By Bill Ballou
PORTLAND, Maine – Worcester was outshot in a fateful and fatal first period, 21-1, and outscored by the Maine Mariner 4-0, on the way to a 5-2 defeat.
Lincoln Hatten and Cole Donhauser had the Railers goals. It was the first ECHL goal for Hatten, the first in a Worcester uniform for Donhauser. It was also shorthanded.
Drew Bavaro, Patrick Guay, Bennett Stockdale, Wyllum Deveaux and Evan Vierling had the Portland goals. Former Railers forward Jimmy Lambert had three assists for the winners.
Hatten scored from in close at 3:35 of the second period to make it a 4-1 game, Donhauser assisting. Donhauser scored unassisted with a wrist shot from the right wing at 19:29 of the third period to make it 5-2. He was plus-2 for the night.
Henrik Tikkanen made 33 saves for Worcester. Ryan Bischel had 27 for the Mariners.
Bavaro opened the scoring with a power play goal at 6:30 of the first period, just before the Railers would have gotten Jordan Kaplan out of the penalty box. He snapped a 40-foot wrist home from above the circles.
Guay made it 2-0 at 9:02. He finished off a 2 on 1 break, converting a pass from Lambert. Stockdale scored a little more than a minute later with a shot from the left circle. Deveaux scored on a deflection at 16:23 to make it 4-0 on the scoreboard.
The Railers actually won the last 40 minutes, 2-1. Vierling had the only Maine goal in that span, scoring on the power play at 16:40 of the third period, but there was no way Worcester could climb out of its early hole.
MAKING TRACKS – The Railers have a brief homestand versus Trois-Rivieres this weekend. Worcester plays the Lions Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. … Players on the roster who did not dress were Matias Rajaniemi, J.D. Dudek, Colin Jacobs and Cole Crowder as well as goaltender John Muse. … This was the 62nd meeting of the Railers and Mariners. Maine has 74 points in those games, Worcester 65. They play eight more times this season, four in 2024 in Worcester, then four in 2025 in Portland. … Hatten and goalie Michael Bullion are the first Railers ever to wear 33 (Hatten) and 32 (Bullion). … Life in the ECHL — the Mariners have a 2 a.m. EST game at Rapid City on Feb. 16 as part of a 10-game road trip.
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