Game Story


Worcester, MA — The Worcester Railers kicked off a 3-in-3 weekend with a big win, doubling up the Norfolk Admirals 6-3 on Friday night.

Ken Appleby made his first ECHL appearance of the season on Friday night, making 33 saves. He earned his first ECHL win since March 31st, 2023 in his return to Worcester, having spent most of the season with the Bridgeport Islanders, and more recently being recalled to the NHL’s New York Islanders over the past few weeks. Opposite of Appleby was Yaniv Perets, who was also in the NHL, being recalled to the Carolina Hurricanes twice in the last month and a half. Perets was replaced by Kristian Stead after allowing three goals on seven shots. Stead made 11 saves in his relief appearance which sparked some life into the Admirals, but the Railers would pull through for the 5-3 win. Andrei Bakanov, Anthony Repaci, Zach White, Daylan Kuefler, and Trevor Cosgrove each scored for Worcester. Anthony Repaci (2 goals), Anthony Callin (3 assists), Zach White (1 goal, 1 assist), and Trevor Cosgrove (1 goal, 1 assist) each had multiple points on the evening. Anthony Callin has seven points in his last three games. Mark Liwiski, Brandon Osmundson, and Danny Katic scored for Norfolk.

Andrei Bakanov put the Railers on the board a 2:16, connecting on a pass from Brian Bowen, he sent the puck top shelf after sliding across the crease. Mark Liwiski tied the game up two and a half minutes later, scoring after wrapping around the goal of Ken Appleby at 4:45. Liwiski’s wraparound motion got under the pad of Appleby. Anthony Repaci made it 2-1 after he tipped in a shot from Anthony Callin halfway through the first period.

Anthony Repaci scored again at 1:20 in the second period, collecting the puck after a faceoff win from Anthony Callin, he got the puck under Yaniv Perets on a tough angle from the right faceoff circle. At this point, Norfolk head coach Jeff Carr pulled Perets for Kristian Stead after trailing two goals. The goalie change sparked some life into Norfolk as Brandon Osmundson would go on to score off the post after Danny Katic collected the puck from a Railers turnover at their blue line. Danny Katic scored off the post at 6:41, tying the game up 11 seconds after Keeghan Howdeshell was sent to the box on a weak holding penalty. After another weak penalty was called, this time for the Admirals, the Railers headed on their power play. with 53 seconds left in the man advantage, Zach White deflected a Keeghan Howdeshell shot to regain the Railers’ lead. Daylan Kuefler scored on another power play 40 seconds after White’s goal to regain the two-point lead, netting a Joey Cipollone rebound off Kristian Stead’s pads.

With 2:01 left in the third period, Kristian Stead was pulled for the extra attacker, and with 1.7 seconds left in the game, Trevor Cosgrove scored on the empty net to close out the game with a 6-3 final score.

The three stars of the game were:

  1. Anthony Repaci (Worcester) – 2 goals, +2
  2. Zach White (Worcester) – 1 goal, 1 assist
  3. Danny Katic (Norfolk) – 1 goal, 1 assist

For now, the Railers are in second place in the division with a point percentage of 0.526 with 41 points. Norfolk has a point percentage of 0.525 with 42 points, having played one more game than the Railers. In the other north division action for Friday, the Adirondack Thunder shut out the Newfoundland Growlers with four goals, and have won eleven straight games. The Reading Royals were defeated by the Wheeling Nailers 8-3. The Maine Mariners annihilated the Trois-Rivieres Lions 8-1 up in Quebec.

Saturday will be the fifth home game in a row that the Railers have played the Admirals and will be the final meeting between the two teams. The puck drops for the second game of the weekend at 7:05 p.m.

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Box Score


Scoring 1 2 3 T
1 2 0 3
2 3 1 6
Shots 1 2 3 T
10 17 9 36
6 10 5 21
Score Team Time Scored by Assisted by Type
0 – 1 2:16 – 1st A. Bakanov (6) B. Bowen, Z. White
1 – 1 4:45 – 1st M. Liwiski (7) K. Jameson, B. Fleurent
1 – 2 9:56 – 1st A. Repaci (13) A. Callin, B. Jenkins
1 – 3 1:20 – 2nd A. Repaci (14) A. Callin
2 – 3 3:05 – 2nd B. Osmundson (6) D. Katic
3 – 3 6:41 – 2nd D. Katic (10) B. Fleurent, K. Nault PP
3 – 4 8:19 – 2nd Z. White (6) K. Howdeshell, J. Cipollone PP
3 – 5 9:01 – 2nd D. Kuefler (5) J. Cipollone, T. Cosgrove PP
3 – 6 19:58 – 3rd T. Cosgrove (4) C. Welsh, A. Callin EN

