Game Story


Reading, PA — The Worcester Railers and Reading Royals squared off for the first meeting of the season on Friday night at the Santander Arena.

Tristan Lennox, in his 14th start of the season, marked his second consecutive start for the Railers. Earlier in the day, local player Joel Eisenhower was signed as the Emergency Backup Goaltender (EBUG) due to Henrik Tikkanen’s unavailability; Tikkanen reportedly did not travel with the team to Reading. Eisenhower made his ECHL debut when Lennox exited the game with a lower-body injury after Reading’s third goal. Lennox, with 18 saves and three goals allowed, was succeeded by Eisenhower, who made 8 saves and conceded two goals. Reading’s Parker Gahagen played the entire sixty minutes and made 26 saves. Goal scorers for Worcester were Anthony Repaci and Blade Jenkins. Shane Sellar recorded a natural hat trick in the second period for Reading, followed by Tag Bertuzzi and Brayden Guy adding two goals in the third period.

Anthony Repaci opened up the game’s scoring at 17:14 in the first period. Reece Newkirk led the action with a breakaway into the Reading zone which was initially stopped by Parker Gahagen, but was following up by a tip-in on the doorstep by Repaci seconds later. Repaci’s goal was his fifth of the season and his third in his last three games. Railers would lead 1-0 after one period, and would end up being the only lead of the night.

At 5:21 Shane Sellar got Reading on the board with a 2-on-1 rush, where he sent the puck top-shelf on a pass from Tag Bertuzzi. 44 seconds, Sellar scored again after stealing the puck from a Railers skater, scoring on a quick shot from the right circle. Seven minutes later at 13:06, he scored again on a clear path to the net from in between the circles, he scored just under the pads of Lennox. Lennox was injured on the play which resulted in Sellar’s third goal, he was assisted off the ice and did not return to the game.

Entering the third period was all about damage control. Tag Bertuzzi managed to score a top-shelf goal against Eisenhower, extending Reading’s lead to 4-1 at 1:21. Blade Jenkins later narrowed the gap to 4-2 at 3:55, assisted by Ryan Verrier, who earned his first point in twenty games this season. Brayden Guy then restored a three-goal lead for Reading by creating a turnover in Worcester’s zone and executing a one-timer at 14:19.

The three stars of the game were:

  1. Shane Sellar (Reading) – 3 goals
  2. Tag Bertuzzi (Reading) – 1 goal, 1 assist
  3. Brayden Guy (Reading) – 1 goal

In divisional contests, the Adirondack Thunder clinched a 5-3 win against the Newfoundland Growlers, and the Norfolk Admirals emerged victorious with a 4-1 score over the Trois-Rivières Lions, who have now lost in seven of their last ten games. Maine had a night off, and Reading is slated for a break tomorrow, while the remaining six teams are gearing up for divisional clashes on Saturday. As of Friday, the Railers and Royals hold the sixth and seventh positions in the North Division, respectively.

Looking ahead, the Railers are set to journey to Glens Falls, New York, to conclude the weekend on Saturday night. The game kicks off at 7 pm at the Cool Insuring Arena.

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Box Score


Scoring 1 2 3 T
1 0 1 2
0 3 2 5
Shots 1 2 3 T
9 10 9 28
13 9 9 31
Score Team Time Scored by Assisted by Type
1 – 0 17:14 – 1st A. Repaci (5) R. Newkirk
1 – 1 5:21 – 2nd S. Sellar (6) T. Bertuzzi, M. Brown
1 – 2 6:05 – 2nd S. Sellar (7) B. Hoffmann
1 – 3 13:06 – 2nd S. Sellar (8) W. Zmolek, A. Master
1 – 4 1:21 – 3rd T. Bertuzzi (6) J. Nardi
2 – 4 3:55 – 3rd B. Jenkins (6) R. Verrier
2 – 5 14:19 – 3rd B. Guy (2)

