently opened a small arcade right next door.
  • Following Friday night’s game, the Railers had the following scoring streaks and droughts:
    • Matias Rajaniemi is without a point in all 17 games he’s played in this season.
    • Griffin Loughran snapped a four-game scoring drought with a goal.
    • Matt Kopperud is on a four-game point streak. (1-3-4)
    • Mason Klee snapped a four-game scoring drought.
    • Connor Welsh’s point streak came to an end after three games. (0-4-4)
    • Cam McDonald is without a point in his last four games.
    • Cole Donhauser is without a point in his last seven games.
    • Matt DeMelis is without a point in his last three games.
    • Anthony Callin is without a point in his last nine games.
    • Anthony Repaci’s goal streak came to an end after three games. (4-0-4)

Railers Lines

Forward Lines LW C RW
Forward Line 1 Anthony Repaci #81 Jordan Kaplan #10 Griffin Loughran #16
Forward Line 2 Matthew Kopperud #18 Anthony Callin #44 Colin Jacobs #23
Forward Line 3 Riley Piercey #19 Cole Donhauser #29 Zachary Nazzarett #9
Forward Line 4 Kolby Johnson #12 Matt DeMelis #37 Lincoln Hatten #33
Defensive Pairings LD RD
Defense Pair 1 Griffin Luce #22 Connor Welsh #26
Defense Pair 2 Cam McDonald #27 Mason Klee #24
Defense Pair 3 Ryan Dickinson #25 Matias Rajaniemi #14
Rotated Defensemen – –
Goalie Tandem G
Starting Goaltender John Muse #40
Backup Goaltender Michael Bullion #32

On-Ice Officials

– –
Referee Rocco Stachowiak (28)
Referee –
Linesman Sam Schildkraut (46)
Linesman Davids Rozitis (90)


Highlights

Notable Tweets as the Game Happened


Railers Lines


Christian Sarlo goal


Brad Arvanitis goal


Griffin Luce goal