Rosters

# Player G A +/- SH PIM
G 1 Y. Perets 0 0 0 0 0
G 31 K. Stead 0 0 0 0 0
D 2 D. Louis-Jean 0 0 0 1 0
D 4 C. Musser 0 0 0 1 0
D 5 S. Kubicek 0 0 -2 0 0
F 8 D. Smirnov 0 0 0 5 2
F 10 M. Liwiski 1 0 0 3 0
F 11 K. Nault 0 1 -3 2 0
F 12 D. Katic 1 1 +1 6 4
D 14 C. Fedorek 0 0 -1 2 2
F 15 M. Roy 0 0 -3 1 0
F 16 K. Jameson 0 1 0 3 0
F 17 A. Miller 0 0 0 4 0
D 18 A. McLean 0 0 -1 1 0
F 21 S. Montgomery 0 0 -1 0 2
F 22 S. Timofeyev 0 0 -1 1 0
D 23 J. McDougall 0 0 0 3 2
F 25 B. Osmundson 1 0 0 1 2
F 94 B. Fleurent 0 2 0 2 0
Team:
Totals: 3 5 -11 36 14
Player MIN SH SVS GA SV%
1 Y. Perets – 7 4 3 –
31 K. Stead (L) – 13 11 2 –
Empty Net – 1 1 –
Totals: – 21 15 6 –
# Player G A +/- SH PIM
G 35 K. Appleby 0 0 0 0 0
G 40 J. Muse 0 0 0 0 0
D 3 R. Verrier 0 0 +1 1 0
F 5 Z. White 1 1 +1 1 0
D 10 T. Cosgrove 1 1 +2 2 2
F 11 A. Bakanov 1 0 +1 3 0
F 12 J. Cipollone 0 2 0 1 0
F 15 B. Robbins 0 0 -1 0 0
F 17 K. Howdeshell 0 1 -1 0 2
F 19 B. Jenkins 0 1 +1 1 0
F 21 B. Bowen 0 1 0 0 0
F 22 D. Kuefler 1 0 0 3 0
F 24 J. Quinlivan 0 0 0 1 0
D 26 C. Welsh 0 1 0 0 2
F 29 R. Piercey 0 0 0 3 0
F 44 A. Callin 0 3 +2 2 0
D 70 Z. Garat 0 0 +1 0 0
F 81 A. Repaci 2 0 +2 3 0
D 88 A. Kulakov 0 0 +1 0 0
Team:
Totals: 6 11 10 21 6
Player MIN SH SVS GJ SV%
35 K. Appleby (W) – 36 33 3 –
Totals: – 36 33 3 –

Penalties

Time Team Player Mins Infraction
4:45 – 1st T. Cosgrove 2 Interference – minor (56.2)
6:25 – 1st S. Montgomery 2 Interference – minor (56.2)
12:10 – 1st D. Smirnov 2 Interference – minor (56.2)
6:29 – 2nd K. Howdeshell 2 Holding – minor (54.2)
7:12 – 2nd J. McDougall 2 Slashing – minor (61.2)
8:43 – 2nd C. Fedorek 2 Slashing – minor (61.2)
2:07 – 3rd C. Welsh 2 Hooking – minor (55.2)
7:25 – 3rd D. Katic 4 High-sticking – double minor (60.3)
15:48 – 3rd B. Osmundson 2 High-sticking – minor (60.2)


Notes

  • Worcester Scratches: Christian Krygier, Jake Pivonka, John Copeland, Ryan Dickinson, Todd Goehring, and Tristan Lennox.
  • Norfolk Scratches: Brandon Fehd, Justin Robidas, Keegan Iverson, and Owen Norton.
  • Daylan Kuefler, Ken Appleby, and Trevor Cosgrove were assigned to Worcester on Thursday. Cosgrove spent a month with Bridgeport and had a goal in five games during his recall. Daylan Kuefler was recalled last week and missed the Railers Fort Wayne Trip last weekend. He did not receive any ice time during this recall. Ken Appleby, on an NHL contract, was assigned to Worcester after spending the majority of the season with Bridgeport and filled in as the backup goaltender for the past few weeks for the NHL Islanders.
  • As Josh Boyko’s services were no longer needed with the Islanders’ assigning Appleby, Boyko was traded to the Atlanta Gladiators for cash.
  • Henrik Tikkanen remains with Bridgeport, having a 3-2-1 record with a 2.76 GAA and a 0.909 save percentage. Tikkanen is playing well at the AHL and comparing him to Bridgeport’s other goaltenders, he’s earned the chance to be up there for a while. Jakub Skarek has lost 13 straight games in regulation or overtime for Bridgeport, with his last win coming on November 19. It would not surprise me if Appleby gets recalled and Skarek gets assigned here at some point.
  • Following Friday night’s game, the Railers have the following scoring streaks and droughts:
    • Zach White snapped a six-game scoring drought with a goal and an assist.
    • Trevor Cosgrove is on a three-game point streak. (2-2-4)
    • Andrei Bakanov snapped a five-game scoring drought with a goal.
    • Blade Jenkins is on a three-game point streak. (2-2-4)
    • Brian Bowen snapped a five-game scoring drought with an assist.
    • Connor Welsh is on a three-game point streak. (0-3-3)
    • Anthony Callin is on a three-game point streak. (1-6-7)
    • Zsombor Garat is without a point in his last five games.




Notable Tweets as the Game Happened


Railers Lines


Admirals Lines


Andrei Bakanov goal


Mark Liwiski goal


Anthony Repaci goal


Anthony Repaci goal


Brandon Osmundson goal


Danny Katic goal


Zach White goal


Daylan Kuefler goal