By Bill Ballou
WORCESTER – The Railers lost 7-3 loss to the Adirondack Thunder on Sunday afternoon to close out the first half of the 2024-25 home schedule.
Worcester went into the second period with the scored tied, 1-1. The Railers then allowed four goals in a little less than seven minutes starting at 3:53 and their afternoon was over.
Coach Nick Tuzzolino refused to place the blame for the defeat on Bullion’s shoulders when asked if it was his fault.
“I would never say that in that light,” Tuzzolino said. “We’ve got to be good in front of him and could have been better. Could have blocked a couple of those shots. I’m sure he has his own thoughts on those goals but we’re a team.”
Worcester got two goals from Jordan Kaplan and one from Griffin Loughlan. Anthony Repaci assisted on all three goals. Repaci’s historic season continues unabated. He extended his points streak to seven straight games. He is 3-10-13 during the streak.
The game was his 193rd for Worcester, passing Barry Almeida as the all-time franchise leader in that category. The assists give him 90 in a Worcester uniform, tied with Almeida on that list. They are tied for fourth among all Worcester pro players with Tom Cavanagh of the Sharks next at 92.
The Railers were 2 for 5 on the power play and are among the league leaders in that category. They have at least one power play goal in seven straight games. That ties a team record set in February of 2022.
“That’s probably the most frustrating thing,” Tuzzolino said. “It’s all those little pieces. We just have to find the right piece.”
Loughran gave Worcester an early lead at just 2:36 of the first period. Repaci found his linemate all alone at the bottom of the left circle and Loughran made no mistake burying a 15-footer.
It was 1-1 after 20 minutes, then the Railers hit an iceberg.
“I think we got confidence early,” Tuzzolino said, “then some of those goals they scored killed our confidence, and confidence is the easiest thing to lose and the hardest to get back."
Ryan Francis was 2-3-5 to pace the Adirondack offense. Josh Filmon, Ryan Wheeler, Alex Young, Grant Loven and Dylan Wendt had the other Thunder goals.
MAKING TRACKS – Attendance was 3,772 … The teams play again at 3:05 Tuesday afternoon in Glens Falls. It will be the Railers’ sixth New Year’s Eve game. They are 1-3-1 in those matches. … Except for Bullion the Railers’ lineup was identical to Saturday night.
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