Game Story


St. John’s, NL — The Worcester Railers had a tough weekend, losing twice to the Newfoundland Growlers, first 5-4 in overtime on Friday night and then 6-4 on Saturday night.

Worcester was missing several regular players from their lineup over the weekend, including Anthony Repaci, Blake Christensen, Bobby Butler, and Liam Coughlin, both on Friday and Saturday. Reece Newkirk, who had missed the previous game on Wednesday, returned to play on Friday but was out again on Saturday. A number of Railers are reportedly sick according to the game broadcast. Jake Schultz (2nd), Jordan Kaplan (1st), Nick Fea (1st & 2nd), Nolan Vesey (11th), Christian Evers (1st), Quinn Ryan (11th) were the goal scorers for Worcester this weekend.

Friday

Worcester’s goals were scored by newcomers Jake Schultz, Jordan Kaplan, and Nick Fea. Kaplan was playing in his first game for Worcester after being claimed on waivers from the Growlers the day before, Schultz scored his second goal in back-to-back games and Fea scored his first goal at the ECHL level. Henrik Tikkanen had a strong performance with 37 saves and was named the second star of the night, despite Worcester’s loss. Growlers’ goals were scored by Zach Solow, Jack Badini, Issac Johnson, and Pavel Gogolev, resulting in their third win over the Railers this season.

Railers scored twice in the first period followed by two Growlers goals later on in the period. Jake Schultz scored off a rebound for the first goal of the game at 7:30. Jordan Kaplan tapped one in at the crease at 11:19 for his first goal of the season. The Growlers responded by scoring twice, with Zach Solow scoring at 17:48 and Jack Badini at 19:30. The game was tied 2-2 in the first period, with the Growlers outshooting the Worcester 18-7.

The Railers regained the lead second period when Quinn Ryan passed to Nick Fea, wwho scored on wrist shot past Keith Petruzzelli. The Growlers quickly tied the game when Isaac Johnson scored past Tikkanen. Both teams had a powerplay opportunity in the second period but neither was able to score. The Growlers outshot the Railers during the second period, ending with 30 shots on goal compared to the Railers’ 13 shots.

After neither team scored during the final 20 minutes of regulation, the game went into overtime. Myles McGurty received a controversial elbowing penalty 27 seconds into the overtime period to give the Growlers their sixth power play of the night. With 15 seconds remaining in their 4-on-3 power play, Pavel Gogolev scored on a slapshot from the left circle, giving the Growlers their second victory in the series.

The three stars of Friday night’s game were:

  1. Pavel Gogolev (Newfoundland) – Game-winning goal
  2. Henrik Tikkanen (Worcester) – 37 saves, 0.902 SV%
  3. Issac Johnson (Newfoundland) – 1 goal, 2 assists

Saturday
It was more of the same story Saturday night. Railers opened up scoring, allowed three straight Newfoundland goals, regained the lead before allowing three more goals in the final ten minutes of the game with a final score of 6-4. Brent Moran made 34 saves while Luke Callavin stopped 19 for Newfoundland. Nolan Vesey, Nick Fea, Christian Evers, and Quinn Ryan scored for Worcester. Pavel Gogolev scored twice for the Growlers, supplemented by goals from Matt Sredl, Zach O’Brien, Keenan Suthers, and Todd Skriving.

Nolan Vesey took Luke Callavin head on with a feed from Zack Bross to put the Railers on the board on their first shot of the game. Worcester extended their lead to 2-0 when Collin Adams found Nick Fea wide open in front of the net, allowing Fea to easily tap the puck in. That was the final score of the first period, with Worcester leading 2-0 despite being outshot 18-7.

Early in the second period, the Railers were given a powerplay opportunity after Simon Kubicek was called for slashing. The Growlers had a chance to score a shorthanded goal, but Brent Moran made a great save to keep them from scoring. While on the counterattack, Quinn Ryan was hit in the face and was injured, causing the play to pause as the ice crew cleaned up the blood on the ice and Ryan was attended to. He ultimately returned to the game. With 8 minutes left in the second period, the Growlers scored their first goal of the game when Matt Sredl (2nd goal) shot the puck past Brent Moran. Shortly after, Zach O’Brien scored the tying goal for the Growlers at 12:39. The Growlers took the lead when Pavel Gogolev scored, giving the Growlers their first lead of the game at 14:12. Those goals were scored within 3:16 of each other, ending the second period with a score of 3-2 for the Growlers. Newfoundland outshot Worcester 17-10 in the second period.

