Brampton Beast at Worcester Railers HC
March 31, 2018
DCU Center
Meeting 7 of 7 vs. the Beast this season
Worcester went 4-2-0-1 vs. Brampton this season
Special teams lead Railers to 7thstraight home win at DCU Center in front of BIG crowd
Worcester is now one point out of a playoff spot in the North Division with four games left
Worcester, MA – The Worcester Railers HC (34-26-4-4, 76pts) scored two shorthanded goals and a power play tally to pick up their seventh straight win on home ice after a 4-1 victory over the visiting Brampton Beast (26-33-6-4, 62pts) in front of 5,829 fans at the DCU Center on a BIG GAME SATURDAY.   The Railers close out their four-game in five-day stretch on Sunday with a 5:05pm start in Glens Falls, NY vs. the Adirondack Thunder.
Dylan Willick, Matty Gaudreau, Barry Almeida, and Nick Saracino found the back of the net for Worcester while Mitch Gillam made 30 saves in his 10thstraight start in net for his 21st win of the season as the Railers are now one point behind the Wheeling Nailers for the final playoff spot in the North Division – the Railers have two games in hand with four games left.  Barry Almeida also added two assists and Nick Saracino added a helper to extend his point streak to three games.
The Railers came out buzzing in the first period and outshot the Beast 17-10 and grabbed a 1-0 lead as rookie Dylan Willick (1st) scored his first professional goal with a beautiful breakaway goal past netminder Chris Driedger at 11:20 assisted by Barry Almeida. Mitch Gillam made 10 saves in the opening frame as the Railers had several great chances for additional goals.
Matty Gaudreau (11th) finished off a series of perfect passes on the power play with a back door knock in assisted by Nick Saracino and Barry Almeida at 10:15 to give Worcester a 2-0 lead. Barry Almeida (21st) struck at 12:21 with a shorthanded breakaway beauty with a top shelf shot to give the Railers a 3-0 advantage. Mitch Gillam was perfect through 40 minutes with 22 saves in net.
Nick Saracino (12th) gave Worcester a 4-0 lead after he skated down the left wing and snapped a shot from 35 feet through the pads of the Beast netminder just 47 seconds into the third period. Brandon MacLean (18th) broke Mitch Gillam’s shutout at 3:27 with a rebound score to cut the Railers lead to 3-1. Gilly made 13 saves in the third period as the Railers cruised to a 4-1 home victory.
Notes: Three Stars: 3rd star: Dylan Willick (1stpro goal) 2nd star: Barry Almeida (1-2-3) 1st star: Matty Gaudreau (GWG, assist) …Final shots were 36-31 in favor of Brampton…Chris Driedger (7-6-1) made 27 saves on 31 shots for Brampton… Andrew D’Agostini was the backup for the Beast…. Mitch Gillam (21-14-2) made 35 saves on 36 shots in his 19thstart in the last 20 games for Worcester and his 11thstraight start overall… Will King was the backup goaltender for the Railers…. Worcester went 1-for-6 on the power play while Brampton went 0-for-5…Josh Monk (inj), Chris Langkow (inj), Tommy Kelley (inj), and Matt Lane did not dress for Worcester…. Kellen Jones, Eamon McAdam, Yanick Turcotte, Jeff Kubiak and Kyle Schempp are currently on recall with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers….before the game, Justin Hamonic and Dwyer Tschantz were recalled by the Utica Comets (AHL)….. forward Maurizio Colella made his pro debut for the Railers …the Railers are now 15-2-1 in their last 18 games at the DCU Center… Worcester is now 21-12-2-0 on home ice this season…. the Railers are in the middle of a stretch where they play four games in five days and seven games in 12 days to close out the season….with the two shorthanded goals, the Railers now have 13 this season…Barry Almeida (1-4-5) and Nick Saracino (2-2-4) now have three game point streaks….Rene Rancourt sang both anthems before the game as part of his farewell tour.
What’s on tap? – Railers continue to battle for a playoff spot!
On Sunday, April 1 the Railers close out their four-game in five-day stretch with a 5:05pm start in Glens Falls, NY vs. the Adirondack Thunder. Coverage begins at 4:35pm on 98.9 Nash Icon.
On Sunday, April 8 the Worcester Railers HC host the Manchester Monarchs at 3:05pm on FAN APPRECIATION DAYwith a BOSTON BRUINS ALUMNI GAMEto benefit Why Me. It is also a KIDS GIVEAWAY SUNDAYwith the 1st1,000 kids 12-and-under receiving a Railers HC flashlightpresented by CHH Engraving, Inc.There will be a TON of giveaways and prizesthroughout the game and three lucky fans will have the opportunity to win a car with the PRIME FORD Shoot to Winduring an intermission!The DCU Center doors open at 12pm for the Bruins Alumni Game…. Railers puck drop is at 3:05pm. Stick around after the game for a postgame autograph sessionwith the Railers players! Last chance to catch the Railers this regular season…tickets as low as $15…or score a FAMILY FUN PACKwhich includes 4 tickets, 4 hotdogs, and 4 sodas for just $80!
The Railers Tavern, located behind the DCU Center provides hockey fans with a great pregame and postgame atmosphere all season long. Watch all road games broadcast live at Railers Tavern or watch on ECHLTV.com for a small fee. Listen to all Railers games live on 98.9 Nash ICONwith coverage beginning 30 minutes before puck drop with Eric Lindquistand Tom Matthews. Full season memberships, mini plans, and group tickets are on sale now by calling the Railers front office at 508-365-1750or by visiting www.RailersHC.com