FIVE STRAIGHT GOALS GUIDE WORCESTER TO A HAPPY NEW YEAR

Worcester Railers HC vs. Adirondack Thunder

December 31, 2024

Cool Insuring Arena

Meeting 3 of 8 vs. Adirondack this season

Railers are 1-2-0-0 vs. the Thunder this season

FIVE STRAIGHT GOALS GUIDE WORCESTER TO A HAPPY NEW YEAR

Kaplan records natural hat trick with power play goals.

Glens Falls, NY – The Worcester Railers HC (12-17-1-2 27pts) took down the Adirondack Thunder(13-13-0-1, 27pts), on Tuesday Afternoon by the final score of 6-5 in front of a crowd of 5,462 at Cool Insuring Arena. The Railers are back on the ice at the DCU Center taking on the Reading Royals on Friday, January 3rd at 7:05 p.m. EST.

Worcester got the scoring started early giving themselves the 1-0 lead 2:31 into the first with a goal from Lincoln Hatten (2-0-2). Adirondack went on to score four unanswered, with goals from Andre Ghantous (1-0-1) 6:04 into the period, Ryan Francis (1-0-1) at 14:16, and T.J. Friedmann (1-0-1) 15:44 into the first. The scoring continued into the second period 2:11 into the frame when Josh Filmon (1-1-2) scored unassisted. The Railers got two back in the second with a shorthanded goal from Lincoln Hatten 10:07 into the second, followed by Mason Klee's (1-0-1) goal at 13:07 making it 4-3. Jordan Kaplan (3-1-4) finished off the second period scoring with a power play goal making it 4-4 heading into the third. Jordan Kaplan would score his second and third of the night on the power play giving Worcester a 6-4 lead. Adirondack got one back on the power play when Dylan Wendt (1-0-1) made it a one goal game during a five-minute major. The Railers would hold strong on the rest of the penalty kill, resulting in a 6-5 win.

It only took eight seconds for action as Kolby Johnson of the Railers and Darian Skeoch of the Thunder dropped the gloves and exchanged fists at center ice. Just a couple minutes later the Railers jumped out to the early 1-0 lead as Lincoln Hatten (3rd) tucked one in the top right corner of the net 2:31 into the first. Adirondack evened the score 6:04 into the first with a score from Andre Ghantous (8th). Ryan Francis (4th) followed up Ghantous with a goal of his own 14:16 into the period making it 2-1. Adirondack did not stop there as T.J. Friedmann (5th) extended the Thunder lead to 3-1, 15:44 into the period. Neither team would score again before the first horn sounded, as it was a 3-1 Thunder lead headed into the second. Adirondack outshot Worcester 14-6 in the first.

Adirondack made their lead 4-1 just 2:11 into the period when Josh Filmon (5th) scored unassisted for the Thunder. The Railers woke up from there and took control of the game, allowing just six more Thunder shots the entire rest of the game. They cut into the Adirondack lead with Lincon Hatten’s (4th) shorthanded goal 10:07 into the second. Mason Klee (4th) followed Hatten with his goal making it a one score game three minutes later. The Railers capitalized on the power play when Jordan Kaplan (9th) ripped a shot into the back of the net to tie the game at 4-4 heading into the third with only 1:42 left in the second. Worcester outshot Adirondack 14-3 in the second.

The Railers kept the scoring going in the third as Jordan Kaplan (10th) scored his second power play goal of the night 4:27 into the period, giving the Railers the 5-4 lead. Jordan Kaplan (11th) finished the natural power play hat trick 11:15 into the third extending the Worcester lead to 6-4. Adirondack played five of the final six minutes on the power play following a major penalty for interference on Ryan Dickinson. 1:56 into the five-minute penalty Dylan Wendt (3rd) scored to make it a 6-5 game. The Railers would go on to kill the final three penalty minutes and hold the Thunder off in the final minute of play giving the Railers the 6-5 win. Shots favored Adirondack 5-4 in the third and favored Worcester in regulation 24-22.

Notes:

Three Stars: 3rd Star: Josh Filmon (1-1-2, +1, 3 shots), 2nd Star: Lincoln Hatten (2-0-2, 2 shots), 1st Star: Jordan Kaplan (3-1-4, 4 shots)… Final shots favored Worcester 24-22… David Fessenden (2-2-0) made 18 saves on 24 shots for Adirondack… Michael Bullion (5-10-0-1) made 17 saves on 22 shots for Worcester, while Dante Giannuzzi served as the backup… Worcester went 3-for-4 on the power play while Adirondack went 1-for-5… Matthew Boudens (IR), JD Dudek (DNP), and Brendan Rons (DNP) did not dress for Worcester… Jordan Kaplan and Matthew Kopperud led the Railers in shots with 4… Anthony Repaci logs his 91st assist of his Railers career making him Worcester’s all-time assist leader... The Railers are now 42-31-3-2 all-time vs. the Thunder and 22-18-1-0 at the Cool Insuring Arena against Adirondack

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