Railers trailed by one heading into the third period. Christian Evers tied the game up on his first professional goal, on a slap shot that went past Cavallin. Worcester regained the lead when Quinn Ryan (11th goal) received a pass from his friend Nick Fea and shot a wrist shot into the back of the goal. However, Pavel Gogolev tied the game again 2 minutes later. Newfoundland extended their lead when Keenan Suthers scored at 15:54. Trailing again by one, the Railers tried to comeback by pulling Brent Moran for the extra attacker, only to be shutdown by Todd Skirving at 18:30 of the period with an empty net goal. Worcester was outshot 13-7 in the third period, and 40-23 in the game.

The three stars of Saturday night’s game were:

  1. Pavel Gogolev (Newfoundland) – 2 goals
  2. Quinn Ryan (Worcester) – 1 goal, 2 assists
  3. Keenan Suthers(Newfoundland) – 1 goal

The Railers find themselves 4 points above the .500 mark as of Saturday night and have dropped to fourth in points in the North division. The Maine Mariners have jumped into third place after winning eight of their last ten games. All North Division teams are off Sunday, while Reading hosts Maine in a Matinee Monday afternoon. Collin Adams will represent the Railers in the 2023 All-Star Classic, which also takes place on Monday night.

The Railers begin a home 3-in-3 against three different opponents beginning with the Newfoundland Growlers on Friday night, with a puck drop scheduled for 7:05.

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Friday Box Score

Scoring 1 2 3 T
2 1 0 0
2 1 0 1
Shots 1 2 3 T
7 6 6 0
18 12 7 4
Score Team Time Scored by Assisted by Type
1 – 0 7:30 – 1st J. Schultz (2) A. Terchiyev, B. Jerry
2 – 0 11:19 – 1st J. Kaplan (1) N. Vesey, M. McGurty PP
2 – 1 17:48 – 1st Z. Solow (12) I. Johnson, M. Sredl
2 – 2 19:30 – 1st J. Badini (3) B. Kapcheck, B. Budgell
3 – 2 2:10 – 2nd N. Fea (1) Q. Ryan
3 – 3 5:24 – 2nd I. Johnson (8) B. Kapcheck, K. Suthers
3 – 4 2:12 – 1st OT P. Gogolev (12) I. Johnson, Z. O’Brien PP

Rosters

# Player G A +/- SH PIM
G 30 B. Moran 0 0 0 0 0
G 39 H. Tikkanen 0 0 0 0 0
D 2 C. McCarthy 0 0 -1 2 0
D 9 N. Delmas 0 0 -1 2 2
F 10 D. Osik 0 0 0 0 0
F 11 N. Vesey 0 1 0 0 0
F 12 B. Beaudoin 0 0 0 1 0
F 13 B. Jerry 0 1 0 0 0
D 15 C. Evers 0 0 -3 1 0
F 17 J. Kaplan 1 0 0 2 2
F 19 Q. Ryan 0 1 -1 1 2
D 20 A. Terchiyev 0 1 0 2 2
F 21 C. Adams 0 0 -1 5 0
F 22 N. Fea 1 0 +1 1 0
D 26 J. Brandt 0 0 +1 0 0
D 27 M. McGurty 0 1 +1 0 2
F 29 Z. Bross 0 0 0 0 2
F 37 R. Newkirk 0 0 -1 0 4
D 44 J. Schultz 1 0 0 2 0
Team:
Totals: 3 5 -5 19 16
Player MIN SH SVS GA SV%
39 H. Tikkanen (L) – 41 37 4 –
Totals: – 41 37 4 –
# Player G A +/- SH PIM
G 33 L. Cavallin 0 0 0 0 0
G 35 K. Petruzzelli 0 0 0 0 0
D 3 M. Joyaux 0 0 0 2 0
D 4 S. Kubicek 0 0 +2 2 2
D 5 B. Kapcheck 0 2 +2 1 0
F 10 Z. O’Brien 0 1 0 6 0
F 11 D. Plouffe 0 0 +1 0 0
F 14 B. Budgell 0 1 0 2 0
F 15 T. Skirving 0 0 0 3 0
F 20 I. Johnson 1 2 +1 5 0
F 21 J. Badini 1 0 0 3 0
F 25 N. Walker 0 0 0 1 0
F 27 K. Suthers 0 1 +1 2 0
F 28 Z. Solow 1 0 0 3 0
F 29 O. Centazzo 0 0 0 3 0
D 43 J. Melindy 0 0 0 0 4
D 45 M. Sredl 0 1 0 1 0
F 46 P. Gogolev 1 0 0 7 4
D 49 A. Samuelsson 0 0 -2 0 0
Team:
Totals: 4 8 5 41 10
Player MIN SH SVS GJ SV%
35 K. Petruzzelli (W) – 19 16 3 –
Totals: – 19 16 3 –

