Game Story


Worcester, MA –For the third consecutive game, the Worcester Railers were limited to just one goal, leading to an eventual 2-1 shootout loss against the Reading Royals at the DCU Center on Friday night.

John Muse made his 23rd start of the season, while Nolan Maier made his 34th for Reading. Both goaltenders were outstanding, stopping 39 of 40 shots they faced and playing the full 67 minutes. Todd Goehring and Zsombor Garat were the only players to register points, ending their scoring droughts. The Railers have scored only three goals in their last three games. Yvan Mongo scored in regulation for Reading, while Jake Bricknell scored in the shootout. Nine Railers players who were dressed on Friday have scoring droughts of three games or longer. Riley Piercey is without a point in his last ten games, Joey Cipollone in his last five.

Yvan Mongo opened the scoring for the Royals at 10:58 in the first period, redirecting a pass from Joseph Nardi. This marked the second consecutive game where Mongo and Nardi combined for the opening goal.

In the second period, Railers defenseman Zsombor Garat tied the game 1-1 with a well-placed shot from the right face-off circle that beat Maier’s glove. Todd Goehring provided the assist on Garat’s second goal of the season.

Neither team could find the net in the third period, nor did they capitalize on any power plays. Maier and Muse both made crucial saves, totaling 26 in the period, to keep the game deadlocked and force overtime. In the extra period, Maier made two saves, while Muse denied six shots from Reading, sending the game to a shootout. Reading controlled the puck for most of the overtime period.

In the shootout, Jake Bricknell scored the lone goal, as Muse lost sight of the puck, allowing it to trickle past him and over the goal line. Jake Pivonka was denied by Maier’s right pad save in the first round. Maier then stopped Keeghan Howdeshell and Blade Jenkin’s shots in the second and third rounds, securing the Royals’ 2-1 victory.

The three stars of the game were:

  1. Jack Bicknell (Reading) – shootout goal
  2. Zsombor Garat (Worcester) – 1 goal
  3. Nolan Maier (Reading) – win, 39 saves, 0.975 SV%

After Friday night’s game, the Railers are tied in points with Reading with 57 points in the North Division. Worcester has the higher points percentage with one game in hand. The Trois-Rivieres Lions shutout the Idaho Steelheads 5-0 earlier in the night, and the Maine Mariners beat the Adirondack Thunder 6-2, both Trois-Rivieres and Maine are two points back. Reading plays Maine today and Norfolk plays Utah in the other divisional games on Saturday.

The Adirondack Thunder comes to town on Saturday to close out the weekend at 7:05 p.m.

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Box Score


Scoring 1 2 3 OT SO T
1 0 0 0 1 2
0 1 0 0 0 1
Shots 1 2 3 OT SO T
13 9 12 6 1 41
11 13 14 2 0 40
Score Team Time Scored by Assisted by Type
1 – 0 REA 10:58 – 1st Y. Mongo (14) J. Nardi, P. Connor
1 – 1 10:54 – 2nd Z. Garat (2) T. Goehring
# Shooter Goal?
49 Jake Bricknell ✔️
24 Jake Smith ❌
Goal? Shooter #
❌ Jake Pivonka 13
❌ Keeghan Howdeshell 17
❌ Blade Jenkins 19

Rosters

# Player G A +/- SH PIM
G 1 A. Thornton 0 0 0 0 0
G 73 N. Maier 0 0 0 0 0
D 6 D. Mingo 0 0 -1 2 0
D 8 P. Connor 0 1 0 1 2
F 9 M. Kouznetsov 0 0 0 0 0
D 12 M. Millman 0 0 0 2 4
F 14 R. Cox 0 0 0 2 0
F 16 S. Sellar 0 0 0 1 0
F 17 T. Fawcett 0 0 0 2 0
F 18 J. Nardi 0 1 0 5 0
F 21 T. Bertuzzi 0 0 0 6 0
D 23 D. Brady 0 0 0 3 0
F 24 J. Smith 0 0 +1 4 0
D 25 R. Devine 0 0 0 0 0
D 29 K. Wilson 0 0 0 1 0
F 49 J. Bricknell 0 0 0 3 0
F 77 D. Paliani 0 0 -1 3 0
F 90 J. Michaelian 0 0 0 1 0
F 91 Y. Mongo 1 0 +1 4 0
Team: 1 1 2
Totals: 2 2 0 41 8
Player MIN SH SVS GA SV%
73 N. Maier (W) – 40 39 1 –
Totals: – 40 39 1 –
# Player G A +/- SH PIM
G 30 C. Ceci 0 0 0 0 0
G 40 J. Muse 0 0 0 0 0
D 8 C. Krygier 0 0 0 0 0
F 9 R. Scarfo 0 0 0 1 0
D 10 T. Cosgrove 0 0 -1 2 0
F 11 A. Bakanov 0 0 0 0 0
F 12 J. Cipollone 0 0 +1 2 0
F 13 J. Pivonka 0 0 0 3 0
F 16 A. Calder 0 0 0 3 0
F 17 K. Howdeshell 0 0 0 1 0
F 19 B. Jenkins 0 0 -1 2 0
F 23 T. Goehring 0 1 +1 2 0
F 24 J. Quinlivan 0 0 0 3 0
D 25 R. Dickinson 0 0 -1 1 2
D 26 C. Welsh 0 0 0 5 0
F 29 R. Piercey 0 0 0 1 0
F 44 A. Callin 0 0 -1 5 0
D 70 Z. Garat 1 0 +1 2 0
D 88 A. Kulakov 0 0 +1 7 0
Team:
Totals: 1 1 0 40 2
Player MIN SH SVS GJ SV%
40 J. Muse (SOL) – 40 39 1 –
Totals: – 40 39 1 –

