Game Story
Tulsa, OK — Following 6-2 win over the Allen Americans on Friday, the Worcester Railers traveled overnight to Tulsa, Oklahoma where they faced the Tulsa Oilers for the first of back-to-back games between the two teams this weekend.
Evan Buitenhuis got the second straight start after a 32-save performance last night in Allen. Oilers held their “Pink in the Rink” night wearing pink jerseys with clashing numbers and nameplates, while Worcester wore their road white jerseys. Malcolm Gould made his Railers debut, switching with Tommy Kelley for the night. Evan Buitenhuis earned his first career shutout on 47 saves. The lone goal scored during the night was by Tyler Barnes (22nd).
Tyler Barnes scored the lone goal of the period following a rebound off the pads of Keserich. Both teams were 0-for-1 on the power play. Worcester led 1-0, trailing Tulsa by a single shot through twenty minutes.
Yanick Turcotte picked up his eleventh fighting major of the season against Mike McKee at 13:14 in the first period, a few minutes after McKee checked Tyler Mueller into the boards after a whistle which resulted in a no-call. Turcotte lost his balance but quickly got back on his skates to continue the fight but was broken up by the linesmen before anything else could come from it.
The Oilers held pressure in the second period with a game-high 18 shots in the period with Evan Buitenhuis being on-top of every single shot. Railers were more reserved in their shooting opportunities, registering just six shots in the frame. Tulsa had the only power play advantage of the period with Tyler Mueller heading to the sin bin at 15:19 for a tripping call. Worcester still led with the only goal with Tulsa doubling their shot count and more at 32-19 after two periods.
It appeared Tyler Barnes’ goal in the first period was all the Railers needed, skating away with the win and their first shutout of the season. With the shots being 15-4 in the final frame, Tulsa outshot Worcester in the game 47-23.
The Three Stars of the Game were:
- Evan Buitenhuis (Worcester) – 47 saves, win, shutout
- Tyler Barnes (Worcester) – 1 goal
- Ian Keserich (Tulsa) – 22 saves, emergency backup
Worcester (23-20-5-3) are still two points out from fourth in the division, with Manchester winning their game against Florida earlier in the day. Maine trails Worcester by one point and Reading trails by two.
Got to settle one old score, One small point of pride: Railers and Oilers will be back at it again on Sunday for a mid-afternoon game. Puck drop for that game will be at 5:05 EST, again due to time zone differences.
Box Score
| Scoring | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester Railers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tulsa Oilers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shots | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester Railers | 13 | 6 | 4 | 23 |
| Tulsa Oilers | 14 | 18 | 15 | 47 |
| Railers Roster | # | Name | G | A | +/- | SH | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | 34 | E. Buitenhuis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| G | 35 | M. Gillam | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D | 3 | A. Vanier | 0 | 0 | +1 | 1 | 0 |
| D | 4 | R. MacKinnon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| D | 6 | M. Cornell | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| F | 7 | T. Barnes | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 | 0 |
| F | 8 | N. Sorkin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| F | 10 | I. Kosorenkov | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| F | 11 | D. Willick | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| F | 12 | J. Holmstrom | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| F | 14 | M. Gould | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| F | 15 | B. Brauer | 0 | 1 | +1 | 0 | 0 |
| F | 19 | B. Almeida | 0 | 0 | +1 | 1 | 0 |
| F | 21 | M. Gaudreau | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| D | 24 | T. Mueller | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| F | 27 | R. Hitchcock | 0 | 1 | +1 | 1 | 0 |
| D | 41 | R. Powers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| F | 51 | Y. Turcotte | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Team: | |||||||
| Totals: | 1 | 2 | 5 | 23 | 9 |
| No | Name | Min | SH | SVS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | E. Buitenhuis (W) | 60:00 | 47 | 47 | 0 |
| Totals: | 60:00 | 47 | 47 | 0 |