Penalties

Time Team Player Mins Infraction
2:33 – 1st N. Delmas 2 Hooking – minor (55.2)
10:20 – 1st P. Gogolev 2 Hooking – minor (55.2)
13:09 – 1st Z. Bross 2 Interference – minor (56.2)
3:09 – 2nd A. Terchiyev 2 Tripping – minor (57.2)
10:14 – 2nd J. Melindy 2 Tripping – minor (57.2)
8:07 – 3rd R. Newkirk 2 Slashing – minor (61.2)
8:07 – 3rd J. Melindy 2 Slashing – minor (61.2)
8:51 – 3rd Q. Ryan 2 Hooking – minor (55.2)
12:40 – 3rd J. Kaplan 2 Cross-Checking Minor (59.2)
17:05 – 3rd P. Gogolev 2 Cross-Checking Minor (59.2)
18:05 – 3rd R. Newkirk 2 Slashing – minor (61.2)

Friday Notes

  • Worcester Scratches: Anthony Repaci, Blake Christensen, Bobby Butler, Jack Quinlivan, Liam Coughlin, and Philip Beaulieu.
  • Newfoundland Scratches: Brandon Kruse, Dryden McKay, Jordan Escott, Nathan Noel, and Taylor Egan.
  • The Railers claimed Jordan Kaplan on waivers Thursday with Blake Christensen heading on injured reserve. Worcester is Kaplan’s fifth ECHL team after playing for Newfoundland, Reading, and Norfolk earlier this year. He played 65 games for the Adirondack Thunder last season, scoring 32 points (11-21-32) in those games. He had an assist with each of his past three teams, and Friday’s game was his 21st of the season.
  • Following Friday’s game, the Railers had the following streaks:
    • Jordan Kaplan snapped a five-game pointless drought.
    • Connor McCarthy is without a point in his last fourteen games.
    • Noah Delmas is without a point in his last five games.
    • Derek Osik is without a point in his last nine games.

Railers Lines

Forward Lines LW C RW
Forward Line 1 Reece Newkirk #37 Collin Adams #21 Quinn Ryan #19
Forward Line 2 Nolan Vesey #11 Brent Beaudoin #12 Jordan Kaplan #17
Forward Line 3 Jake Schultz #44 Billy Jerry #13 Zack Bross #29
Rotated Forwards Derek Osik #10 – Nick Fea #22
Defensive Pairings LD RD
Defense Pair 1 Jared Brandt #26 Myles McGurty #27
Defense Pair 2 Christian Evers #15 Noah Delmas #9
Defense Pair 3 Artur Terchiyev #20 Connor McCarthy #2
Rotated Defensemen – –
Goalie Tandem G
Starting Goaltender Henrik Tikkanen #39
Backup Goaltender Brent Moran #30

Growlers Lines

Forward Lines LW C RW
Forward Line 1 Orrin Centazzo #29 Todd Skirving #15 Zach O’Brien #10
Forward Line 2 Pavel Gogolev #46 Zach Solow #28 Isaac Johnson #20
Forward Line 3 Brett Budgell #14 Jack Badini #21 Nolan Walker #25
Rotated Forwards Derian Plouffe #11 – Keenan Suthers #27
Defensive Pairings LD RD
Defense Pair 1 Michael Joyaux #3 Brennan Kapcheck #5
Defense Pair 2 Simon Kubicek #4 James Melindy #43
Defense Pair 3 Adam Samuelsson #49 Matt Sredl #45
Rotated Defensemen – –
Goalie Tandem G
Starting Goaltender Keith Petruzzelli #35
Backup Goaltender Luke Cavallin #33

