Worcester Railers HC at Adirondack Thunder
April 1, 2018
Cool Insuring Arena
Meeting 12 of 12 vs. Thunder this season
Worcester finished 8-2-2-0 vs. Adirondack this season
This ain’t no joke… Railers jump into playoff spot after fourth straight win
Worcester is now one point ahead of Wheeling for the final playoff spot in the North Division
Glens Falls, NY – The Worcester Railers HC (35-26-4-4, 78pts) kicked off their three-game road trip with their fourth straight win with a 4-1 victory over the host Adirondack Thunder (39-24-3-4, 85pts) in front of 2,880 fans at the Cool Insuring Arena on Easter Sunday. With the win, the Railers jumped past the Wheeling Nailers for the 4thand final playoff spot in the North Division. Worcester heads to Reading, PA to battle the Royals on Wednesday at 7pm.
Franke DiChiara scored twice, TJ Syner and Mike Cornell also found the back of the net for Worcester while Mitch Gillam made 27 saves in his 12thstraight start in net for his 22nd win of the season as the Railers are now one point ahead of the Wheeling Nailers for the final playoff spot in the North Division – the Railers have one game in hand with three games left. The Railers won all four games in their 4-in-5 week without trailing in any of the four games.
A feisty first period had playoff intensity and the Railers would score the only goal as Frankie DiChiara (8th) buried a hard shot from the right slot past the glove of netminder Mackenzie Blackwood at 10:55 assisted by Mike Cornell and Barry Almeida. Shots were 10-5 in favor of the Railers through 20 minutes of play.
Adirondack tied the score on the power play with a wicked shot from the center point by Troy Bourke (10th) with traffic in front of Mitch Gillam at 6:17 of the second period. Matty Gaudreau was boarded from behind by Mathieu Brodeur in the Adirondack zone which resulted with no call so Ben Masella dropped the mitts and fed Brodeur with a series of uppercuts at 7:29. TJ. Syner (9th) gave the Railers a 2-1 advantage as he followed up his original shot and snapped a rebound into the net at 15:55 assisted by Nick Saracino and Matty Gaudreau. Shots were 19-14 in favor of the Thunder through 40 minutes but Worcester held a 2-1 advantage into the second intermission.
Frankie DiChiara (9th) would add insurance after he crashed the net and buried a beautiful cross ice feed by Josh Holmstrom on the rush at 13:04 to give the Railers a 3-1 lead. Mike Cornell (5th) would seal the deal with an unassisted empty netter at 19:50 to give Worcester the 4-1 win. Mitch Gillam made nine more saves in the final frame to keep the Thunder off the board.
Notes: Three Stars: 3rd star: Mitch Gillam (27 save, Win) 2nd star: Troy Bourke (Goal) 1st star: Frankie DiChiara (2-0-2) …Final shots were 28-25 in favor of Adirondack…MacKenzie Blackwood (1-1-1) made 21 saves on 24 shots for Adirondack… Olivier Mantha was the backup for the Thunder…. Mitch Gillam (22-14-2) made 27 saves on 28 shots in his 20thstart in the last 21 games for Worcester and his 12thstraight start overall… Will King was the backup goaltender for the Railers…. Worcester went 2-for-4 on the power play while Adirondack went 1-for-4…Josh Monk (inj), Chris Langkow (inj), Tommy Kelley (inj), Connor Doherty, Dwyer Tschantz, Josh McArdle, and Maurizio Colella 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 loaned back to Worcester by the Utica Comets (AHL)….. 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….Barry Almeida (1-5-6) and Nick Saracino (2-3-5) now have four game point streaks…Matty Gaudreau (1-2-3) now has a two-game point streak….this was the only game scheduled on Easter Sunday in the AHL and the ECHL…Worcester finished with a 5-1-1-0 record at the Cool Insuring Arena this season…the four game win streak ties a season high for Worcester as the Railers are now 9-1-1 in their last 11 games overall.
What’s on tap? – Railers continue to battle for a playoff spot!
On Wednesday, April 4 the Railers head to Reading, PA for a 7pm start vs. the Reading Royals with coverage beginning at 6:35pm on 98.9 Nash Icon. On Saturday, April 7 the Railers play their final road game with a 6pm start in Manchester, NH vs. the Monarchs.
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.