| Oilers Roster | # | Name | G | A | +/- | SH | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | 1 | K. Peterson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| G | 30 | I. Keserich | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D | 3 | K. Rhodes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| D | 5 | S. Kaunisto | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| F | 8 | C. Sampair | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| F | 10 | A. Kromm | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| F | 15 | A. Globke | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| F | 16 | S. Henegar | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| F | 18 | A. Pleskach | 0 | 0 | -1 | 1 | 0 |
| D | 20 | C. Forney | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| D | 21 | D. Bredo | 0 | 0 | -1 | 9 | 0 |
| D | 24 | M. McKee | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| D | 27 | A. Phillips | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| F | 28 | R. Tesink | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| F | 29 | I. McNulty | 0 | 0 | -1 | 4 | 0 |
| F | 71 | J. Thomas | 0 | 0 | -1 | 3 | 0 |
| D | 72 | E. Drapluk | 0 | 0 | -1 | 1 | 0 |
| F | 92 | T. Mele | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Team: | |||||||
| Totals: | 0 | 0 | -5 | 47 | 9 |
| No | Name | Min | SH | SVS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | I. Keserich (L) | 58:37 | 23 | 22 | 1 |
| Totals: | 58:37 | 23 | 22 | 1 |
| P | T | Player | M | Offense | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | H | C. Forney | 2.00 | Boarding – minor (41.2) | 2:44 |
| 1st | V | M. Cornell | 2.00 | Interference – minor (56.2) | 10:59 |
| 1st | V | Y. Turcotte | 5.00 | Fighting – Major (46.14) | 13:14 |
| 1st | H | M. McKee | 5.00 | Fighting – Major (46.14) | 13:14 |
| 2nd | V | T. Mueller | 2.00 | Tripping – minor (57.2) | 15:19 |
| 3rd | H | S. Henegar | 2.00 | Tripping – minor (57.2) | 4:00 |
Notes
- Railers Injuries: Connor Doherty, Kyle McKenzie, Tommy Panico, Matt Schmalz
- Railers Scratches: Malcolm Gould, David Quenneville
- Oilers Injuries: Roman Ammirato, Terrance Amorosa, Peter Sivak, Devin Williams
- Oilers Scratches: Scott Cuthrell, Bobby Watson
- With his shutout Saturday, Evan Buitenhuis becomes the second in team history to earn a shutout. Mitch Gillam had five in the last regular season and one in the playoffs. His 47 saves is the highest for a shutout in the team’s history. Buitenhuis shared a shutout with Charlie Millen during the pre-season over the Maine Mariners.
- With Tyler Barnes scoring his 22nd goal of the season, he ties a franchise record set by Barry Almeida last season. Any goals going forward will give him the franchise record.
- Malcolm Gould finally made his Railers’ debut on Saturday after injuries interfered with his original signing and a second injury interfering with his second signing in November. He played right wing on the third forward line with Ivan Kosorenkov, Dylan Willick, and Yanick Turcotte.
- Tulsa had not one, but two emergency back-up goaltenders due to a recall and an injury to elite goaltender Devin Williams the night before. Tulsa signed goaltender Kurt Peterson as the “back-up to the back-up” earlier in the day. Peterson is believed to be the brother of John Peterson, who is the VP of Communications for the Oilers.
- The Railers will wear Patriots-themed jerseys on March 30 with proceeds from the auction going to benefit the March for Dimes. The Railers next specialty jersey which will be held on March 9, is slated to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles themed jersey.
- For up-to-date news on all things Worcester Hockey, Like us on Facebook at Woo Hockey – Worcester Hockey News, Follow us on Twitter @WooHockeyNews, and join our Facebook Group – Worcester Railers Fan Club.
Railers Lines (Observed by order in which they appeared):
| LW | C | RW | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward Line 1 | B. Almeida #19 “A” | R. Hitchcock #27 | T. Barnes #7 |
| Forward Line 2 | J. Holmstrom #12 “A” | M. Gaudreau #21 | N. Sorkin #8 |
| Forward Line 3 | I. Kosorenkov #10 / Y. Turcotte #51 | D. Willick #11 | M. Gould #14 |
| LD | RD | |
|---|---|---|
| Defense Line 1 | M. Cornell #6 “C” | T. Mueller #24 |
| Defense Line 2 | R. Powers #41 | R. MacKinnon #4 |
| Defense Line 3 | A. Vanier #3 | B. Brauer #15 |
| G | |
|---|---|
| Starting Goaltender | Evan Buitenhuis #34 |
| Backup Goaltender | Mitch Gillam #35 |
Highlights
Highlights will be posted upon completion of the game.