On-Ice Officials

– –
Referee Brendan Schreider (12)
Referee –
Linesman Brian Lambert (57)
Linesman Joe Maynard (92)

Saturday’s Box Score

Scoring 1 2 3 T
2 0 2 4
0 3 3 6
Shots 1 2 3 T
6 10 7 23
10 17 13 40
Score Team Time Scored by Assisted by Type
1 – 0 5:27 – 1st N. Vesey (11) Z. Bross
2 – 0 13:42 – 1st N. Fea (2) C. Adams, Q. Ryan
2 – 1 10:56 – 2nd M. Sredl (2) Z. Solow
2 – 2 13:29 – 2nd Z. O’Brien (16) O. Centazzo, B. Kapcheck
2 – 3 14:12 – 2nd P. Gogolev (13) I. Johnson
3 – 3 5:05 – 3rd C. Evers (1) Q. Ryan
4 – 3 10:00 – 3rd Q. Ryan (11) A. Terchiyev, C. Evers
4 – 4 11:43 – 3rd P. Gogolev (14) B. Kapcheck, B. Budgell
4 – 5 15:54 – 3rd K. Suthers (8) B. Budgell, M. Joyaux
4 – 6 18:30 – 3rd Todd Skirving (15) EN

Rosters

# Player G A +/- SH PIM
G 30 B. Moran 0 0 0 0 0
G 39 H. Tikkanen 0 0 0 0 0
D 2 C. McCarthy 0 0 -1 2 0
D 9 N. Delmas 0 0 -1 0 0
F 10 D. Osik 0 0 0 0 0
F 11 N. Vesey 1 0 -2 1 0
F 12 B. Beaudoin 0 0 -3 2 0
F 13 B. Jerry 0 0 -1 1 0
D 15 C. Evers 1 1 -1 3 0
F 17 J. Kaplan 0 0 -3 0 0
F 19 Q. Ryan 1 2 +1 4 0
D 20 A. Terchiyev 0 1 +1 0 0
F 21 C. Adams 0 1 0 0 0
F 22 N. Fea 1 0 +2 2 0
D 26 J. Brandt 0 0 0 0 2
D 27 M. McGurty 0 0 0 1 0
F 29 Z. Bross 0 1 0 1 0
D 44 J. Schultz 0 0 -3 6 0
Team:
Totals: 4 6 -11 23 2
Player MIN SH SVS GA SV%
30 B. Moran (L) – 39 34 5 –
Empty Net – 1 1 –
Totals: – 40 34 6 –
# Player G A +/- SH PIM
G 30 D. McKay 0 0 0 0 0
G 33 L. Cavallin 0 0 0 0 0
D 3 M. Joyaux 0 1 -1 3 0
D 4 S. Kubicek 0 0 +1 4 4
D 5 B. Kapcheck 0 2 +1 2 0
F 10 Z. O’Brien 1 0 -1 5 0
F 14 B. Budgell 0 2 0 1 0
F 15 T. Skirving 1 0 0 4 0
F 17 B. Kruse 0 0 +1 0 0
F 20 I. Johnson 0 1 +1 4 2
F 21 J. Badini 0 0 0 3 0
F 25 N. Walker 0 0 -1 0 0
F 27 K. Suthers 1 0 +1 3 0
F 28 Z. Solow 0 1 +3 2 0
F 29 O. Centazzo 0 1 0 2 2
D 43 J. Melindy 0 0 -1 1 0
D 45 M. Sredl 1 0 +1 1 0
F 46 P. Gogolev 2 0 +3 5 0
D 49 A. Samuelsson 0 0 +2 0 0
Team:
Totals: 6 8 10 40 8
Player MIN SH SVS GJ SV%
33 L. Cavallin (W) – 23 19 4 –
Totals: – 23 19 4 –