Penalties

Time Team Player Mins Infraction
18:41 – 1st M. Millman 2 Holding – minor (54.2)
4:46 – 2nd R. Dickinson 2 Holding – minor (54.2)
8:20 – 2nd P. Connor 2 Interference – minor (56.2)
8:56 – 2nd Served by J. Smith 2 Bench minor – Too many men (74.2)
0:27 – 3rd M. Millman 2 Slashing – minor (61.2)


Notes

  • Railers scratches: Joey Cipollone, John Copeland, Jake Goldowski, Tristan Lennox, Anthony Repaci, Brendan Robbins, Ryan Verrier, and Zach White.
  • Blade Jenkins was sent down from the Hartford Wolf Pack after spending about a month in the AHL after signing his contract with the club. He had 3 points (2g, 1a) in 10 games with Hartford.
  • Reece Newkirk was recalled to Bridgeport for his weekly bench assignment, he reprised his role on the bench on Friday against the Laval Rocket. Bridgeport is currently out of the playoff picture, barring a miracle, they’ll be elmininated once Providence clinches their playoff spot. They lost 3-1 to Laval Friday, and are traveling to Belleville on Saturday.
  • The Railers will be wearing St. Patrick’s Specialty Jerseys on Saturday, the jersey features a mix of fabric patches and sublimation along with a sublimated nameplate. The jersey takes some inspiration from the Toronto St Patricks jerseys, with “St. Railers” on the front. The auction for those jerseys is now live on Dash Auctions.
  • Following Friday night’s game, the Railers had the following scoring streaks and droughts:
    • Andrei Bakanov is without a point in his last three games.
    • Joey Cipollone is without a point in his last five games.
    • Jake Pivonka is without a point in his last three games.
    • Ashton Calder is without a point in his last three games.
    • Blade Jenkins is without a point in his last three games.
    • Todd Goehring snapped a five-game scoring drought with an assist.
    • Ryan Dickinson is without a point in his last three games.
    • Connor Welsh is without a point in his last six games.
    • Riley Piercey is without a point in his last ten games.
    • Anthony Callin is without a point in his last three games.
    • Zsombor Garat snapped a six-game scoring drought with a goal.

Railers Lines

Forward Lines LW C RW
Forward Line 1 Andrei Bakanov #11 Jake Pivonka #13 Ashton Calder #16
Forward Line 2 Blade Jenkins #19 Ryan Scarfo #9 Anthony Callin #44
Forward Line 3 Keeghan Howdeshell #17 Jack Quinlivan #24 Riley Piercey #29
Rotated Forwards Todd Goehring #23 – Joey Cipollone #12
Defensive Pairings LD RD
Defense Pair 1 Trevor Cosgrove #10 Ryan Dickinson #25
Defense Pair 2 Connor Welsh #26 Christian Krygier #8
Defense Pair 3 Zsombor Garat #70 Artyom Kulakov #88
Rotated Defensemen – –
Goalie Tandem G
Starting Goaltender Cole Ceci #30
Backup Goaltender John Muse #40

On-Ice Officials

– –
Referee Will Kelly (7)
Referee –
Linesman Sam Schildkraut (46)
Linesman Philippe Pilon (68)


Highlights

Notable Tweets as the Game Happened


Railers lines


Yvan Mongo goal


Zsombor Garat goal


Jake Bricknell goal