Rosters

# Player G A +/- SH PIM
G 30 T. Lennox 0 0 0 0 0
G 40 J. Eisenhower 0 0 0 0 0
D 3 R. Verrier 0 1 0 3 0
D 4 J. Schultz 0 0 -1 0 0
D 10 T. Cosgrove 0 0 0 7 6
F 11 A. Bakanov 0 0 -1 1 0
F 13 J. Pivonka 0 0 -1 1 0
F 15 B. Robbins 0 0 -1 1 0
F 16 A. Calder 0 0 0 0 0
F 17 K. Howdeshell 0 0 -2 1 0
F 19 B. Jenkins 1 0 -1 3 2
F 22 D. Kuefler 0 0 0 2 0
F 23 T. Goehring 0 0 -1 1 0
D 26 C. Welsh 0 0 -1 2 0
F 29 R. Piercey 0 0 -1 1 0
F 37 R. Newkirk 0 1 -1 2 0
D 70 Z. Garat 0 0 -2 0 0
F 81 A. Repaci 1 0 -1 2 0
D 88 A. Kulakov 0 0 -1 1 0
Team:
Totals: 2 2 -15 28 8
Player MIN SH SVS GA SV%
30 T. Lennox (L) – 21 18 3 –
40 J. Eisenhower – 10 8 2 –
Totals: – 31 26 5 –
# Player G A +/- SH PIM
G 32 P. Gahagen 0 0 0 0 0
G 73 N. Maier 0 0 0 0 0
D 5 W. Zmolek 0 1 +2 0 0
F 9 B. Hoffmann 0 1 +1 0 0
D 12 M. Millman 0 0 +1 0 2
F 16 S. Sellar 3 0 +2 5 2
F 17 T. Fawcett 0 0 +1 2 0
F 18 J. Nardi 0 1 0 0 0
F 19 B. Guy 1 0 +1 3 0
F 20 A. Master 0 1 0 0 0
F 21 T. Bertuzzi 1 1 +1 4 0
D 23 D. Brady 0 0 +2 3 2
F 27 R. Chyzowski 0 0 +1 4 0
D 28 A. Brubacher 0 0 -1 2 0
D 29 K. Wilson 0 0 +2 1 0
F 37 M. Brown 0 1 +1 2 0
F 77 D. Paliani 0 0 +1 2 0
D 81 M. Chen 0 0 0 0 0
F 90 M. McCarty 0 0 0 3 0
Team:
Totals: 5 6 15 31 6
Player MIN SH SVS GJ SV%
32 P. Gahagen (W) – 28 26 2 –
Totals: – 28 26 2 –

Penalties

Time Team Player Mins Infraction
10:09 – 1st T. Cosgrove 2 Interference – minor (56.2)
19:58 – 1st T. Cosgrove 2 Tripping – minor (57.2)
2:00 – 2nd S. Sellar 2 High-sticking – minor (60.2)
6:35 – 3rd M. Millman 2 Elbowing – minor (45.2)
8:01 – 3rd B. Jenkins 2 Slashing – minor (61.2)
16:49 – 3rd D. Brady 2 High-sticking – minor (60.2)
19:59 – 3rd T. Cosgrove 2 Slashing – minor (61.2)


Notes

  • Worcester Scratches: Anthony Callin, Christian Krygier, Henrik Tikkanen, Jack Quinlivan, Joey Cipollone, John Copeland, Quinn Ryan, and Zach White.
  • Reading Scratches: Kenny Johnson, Nicolas Ouellet, Trevor Thurston, Tyler Heidt, and Yvan Mongo.
  • Reece Newkirk and Daylan Kuefler joined Worcester for the upcoming trip, and Kuefler made his professional debut on Friday. Worcester now has 27 players, as of Friday that now included Anthony Callin on bereavement leave and Quinn Ryan on injured reserve. Once Callin or any of the three players on injured reserve returns, that number will decrease.
  • Word from the broadcast is that Henrik Tikkanen did not travel with the team to Reading. Given that the Railers are now without Lennox, it’ll be a scramble to find a second EBUG or have Tikkanen find a ride to Glens Falls from Worcester.
  • Following Friday’s game, the Railers had the following streaks:
    • Ryan Verrier picked up his first point of the season after nineteen games without one.
    • Jake Pivonka is without a point in his last six games.
    • Keeghan Howdeshell’s point streak was snapped at three games. (2-1-3)
    • Connor Welsh is without a point in his last three games.
    • Zsombor Garat is without a point in his last ten games.
    • Anthony Repaci has goals in his last three games. (3-0-3)
    • Artyom Kulakov is without a point in his last ten games.

Railers Lines

Forward Lines LW C RW
Forward Line 1 Andrei Bakanov #11 Blade Jenkins #19 Anthony Repaci #81
Forward Line 2 Daylan Kuefler #22 Jake Pivonka #13 Ashton Calder #16
Forward Line 3 Riley Piercey #29 Brendan Robbins #15 Keeghan Howdeshell #17
Rotated Forwards Andrei Bakanov #11 – Todd Goehring #23
Defensive Pairings LD RD
Defense Pair 1 Jake Schultz #4 Connor Welsh #26
Defense Pair 2 Ryan Verrier #3 Trevor Cosgrove #10
Defense Pair 3 Artyom Kulakov #88 Zsombor Garat #70
Rotated Defensemen – –
Goalie Tandem G
Starting Goaltender Tristan Lennox #30
Backup Goaltender Joel Eisenhower #40

On-Ice Officials

– –
Referee Steven Sailor (5)
Referee –
Linesman JP Waleski (51)
Linesman Judson Ritter (70)


Highlights


Notable Tweets as the Game Happened


Railers Lines


Anthony Repaci goal (Railers lead 1-0)


Shane Sellar goal (Tied at 1)


Shane Sellar goal (Royals lead 2-1)


Shane Sellar goal (Royals lead 3-1)


Tag Bertuzzi goal (Royals lead 4-1)


Blade Jenkins goal (Royals lead 4-2)


Brayden Guy goal (Royals lead 5-2)