Penalties

Time Team Player Mins Infraction
6:13 – 1st S. Kubicek 2 High-sticking – minor (60.2)
19:20 – 1st O. Centazzo 2 Cross-Checking Minor (59.2)
2:45 – 2nd S. Kubicek 2 Slashing – minor (61.2)
7:55 – 2nd I. Johnson 2 Hooking – minor (55.2)
16:11 – 2nd J. Brandt 2 High-sticking – minor (60.2)

Saturday Notes

  • Worcester Scratches: Anthony Repaci, Blake Christensen, Bobby Butler, Jack Quinlivan, Liam Coughlin, Philip Beaulieu, and Reece Newkirk.
  • Newfoundland scratches: Derian Plouffe, Jordan Escott, Nathan Noel, and Taylor Egan.
  • Following Saturday’s game, the Railers had the following streaks:
    • Quinn Ryan is now on a three-game point streak. (1-3-4)
    • Christian Evers scored his first professional goal in his 79th professional game. He snapped a three game scoring drought with his goal Saturday.
    • Connor McCarthy is without a point in his last fifteen games.
    • Noah Delmas is without a point in his last six games.
    • Derek Osik is without a point in his last ten games.

Railers Lines

Forward Lines LW C RW
Forward Line 1 Nick Fea #22 Collin Adams #21 Quinn Ryan #19
Forward Line 2 Nolan Vesey #11 Brent Beaudoin #12 Jordan Kaplan #17
Forward Line 3 Jake Schultz #44 Billy Jerry #13 Zack Bross #29
Rotated Forwards Derek Osik #10 – –
Defensive Pairings LD RD
Defense Pair 1 Jared Brandt #26 Myles McGurty #27
Defense Pair 2 Christian Evers #15 Noah Delmas #9
Defense Pair 3 Artur Terchiyev #20 Connor McCarthy #2
Rotated Defensemen – –
Goalie Tandem G
Starting Goaltender Brent Moran #30
Backup Goaltender Henrik Tikkanen #39

Opponent Lines

Forward Lines LW C RW
Forward Line 1 Orrin Centazzo #29 Todd Skirving #15 Zach O’Brien #10
Forward Line 2 Pavel Gogolev #46 Zach Solow #28 Isaac Johnson #20
Forward Line 3 Brett Budgell #14 Jack Badini #21 Nolan Walker #25
Rotated Forwards Brandon Kruse #17 – Keenan Suthers #27
Defensive Pairings LD RD
Defense Pair 1 Michael Joyaux #3 Brennan Kapcheck #5
Defense Pair 2 Simon Kubicek #4 James Melindy #43
Defense Pair 3 Adam Samuelsson #49 Matt Sredl #45
Rotated Defensemen – –
Goalie Tandem G
Starting Goaltender Dryden McKay #30
Backup Goaltender Luke Cavallin #33

On-Ice Officials

– –
Referee Brendan Schreider (12)
Referee –
Linesman Darryl Butt (70)
Linesman Joe Maynard (92)

Highlights

Highlights of Friday Night’s game can be found on the ECHL website.

Highlights of Saturday Night’s game can be found on the ECHL website.

Notable Tweets as Friday’s Game Happened


Railers Lines


Growlers Lines


Jake Schultz goal (1-0 Railers)


Jordan Kaplan goal (2-0 Railers)


Zach Solow goal (2-1 Railers)


Jack Badini goal (Tied 2-2)


Nick Fea goal (3-2 Railers)


Issac Johnson goal (Tied 3-3)


Pavel Gogolev goal (4-3 Growlers)

Notable Tweets as Saturday’s Game Happened


Railers Lines


Growlers Lines


Nolan Vesey goal (1-0 Railers)


Nick Fea goal (2-0 Railers)


Matt Sredl goal (2-1 Railers)


Zach O’Brien goal (Tied 2-2)


Pavel Gogolev goal (3-2 Railers)


Christan Evers goal (Tied 3-3)


Quinn Ryan goal (4-3 Railers)


Pavel Gogolev second goal (Tied 4-4)


Keenan Suthers goal (5-4 Growlers)


Todd Skirving goal (6-4 Growlers)